The Resilient Lady Collins

Chapter 74: Comforting (3)

"Why do you have so many stories to make others pity you? Didn’t I tell you that my pity for you has run out? Isn’t my presence over here enough?" Scarlet asked, not wanting to move from where she sat to go to Ian.

He was worse than Sunny in how needy he was.

Ian shook his head. "No. See it as a test to be close to someone."

"Of course, you would suggest that since it is you getting to be near me. I’m going to end this before the three months," Scarlet sighed, making another poor decision by getting up to go to where Ian laid. "Do not touch me. If your wandering hands do, I shall leave."

"They won’t," Ian replied, putting his hands behind his head to be his pillow. "Was that so hard? I’ll keep quiet."

"Were you like this as a child? It is not why she might have hated you, but I can understand how your personality added to her disliking you," said Scarlet.

Ian closed his eyes to rest. "I didn’t have many conversations with Layla in my youth. It was a rule that I was not to address her. The most we spoke about was when she accused me of something. Like taking something from Victor not knowing that her son brought his things to me. I was a good child."

Scarlet didn’t believe him because of the smile afterwards. Who did he think he was trying to fool? ƒгeewёbnovel.com

"And how were you as a child? Obedient?" Ian asked.

"Well, I had no reason to misbehave," Scarlet answered. "There were times as I got older that I didn’t see eye to eye with my parents but then we would speak and solve it. We had rules too. We were to communicate."

"Lucky you."

"Yes. Hearing your stories, I appreciate my family once more. I am still willing to give many of the relatives that I dislike if you want. Take them and do whatever you like with them. They’re a headache," Scarlet muttered, thinking of the letters about the estate.

"You sound tired. Why don’t you take a little rest with me? I won’t share that you enjoyed it," Ian teased, making room for Scarlet as he spoke.

"When I am tired, I go to my bed," Scarlet rejected the offer.

"I wouldn’t mind going there," Ian replied.

"It is a place you shall never see so I suggest that you not think or dream about it. I don’t need the ghosts attaching themselves to you to scare Harry," Scarlet said, folding her arms after.

"Nice way of hiding the real reason you don’t want me there. I see right through you. Scarlet. I advise you not to say certain things because it might be a little embarrassing for you when they happen in the future. I must confess that I will enjoy seeing you eat your words," Ian confessed.

"What have you been doing since I last saw you? Who moved into your estate?" Ian asked, stuck on what she said earlier.

"It is someone that I can’t share they are there yet-"

"Scarlet, I do not need to gossip about who is living with you. I can hardly wait for the day that you trust me," Ian said, opening his eyes.

"We don’t know a lot about each other so I have to be careful. Just because we have a contract doesn’t mean I will be sharing everything I do with you. The time you were away from Lockwood and came back with this business is unknown to everyone. You could be a bad person," Scarlet pointed out.

That fact didn’t scare her because Scarlet was confident she could protect herself against Ian.

"I could also be a good person," Ian added. "I don’t wish to share all that I did after I left Lockwood. Though I had some money with me, it was quite the struggle to be alone and I don’t want to think about the time when I didn’t know where I was going."

"I understand. I just need you to understand why it is hard for me to fully trust you and you shouldn’t trust me either. You don’t know all that I might have done. I could be a bad person too," said Scarlet.

"Now that we both understand that, come lay with me," Ian said, moving his hands from behind his head to touch Scarlet.

"What? You!" Scarlet exclaimed, surprised by his attack to pull her down to him. "Do you want to die?"

"At some point. If it is by your hands then I can die happy. You can kill me later when we get up but think of who will make your tea. Is there anyone in town as good as me?" Ian asked, trying not to laugh because he could tell Scarlet was fuming.

She was backing him but he knew that she was close to exploding.

"Shit," Ian cursed, groaning in pain from her elbow hitting his chest.

"I warned you many times not to touch me. You are whining for a little hit when that was not where I had been aiming," Scarlet said, sitting back up thanks to Ian freeing her. "The sound of you in pain pleases me. Care to do it again?" She joked.

"You’re cruel, Scarlet. I will go start the tea for you. Make yourself comfortable here," Ian said, sitting up since his need to rest was gone.

"I’m sorry for hitting you, but there is a line that we shouldn’t cross. Does it hurt that bad?" Scarlet asked, trying to find where she had elbowed him.

"As I said, you are cruel. To hit me and then want to take care of me. You hit me right here. If you are truly sorry, touch it to heal it," Ian said, pointing to where no longer hurt him.

Scarlet bit her tongue. An apology should suffice but this was Ian. "Are you a pervert?"

Ian laughed at the unexpected question. "I am not. That will not help you get out of this." freēwebnovel.com

"I think you are in denial. Here," Scarlet poked him, ignoring him groaning again because the deal was done.

Ian knew that it was his mistake for not being clearer on how she should touch him. Though he didn’t get her to lay with him, he was satisfied with the fact she had come to sit beside him. It must have taken a lot for Scarlet to do that and elbowing him was probably the most harmless thing she could have done to get him away from her.

"Ian, maybe it is not Noelle’s ashes. You shouldn’t think the worst just yet," Scarlet said, trying to comfort him with words since she wasn’t able to do it with touch. "It might be wrong timing to say this, but I would send her back something to get under her skin. Or even better, I would go near the one thing she doesn’t want you around."

Ian smiled as Scarlet was the best person to have around for ideas. "How can I not like you? I’ll hear more about these ideas you have after I get the tea started. Scarlet, do mind doing me a favour?"

Scarlet nodded her head as she believed it had something to do with getting back at Layla.

"Miss me while I am gone," said Ian.

Scarlet frowned, once again regretting that she was still here.