Chapter 3

Scarlett had barely slept last night.

She had fought with Jake, and it had been one of their terrible, ugly ones. He was her best friend on the planet, and they had been through a lot during this past year. 

It was hard to stay mad at him.

Jake had looked so guilty when Scarlett had questioned him about his gambling problem. It was no wonder she had forgiven him when she saw the vulnerability in his eyes. 

Yet, the end of the fight had done nothing to calm her churning and clenching stomach. The gambling worried her, and Scarlett felt like a complete freeloader sitting inside Griffin's luxurious kitchen. 

Why did Jake have to have a gambling problem?

In Scarlett's depressed state, she cursed the entire bird population. Why did they have to sound so happy when they chirped?

She hated everything right now...

Tiredly, Scarlett lifted her coffee cup to her lips, not even glancing up when Griffin entered the kitchen. 

He stretched his arms in the door opening. He yawned and gained Scarlett's attention when his shirt rode up his chest to reveal his abs. Damn, the man was ripped.

Scarlett stared at him, blushing when Griffin's gaze slid over to her eyes, and then he smirked.

"Good morning, Scarlett."

The sexual energy which surrounded the old man made her nervous. She could hardly look at him without her heart performing somersaults.

"Hi..."

"Did you sleep well?"

Scarlett took a deep breath, soaking in the smell of the black liquid inside her coffee cup. It bothered her that she was nervous around Griffin. She had no reason to be. 

"Not really..."

"I see..."

"Yup, and I pretty much feel like dying today."

Griffin leaned against the counter, wearing a half-grin that looked amused but also sympathetic. "Was it a bad fight?"

Scarlett stood up, shocked by Griffin's shameless question.

She inhaled and tried to sound polite. "No offense, but I rather not discuss my relationship with my boyfriend's dad."

Griffin blinked, although he still smiled, and Scarlett walked over to him to wash her coffee cup in the sink. 

Unfortunately, Griffin was blocking the tap. Scarlett shuddered when he peered down at her with a teasing smile. He unnerved her. This towering, muscular, hot-as-hell man and her boyfriend's dad.

"Am I standing in the way?"

Scarlett wanted to say "obviously" but kept her courteous smile. She didn't want to anger her new landlord. "Yes, would you kindly please move away? Thank you."

Griffin regarded her in silence before sliding away. 

Scarlett felt him watching her but leaned against the counter in a casual move, rather than exposing the truth—her knees had lost the ability to keep her upright.

"No work today?"

"Me? No..." Scarlett shook her head, aware that Griffin watched every move she made. "I-I was going to take it easy today and maybe... Study later... Possibly read." 

"Do you read a lot?" He tilted his head, reading her face. "I didn't expect you to be into books."

Scarlett shudders. Griffin was intense, and his eyes bore into her, willing her to talk to him. And since Scarlett didn't possess enough courage to tell Griffin he made her nervous, she relented.

"I love to read."

A smile crossed his features. "Romance?"

"Yes."

"Paperbacks?"

"No," Scarlett hesitated. "I read on apps."

His gaze dipped over her body, seeming to take her in. "Interesting."

She flushed but said nothing. Her coffee cup was clean, and she placed it on the counter. Griffin, however, was blocking her path again. He was also eyeing her, totally shameless about it.

It made her cheeks burn. Damn, it was much easier to stomach fictional men, but being faced with one? Hopeless. 

It didn't matter that Griffin was Jake's dad; Scarlett was already experiencing butterflies.

"You're in my way again..."

"I'm aware."

Griffin showed her a glimpse of his teeth but didn't move. He was much bigger than her, something else she found unnerving. During his prime, Griffin must have been a jock. 

One of the ones that kept his physique and confidence. 

Scarlett sucked in a deep breath. Her head hurt from having to crane her neck to face this man. "Then could you please—"

"Would you like to go out for lunch with me?"

Scarlett's eyes widened. "With my boyfriend's dad?"

"Yeah?" He blinked at her, and Scarlett cursed his intense eyes and perfect set of teeth. 

She narrowed her eyes. "Why would I do that?"

"Why not? Look, I'm only trying to be helpful, and my son spent your money on gambling, so how about we head out shopping? In that way, I could make it up to you and buy some new clothes."

Griffin smiled, yet Scarlett couldn't help but feel like it was more wolfish with a hidden agenda rather than friendly. 

"It would feel kinda weird if you bought me stuff..." Scarlett shyly mumbled. She tried to keep her gaze on the floor. 

Griffin kept smiling. Scarlett found the sheer size of him intimidating and inhaled in relief when Jake entered the kitchen. 

"Good morning," Jake's hair was messy, and he rubbed the sleep from his eyes while smiling. He was cute. 

"Morning," Scarlett replied.

Griffin stepped away from Scarlett. "Good morning."

"Did you sleep well?" Jake walked over to the fridge and proceeded to rummage it. He was like a scavenger hunting for food.

Griffin's eyes fell on Scarlett, and she palmed her neck. For some reason, she didn't feel like she could be honest with Jake. She didn't want to trouble him by saying she slept like crap.

"Yeah..." Scarlett spoke lowly. "The bed was very comfortable and not to mention luxurious."

Jake flashes her his infamous little grin. "I told you my dad's place would be nice to stay at."

Scarlett blushed and awkwardly glanced up at Griffin. She wasn't comfortable speaking as if he wasn't standing in the room. But surprisingly, he didn't look offended. 

Those chocolate eyes were roaming Scarlett's face. "Did you actually like the bed, or do you need a more comfortable mattress?"

"She is fine!" Jake answered in Scarlett's stead. He usually spoke for her like it was no big deal. Most of the time, he made every decision for Scarlett regardless of what she wanted.

Griffin, on the other hand, kept his piercing gaze on Scarlett. He entirely ignored his son. "Well?"

Was she supposed to answer?

Scarlett tugged at her sleeve, hating all the attention. "I do like the mattress, actually..."

Griffin's expression softened. "Good."

Scarlett tried to return his smile to her best ability. It was somewhat challenging since she was so nervous around Griffin. 

Luckily, he turned his attention to Jake. "Do you want anything from the store? I'm going to send our butler."

"Oh, chips would be nice."

"Alright," Griffin's eyes fell down on Scarlett. She instinctively took a step back from him, making his lips twitch. "And what about Miss Greyson? anything you're dreaming of?"

Her eye twitched. Why did Griffin's question sound so dirty? He was talking about food. Right? Scarlett wasn't sure, yet she intended to fight the blush threatening to coat her cheeks.

"I would like rice crispies."

Griffin's expression turned amused as if her answer pleasant surprised him, yet he didn't comment on her food choice. "Okay."

Jake took a seat, and Scarlett sat down across from him. They fell in conversation. The couple talked about simple stuff, like the weather and their plans for today, nothing exciting.

Griffin soon left the kitchen, and Jake busied himself with his phone. Scarlett opened the news magazine, blinking, when she noticed a crumpled note inside it.

Her gaze traveled to Jake. He laughed at his usual gaming videos and paid her no attention. 

Scarlett slowly opened the note. The message was from Griffin as if he had expected her to pick up the news magazine.

Her heart raced. What could possibly be written inside? Her hands were shaking as she unfolded the rest of the corners. Her eyes bulged out of their sockets when she saw the handwriting inside.

Meet me upstairs in an hour. Jake will head out to see his friends, like always, and you're free to join me.

Scarlett gulped. She had a bad feeling about what Griffin could possibly want from her. No way he only wanted to hang out. There had to be an agenda behind the message.