Grievous (Scarlet Scars #2)(100)

“Do I what?”

“Do you at least like The Force Awakens?”

He stares at me. “I haven’t seen it.”

“Wait, what? How can you call yourself a fan if you haven’t even seen the new movie?”

“I’ve been a bit busy lately,” he says. “Dealing with you has taken up a lot of my free time.”

“Oh, whatever. That’s bullshit. You had enough free time to put together a gazillion piece puzzle. You’ve got time to watch a movie, and you know it. I’m just... I’m ashamed of you. Legitimately ashamed.”

“I’m guessing it’s good, then?”

“Oh, I don’t know.” I shrug. “I haven’t watched it. Been too busy.”

Lorenzo pulls my hand away from his face and laughs.

Genuinely laughs.





Chapter Twenty-Four





The seven deadly sins and I are on a first-name basis.

Gluttony. I don’t deny myself anything.

Greed. I want it all, everything there is.

Pride. I’m full of it, every inch of me.

Sloth. I’m a lazy son of a bitch.

Wrath. I’ve got an itchy trigger finger.

Lust. Pretty sure this one goes without question.

Last but not least, the one they call ‘envy’. I don’t find myself feeling jealous very often, not anymore, but as I stand in the doorway to my living room, staring at the little girl asleep on my couch, I feel a twinge of it. At barely three-feet tall, not even forty pounds, she’s tiny, but something about her just fills the room, like her personality can’t fit in that minuscule body.

She’s just like her mother. It’s eerie.

I know what you’re probably thinking: this dumb son of a bitch is jealous of a five-year-old. And you’d be right. But I’m not jealous for the reasons you’re thinking, so knock that shit right out of your mind. It’s got nothing to do with Scarlet.

I’m jealous because the kid’s asleep.

Not just dozed-off, dainty sleep, either. I’m talking sprawled out on her back, hanging halfway off the couch, mouth wide open, snoring and drooling kind of sleep, the kind where you can shake her and she’s not waking up.

The kid is practically comatose.

I’ve never slept like that in my life.

Just one night of that sleep would probably cure me of every problem I have. I’d wake up the next morning feeling like Mr. Rogers, welcoming motherfuckers to my neighborhood.

“I should probably get going,” Scarlet says. “Get her to bed... it’s been a long day.”

“No, stay!” Melody says right away. “I mean, I know it’s not my house or anything, but it’s so late, and she’s already asleep... there’s no reason to drag her out of here right now, right?” She looks to Leo. “Right?”

Leo shrugs. “It’s not my house, either.”

They both look to me as if I’m going to contradict that, as if I’m going to kick them out on their asses.

“You know you can stay,” I tell Scarlet. “Mi casa es... everybody’s fucking casa.”

“She can sleep in my room,” Leo says. “Mel and I can take the couch tonight.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Scarlet says. “I’m not taking your bed from you. We can just crash right here.”

“Besides, who-fucking-knows what the two of you have done on that bed, what kind of ‘monkey see, monkey do’ shit you play when you get naked,” I say. “It would take us until sunrise to sanitize the mattress to make it safe for her to sleep on.”

Leo shoots me a look. “Are you kidding me? She’s asleep on a couch you supposedly stole from a strip club.”

“One that I thoroughly sanitized.”

“You sprayed it with Lysol.”

“Which kills 99.9% of germs.”

“Pretty damn sure syphilis falls into that .1%, bro.”

“What the hell do you know about syphilis?”

“I took a health class.”

“That better be all you took when it comes to syphilis.”

“Guys,” Scarlet says, cutting in, physically stepping in front of me before I can question him more. “Seriously, I’m fine right here.”

“I’ll take the couch,” I say, looking at Scarlet. “You can take my room.”

“But—”

“Enough with the fucking buts,” I tell her. “My bed’s big, it’s comfortable, you’ve slept in it dozens of times before. Besides, it’s not like I’m actually going to be doing any sleeping. So just... take her to my room.”

She scowls but doesn’t argue, walking over to pick up her daughter. The kid sleeps right through it, not even opening her eyes as Scarlet carries her from the room and takes her upstairs.

I stroll into the living room, toward the couch.

“I can’t get over how stinkin’ cute she is,” Melody says as I approach. “Like, whoa, she looks just like Morgan. That’s got to be a mind-fuck for her.”

“Right?” Leo grins, looking at his girlfriend. “Can you imagine a little Mel running around?”

As soon as my brother says that, I reach over, smacking him on the side of the head. “Don’t get any ideas. You better be wrapping it every single time.”