SCARLETLuke kissed me as if my mouth was his favorite meal. He was aggressive, needy, and hungry, as if he were searching for something. My muscles tensed, and my senses stirred up. His hand dropped to my waist, then his fingers slowly slipped into my shirt. I shivered. Immediately, I caught his hand. I’d almost forgotten we were in his office. Anyone could enter at any moment.He stopped the kiss. Our mouths parted slightly, but his gaze remained on mine. My lips felt swollen. I didn’t think I could resist him anymore. I wanted him to kiss me again, but I feared the aftermath. This wouldn’t change the fact that he was hiding something from me. I know I shouldn’t care because it’s his life, but everything becomes a real deal when it comes to Luke.“We can’t.” I swallowed hard. “We can’t make this work.”“Why not?” he muttered. He brushed his fingers along my jaw, eyes fixed intently on mine.“I think you know why. You’ve been lying to me.”“No. I never lied to you, Scarlet.”“But yo

SCARLETWhen I left the building, Nate immediately came in front of me, but he was alone. He stepped out of his car, and his facial expression was indescribable.“Nate, what are you doing? What is your problem?” I shouted. “Where’s Anthony? I thought you were with him.”“He left. He thinks he shouldn’t meddle with your family matters,” he explained. “But it doesn’t matter. I’m telling your stepbrother to stay away from you.”I looked around me, and people were staring. They were watching us with their insulting eyes. I pulled my hand away from Nate before we finally entered the building.“Stop it, Nate. The people are staring!”He seethed. “But you’re not afraid of what the people will say if they find out about you and your stepbrother?”My mouth opened slightly. I hadn’t seen Nate act like this before. Sure, he was furious if I went on a date with some losers, and he had always backed me up. Even if he had to pick me up drunk from a club, get me out of jail, or save me from dying be

LUKEI had let Scarlet slip deeper into my life. I was coming back little by little to my former self, the one who was always thoughtful with other people. It was frightening.In a short amount of time, I’d grown fond of her. It was another problem I couldn’t stop. She was always on my mind. I tried preventing myself from thinking about her too much, but it just wouldn’t work. I wanted to believe her, but somehow, I couldn’t. Women were natural-born liars.I began realizing she’d got me when she was wrapped in a friend’s arms. I sensed from the very start that he had a thing for Scarlet by the way he looked at her. Scarlet didn’t seem to know her friend was lusting after her. I was sure of that. I couldn’t be wrong.Again, I wanted to believe that she was telling the truth about her friend. That it was nothing like I saw because she already had me. I wanted to believe she was just like me—someone with a past she couldn’t share with anyone.But I would ensure that what I felt for her w

LUKESix years agoI knocked on the door twice before I entered my father’s room.“Dad?” It was his wedding day, and the ceremony was about to start. The guests had gathered in the hall.I had to admit, I hadn’t seen him so happy in years—not since my mother passed away. I opposed the wedding at first, but I eventually understood him. I didn’t want him to marry again because I didn’t want a stranger in the family. But Gene was different than any woman Dad had dated before. She cared.I found Dad in front of the mirror, fixing his tie. “Hey, son. Come here.”“What are you doing here? Where’s Gene?”“You didn’t see her?” He frowned. “She stepped out to look for you.”I scratched my temple. “Why?”“Darling!” Gene suddenly appeared behind me, her voice soft and high-pitched. I moved out of the doorway.I flashed a smile. “Gene! You were looking for me?”She briefly cupped my cheeks, “Oh yes, there’s something your father and I wanted to tell you.”“Sounds serious. You even looked for me o

SCARLETThe sound of the devil’s name alone made my stomach twist. How much more has an unfortunate past with him? If only I could change the past, I would have. There was no way I would love a man like Raoul. He was pure evil.I begged him. I even got down on my knees when I did it. He locked me up in his house for almost a month. I was unable to go to school. I always had bruises. He was hurting me. He only allowed me to use my phone, so people would not expect anything. I lied to my friends. I lied to Mom. It was only Nate who began to suspect what was going on with me. Katherine thought I was in love, but Nate thought I was out of my mind when I told him I was going to marry Raoul.Everyone thought I was in love, but I wasn’t. How could I love a man like that?“I never loved that devil, Luke. I just don’t want you to meet him.” I stared back at Luke.His eyes narrowed. “Then why can’t you tell us what happened?” he asked.I clenched my fist. Why was everyone so interested in the s