Discovering Scarlett

24 | Matched

S C A R L E T T  

The haze of heat started to descend but I am still free of my thoughts. Solely focused on the pleasure I felt seconds ago. My body felt light not feeling the weight of my past and present.

"Are you okay?" Elias asked as he grabbed a towel to clean our aftermath.

"More than okay." I managed to mumble out as he kissed my inner thigh.

I grabbed the towel from him suddenly, feeling insecure about being exposed. Or maybe it was the fact that I had no clue how to react to this type of care. Sex was sex with Thomas, there was no aftercare, no affection. He got what he wanted, and he was done with me. If it wasn't for the slight soreness between my legs I would have doubted if this was real. I had fantasized about this moment countless times but not even my fantasies could compare to reality. This felt so 'out of body', I questioned the times I had thought I came.

Elias left kisses on my neck. "Are you going to tell me what you are thinking about, princesa?"

I debated answering him but didn't want to come off as inexperienced. There was a safety net— a familiarity that came with having the same partner for years. Sex with Elias was foreign territory but instead of familiarity, I felt security. I gave him a part of me and It felt right, we just fit so perfectly. But having only been intimate with one man before him, I felt unmatched. I could only imagine the skill of lovers he had before me. I was no sex vixen and there was no doubt that he had experience in pleasuring women.

Elias held my face and kissed the heaven out of me. Every stupid worry faded. I may have lacked experience, but I forgot the magnetic power of how we felt for each other. An energy that could bring us both to our knees. There was no match for that.

He broke away from our kiss and placed my hair behind my ear. "You're beautiful."

"I know," I said, going against second nature by accepting the compliment.

I covered my face feeling vulnerable with his gaze. His hands intertwined with mine, showcasing myself to him again. His eyes were thick with emotion and were matched with the same fervor as mine. Our eyes exchanged stories our hearts were too scared to tell. Sometimes silence was more powerful than words.

My stomach grumbled, ruining the moment. He laughed. "Someone's hungry. I did promise to make you a delicious meal."

I looked at him skeptically. "When was the last time you cooked? And I'm not talking about heating the food that a chef prepares."

"You assume just because I am a billionaire I don't know how to cook? That's very judgmental. I had humble beginnings." He said with mock hurt.

"No, I am not judging off of your wealth but more over the fact that you're a very busy man. But alright, show me what you got."

We get cleaned up and head to the kitchen. I looked around at the industrial-grade stainless steel appliances as I ran my fingers across the sleek marble counters. The kitchen was pristine, appearing to be staged and ready for its feature in an editorial home magazine.

Elias breathed a sigh of relief as he opened the fridge. "Mia remembered to restock. How does stir fry sound?"

"Sounds wonderful," I said as he took a bottle out of his wine fridge.

I bit my lip and tried to not ogle at his form, the edges of his abs, the deep cut of his v. Elias's unrefined, tousled messy hair with sweatpants that hung just right was as appealing as the polished version. His lips formed into a smile, pouring the wine into glasses.

"Care to make a toast?"

I swirled the wine, intensifying the sweet but dark decadent aroma."Here's to the ride and remembering to take the time to enjoy it."

We clinked our glasses and he got straight to cooking. I was impressed, Elias seemed to know what he was doing. He cut the vegetables with perfection, stirring and seasoning like a pro. I offered my less than par skills and he politely refused. Light melodic music filled the air. Elias gave me a challenging look, now we were dancing in his kitchen.

I lifted my hands in the air and we swayed our hips to the same beat. I allowed the music to take control of my body and felt. The music, my hair swishing back and forth, the lightness bouncing back and forth between us. Warmth rose on my skin as I fell into his arms. He nuzzled my neck, soft and delicate.

We both sighed as his phone started to ring. I got out of his arms running a hand through my hair. Like clockwork, I heard my phone ring upstairs.

He pulled me back to face him. "How about we let our phones keep ringing?"

I mulled over his statement and clicked my teeth. "Sounds like a terrible idea. Let's do it."

We let time pass us by. We talked about nothing. Laughed about everything. We learned the tiniest unimportant details of each other. Before we knew it, the stir-fry was finished. Elias served me a healthy portion and appeared to be waiting for my approval. I can't help but laugh after I realized this is how I must have looked when he took a bite of his first burger.

"This is delicious," I said with a long-exaggerated moan.

My heart was full as he gave me a satisfied grin. We moved to his table, a dark finished rectangular live edge. Its exquisite jagged edges and artistic appeal made it the focal point of the room other than the view. He poured me another glass of wine as I stared off at the clear lights scattered across the Hollywood hills that illuminated the midnight blue sky.

He sat across from me and the distance from each other felt too far and unnatural. Every part of me craved to be closer to him. The way his eyes met mine I could tell he felt the same. Heat traveled between my thighs. I suddenly had no appetite for food. I took a deep breath and slowly brought a bite to my mouth.

"How do you do it?" I said with my voice low.

"Do what?

"Be incredible in every single way. I mean, you're thoughtful, ambitious... you know how to cook. I mean, I'm seconds away from proposing."

"Isn't that what I'm supposed to do?" He said playfully.

"It's the 21st century, Elias. The world is a different place than what it used to be. Maybe women taking charge would lead to less impulse driven proposals."

"I'd say my impulse control is pretty good, considering."

"Considering what?"

He leaned back against the chair giving me his undivided attention. "You're beautiful, intelligent, funny and you're wearing nothing but my shirt. I'm fighting the urge to grab you and take you over this table."

My body reacted to his statement, already feeling a longing for his touch. I felt my cheeks heat as I replayed our actions before. It was now that I realized his touch was my ruin, forever burnt to my memory and body. No one would ever compare.

"What's stopping you?" I finally managed to say.

"I love hearing you talk just as much."

"I love hearing you talk too," I said, slowly walking toward him.

He drank me up like I'm his favorite kind of whiskey. He slid his plate away as I swung my arms around his neck. Our eyes held each other. I felt electrified, shocked to life but hardly breathing.

"Tell me what you want? I'd give you the world if I could."

Every fiber in me felt the sincerity of his words. My heart went into overload, beating at a rate of a million miles an hour. Is this what it felt like to let your guard down? If so, I am ready to let it be.

I ran my hand across his beard then pressed my lips on his. "I don't want the world. I just want you."

His calloused hands traveled up my thighs placing me on the hardwood surface. My breath caught in my throat as he gently laid me down. As my underwear slid, he gazed at me with something that looked a lot like love.