Chapter 13- Territorial
1320 Words
Scarlett
The entire truck ride started in silence.
Not awkward silence.
Heavy silence.
The kind filled with things neither of them seemed ready to say out loud yet.
Scarlett sat curled slightly toward the passenger window while Dean drove one-handed beside her, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes while low music played quietly through the speakers.
The city slowly disappeared behind them.
Palm trees.
Water.
Open roads.
Scarlett frowned softly.
“Where are we going?”
Dean glanced at her briefly.
“You ask a lot of questions.”
“You avoid a lot of answers.”
A faint smirk tugged at his mouth.
Progress.
Dean had barely smirked all morning.
Scarlett noticed.
Which probably meant she was paying way too much attention to him now.
Unfortunately—
Very little escaped Dean Steele.
“You hungry?”
Scarlett blinked.
“What?”
“You barely touched breakfast.”
Scarlett looked away quickly.
“I wasn’t really thinking about food.”
Dean hummed quietly before turning the truck suddenly into a small beachside restaurant overlooking the water.
Scarlett frowned.
“You hate people.”
“I hate annoying people.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes softly while Dean parked.
The second he climbed out, he walked around the truck automatically and opened her door before she could touch the handle herself.
Scarlett looked up at him.
Too fast.
Because suddenly Dean was standing directly between her knees where she sat in the seat, one large hand braced against the truck beside her while his face hovered inches from hers.
the distance between them suddenly felt suffocating.
Scarlett’s breath caught softly.
Dean suddenly leaned down toward her.
Warm breath brushed lightly across her lips.
Scarlett’s heart nearly stopped.
For one reckless second, she genuinely thought he was about to kiss her.
The tension between them tightened instantly.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
Dean’s eyes flicked briefly to her mouth before he murmured lowly,
“You smell nice.”
Heat rushed violently into Scarlett’s cheeks.
Then Dean smirked slightly like he knew exactly what he was doing to her.
Click.
Scarlett jumped softly as he unbuckled her seatbelt.
Realization flooded her face instantly.
Dean stepped back slowly.
Entirely too entertained with himself.
“C’mon, princess.”
Scarlett climbed out of the truck trying very hard to ignore how hard her heart was pounding.
Failed miserably.
Inside the small restaurant, Dean guided her toward a quiet booth in the back corner away from everyone else.
Scarlett noticed the hostess immediately perk up seeing Dean.
Pretty.
Blonde.
Flirting instantly.
Dean barely looked at her.
“Usual table?” the girl asked sweetly while leaning slightly against the hostess stand.
Dean nodded once.
Scarlett watched the interaction quietly.
Then immediately hated the strange flicker of jealousy twisting unexpectedly through her stomach.
Which was ridiculous.
Dean wasn’t hers.
And she absolutely did not have any right feeling territorial over him.
Before Scarlett could stop herself from spiraling over the thought—
Dean finally looked over at her.
A slow knowing smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“Relax,” he murmured calmly while guiding her toward the booth. “She’s not my type.”
Scarlett blinked up at him.
Dean held her gaze for one dangerous second longer before adding lazily,
“I tend to like mouthy little nerds who keep testing me like they want to be punished.”
Scarlett nearly choked.
Dean looked entirely too entertained with himself.
And somehow—
The stupid jealous knot in her stomach disappeared instantly.
Which honestly only made things worse.
“You come here a lot?” Scarlett asked casually while sliding into the booth.
Dean sat across from her.
“Sometimes.”
The waitress showed back up almost instantly.
“What can I get you?”
Scarlett opened her mouth—
“She’ll have the grilled chicken sandwich, fries, and sweet tea.”
Scarlett blinked.
Dean didn’t even look up from the menu.
“And before you decide to act bratty,” he added calmly, “you’re eating the fries.”
Scarlett stared at him.
The waitress smiled awkwardly while quickly writing everything down.
“And for you?”
“Black coffee and a burger.”
Then she left.
Scarlett leaned back against the booth.
“You just ordered for me.”
Dean finally looked up calmly.
“You stop eating when your head gets too loud.”
Scarlett froze slightly.
Because he was right.
Completely right.
And she had never told him that.
Dean leaned back slightly, studying her expression.
“What?” he asked calmly.
“How did you know that?”
Dean shrugged casually.
“I pay attention.”
The simple answer hit Scarlett harder than it should have.
Will dated her almost a year and still forgot how she took her coffee half the time.
Meanwhile Dean somehow noticed things Scarlett didn’t even realize about herself.
The realization made her chest ache strangely.
The food came quickly after that.
And somehow—
Despite everything—
Scarlett actually laughed a few times.
Mostly because Dean’s dry sarcasm was ridiculously entertaining when he wasn’t actively threatening someone.
By the time they left the restaurant, Scarlett felt lighter.
Not fixed.
Not healed.
Just…
Able to breathe again.
The drive continued another twenty minutes before Dean finally turned down a narrow hidden road surrounded by palm trees.
Scarlett frowned softly.
“Where are we now?”
Dean didn’t answer immediately.
Instead he parked near a secluded stretch of beach completely hidden away from the main roads.
No people.
No noise.
Just water.
Scarlett stared quietly while climbing out of the truck.
The ocean stretched endlessly in front of them while waves crashed softly against the sand.
“It’s beautiful,” she whispered.
Dean shoved his hands into his pockets beside her.
“Found it a few years ago.”
Scarlett looked over at him.
“You come here a lot?”
“Only when I want everyone to leave me alone.”
Scarlett blinked softly.
Something about that answer felt oddly personal.
Dean started walking down toward the shoreline slowly.
Scarlett followed quietly beside him.
The ocean breeze pushed strands of hair across her face instantly.
Dean reached over without thinking and brushed them back behind her ear.
The touch lingered one second too long.
Scarlett swallowed hard.
“But why you?”
Dean turned toward her slowly.
The ocean wind pushed through his dark hair while waves crashed softly behind them.
“Because contrary to what you think,” Dean muttered roughly, “I’m not completely heartless.”
The roughness in his voice wrapped tightly around Scarlett’s chest.
Before she could answer, Dean stepped closer.
Not enough to touch her.
which felt worse.
Scarlett’s pulse started pounding the second his hand brushed lightly against her waist as he moved around her toward the shoreline.
Casual.
Accidental.
Yet somehow it burned straight through her.
Dean stopped directly in front of her again near the water’s edge.
Too close.
The salty ocean air suddenly felt thick between them.
Scarlett tilted her head back slightly to look at him.
Big mistake.
Because Dean was already staring at her like he was trying very hard not to do something reckless.
Something dangerous flickered across his expression before he dragged a slow breath through his nose.
Like he was forcing control back into himself.
And somehow—
That affected Scarlett more than if he had actually kissed her.
“You should stop looking at me like that,” Dean said with visible tension.
Scarlett’s stomach flipped violently.
“Like what?”
Dean stepped even closer.
Now she could feel the heat coming off his body despite the cool breeze.
“Like you want me to kiss you.”
Scarlett’s breath hitched instantly.
Dean’s hand flexed once at his side.
Like touching her was taking actual restraint.
And suddenly the tension between them felt one breath away from becoming something neither of them could take back.
- Writer
