Chapter 14- Unfinished
1625 Words
Scarlett
Dean’s hand flexed once at his side.
Like touching her was taking actual restraint.
The ocean breeze pushed softly around them while waves crashed against the shore behind her, but Scarlett barely heard any of it over the sound of her own heartbeat.
Dean stood directly in front of her.
Close enough that every breath between them felt intimate.
Charged.
His stare stayed fixed on her face like he was fighting something inside his own head.
And maybe losing.
Scarlett swallowed hard.
Neither of them moved.
Neither of them looked away.
Dean stepped closer, closing what was left of the distance between them.
Scarlett’s pulse spiraled instantly.
“Tell me to stop,” Dean muttered roughly.
Her breath caught.
Dean’s eyes searched hers carefully.
“And I will.”
The words wrapped tightly around Scarlett’s chest.
Because the terrifying part was—
She couldn’t make herself say it.
She should have.
God, she absolutely should have.
But standing here with Dean Steele looking at her like this made every thought inside her head feel tangled and reckless.
Dean lifted his hand slowly.
Carefully.
His fingers brushed lightly beneath her jaw before tilting her face upward.
Scarlett’s stomach twisted with anticipation.
Dean lowered his head slightly.
Warm breath brushed against her skin.
half an inch.
That was all it would take.
Scarlett’s fingers curled tightly at her sides while Dean stared at her like he was trying to hold himself together by force alone.
And somehow—
That affected her more than if he had just kissed her.
A ringing of a phone cut through the tension. Dean's phone.
The sharp sound shattered the moment instantly.
Dean went still.
Scarlett stepped back automatically while Dean closed his eyes briefly like he was trying very hard not to lose his temper.
The phone kept vibrating in his pocket.
Dean finally pulled it out before glancing down at the screen.
His entire expression shifted immediately.
Cold.
Controlled.
Untouchable again.
“What,” he answered sharply while turning slightly away from her.
Scarlett folded her arms tightly across her chest while Dean listened.
Whatever the person on the other end was saying clearly irritated him.
“No,” Dean said flatly. “Push the meeting back.”
Silence.
Dean exhaled slowly through his nose.
Then colder:
“I said handle it.”
Scarlett watched him carefully.
The sharpness.
The authority.
The effortless control.
It was strange seeing this side of him again after the softer version she’d spent the entire day with.
Dean finally hung up before dragging a hand through his hair.
“We have to go.”
Scarlett blinked softly.
“What?”
“I have to deal with something.”
The sudden shift in mood left her strangely disappointed.
Which honestly felt pathetic.
Scarlett looked back toward the ocean reluctantly.
“I can just go home.”
Dean’s expression hardened instantly.
“No.”
Scarlett frowned.
“Dean—”
“You’re staying with me for now.”
The finality in his voice left absolutely no room for argument.
Which naturally made Scarlett want to argue anyway.
“You can’t just decide that.”
Dean looked entirely unimpressed.
“I absolutely can.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes.
“I’m not a hostage.”
“No,” Dean said roughly while gripping the steering wheel.
“You’re exhausted, Scarlett. Stop rolling your eyes at me before I lose my patience entirely. You’re arguing, yet you still think you have a choice? If you’d stop being such a brat and finally listen, you might actually find out how much better it feels to obey than to struggle.”
Scarlett scoffed softly. Unnerved by how blunt and dominant he was being.
Dean glanced over at her briefly.
“You spend all day fighting me,” he said lowly, “and still end up doing exactly what I say anyway.”
Scarlett stared at him in disbelief.
“You’re unbelievable.”
A faint smirk pulled at the corner of Dean’s mouth.
“And yet you’re still getting back in my truck tonight, princess.”
Scarlett hated the fact that her stomach flipped at that.
Again.
She looked away toward the window.
“I at least need to check on my dad and grab some clothes.”
Dean stayed silent for a second.
Thinking.
Then finally:
“Fine.”
Scarlett looked back up at him hopefully.
“But make it quick.”
The possessiveness in the statement should’ve annoyed her.
Instead—
Her stomach flipped stupidly.
Again.
The drive back felt completely different from earlier.
The tension from the beach still lingered heavily between them.
Unfinished.
Scarlett kept replaying the almost-kiss over and over in her head while staring out the passenger window.
Dean stayed quiet beside her.
One hand tight around the steering wheel.
Jaw shadowed with irritation.
Or restraint.
Scarlett honestly wasn’t sure which one anymore.
By the time they pulled into her driveway, the sun had started setting across the neighborhood.
Dean killed the engine before finally looking over at her.
“I’m going to handle business,” he said while climbing out of the truck.
“See you in ten.”
Scarlett nodded softly before reaching for the door handle.
But before she could even open it—
Headlights suddenly swung violently into the driveway.
Scarlett froze instantly.
A black truck stopped hard behind Dean’s.
And one second later—
Will climbed out looking completely frantic.
-
His hair looked messy like he’d been dragging his hands through it for hours, shirt wrinkled, jaw tight with exhaustion.
And his eyes—
God.
He looked destroyed.
Dean shut his truck door slowly beside her.
The warmth and tension from the beach vanished instantly.
Replaced with something sharp.
Uncomfortable.
Real.
Will’s stare locked onto Scarlett immediately.
Then shifted toward Dean standing beside her.
The silence stretched painfully.
“You couldn’t answer one text?” Will asked finally.
The hurt in his voice hit harder than yelling would’ve.
Scarlett swallowed hard.
“I—”
“I’ve been calling you all day.”
Dean stayed quiet beside her.
Cold.
Unreadable.
Will laughed once under his breath, but there wasn’t anything funny about it.
“So this is where you disappeared to?”
Scarlett’s chest tightened painfully.
Because technically—
He wasn’t wrong.
Dean shifted slightly beside her.
Subtle.
But enough that Scarlett noticed the way his body angled toward hers instinctively.
Protective.
Will noticed too.
His expression darkened immediately.
“You’ve been with him this whole time?”
Scarlett looked away briefly.
“It’s not like that.”
The second the words left her mouth, the unfinished tension from the beach slammed right back into her.
Because maybe it WAS becoming like that.
And that terrified her.
Will stared at her in disbelief.
“You ignored every call for him?”
“Will—”
“No,” he interrupted quickly while stepping closer.
“No, I deserve an explanation, Scarlett.”
Dean’s expression hardened instantly.
“She doesn’t owe you a damn thing right now.”
Will’s eyes snapped toward him immediately.
“This doesn’t involve you.”
Dean looked entirely unimpressed.
“The second I pulled your girlfriend out of that cabin before those guys could put their hands on her, it involved me.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Brutal.
Will’s face drained instantly.
Scarlett’s stomach twisted violently.
Because hearing Dean say it out loud made the entire situation feel horrifying all over again.
Will looked back toward her slower this time.
Painfully.
“Tell me nothing was happening before the cabin.”
The question hit like a slap.
Scarlett froze.
Because before the cabin there had been:
tension
lingering stares.
sarcasm that felt too charged.
Dean always paying a little too much attention to her.
Nothing happened.
But something had definitely been building.
And judging by the look on Will’s face—
He already knew it.
“That’s not fair,” Scarlett whispered.
Will laughed bitterly.
“Fair?”
His voice cracked slightly.
“You wanna talk about fair right now?”
Scarlett flinched softly.
Dean’s jaw tightened beside her.
Will ran a frustrated hand through his hair before looking back at Scarlett again.
“I made one mistake.”
Scarlett stared at him in disbelief.
“One mistake?” she repeated with irritation.
Will exhaled sharply.
“You know what I mean.”
“No,” Scarlett snapped suddenly.
“Actually I don’t.”
The emotion that had been building for days finally cracked loose inside her chest.
“I needed you that night.”
Will went silent.
Scarlett shook her head slowly, eyes burning.
“I was standing there crying and you didn’t even notice.”
The guilt that crossed Will’s face was immediate.
Raw.
“Scarlett—”
“You left me alone. For HER!”
Her voice broke slightly this time.
And somehow that sounded worse than yelling.
Dean stayed completely still beside her.
But Scarlett could practically feel the anger radiating off him now.
Will looked wrecked.
“I was trying to fix things,” he said quietly.
“With her?” Scarlett asked painfully.
Will immediately looked away.
And that hurt more than if he’d answered.
Dean finally spoke again.
Cold.
Sharp.
Controlled.
“The only reason she’s standing here right now is because I got there before something worse happened.”
Silence crushed the driveway instantly.
Will’s face twisted with guilt.
Scarlett’s fingers instinctively curled lightly around Dean’s sleeve beside her before she even realized she was doing it.
The movement was small.
Automatic.
But Will noticed.
And judging by the shattered look on his face—
It destroyed him.
“You already chose him,” Will said quietly.
Scarlett couldn’t even deny it fast enough to make Will believe her.
- Writer
