Chapter6 He Stood Up

Scarlett’s POV

The kiss caught me completely off guard. I shoved him away hard.

"What the hell are you doing?" I demanded.

"Just collecting interest on my investment."

Before I could even process that, he pulled me back in. This time it was a full French kiss, his tongue sliding past my lips.

He was blocking all my air. My lungs started burning. I couldn't breathe. Just when I thought I might actually pass out, he finally let me go.

That's when I noticed it. Something hard pressing up against my ass where I was sitting on his lap. Heat flooded my face.

I stared at him, mortified. Preston just looked back at me with this totally innocent expression.

"My legs don't work right," he said casually. "Everything else functions just fine though."

I opened my mouth but nothing came out.

"Besides," he continued, "we're engaged now. Fiancés. So you should probably help me take care of this."

"Preston, I don't think..."

My phone started buzzing before I could finish. I grabbed it from my pocket. Pierce's name flashed on the screen. Of course.

I answered. "What?"

"What the hell, Scarlett?" His voice came through sharp and angry. "Why are you ignoring me? The press conference is about to start. Where are you? You need to get over here and help Madison clear this up."

I actually laughed. I couldn't help it. "Are you serious right now?"

"This isn't funny. You promised you'd..."

"I promised nothing," I cut him off. "I already told you. We're done. Finished. Over. I never agreed to lie for Madison. I never said I'd show up to some ridiculous press conference either."

"You're being so childish about this. You're just jealous and..."

I hung up on him mid-sentence. Asshole.

Preston was watching me with raised eyebrows. "Ex-boyfriend trouble?"

"Something like that." I stood up from his lap, smoothing down my skirt. "Actually, I should get going."

"To the press conference?" He looked amused. "I thought you just told him you weren't going."

"Oh, I'm definitely going." I grabbed my bag. "Just not to help them."

"Now you've got me curious."

I grinned at him. "I'm going to make things worse. Way worse. They want to spin some fairy tale about Madison being innocent? I'm going to add some very interesting details to that story."

Preston laughed, a real genuine laugh that made his whole face light up. "You're something else, you know that?"

"I've been told." I headed for the door.

"Your kissing skills are a bit lacking," he called after me. "I'll help you practice more."

My face heated up again but I didn't respond. I just walked out.

Preston’s POV

I watched Scarlett leave, a smile still playing at my lips. She was fascinating.

I waited until her footsteps faded down the hallway. Waited until I was absolutely certain she was gone. Then I gripped the armrests of my wheelchair.

And stood up.

My legs held my weight perfectly fine. No wobble. No weakness.

I walked over to my desk and picked up my phone. I unlocked it and opened my photo gallery. The first image made me pause, like it always did.

There she was. Scarlett at seventeen.

She was wearing her hockey gear, helmet tucked under one arm. Her dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail. She was grinning at the camera, face flushed from practice or a game.

I sat back down in the wheelchair, phone still in my hand. The photo of teenage Scarlett stared back at me from the screen. I touched the image gently with my thumb.

"I've waited a long time for this," I said quietly to the empty office. "I'm not letting you go again."