Fallen

Scarlett hesitated for a minute, looking down and then meeting his eyes. “I told you about Haddie’s father and the contract. What I didn’t tell you is that Royce’s wife paid me off. She gave me a million dollars to sign that contract and never bother Royce again, never mention Haddie publicly.” Scarlett bit at her lip. She obviously felt ashamed of having taken money, but all he felt was respect. She’d raised the little girl all on her own, and with how rich he assumed Royce Reynolds was, Scarlett probably could have laughed in his wife’s face, and sued him for child support that would have amounted to a lot more than a million dollars. He probably made that in a weekend. Scarlett was proud, and he could tell that because of it, she believed she should have accepted Royce’s dismissal with dignity and asked for nothing.

“You were owed that money and more,” he said.

She let out a breath, turning her head and looking out at the city for a brief moment. “Maybe Haddie does, but not me. I put a little aside for her, but mostly, I’m planning on using it to renovate Lilith House and the surrounding grounds, to start my business.”

“That’s for Haddie too, Scarlett.”

She tilted her head, giving a small acquiescence. “I’ve been trying to look at it that way. It hasn’t come easy.”

“Hey,” he said, reaching out and using a finger to turn her face back to his when she’d looked away. “Let yourself off the hook. What you’re doing, it’s for both of you. Scarlett, you deserve your dreams.”

For a moment she closed her eyes, her lips turning upward in a sad smile. “Thank you,” she said. “Thank you for that.”

He paused, recalling something he hadn’t remembered until right that moment. “She told me about you,” he said.

“She?”

“Kandace. She told me about a friend of hers. I think it was you. It had to be you.”

Scarlett’s smile was soft but mildly puzzled. “She did?”

“Yeah. Kandace wanted us to meet. She said she’d arrange it if she could.”

Her eyes softened and she let out a small gust of breath. “I almost don’t want to believe she did because that would mean—"

“I know,” he said gently.

She looked up at him with so much concern, but also trust. “Was it hard for her, Cam? If the girls were treated badly, Kandi would have tried to do something. Oh God. Were they . . . did they—”

“She did do something. She cared. She was the first one who ever did. She took risks.”

“You liked her.” She smiled softly.

“She was the first person, other than Mason and Georgia who saw me. Looked out for me. So, yeah. I liked her.”

“I’m glad, Cam. I’m glad she found you.” Me too. Because that’s what she did. She found me.

He started to withdraw his finger where it still rested on her chin, but instead, brought his hand closer, cupping her cheek. He felt nervous suddenly. Apprehensive, yet also strangely calm. He stared in her gray-blue eyes. Peace. He’d found it there. The old fears fell away, the ones that had never been real yet had lingered all the same. Until now. Until her. “I’m sorry I lied to you,” he said softly. “But the way I feel about you, the things you do to me, Scarlett . . . nothing about that is a lie.”

Her eyes widened, searching his and then she leaned closer into his touch. Her skin felt like warm satin. He stepped forward, so drawn to her, it was as though his body acted before he’d even decided to move. He had been, he realized, from the very first moment he looked at her. Scarlett stepped forward too, tilting her face upward and gazing at him.

Camden’s heartbeat quickened, that electrifying sense Scarlett’s closeness always elicited growing stronger just beneath his skin. It buzzed through his veins, causing every molecule to quicken inside him. It felt good. God, it felt good. He lowered his mouth, brushing it softly against hers. “Do you want this?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “I want this. I want you.”

His heart sped, body hardening. He let out a pent-up breath of need. “You’re sure?”

She let out a gentle laugh, but it quickly faded. She brought her hand to his forehead, moving a lock of hair aside. “Yes, I’m very sure,” she said tenderly, obviously understanding why her consent was so vital to him. He’d seen the opposite, portrayed as natural when it was anything but. The trauma still lived within him.

She went up on her tiptoes, kissing his forehead, her lips lingering there. “Take me to bed, Camden.”CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURCamden held her face tenderly in his hands as he came over her, pressing his naked skin to hers. Scarlett stared up at him, mouth parted, eyes wide and searching, so beautiful she stole his breath from his body. He groaned, bringing his mouth to hers, the heat of his hardness pressing against the silken skin of her stomach. He kissed her, slowly, tenderly, their tongues dueling sweetly as her thighs came around his hips. He felt his self-control dwindling and struggled to secure his grasp. She made him feel like liquid inside.