Chapter 35

Scarlett pushed open the door to the hotel room. They'd managed to say their good nights and made promises to meet up in the morning all before ten and yet she felt exhausted. Since she'd walked into the kitchen on her mother, brother and Spencer's conversation, she felt as though something was not right. And it didn't help that he seemed lost in his own thoughts now. She turned as he stood behind her, his hands jammed into his pockets.

"Jesus, Spence, I'm not going to bite your head off," she told him as she rolled her eyes.

When he only shrugged, she turned her back on him and closed her eyes. He waited for about a heartbeat before moving to stand before her. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and reached to push some of her hair off her face. As his fingers skimmed across her cheek, she kissed his wrist and pulled him closer.

"I thought you were mad," he said quietly as he lay his cheek against her hair.

"I am..." she countered but hugged him tighter. "I don't like being talked about behind my back," she told him.

She felt him sigh even as he kissed her forehead. "Nobody was talking about you, Scarlett. Not directly," he amended.

"Then what was that all about," she asked.

"I asked Morgan what the story was about Brian," he said. "I wanted to know. I could tell you weren't saying everything..."

Scarlett pulled back a bit from his embrace. "You could have just asked me. I figured you would, later. I won't ever lie to you Spence," she told him.

"I know, but you do downplay things," he told her.

"And you are afraid that Brian is a stalker..." she sighed. "He's not, sweetie. He's just an ass who doesn't like to hear 'no' for an answer."

"Did you move in with your mom to get away from him?" he asked.

Scarlett laughed. "No, farm boy. Most everything I owned was already packed before he ever showed up at my door... I moved back home for me, not because I was afraid of anybody."

"And the night you had to call Cooper?" he watched her face.

"You didn't hear that from Morgan," she cocked her head to the side. "I didn't talk to Morgan about that..."

"No, Penelope added that part..."

"Mmm-hmm. Okay..." she gave him a stilted look.

"What?"

Scarlett moved away from him a bit, going over to her bag. She pulled her clothes out, thinking something through in her head.

Spencer tensed at her silence. "Scarlett, please..."

"What?" she asked and heard him sigh again as he sat down on the chair beside him. She stopped and went over to stand before him. She tucked her hand under his chin to bring his eyes up from staring at his shoes. When he looked up at her she saw something there, something that told her he was worried or frightened, and it scared her.

Scarlett pushed him back into the chair further and settled her legs on the outside of each of his until she was pinning him into the seat with her body. She leaned forward and kissed him lightly and his hands moved to hold her around her waist.

Spencer pulled her closer returning the kiss lightly at first, then deepened it as the taste of her mouth intoxicated him. He took his hands and ran them along her back, pulling her tightly against him. He felt her fingers run through his hair to the back of his neck, holding his head angled back as she nipped at his lips. His heart sped up.

She smiled against his mouth, teasing him with small kisses and her tongue. When he arched against her and moaned, she smiled.

"Spencer, darling, what has you so tense?" she asked in a soft voice, kneading her fingers against the muscles along his neck. "Please... don't tell me you are upset over Brian. First, he's not worth it, second, my mother wouldn't have had that look on her face over him... So I know that's not what you were talking about before Penny and I came into the kitchen..."

She lightly traced the cord along his neck with her thumbs and watched his face as he closed his eyes.

"Scarlett, stop... I told you. Your mom got a phone call that worried her..."

"Mmm," she leaned forward and lightly bit his bottom lip.

Spencer kissed her again, his hands moving up under the back of her shirt, stroking her soft skin. He straightened in the chair so her body was pressed against his. He could feel her heart pounding along his chest as she cuddled against him.

She pulled her face back just a few inches from his and he saw her impish smile. She traced a finger down his neck and collarbone and grinned when he shivered.

"You know," she said softly, "my Mom always taught us that a lie of omission was still a lie," she teased. His eyes flew open and met hers. She saw a hint of anger there.

"I will never lie to you Scarlett..." he said tightly.

She bit at her bottom lip thoughtfully. "I know. But clearly you would omit things..."

"I'm not lying," he stated, becoming more tense.

"...to try and protect me from something," she finished. She cocked her head to the side watching him.

"So the question I need to ask myself is, what would have my mother, you and Derek in a confab in the kitchen, behind my back..."

He squirmed under her and she grinned again as she leaned forward and kissed him lightly.

"Scarlett, please..."

"Something that you'd need Penelope to track, something that you don't want me to worry about..."

Spencer wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as he watched something click in her brain. "Scarlett, please..." he begged again.