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Chapter 44

CM Punk was not a patient man, even though people liked to think otherwise. He was on a schedule but his schedule was being disrupted by none other than Roman Reigns. They were closing in on September and he still hadn't gotten the woman he'd been eyeing since the last year. Scarlett Rayer was turning out to be a harder project than his current wife had been. The annoying shrill of his phone disturbed his angry inner tirade and he barked a "What?" into the receiver.

"Boss is getting tired of waiting. If you can't do it, just let me know," the voice on the other end said.

"Tell your Boss I'll have her by the end of the week and to get everything ready," he growled before ending the call. He'd have to work extra hard and get that bastard away from her before he made his move. He only had until the end of the week.

~oOo~

"What do you mean the card has to change?" Roman asked Hunter moment after the man had told him he'd be taking CM Punk's spot at SummerSlam this Sunday.

"Punk's been suffering from a back injury and I can't put him in that ladder match on Sunday," Hunter told him. Roman stared at him incredulously and then glared.

"I was supposed to be teaming up with Cesaro against Seth and Randy. What the hell happened to that?" He shouted.

"Dean's taking your place in that match. Come on, you're the only one we can rely on right now," Hunter said, rubbing his temples. Roman grumbled curses under his breath before he stood up.

"Dean was supposed to be going to Portland with Scarlett to see the house she liked," he said.

"Scarlett was the one that forced Dean to accept and don't worry about her, she'll be safe. He always has his eyes on her," Hunter said. "But I need you to take Punk's spot so we can get through SummerSlam without any hassles."

"We're going to be in Brooklyn and she's going to be in Portland, Oregon. All the way on the other side of the country with no one that she knows to watch out for her," Roman said.

"Don't get too attached, Reigns. She's not yours," Hunter snapped back standing up to face him. Roman straightened up to his full height and met Hunter's stare equally.

"I'm not getting attached, it's Dean that's getting too attached," Roman replied to him.

"You have a contract with the company and a public image to uphold. Even he knows that so unless you want to damage your reputation or your relations with us, then I suggest you focus on Sunday," Hunter said to him curtly.

Roman debated arguing further with Hunter but decided against it. Hunter was right, he shouldn't be getting so attached to her. Not when there were so many that were already there to protect her.

On his way to his room, he bumped into the tattooed superstar that he'd been keeping a close eye on lately. Punk grinned at him and Roman felt his guard go up as he noticed how the shorter man seemed to almost look wary of him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Heard Scar was going to be in Portland this weekend," Punk replied.

"It's Scarlett. You know how her boyfriend gets with anyone calling her by the nickname he gave to her," Roman replied, making sure to pay special attention to the word 'boyfriend'. Something flashed in the other man's eyes but it was gone before Roman could place it.

"It's weird for him to be dating her, don't you think?" Punk asked.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Oh you know, he's one of the biggest stars and she's just-."

"Punk, I'd advise you to think very carefully about what you're going to say next," Roman cut across him as the two began to walk towards the elevator. He kept his attention on the man next to him and he could feel an odd aura radiating off of him. He had known Punk for the last four years but it was the first time he was truly skeptical of him.

"I'm just saying. Talk to him, Reigns. Don't let him treat her just like the rest of them, she deserves much better," Punk said, stopping him by placing a hand on Roman's shoulder. Roman resisted the urge to flinch at the touch and turned to face him.

"And you care so much about her because? Last time I checked, you already have a wife and aren't that close to Scarlett."

"It's too bad you don't know," Punk said, a maniacal grin slid onto his face and Roman had to take a step back as he stared at someone who he had never seen before. There was a darkness that was slowly grasping at them and Roman felt a chill up his spine.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Oh nothing," Punk sang before he sauntered past him, leaving him staring at the flowery wallpaper of the hotel.

It's too bad you don't know. Now what the fuck was that supposed to mean?

~oOo~

"I'm not okay with this you know," Dean growled as he watched her pack up her bags that Sunday afternoon.

"I didn't expect you to be," Scarlett replied as she folded up her jeans carefully and placed them inside. She zipped it shut before straightening up to look at Dean, who was sitting on the couch with his arms folded in front of his chest. He had an expression on his face that Scarlett had dubbed the "I hate it when things don't go my way" expression. Smiling she moved towards him and stood between his legs, bending down at the waist to place both hands on his shoulders.

"I want you to focus on your match tonight, okay?" She asked him. He looked at her and then tugged her down so she was sitting in his lap. She curled into him and allowed him to hold on to her as he buried his face into her neck.

"Aiwun oo oh," came his muffled voice.

"What?"

Dean lifted his head and looked at her before his hand slid up to grasp the back of her neck and pull her in; capturing her lips with ease. Her eyes fell shut almost immediately as her control over her body slipped from her grasp. Every time he kissed her, Scarlett lost all ability to think, move, speak, or do anything for that matter. Everything around her disappeared and all she was able to focus on was the man who was kissing her. His kisses were an addiction.

"I don't want you to go alone," he said, pulling back from a dazed Scarlett. She hummed and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

After spending her first night with him few weeks ago, the two had silently agreed upon sharing a room henceforth. While they would get separated during the day, the evenings were spent with each other and during that time, Scarlett found herself touching Dean more often than he touched her. In their room, she discarded the gloves and that gave her the opportunity to feel him with her own fingers. She liked touching him.

His body was always radiating heat and she would curl into the heat during the night; waking up to find herself either wrapped in his arms or sprawled over his back. He was all muscle and she was fascinated by the hardness of his abs; often she'd allow her fingers to glide over his stomach in wonder. If her touch bothered him, he never said anything and Scarlett always ended up asking him whether what she was doing was okay; his response usually included her receiving a kiss that drained her of the remaining energy.

Today, she would be heading off to the other side of the country and leaving him for the first time since she'd met him in May. While it didn't seem to bother her as much, Dean was on the opposite end of the scale and had been in a sour mood since Monday after the emergency meeting with Hunter, who informed them that Dean was needed at SummerSlam on Sunday. He'd been sulking and brooding ever since and Scarlett found it incredibly cute; but she chose to keep that to herself.

"Why can't you take Roman or Seth with you?" He asked.

"Because both Roman and Seth are needed here tonight," she replied. Scarlett stood up and made her way back to the bed to check over everything once more.

"Take Orton," he said.

"You just want him gone so he won't spend time with AJ," Scarlett said. She felt the rebuttal coming and she continued before he could voice it. "Besides, he's injured his shoulder so I would rather he remain where he can be treated properly."

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and bit her lip from smiling when she saw the angry glower on his face as he glared at the ground. A knock came at the door and Scarlett made her way to open it.

Seth's smiling face greeted her and she pushed the door open to let him in. He ended up wrapping her into a bear hug and Scarlett chuckled as she patted his back. Out of the three of them, Seth had been the only one that saw the silver lining.

"If you like it, you'll have a house and then we can all put our efforts into decorating it together!" He'd said enthusiastically after Roman and Dean had snapped and argued about the dangers of going anywhere alone. Roman's worry surprised her but she brushed it off and had instead accepted Seth's excitement.

"Take lots of pictures so we can see it too! If you end up buying it we'll have an excuse to spend more time in Portland," Seth said to her as he swept further into the room. He socked Dean on the shoulder (it earned him a grunt) and then switched on the TV before settling on the sofa and tossing his feet onto Dean's lap. Dean shoved his feet off and glared at Seth.

"What the hell?"

Knowing that Dean was in a sensitive mood, Scarlett placed a hand on Seth's shoulder and smiled at Dean warmly, trying to ease his temper.

"Relax and take a leaf out of his book, he's the only one that seems to be excited for the fact that I get one thing crossed off my checklist if I do like the house," she said. Seth turned his head to kiss her hand and Dean let out a growl, which only spurred the two toned man on and he repeated his action.

"Enough you two," Scarlett admonished. Seth continued to flip through the channels while Dean returned to his brooding. Scarlett bustled around the room in her last minute prep during that time. She would be going to the arena with the boys before taking a cab to the airport shortly before they went live tonight. Stephanie had asked her to prepare food for the evening before departing and Scarlett had assured her that she would.

As the clock struck three, Seth went off to grab his own things and both Dean and her grabbed their own bags and headed to the lobby. Roman met them at the entrance with the car and once Seth joined them, they packed up their things and headed to the arena. The ride was short and Scarlett parted ways from the three of them to get to catering to make sure everything was set for the evening.

"There you are!" AJ said when she spotted Scarlett.

"Hi, what's up?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm feeling a bit peachy, think you can work some of that Scarlett Magic and whip up something good to eat that doesn't involve salads?" AJ asked, feigning weakness as she leaned against Scarlett to get her point across. Scarlett laughed at her antics and shook her head.

"If you want the donuts, just let me know," Scarlett said.

"You're an angel," AJ squealed before she sprinted off.

At around five thirty, Scarlett headed back towards the parking lot after she dropped off a box of the Boston Cream donuts she'd made for AJ. The other woman had given her a bone crushing hug and had begun to chow on the donuts when Scarlett left her. She met Dean as he waited for her, leaning against a cab that had pulled in to the secluded parking lot. He didn't say anything but pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly while the driver loaded up her luggage in the trunk. Scarlett rubbed his back and just let him hold her.

"Don't go. Please," he said. Scarlett pulled back just so she could look at his face and cupped his face.

"I'll be back before you know it. Just make sure you win tonight," she said. He reached for her scarf and she didn't stop him when he tugged it open and leaned forward to take her lips. She felt his worry in his kiss and Scarlett pressed herself against him, assuring him that she would be okay.

"Come back to me," he said, leaning his forehead against hers after he broke the kiss. Scarlett nodded slowly before she pulled away and fixed her scarf. He opened the door for her and she slid inside, rolling down the window.

"Come back to me, Scar," he repeated.

"I will," she responded and with a final kiss to her forehead, he stepped away from her and the driver pulled out of the parking lot. She turned around to see his figure getting smaller as the car began to speed up. Scarlett turned back around and her hands balled into fists. The kiss he'd given her, something about it had made her heart begin to pound and it wasn't the usual feeling that made her bust with joy. No. This time, the feeling was of dread. She was anxious as the driver sped along the highway and Scarlett turned her attention out the window.

Her heart continued to pound, the sound resonating throughout her entire body and ringing in her ear. Her blood was rushing and Scarlett took several deep breaths to calm herself. He'd kissed her several times up until now but never like that. He was worried and for some reason, the worry had made its way into her too. She grit her teeth and focussed on happier thoughts. She'd go to Portland, see the house, if she liked it she would sign the dotted line, return to Dean, and…

Wasn't the Airport the other way?

Uh oh.

i love Reviews by the way. :)

- K.