Free Consumed by Scarlet Wolfe Page A

with Adrian. It’s strange since I’ve always been more of a loner.
    “I’m going to tell her we’ll maybe meet up tomorrow. I shouldn’t be shopping since I’m off work. Speaking of which, I need to check my bank account. I haven’t looked at it in weeks.”
    After finding and putting back on my panties, I prop a pillow up to the headboard and sit with my back against it. I pull up the internet on my phone and log in to my bank account.
    “ Holy shit! How do I have that much money in there?”
    Adrian chuckles, but I ignore him as I view my balance summary, which shows several thousand more dollars than I expected to see.
    I click on the link to view my transactions. A substantial direct deposit from Submission has posted to my account, but it’s so much more than my paycheck should’ve been. At least, I think it is. Honestly, I never asked how much I would make working in the lounge.
    My eyes bolt to Adrian’s. “How much is the starting wage for servers in the Elite lounge?”
    “No one ever told you your pay?”
    “No, and I didn’t ask since I wasn’t depending on it for my survival.”
    “I think it’s around eighty grand a year.”
    I sit straight up. “Eighty grand? I don’t make eighty grand as a detective!”
    He scowls. “That’s absurd. I mean, you’re risking your life and dealing with criminals every day.”
    “I agree.” I study his face and think. “Why would you pay a waitress that much money when you don’t have to?”
    “The clients we have expect only the best, so we pay well to ensure we provide the clientele with the smartest, friendliest and most attractive servers.”
    Hmm … that sounded a little rehearsed, but I guess that’s a valid reason. I look back down at my account.
    “Wow, I guess I could go shopping after all.” I pull up Tara’s message again.
    Me: I can’t today, but I’d love to go tomorrow.
    Tara: That will work. Call me in the morning.
    “So, you’re leaving?” Adrian asks with a pitiful tone.
    I set my phone on the nightstand and begin to crawl over to him. He’s spread out on the bed with his head toward the footboard.
    His gloriously fit body is still naked, and with every movement of my hands and knees, his eyes become bare, too, revealing the desire he feels toward me.
    My body rests atop his, and an erection forms beneath me. “I’ll stay if you want me to.”
    “I want you to stay longer than a day, Victoria.”
    “Oh, my gosh, is this because of what I said earlier?” I attempt to climb off of him, but he clamps my forearms with his hands.
    “No, it’s not, and we’re having this discussion.”
    “Adrian, we haven’t been dating long at all.”
    “Keep your apartment for now if you’re nervous, but please move in here with me. I want as much time with you as I can get.”
    “You act like I’m going to suddenly vanish.”
    Adrian frames my face and brings it closer to his. Urgency is projected from his furrowed brow and searching eyes.
    “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, Victoria. Wake up in my arms, so I don’t have to wonder if I’ve been gifted another day with you.” His palms squeeze my cheeks as he gives me a quick but purposeful kiss. “With every sunrise, you’ll be cherished, Juice Box, I promise.”
    “I don’t know how I got so lucky to find a man as kind as you.”
    “Is that a yes?”
    “I’ll think about it.”
    “So, you’ll stay here until you say yes.”
    I grin against his tender hands. “OK, until I say yes.”

Victoria
     
    “Hi, girlfriend, give me a hug,” Tara says enthusiastically. I hug her, acknowledging the fact I’ve missed her. Opening my heart up to Adrian has seemingly made room for others, too.
    “Uh, I thought for sure you would be pissed at me.”
    Letting me go, she starts toward the local mall doors. Her denim shorts are particularly short, so her lengthy legs appear to stretch on forever. It takes me a second to catch up.
    Her blonde hair blows in the wind, and