Page 59 of One Quick Obsession

“Don’t take it. I love it. Mine. It’s all mine.”

“What?” I asked on a whisper. “If you hate it, you don’t have to tell me. Hell, you can tell me if you want to. I just thought you’d like one.”

“You are such a generous, amazing man, and I hate you for that.”

I blinked, confused as always when it came to Scarlett.

“What did I do?”

“You painted me our afternoon.”

She turned the painting so I could see it even though I knew exactly what was on it as I’d been the one to create it. The mountains, the path next to the creek, the picnic bench where we had eaten, and I had taken her mouth with such an abandoned ease, that I’d nearly taken her body right there.

“I thought you’d like it, but you don’t have to keep it. I promise.”

“You are not taking this away from me,” she said, shaking her head. “This is mine. Now I have an original Hudson Cage. And nobody will know the true meaning behind it other than us. They can ask about the color of blues and what exactly that tree means, but they’ll never know. Because this is just ours, and I’m going to start crying again, so you’re going to have to deal with it.”

With a sigh, I gently tugged the painting away from her, set it on the table, and then pulled her into my arms.

“You’re a menace.”

“And I love it so much. So if I cry a little bit, just let it happen.”

“Like I can stop you from doing anything. We both know that’s a lost cause.”

She snorted against my chest and wrapped her arms around my waist. I rubbed my chin on top of her head and breathed in that scent of hers that I couldn’t get enough of.

“You’re ridiculous you know,” I said after a moment.

“You are. But that’s fine, I’ll let you call me that, because I love it so much.”

“You love that we’re ridiculous together?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood since I had no idea what the hell was going on.

“I love that you thought of me. That you painted that on a whim, just because I’ve said I wanted to buy one when I had enough money.”

“You never have to buy anything from me, Scarlett.”

“Then you say things like that, as if I’m not supposed to fall at your feet in tears.”

“You know I hate tears. Don’t cry.”

“I promise never to use them as a weapon, but I am going to cry.”

I lifted her chin with my finger and took her mouth with my own.

She moaned into me, as my tongue slid against hers, and the tension eased out of her shoulders. My cock stiffened, but I ignored him. He’d have to wait until later.

“Well then,” she whispered against my mouth.

“I know we have a plan for the day, but if you’d like to show me exactly how thankful you are...” I trailed off.

She pulled back, laughing, and shoved playfully at my shoulder. “Menace,” she said again, before kissing my jaw. “Let’s go for our hike, and then when we come back, I can show you exactly how thankful I am.”

My cock paid attention once again.

“Okay then. Sounds like a plan.”

She reached between us, rubbed her hand along my shaft. I closed my eyes and groaned.