“How did you learn to read so fast?”
She really had been watching him. He liked that, although it could be dangerous.
“I started practicing when I was really young. I practiced every single day for hours. I have a gift there as well. I read and absorb very quickly now, and I never miss a day that I don’t keep up the practice. I like books.”
“That’s so awesome that you started so young. I read this really cool article on the Internet about speed-reading and how to comprehend what you were reading at the same time,” she explained. “It’s funny that you speed-read too. I started practicing about seven years ago. It comes in handy when you want to learn about various subjects.”
“That and YouTube.”
She nodded. “Right? I’ve found help from a tremendous number of videos. I rent this little house out in the middle of nowhere and it’s always falling apart. Repairs are my responsibility, so I just read or YouTube whatever I need.”
She was so fucking perfect for him. She made him ache inside. It was a good kind of ache after a lifetime of nothing but bad.
“Tell me about this boy you work so much with. Tom. He seems like a nice kid. What’s his story? You work with a lot of the kids, but he seems very special to you.”
She shrugged and buttered another piece of warm bread. He liked that she didn’t stint on the sweet, salted butter and worry too much about her figure. She had curves and he wanted her to keep them.
“He’s a nice kid. He has a great mom. Single. She works all the time. She came in once to thank me for helping him and even brought me some cupcakes she’d made. They were delicious.”
She flashed him a grin that said he’d missed out. His cock jerked hard at that mischievous grin. He could fall hard for her. He thought maybe he already had. Six weeks staring at her and she’d cast her spell.
“He was deaf the first few years of his life and then they operated on him, but he’s had trouble hearing sounds correctly and so has been slow reading and identifying words. He fell behind and she can’t help him because she works nights and isn’t home with him.”
Scarlet shrugged again but he had the feeling she wasn’t as casual as she tried to sound. She was upset on the boy’s behalf.
“He puts in the time, but he needs a tutor. I work with him after hours sometimes and he’s catching up now. He’s getting it.”
He knew immediately she was tutoring him as well as working with him in the library. He didn’t bother asking but knew she didn’t get paid for it. She didn’t want him to ask. He liked her all the more for it. He dipped his bread into oil and balsamic. “I’m glad the kid’s picking it up and that he wants to learn. That’s really what it takes, the desire.”
“You know what I do—the library. What do you do?”
He made a point of sighing. “I was afraid you’d ask. It’s very boring. I’m an attorney.”
She stiffened. She tried not to, but she did. He could see she had a major aversion to anyone with his particular career choice. He thought perhaps that would gain him some points, but he just lost any advantage he might have had.
“Hate it. Don’t work much. Looking for another career. Kind of fell into it because I like to debate but feel like criminals always get off and no justice is ever served. So I’m kind of a lousy attorney.” He kept his voice low and pushed a little persuasion into it. Just the slightest bit to see the effect on her. She was different. He’d noticed that right away when he was with her in the library just observing her, and then later when he would ask for various books.
She was susceptible to his voice, and yet he could see she could build a resistance fairly quickly to things, she reacted so fast. He wasn’t going to let her find a way to stop his subtle influence on her until he had already managed to get her to fall completely under his spell. He intended to put everything he had into this war and win. She already admitted she had a fast learning curve. She had gifts, the same as he did, and they were strong in her, already developed. He had to be cautious. This was one war he was determined to win.
Scarlet visibly relaxed a little, taking a breath, studying her bread before she took another bite and washed it down with a sip of water. “What kind of lawyer are you?”
He shrugged. Now that was a very good question. He was whatever he had to be. In the days of specialization, Code’s paperwork was invaluable. Absinthe’s ability to devour law books and keep up with the latest on whatever was needed for Torpedo Ink was equally as valuable. “I’m kind of a jack-of-all-trades, the fill-out-papers, boring kind of work.”