Chapter 22: Julian

22

JULIAN

L ittle Scarlet, our fiery little tornado that had ripped through our lives. I couldn't help but feel a pull towards her despite my attempts to shut it down. It was more than just the physical, though that was certainly part of it. There was something about her spirit, the way she fights back.

She didn't say a word for the drive home or the elevator ride to our apartment, and I didn't press her. After what had just transpired, I knew her mind would be a mess.

"Let's get you into a bath." I led her upstairs, taking her to my own room, and she hesitated for a moment before following me in. As if awaiting our arrival, Kenny meowed from the bed, and I noticed Scarlet visibly relax. A smile teased at the edge of my lips at her softness for my furry child. It certainly added to my odd feelings towards her, how she doted on him and adored him.

I headed for the bathroom and turned on the tap in the bathtub, letting the water run hot.

"You can wear some of my clothes after you bathe," I stated, sensing her presence behind me. "And I'll get you your pads." I pushed off the edge of the bathtub and turned to her, taking in her confused expression, her jaw set.

She nodded, her eyes meeting mine for a brief moment before she looked away. "Thank you, Julian."

Her gratitude surprised me, and I grunted and moved past her. I left the room so she could have her privacy, but all the while, I couldn't shake the image of her on that dining table, writhing as we brought her pleasure. I had wanted to claim her, to take what I wanted, but I'd held back, wanting to see her fall apart under my touch, to hear her cries of pleasure. And when she did climax, fuck, it had been perfect.

I leaned against the wall, my mind wandering as I considered what it would be like to join her in that bath, to run my hands over her slick skin, to hear her gasp my name as I brought her to the edge once more.

But I shook those thoughts away. I needed to keep my head clear. She was not something permanent, even if Cristian wanted to keep her. I'd been happy using her up until the entire Russo shit show. Something had changed when she'd opened up to me, something I'd been denying until that point. It was no longer something I could fight, a softness for her making itself known despite my best efforts.

I moved to join Kenny on the bed, plopping down beside him and scratching his chin as he purred happily, staring vacantly at the closed bathroom door.

What was it about this woman that had ensnared not just me, but my brothers as well? We were a dangerous trio, and yet, she faced us with a defiance that was as admirable as it was foolish.

Cristian had shifted drastically in his treatment of her, and it bothered me. I wanted to know what was going on in that fucked up head of his, what his plans were for her. I hadn't seen him act like this since Tessa, and it was… unnerving. Was he really falling that hard for her? She was as unpredictable as he was, and posed a risk.

Then again, so had Tessa, and we'd allowed her to be.

I ground my teeth and closed my eyes, my cock throbbing as the images of her on that table kept flicking through my mind. She'd cleaned up when she'd gotten home from her outing with Tyrone, and I'd asked if he'd enjoyed her company, which his grunted response had told me he'd had his way with her. Especially since she'd said he'd also claimed her as his.

What the hell had gotten into my brothers? Cristian I could understand, but Tyrone? He was the logical one. I could only hope he'd told her she was his simply as a possessive thing, that she was his plaything, because she owed him—owed us.

My eyes moved to the bedside table that housed my odd little trinkets and keepsakes.

I'd done things for her before I'd even known her, enjoying my darker side as I'd had my fun with her fiancé. Making him beg and plead as I'd severed his hand, pocketing the ring that was supposed to be a promise to Scarlet, a promise he'd broken.

We were not saints either, but then again, I'd never actually had a chosen woman. I'd had my fun, laid with many women, some paid, some not, all wanting to get their moment with a dangerous man.

But none had ever drawn me in like Scarlet.

"She's gotten under our skin," I muttered to Kenny, causing him to glance up at me with slitted eyes. "That could be bad news for us."

The risks were not to be taken lightly. Getting attached to someone in our line of work was dangerous. We'd learned that lesson the hard way with Tessa and Cristian, how she'd destroyed him with ease. Not that that had stopped Cristian from claiming Scarlet, her wit and fiery spirit captivating him. And Tyrone, the pragmatist, was showing holes in his own armor, his odd affection for her now slightly visible. It was unlike him to get involved like this, which only emphasized how unique Scarlet truly was.

I closed my eyes, moments of our fun as she sucked me off and I had my way with her flashing behind my eyelids. The memory of her beneath my hands, writhing in pleasure despite herself, sent a jolt through me.

Maybe it was time to stop fighting this. If my brothers had already let her in, perhaps I could allow myself the same luxury. To feel something more.

"What do you think, Kenny?" I asked, scratching behind his ears. "Should I take a chance? Hope it doesn't blow up in my face?"

Kenny merely purred in response, but it was enough. I'd made my decision, hell, I'd made it when I'd told Tyrone something, and we'd consulted with Cristian before making plans. If Scarlet was going to be a part of our lives, I wanted more than just her body. I wanted to know her, to understand what made her tick, to see if the connection I felt was real or just a product of our unusual circumstances. We had a plan in motion, one that would reveal just who she was to us, and then we could really decide on her future.

I watched as Scarlet emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel. Her damp hair clung to her shoulders, and I couldn't help but notice how vulnerable she looked at this moment, her face soft and confused. But then she steeled her features, focusing on me as she jutted her chin out before closing the gap between us.

That fire was the reason we were all drawn to her.

"Here," I said, handing her my clothes and the pads I'd collected from her room.

She nodded, taking them without a word and disappearing back into the bathroom. When she returned, my jaw set, my breath catching to my surprise. She looked far too good in my clothes, the oversized t-shirt hanging off one shoulder.

"Come here," I said, patting the bed beside me.

Scarlet eyed me warily. "Why?"

"Just do it," I commanded, trying to keep my voice neutral.

She hesitated for a moment before complying, settling onto the bed next to me. I reached for the chocolate on the nightstand and offered it to her. She accepted, tearing into it, and my lip quirked. Hormones were a bitch.

I watched as Scarlet devoured the chocolate, nodding her enjoyment of it with a slight sound of delight. The sight stirred something in me, a mix of amusement and an odd warmth I wasn't accustomed to feeling.

"I've ordered actual dessert," I said, breaking the silence. "It's on the way."

A small smile tugged at her lips, and I found myself fighting the urge to return it. Instead, I reached out and tucked a damp strand of hair behind her ear, my fingers lingering for a moment longer than necessary.

"Lie down," I instructed, and she narrowed her eyes before doing as told, her body tense. I shifted my position and put a pillow in my lap.

"Lay here."

She hesitated before shifting her head into my lap, laying on her side as she broke another piece of chocolate off. Kenny shifted to curl up in front of her stomach, as if he sensed her discomfort.

I began stroking her hair, feeling the silky strands between my fingers. The tension in her body slowly began to ebb away as I did so.

This felt comfortable, natural, and it only made more unease surface within me despite how content I felt with her like this. I'd never treated a woman with tenderness, but I wanted to see what it was like. I knew Cristian wouldn't be able to let her go. It was a dangerous path we were treading, but in that moment, I couldn't bring myself to care.

"So, do you own me as well?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, breaking the comfortable moment.

I sighed as I stared down at her. Of course she was on guard, we all were. I couldn't just dive into treating her nicely and have her accept it. "No," I said finally. "I take what I want, always. But if I'm to have a woman, I guess I'd like her to want me, to choose to be with me, not submit."

Scarlet snorted. "Well, look at you, going against the norm. You sure as shit liked me submitting before."

"You were just a pet before," I said with a scoff, "something we were to use up while we had the time."

She stiffened at my words, but I continued stroking her hair.

"Not anymore," I added.

She sat up abruptly, confusion etched across her face. I couldn't help it as I stroked her cheek, wanting to feel her soft skin, and her brow creased.

"You're special, pyro. So much more than we could have imagined. And soon, we'll find out just who you are," I said, my voice low and serious.

Her brow furrowed deeper. "Who I am?"

A smile tugged at my lips as I reached for my bedside drawer. I pulled out the ring - her ex-fiancé's engagement ring - and held it up between us.

"How do you feel knowing I took his hand for you? Scarred him for life? Made sure he would never touch another woman again with the hand he was supposed to promise to you?" I asked, studying her reaction closely. She'd been through more than most in her lifetime, experienced a darkness few would ever find themselves in. She'd been hurt, and now, I wanted to know if she'd let it seep into her veins, let the darkness in. When she'd bitten off that dick, I'd seen a part of her that had latched onto me deep inside. A part that beckoned me, mirroring the darkness we all harbored.

Scarlet's eyes widened as she stared at the ring. Her expression was a mix of shock, disgust, and something else I couldn't quite place. She hesitated, as if she was going to reach out to touch it, but then thought better of it.

"I think he deserved it," she said quietly, her gaze still fixed on the ring.

I couldn't help but smirk at her response. "Really? Because you seemed to care how much he lived before that," I reminded her, recalling her earlier concerns about Tommy's fate.

"He cheated on me, which sucks, but it's not the first time someone's done that to me," she said as she tilted her head up. "At the end of the day, it's a human instinct, to want what we can't have, or want things we shouldn't. Some of us just can't fight it as much." Her gaze shifted to the window, taking in the city lights twinkling in the night.

She was right on the money there. We all wanted things we couldn't have, or shouldn't want. And, many of us couldn't fight the temptation. "Do you want something you shouldn't?" I asked as I reached up to cup her face with my empty hand, dropping the ring onto my bedside table with the other .

Her cheeks flushed at my touch, her lips parting slightly. Fuck, those lips like that, the sight stirred something within me, and my dick hardened instantly.

"You guys have been messing with my mind," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. "Things are getting... warped."

I couldn't help but smile at that. Breaking someone was a twisted thing, but she was all fire and wit, and if we could break her, bend her, it would be one hell of a feat. I leaned in slowly, my lips hovering before hers. She sucked in a breath but didn't pull away, and I took the chance. I kissed her softly, testing to see if she really was finally breaking.

Her lips softened against mine, parting more so I could taste her, our tongues dancing as a need burned to life within me.

I'd caught her. She was my little pyro now, twisted and bending for me, her emotions a mess after everything. My little Scarlet couldn't deny her desire for me now.

Then again, she wasn't the only one struggling.