Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

He kissed her for a while, his mood lifting with every second.

"Then just don't meet up with him again, okay? It's not like I did it on purpose- you're the one who always makes me jealous."

He kept kissing her, pulling her onto the couch and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"This couch really needs to go, you know. It's so uncomfortable. Next time, I'll ask my assistant to get you a new one. My back always hurts when I sit here too long."

His hands slid up slowly, his intentions written all over his face.

He was only twenty-three-right at that age where he couldn't get enough of this kind of thing.

Scarlette, though, was almost thirty. For women her age, work came first.

She turned away, already calming down.

Nicholas wasn't having it. He ran his hands around her waist, pouting, "What's wrong, big sis? Not in the mood?"

Scarlette stood up and walked to the bedroom.

Nicholas, still riding the high from just now, followed right behind her.

She picked up her pajamas, ready to head to the bathroom, but Nicholas stuck out an arm to stop her.

"Let's shower after."

her voice softening. "I have to be up at five tomorrow. There's so much work to do. Can't you let me get

little, Nicholas didn't push further. He shrugged off his already-ruined suit jacket. “Let's just shower

frowned but didn't

didn't get everything he wanted, but he

laptop and started

out his phone and scrolled through old

for over twenty years. There were endless pictures of them

at her laptop, fingers

and every time he found a new photo, he'd lean over and steal a kiss

to come home from school. It was

over when he spoke, then went right back to

her first taste of real

what she wanted to study, without Nicholas always interrupting and dragging her into his

Greenard family treated her well, giving

only job was

stared at the picture,

at school and was always busy-so

hoping she'd come back to blow out the candles

called and said she won't be home tonight. Why not blow out the candles

going out of town for a competition this

Nicholas refused. He stubbornly waited until seven, even after the Greenards got home from work and

Is she really that busy?

in high school now. It's tough, and she's doing great. Didn't