22. Nash
Chapter 22
Nash
S he kept the teddy bear. I don’t think she realizes I saw it. It’s on her bed, tossed amid a nest of blankets. Her room is a chaotic blend of colors and fabrics. The rich gemstone hues are layered so the entire room looks like living art. In the corner sits her bed. Even amid the art supplies and artifacts around the room, my eyes can’t leave the bear long enough to truly study anything else.
The bear is worn and well loved. That fact shifts something deep inside me, offering a new well of hope. I have to know if there’s even a fraction of a chance that we can move beyond our past.
Rosie is busy trying to salvage her things from the wreckage, but I’m useless. Questions burn through me until the words tumble out, even though it isn’t the time. “I swore I would leave you alone, and I will do that if you ask me to go. I’ll still help with fixing the house. You have my word. But I'll never fail you again if you give me a chance.”
Rosie stops stuffing the bag she’s working on and stares at me. She shakes her head in confusion. “You didn’t?—"
I can’t keep my distance any longer. “I did, baby, and I’m so sorry.”
“Nash," she pleads, my name full of the same fundamental question as before: Will you hurt me?
This time, I give her what I should have the first time she asked. I cup her cheek, rubbing my thumb along her smooth skin. “I’m your mate, your alpha. I didn’t know it in those terms when we were kids, but I knew you were important to me. That night, my gut told me not to leave you with her, and I will never forgive myself for not listening to it. I should have protected you.”
A tear slips down her cheek, and I wipe it away. She grips my wrist, her nails digging into my skin. “You need to hear me, Nash Wells, when I say this. You’re not the villain in my story." She looks away from me, chewing her bottom lip. "I didn't run because you did something wrong; I just couldn’t face the shame of that night and everything after. And I didn’t want my bad luck to ruin your plans to get out of here. I’m not always brave?—”
I can’t take it, and I pull her to me, enveloping her in a hug. “There is nothing for you to ever be embarrassed about. None of this is on you. The fact that Marigold got off so easy is bullshit.”
She takes a deep breath, and I hold on for long moments, willing my purr to unravel the tension in her shoulders that has crept in ever since I brought up that night.
Eventually, I have to say it. If I wait any longer, it’s gonna be a done deal. “Tell me to go, beautiful, because if you don’t do it soon, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to walk away.”
So quiet I think it may be a dream, she says, “Stay.”
I pull back to look at her. “I’ll stay forever if you let me.”
Rosie tucks her lower lip between her teeth. My gaze dips to her lips, then back to those bottomless eyes, desperate for her to give me permission.
She nods, and I unleash my alpha, tilting her face toward mine. Heat sizzles where our mouths meet. I swipe my tongue against her lips, and she opens for me. The kiss roars, a heated wave of fire that sparks until we’re both breathless and clinging to one another.
“I need you,” I growl, scooping her up and abandoning the mess. We can deal with that tomorrow. Right now, a decade of pent-up heat needs release.
“You can’t carry me!” she yelps.
“Already did,” I say, carting her down the hall.
“But the house?—”
My growl rumbles in protest. “Tomorrow.”
She rips her lips from mine, panting. “But?—”
My tongue swipes along the seam of her mouth, needing another taste. We bang into the wall, our mouths colliding as we fumble our way into a dry bedroom.
“Fuck it.” Rosie chases my lips as I lay her down on a bed, curving my hand around her nape and holding her in place as I settle over her.
She’s sweet and a little spicy, and by the time I drag my lips away, my cock is rock hard and my heart is pounding with the desire to sink my teeth into her neck and claim her.
Skirting my way to her throat, I suck and bite the tender spot behind her ear until the temptation to permanently mark her is too much. I lift her shirt and toss it aside before I return to suck along the swell of her cleavage and tease her nipple through her sheer bra with my knuckles. Her tits are round and soft, and I want to bury myself here and never leave.
“You’re so fucking perfect.” I groan, captivated by her pretty tits. I divide my focus, nuzzling her chest while I unhook her bra.
Rosie arches into it, unfastening her pants and shimmying out of them. It leaves her in only a pair of red boy shorts that my dick very much approves of. All her curves are on display, and I don’t even know where to look or taste first.
I lift and knead her breasts before taking one of her nipples into my mouth. Her arousal fills the air—roses blooming in a fairy garden. I’m spellbound by the soft magic of her scent.
Rosie moans, her hips shifting restlessly beneath me. My hand gives a final squeeze before I follow her curves to dip between her legs. I was teasing her before, but she really is wet. The fabric of her panties is soaked. I rub my thumb along her center, planting a kiss between her breasts.
“Is this for me, baby?” I ask, desperate to hear her say it, to know she’s into this.
“Please,” she begs, and it’s the good kind, filled with longing and the knowledge that I’m the one who can fix it.
My fingers skirt the edge of her panties, then along her slick lips, teasing her until I get to her clit. Her legs fall open, her hips cradling me, and when I circle her clit, she makes this breathy sound I can’t get enough of.
“Nash,” she cries, her hand knocking off my ball cap before her fingers tug on my hair. She bucks against me, this horny little whine escaping her. The sweet sound makes my cock jump.
“Say it, Rosie. Tell me what you want.”
She growls like an angry kitten. “Nash?—"
“Say it, baby.”
“Your ego?—"
I pinch her clit and suck her nipple in my mouth until she moans the magic words, then I bury myself between her legs.