Read Online Centerfold by Kris Norris - Free Book Online

gut. Shit. In all the planning, he hadn’t stopped to really consider what she’d have to endure. How being on display might affect her. Not really.
    He shifted in front of her, brushing his thumb along her cheek, keeping his other hand gently holding her arm. “I’m sorry. If there was any other way to get inside…”
    Scarlet’s expression softened, uncertainty creasing her forehead. She looked over at Roman, the lines deepening. “I…” She shrugged. “I know what’s on the line. I’ll deal.”
    Aiden nodded, unsure what else to say as she moved past them, climbing into the back of the truck. He glanced at Roman, but the man merely motioned him forward. Aiden walked to the vehicle, debating whether to ride with Roman in the front or sit with Scarlet in the back. Roman shook his head, pointing to the front. Aiden sighed. They needed to bridge the gap, and soon, or no one would believe they were friends, let alone lovers.
    Roman started off the trip trying to broach the obvious distance between them, only to have Scarlet cut off his efforts by channeling her attention toward the tablet. They’d continued in silence, the miles slowly passing as a constant hum of the tires on the road. Snow dotted the landscape as they climbed into the mountains, nothing but evergreens blurring past the windows. Scarlet barely uttered a word, simply nodding when Roman went over the cover story, adding a reluctant yes here and there. She seemed determined to keep them at arm’s length, her body language clearly conveying her displeasure at the situation. Roman stopped a couple of hours later at the gates to the estate, looking at her in the rear-view mirror as he waited for the bars to open.
    It took a few moments before she glanced up, frowning as she caught his stare. “Problem?”
    Roman snorted. “Just that we’re here and you’ve hardly said two words to us since we picked you up, despite our efforts to contrary.”
    “I thought the purpose of this mission was to catch a serial killer?”
    “It is. But we’d like a chance to talk first—to explain.”
    “Short of both of you being abducted by aliens, I don’t want your explanation. I’m here to work. Which is why I’ve been going through the files. I can’t bring the damn tablet into the retreat, thanks to Glade’s paranoia. And I’d rather not end up as a chalk outline on some warehouse floor with the word December carved in my skin.”
    The vein in Roman’s temple pulsed. “Do you honestly think Aiden and I are going to let that happen? Give us some credit, darling.”
    She huffed at his endearment. “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared.”
    “Reading all those files isn’t going to help us when we don’t get past the damn doormen because we can’t convince them we’re together. And based on that permanent scowl on your face, no one’s going to believe that.”
    Scarlet graced them with a stunning smile. “Oh, don’t worry, baby. I’ll be sweet as sugar to you boys whenever we’re outside our room—every inch the doting lover I’m expected to be.”
    Roman grunted, driving through the entrance and up the winding driveway. Aiden knew Scarlet’s continued distance cut Roman deep, but it wasn’t something they could avoid. They’d created the unrest between them. They couldn’t expect Scarlet to simply welcome them home, especially when they’d been thrust into such a volatile situation before they’d had a chance to work things out. Though if the girl thought she was going to win just because she could hold a grudge, she had a hard lesson ahead of her.
    Roman parked the truck, twisting to face them. “Are we clear on the details of our relationship?”
    Scarlet sighed. “I know the cover story. You went over it a dozen times.” She scoffed at him. “Just because I didn’t talk much doesn’t mean I wasn’t listening. It’s my ass on the line. I’m not going to screw anything up.”
    “The bastard’s going to have to go through me and