Chapter 12 Rosalie
TWELVE
ROSALIE
“Oh god!” I raked my nails down Cole’s back as he hammered away inside my pussy.
I came, my body trembling.
“Fuck, baby. God, this pussy is so fucking good.” Cole slammed into me three more times as I tried not to lose my mind from the pleasure. His cock twitched, his body tensing, as he came deep inside me.
He finally slowed to a stop, breathless, and stared down at me.
“I like practicing,” he said, smiling at me.
“Mm, me, too.” I raked my fingers through his hair, making him practically purr against me. All we’d been doing since we got here was practice for making a baby.
“I bet you’re sore,” he murmured, giving me a fond smile.
I winced and nodded. “I am.”
“Tell me I have a big cock and maybe I’ll give you a break.”
I let out a soft laugh. “You know you’re big, Cole.”
“Doesn’t hurt to hear it.” He nipped my bottom lip.
“You have a big cock. You fuck me so good,” I said, peppering kisses on his lips. “I love coming on your big, thick dick.”
“Fuck, baby, you keep talking to me like that and you’ll make a liar out of me.”
I grinned up at him. “I love you.”
“Fuck, Rosebud, I love you, too. I’m glad we have this time together. It’s nice, isn’t it?”
I nodded, drinking in how handsome and relaxed he seemed to be. It was like he was the old Cole before any of this stuff happened in our lives.
He withdrew from my body and dragged me against him, his arm wrapped tightly around me.
“I wish we could have gone on the trip you planned,” he said wistfully.
I ran my hand lightly along his abs, loving the dips and curves of them.
Cole had been working out a lot lately. More than he used to.
I figured it had something to do with the need for being strong, just in case he had to fight.
Enzo worked out with him. Of course, Fox was always in the gym.
Ethan tried to avoid doing it. He often told me he hated cardio unless it was with me, although he seemed to be OK with lifting weights.
“We can go maybe after we settle in when I get back with Enzo,” I murmured.
Cole kissed the top of my head. I didn’t have to look at him to know he was smiling.
We were quiet for a long time after that before he broke the silence.
“I really am sorry about that whole gun and Anson thing.”
I didn’t say anything, opting to continue tracing his muscles. I didn’t like that Cole resorted to violence instead of just thinking things through, but I didn’t want to argue with him.
“The good news in all of this is he probably won’t be around for a while, so we’ll both get the chance to cool down, what with him getting married and all that.”
I froze at his words before shifting over and looking at him.
“What?”
He crinkled his brows at me. “He didn’t tell you? I thought you guys texted all the time.”
“No. What?” I was confused. Anson and I hadn’t really talked much since everything happened. After the club incident, our friendship had cooled off substantially. The gun situation had dropped ice cubes on it.
“I-I honestly didn’t know he didn’t tell you. I thought you just didn’t want to talk about it—”
“If you thought that, then why are we talking about it?” I sat up, sick to my stomach.
“Rosebud, baby, I don’t want to fight. I’m an idiot.”
“I-I don’t understand. Ani is getting married?”
Cole nodded wordlessly.
“T-To who?” I choked out. I didn’t even know he was dating anyone.
“I, uh, I don’t know. Just what I heard.”
“Cole,” I warned.
“Babe, let it go, OK? What does it matter anyway? Let’s go back to holding each other and talking about the cool new baby monitor I bought—”
“Ugh.” I got up, grabbed my phone, and went into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I stared down at Anson’s number for a moment before calling him.
His phone rang three times before he answered.
“Hey,” his deep voice came over the line. “Is everything OK?”
“You’re getting married?” I choked out, ignoring his question.
Silence greeted me for a long moment. All I could hear was my heartbeat pounding in my ears.
“Yeah. I, uh, I am. I was going to tell you—”
“When?” I whispered. “After I kissed you or fucked you?”
“LeeLee,” he said softly.
“No, it wasn’t all that long ago you were asking me for more, and suddenly you’re getting married?” My voice rose. “What the hell is going on?”
“What the hell is going on? For fuck’s sake, Rosalie.
What do you want from me? You said we would never happen.
When a girl says that to a guy, the assumption is she’s serious about it.
I don’t understand what you want from me.
I want to be happy. I want a family. I want to settle down.
I can’t… it hurts too much not to have you,” his voice lowered.
“It’s killing me, but I get it. You made your choice, and that choice wasn’t me.
I-I figured I should try… I don’t know. I just…
I couldn’t have you the way I want you, so I had to do this.
I’m trying to live knowing you’re not mine.
” He let out a breath. “I live in this world of make-believe, and it fucking sucks. I can do good, so I may as well.”
“Who is she?” I asked, my voice trembling. I felt like my heart had just been ripped from my chest. He was right. I did turn him down. We were never going to happen, but why did it hurt so much?
“Bianca,” he said, his voice low.
I blinked rapidly at the information. “B-Bianca? The kings’ Bianca?”
“Yes. Matteo arranged it—”
“Matteo fucking kidnapped her, Anson! Your father, who promised me he’d do better, kidnapped her. He stole her from the kings, pregnant, and now you’re marrying her? You don’t see a problem with that—”
“I see a fuck of a lot of problems with that,” he replied. “It’s why I’m marrying her. I’m going to keep her safe.”
“So you don’t love her?”
“Why do you care so much, Rosalie? If you don’t want me, then it doesn’t fucking matter what I do, right? Maybe I’ll join up with the kings or something. Tell me you fucking love me and want me, and I will go to you right now.”
A tear trickled down my cheek.
“Tell me you belong to me, and I’ll call it off,” he continued, his voice thick.
“Fucking tell me, or this is the end, because I can’t do this shit anymore.
It’s killing me inside. I deserve happiness.
I do. I’m going to find it, LeeLee. Is it you or her?
Tell me it’s you, and I will love you so fucking hard that everything else will feel like it was background noise.
Say you want me, Rosalie, and I’ll show you what truth feels like.
With my hands. My mouth. My heart. My whole fucking soul.
You will own me. If you can’t say it, then fucking let me go. Set me free. Last chance.”
I said nothing, my hand trembling as I held the phone to my ear, tears streaming down my cheeks. He was right. I had to let him go. He was on the hook with me. I knew he was. It wasn’t fair.
It hurt so much.
“LeeLee,” he whispered. “Tell me.”
A soft knock sounded on the bathroom door. “Rosebud? Are you OK? Come on. I’m worried about you.”
I closed my eyes and breathed out. “I-I can’t. You’re free, Ani.”
He was quiet for a moment before his voice came back on the line.
“OK,” he rasped, his voice cracking. “OK. I’m free. I, uh, I need to go.”
“Ani—”
“Bye, LeeLee.” The line disconnected, and I stood rooted in my spot, my vision blurry from tears.
I didn’t even realize Cole had come into the room. He wrapped his arms around me.
“You did the right thing,” he murmured, hugging me. “You needed to let him go for good. It wasn’t fair to him. He would never be able to join us.”
I nodded against his chest. He was right. I knew he was. Cole would never relent and share me with someone who wasn’t one of the horsemen. Enzo either. I was dragging Anson on a painful journey he didn’t deserve.
That didn’t make it hurt any less.