Ryan POV
I’d asked Scarlett to wait in the staff lounge.
The second those last handshakes were done and the last glass was set down, the tightness in my shoulders finally eased.
I had finished playing in the room.
All I wanted was to finish up, drive her home, and steal maybe fifteen extra minutes with her on the way.
I kept seeing her in that dress; the way it cut across her shoulders, the way every head turned when she walked past. She looked f*****g unreal.
I told myself I was just being practical, giving her a ride so she wouldn’t have to call a car this late, but the truth was simpler.
I wanted that stretch of quiet road with only the two of us in the car. The thought alone had me almost smiling as I headed for the lounge.
The lounge was empty.
I stopped in the doorway; t
