Page 35 of Scarlet Embrace

“Let me just stay like this for a while,” Elena said.

How long we remained in that position was unknown to me, but for that brief moment, I forgot about being Lucas Cruz. I was just a man who was sitting on a bench with a rather beautiful woman he was attracted to. Yes, there’s no denying the fact that I was attracted to her. If Logan had been there with us, I knew he would have found something cheeky to say, which was why I was grateful that it was just Elena, Thomas, and I.

“Okay. Time to go home. I have a busy day tomorrow,” Elena said as she sat upright.

I wanted to tell her we could spend more time, but I simply helped her up. Thomas was waiting for us, and we both got into the car without a word.

“Take us home,” I told Thomas.

“Do you mean my place?” Elena asked.

“No. I think it would be best if you spent the night in my place tonight. You can sleep in Linda’s room if that will make you comfortable.”

I half-expected her to put up a fight, but she simply nodded and looked away. Something about the look in her eyes bothered me. I found myself wondering what could be responsible for that look. Linda was waiting for us when we got to the mansion, and she had yelped with excitement when I told her Elena could sleep at her place.

“Just let her get some rest; she’s quite tired,” I told Linda, who was already leading Elena away.

I was about to make my way to my office when I spotted Father. It turned out he was waiting for me. “I heard you both had a nice time tonight.”

“Yes. Madam Caroline asked of you,” I informed him.

We had briefly talked for a few moments before she asked me to dance with her on the dance floor. She complimented Elena, telling me how lucky I was to have a beautiful woman like her.

“I’m well aware of that. Seems like you made a good impression tonight.”

He sounded pleased, which meant that someone had informed him about everything that happened tonight. I began to wonder if tonight was some sort of test from him.

“I am glad to hear that,” I told him.

“Good. Take care of your girl. The both of you should spend more time together. Go on dates and enjoy yourselves before you finally get married.”

All I could do was nod and assure my father that I’ll keep that in mind. I headed over to my bedroom, thinking of getting some sleep, but I simply turned and tossed as sleep eluded me. My mind kept going over the events of that evening, from the moment Elena arrived at the venue to when we both got into the car.

Why can’t I stop thinking about her?

Curiosity? Intrigue? Maybe it was because I was not used to being with someone like her. Whatever the case might be, I need to pull myself together because our worlds were light-years apart, and this brief interaction we have will go away once I get what I want.

******

Since Elena had canceled girls’ night to go with me to the ball, I had offered to pay for the next girls’ night, but I really did not expect her to drag me with her. She had mentioned that her friends were quite eager to meet me.

“Now, I can really believe that you are both together,” Carmen said without looking away from me.

Both ladies had been staring at me ever since I sat down. We had met at some restaurant off North 3rd Street, and according to Elena, it was the girls’ favorite spot.

“I’m sorry I haven’t introduced myself to you girls,” I started, but Carmen told me there was no need to apologize.

“We know how busy you can be,” Natalia told me.

She was the friendliest of the two, and she worked as a legal secretary while Carmen was an artist with a few showings. I had seen a few of her pieces, and I can’t deny the fact that she’s quite talented.

“So, tell us how you met,” Carmen started.

“She hasn’t told you?” I turned to Elena, wondering if I should tell her friends exactly how we met.

“I’m a little bit embarrassed to talk about it,” Elena said after putting her glass down. “I was angry at you back then.”

Yes. I had acted like a jerk back then, but I was having quite a bad day, so it wasn’t my fault.