Chapter 22 #2
My smile widened because I knew how she felt. Still, Evan’s time would come. I’d make sure of it.
I walked inside Rosie’s bedroom suite to see her sitting on the side of her bed, looking mighty fine in her tan colored yoga pants and slouchy top.
Her hair was piled on top of her head, with a few wispy bits hanging down, drawing attention to the elegant lines of her neck.
She wasn’t wearing makeup, but she didn’t need to.
She may have had a few enhancements, but that was exactly what they did: enhance her natural beauty.
Rosie’s eyes met mine, and she smiled at me.
My chest swelled. If I could’ve ripped my shirt off and beaten it caveman style without looking like I’d gone nuts, I would have.
Just the way she looked at me, as if I brightened her entire world, did weird things to me.
Leaning down, I kissed the top of Ro’s head while inhaling the scent of her shampoo and musky, amber perfume.
She may have been dressed casually, but she still looked and smelled like a million dollars.
I loved how she took care of herself, and even though I knew she did it all for herself and not for me, I appreciated it all the same.
I kicked off my sneakers, threw my baseball cap on the dresser, and climbed on the bed.
Then, while Ro was talking to Kennedy, I pulled her yoga pants off—leaving her in just her white panties and top.
Laying her out, I arranged her exactly where I wanted her, which, as usual, was tucked under my arm with her head on my chest.
Rosie’s dancing eyes looked up at mine. “Donovan’s home, so I’m gonna go.”
Ned said something that made Rosie let out a little laugh before she said her goodbyes and ended the call.
“Hey,” I muttered, smiling into her soft, brown eyes.
“Hey, yourself.” She got up on one elbow and looked down at me. “Come on. What did Ash say?”
I shrugged. “Told you already, she’s good. Probably packing her car up to go back to Denver as we speak.”
Rosie exhaled with her entire chest. “Thank God. And the video?”
“Gone. Deleted. If they’ve kept any copies, Colt will soon find them.
He’s hacking their cell phones as we speak.
He’s also got Pagan’s burner, which contains all the numbers of their other burners, so there’s nowhere they can hide.
We’re in the clear, baby, I promise.” I watched Rosie’s shoulders visibly deflate as the stress seeped out of her body.
“Hey, Posy. I told you it’d be okay. There was no need for you to worry. ”
“Now there isn’t,” she agreed.
I trailed a finger down her arm and clasped her hand, pulling her toward me.
She hitched a shapely leg over my stomach and straddled me, giggling as I knifed up and whipped her top off, leaving her topless and her gorgeous breasts exposed.
I let out a groan. “Where are the kids?”
“Last-minute back-to-school supplies,” she told me. “They’ve gone to the Superstore in Mapletree with Kady, Kai, Sunny, and a couple of other kids. They’re gonna stay out, eat at the diner over there, and come home around seven or eight.”
“I’ll go get Imogen and bring pizza back. Wanna do a movie night with the kids?”
She peered down at me. “You and Imogen have stayed here most nights for the last couple of weeks.”
“You need space?” I asked. “I can head to Ma’s tonight, give you a break—”
Her finger covered my mouth. “No. I never meant it like that. I like you being here a lot, so I was thinking, maybe we could convert the spare room on the lower floor for Imogen so she can have her own space.”
I reached up to touch Rosie’s throat and trailed one finger down between her breasts. “That sounds permanent,” I murmured absentmindedly as I studied the way her nipples hardened from my touch.
“It could be, one day.” She wriggled her ass on my stomach, obviously getting turned on. “No point you buying a house when we’ve got more than enough room here. The kids love you, and they adore Immie, and so do I.”
I stopped studying her nipples and my eyes lifted to hers. “You do?”
“Yeah,” she breathed. “You’re pretty fucking amazing when you’re not being an asshole, and Imogen’s a dream.”
Something in me softened. “But moving in is a big step and—”
Her face blanched slightly, and she covered my hands with hers. “It’s fine. I was thinking about the future, that’s all. If you want to take your time, that’s okay, too.”
It was my turn to cover her lips with my finger. “Let me finish.” I gestured for her to lift her ass while I scooched up until my back rested against the headboard. “Are you happy living here?”
Her face softened. “It’s a great house. We’ve got a big garden and a huge garage. I love the kitchen, and we’re not far from town, school, or the clubhouse. Plus, I repeat, it’s a great house.”
“If we move in, I want to approach Atlas about buying it,” I suggested.
“Okay,” she agreed. “I’m up for that. I’ve never been comfortable with not paying my way. I was grateful for the help when we first moved back to town, but now my business is doing great, so I can afford to pay more.”
“I pay, baby,” I murmured.
“No,” she protested.
“Yes. We both go on the deeds, and it’s our house, but I pay. I earn more than you, and Ma gave us all some cash when Da’s estate came through. The gym’s doing well, and it’s almost paid back my initial investment from when I bought it. I’ve got the cake, don’t worry.”
“I need to contribute, Donny,” she whispered. “I need it for me. When Evan and I broke up, I was left with nothing. I swore I’d never put myself in that position again.”
My jaw tightened. “You’ll be on the deeds fifty-fifty, and we’re not breaking up.”
“I know, but I’d feel better if I contributed.”
I studied the determination on Rosie’s face, thinking about how much I loved stubborn-assed women. Except right then, I wished she could be sweet and pliable and do as she was fucking told.
Still, I knew I’d last about two point four seconds with a woman like that, so I acquiesced slightly.
“How about we sit down together after the court case, and you do your magic with our finances. We’ll work out a percentage.
If I make seventy percent more than you, I pay seventy percent of the mortgage.
We do the same for utilities and food, and we set money aside for the kids’ colleges. ”
“Donovan,” she breathed.
“Let me do this, baby,” I asked, an almost pleading tone in my voice. “I need to do this. It’s my job to look after you and the kids. Let me be the man I need to be.”
Tears filled her eyes, and after a brief hesitation, she nodded.
“I love you,” I rasped, cupping her jaw. “Never thought I’d say those words to any woman. So fucking thankful that I get to say them to you. If I searched a hundred universes in a thousand lifetimes, I’d never find another woman like you.”
Her breath caught, and her eyes welled up again. “Oh my God. Don’t make me cry.”
I ran my thumb over her pouty bottom lip, marveling at its softness. “I’ll never stop being robbed of breath every time you walk in the room, Rosie Woods.” I swiped the tear running down her cheek, and my heart jerked as she leaned down and captured my mouth with hers.
Her body trembled against mine, and I groaned at the faint tang of salt on her lips. A soft hand cupped the back of my neck, her fingernails digging into my nape as if clinging to me was the only way she could stay grounded.
The warmth of her body seeped into my skin, and she whispered, “I can feel how hard you are.”
“You drive me crazy.” I rolled my hips so she could feel the rough denim of my jeans against her soft thighs.
She hummed at the friction, her eyes glazing over as she sat up straight, baring herself to me again.
My eyes roamed over her beautiful breasts, swiftly followed by my hands.
I cupped them gently, my thumbs swiping over her nipples.
“Fucking obsessed with these tits,” I muttered, leaning forward to take a nipple in my mouth before giving it a hard suck, then I moved across to the other and repeated the action until my woman groaned.
Her hands threaded through my hair, and she held me tightly against her, whispering, “Please don’t stop, honey. You feel so good.”
I moaned the second my mouth found her puckered skin, laving at her until she whimpered. My fingers rolled her other nipple as I feasted, and then swapped over, repeating the action again and again until Rosie was a trembling mess.
Letting out a grunt, my gaze settled on her skin, flushed red because she was so turned on, and my licking turned to sucking while I bit down gently.
I knew it would mark her, and I didn’t care. If I could’ve left my bite on her and paraded her around naked, I would have, just to show the world that Rosie Woods belonged to me.
My woman squirmed against my hips, her thighs catching me in a vise-like grip, then she grabbed my wrists and pinned them to the bed.
I couldn’t stop my low rumble of laughter. I knifed my body up, taking Rosie onto her back, making her shriek.
“You taste like a vanilla cupcake,” I muttered, raining kisses down over her chest and admiring the bruises I’d left on her tits. “Wonder if your pretty, wet pussy tastes the same way?”
Her eyes flashed wickedly. “Only one way to find out, babe.”
I kissed the concave between her breasts, working my way down her body and dipping my tongue into her navel just as Rosie reached down and pulled at the shoulders of my tee.
I leaned up slightly and held my arms out so she could whip it off before going back to taste the skin of her soft stomach while hooking my hands under her knees and spreading her legs apart.
“You know how pretty you are?” I rasped.
She went up on her elbows, looked down, and whimpered, “Oh my God.”
“You want me to eat you?”
She nodded.
“Say it.”
Without hesitation, she breathed, “Please, baby, eat me.”
“You wanna come?” I growled.
“God, yes,” she said huskily. “Please, Donovan. Make me come with your mouth.”