Chapter 21
For the first time since I was fifteen and had a crush on a guy at school, I couldn’t sleep a wink because of my raging hard-on.
Every time I closed my eyes, trying to think about something, anything other than hearing Rosie come, I failed.
Miserably. Around three o’clock in the morning, after tossing and turning for the past four hours, I gave up and grabbed my phone.
Pulling up Rosie’s Instagram had been the final nail in the coffin for the night. She didn’t post regularly, but when I clicked on her profile, I saw her most recent one from a month ago and that knife that had been slowly working its way into my chest, twisted deeper.
It was a picture of us.
Okay, Fallon was there, too. Rosie had an arm around her neck as they grinned widely at the camera.
I sat on Rosie’s other side, arm draped around the back of her seat.
We’d been at one of my brother's games. Sitting in a cordoned off section by the field because Oliver didn’t like playing with Fallon too far away.
I stared at the photo for what felt like hours.
In the picture, I wasn’t looking at the camera. I was staring straight at Rosie. A smile pulled at my lips as I watched the two of them be their chaotic selves.
And she’d posted it.
The caption read: Still hate football, but love this girl.
And that’s exactly how I was staring at her, like I was a love-struck idiot.
Scrolling through her Instagram was a bad idea.
Photos of her on nights out, looking like a devil made to tempt me to the dark side.
One was a picture of her standing on a beach in a tiny yellow bikini that did nothing to hide her luscious figure; hair blowing in the breeze.
But what knocked all the air from my lungs was her expression.
She was mid-laugh. Head thrown back, looking like she had never been more free and happy than in that moment.
The image of her splayed out underneath me, eyes shining with that same freedom, made my dick hard as granite.
Sleep utterly evading me, I admitted defeat and gripped the phone tightly in my fist, as I stroked myself to my third orgasm of the night.
The next morning, on the way to pick her up, I stopped off at a cafe and picked up some food for the road, and the biggest black coffee they could make.
I pulled up outside her flat a few minutes before eight to find her already lugging boxes down the steps.
She couldn’t see over the top of the cardboard, her foot extended out, feeling for the top step.
My heart nearly fell out of my throat when I saw her balance falter.
Hopping out of the car, I sprinted over to her and quickly grabbed the box she had in a death grip. I wrapped a hand around her waist to stop her from pitching headfirst onto the concrete, squeezing her tight to my body.
‘Oof.’ Her palms, now free from the box, landed on my chest. ‘Fuck, that could have ended badly.’
An awkward laugh tumbled past her lips. Her golden hair shone in the early morning sun.
She had a light layer of makeup on and when I stepped back, feeling her hands push against me to free her, I noted the ripped jeans she wore and knitted jumper.
The weather was about to turn, and where we were headed would be even colder.
She looked like a model for a knitwear catalogue and I wasn’t complaining.
She was cute as fuck. Not that I’d ever tell her that, I valued my balls where they were.
‘What is all this stuff?’ I asked, peering inside the box and trying not to notice the fact that her cheeks turned bright red at my touch.
‘Uh, Fallon dropped it all off yesterday. It’s balloons, a banner, candles, streamers, and a bunch of other shit. I have a list of instructions on how she wants the place decorated.’
‘Oliver hates all this birthday stuff.’
A satisfied smirk graced her lips. ‘She knows. That’s why she’s doing it. It’s revenge for what he did for her birthday.’
I chuckled at the memory. Fallon hated being the centre of attention.
She’d rather walk across hot coals with a chicken on her head than have all eyes on her.
A few months ago, to celebrate her twenty-ninth birthday, he got T-shirts custom made.
She didn’t realise what he wore under his jacket when the two of them went out for breakfast. When several photographers were behind them, shouting their names, Oliver took off his coat, threw his arms in the air and spun around, letting them get a good look at the writing on his shirt.
On the front it read: IT’S MY GIRLFRIENDS BIRTHDAY!
When he turned around, the back said: SHOW HER THE LOVE!
It was front page news the very next day. The picture started trending on social media and Fallon’s DM’s got so clogged with messages from people wishing her happy birthday she had to delete all the apps.
Seeing all the cheesy birthday shit she had planned, she clearly hadn’t forgiven him yet.
‘Those two have a really weird relationship,’ I muttered fondly.
Rosie laughed out, ‘Yeah, but their weird matches each others weird.’
That was definitely the truth. ‘You got more of this stuff?’ I gestured to the box.
She nodded. ‘Just the cake and then Roxy’s things, and my suitcase. I’ll bring it all down.’
She didn’t give me a chance to say I’d come up and help her before she stepped back and the door shut. Subtly wasn’t her strongest suit, and yet, I couldn’t wipe the stupid grin off my face as I walked back to my truck.
Five minutes later, a loud crash pulled my attention to the front door, a second before it opened and a brown and black ball of fluff was scrambling through it like her life depended on it.
‘Fuck’s sake, it’s a solid door. What did you think was going to happen, you lunatic?’ Rosie cried, holding onto a leash tightly with one hand whilst the other held a bag full of Roxy’s things.
Roxy didn’t seem all that concerned that she was attached to her mum and couldn’t go anywhere. Her feet scrambled on the pavement as soon as she saw me, whining loudly, tongue lolling out of her mouth.
‘I apologise for what’s about to happen.
’ Rosie called a moment before she dropped the leash, and Roxy took off like a bullet straight towards me.
Before she could jump up, I crouched down and let her barrel straight into my chest. Not knowing whether she was coming or going, she kept switching from trying to lick me, to rolling on her belly.
‘Someone’s full of beans this morning.’ I took her face between my palms and gave her a scratch behind the ears.
‘And she’s already been for a walk this morning.’ My head tilted to the side as Rosie deposited the bag of stuff in the backseat.
Picking up the leash so she wouldn’t run off, I stood up, halting, when I saw Rosie staring at the back of my truck, frozen in place with her hand on the door.
‘What’s up?’ I asked, even though I had a feeling I knew exactly what brought that panicked expression to her face.
‘You have a travel blanket and dog harness,’ she said numbly.
I came up beside her, easing her out of the way to let Roxy hop up onto the seat.
‘Figured it would be safer, and didn’t want her to be uncomfortable on the drive down.
’ The stupefied look on Rosie’s face made it seem like buying something small for her dog was a grand gesture.
I knew Rosie’s personal feelings about grand romantic gestures.
They were akin to lighting herself on fire. Her words, not mine.
‘You didn’t need to do that,’ she said sharply, her head snapping to look up at me.
The defensiveness in her posture and the way her eyes narrowed made the back of my neck prickle with anger.
Not at her, but at the fact that this girl thought me buying some shit for her dog was something I did to manipulate her.
To control her. I saw the flash of fear enter her eyes as she searched my face, looking for something she wouldn’t find.
My head didn’t have a chance to catch up to my actions and tell me to calm the fuck down, before my hand lifted and wrapped around the back of her neck, yanking her against my chest. A gasp left her.
Stopping her brain from overthinking, I clashed our mouths together, shutting the car door and crowding her up against it.
Her taste exploded in my mouth, hot and delicious.
God, her pussy must taste even better. I knew this girl, knew her like the back of my hand and yet she had my heart nearly stopping dead in my chest with one kiss.
Her tongue darted out to tentatively tangle with mine, and my grip on the back of her neck flexed.
My mind played over the sounds of her moaning over the phone, and the soft whimpers she made when she came.
When she made that same noise in the back of her throat, like she would fade away if I didn’t touch her, I slowly pulled away.
She slumped back against the door, looking dazed. I fought the smile from my lips at seeing her so unguarded. Because of me. I traced her kiss-swollen lips with the pad of my thumb, earning me another stuttered inhale.
‘This is not some big imposition. It’s the bare fucking minimum, sweetheart,’ I said, panting.
Doubt crept into her eyes before it vanished. She completely stole all the air from my lungs when her hands reached up, locked behind my neck, and she pulled me down, sealing our lips together again.
Only this time, it was different. It wasn’t a spur of the moment, fuelled by passion kiss.
This one was soft. Her lips grazed over mine as if she was exploring, softly and wondrously.
Both hands clutched at her waist, I let her take all the time she needed, enjoying the fuck out of having her pressed so tightly to my body.
When I tugged her even closer and our lower halves connected, my hard length pressing right up against her stomach, she pulled back on a gasp.
‘Fuck, what the hell are you doing to me?’ she said as she sagged in my hold, keeping her arms twined around my neck.
Voicing the turmoil she put me in was a dangerous thing, but I couldn’t find it in myself to care, as long as I had her this close. I gave her another swift kiss and muttered, ‘Same thing you’re doing to me.’
Her head tilted back to look me in the eye and what I saw there nearly shook my goddamn world. Gone were all the guarded layers. She stared like she was seeing me for the first time.
The intimate moment ruptured when a loud bark sounded from inside the car. Rosie jumped. Unlinking her hands behind my neck, she glanced over her shoulder to see Roxy’s nose pushed up against the glass, smearing her snot all over it.
We both burst out laughing.
‘I’ll uh, just go up and grab my suitcase,’ she said, pressing her palms to her flushed cheeks.
I secured all the boxes and made sure Roxy was clicked into the safety harness, earning myself some licks and a whole lot of slobber for my efforts. By the time Rosie came down, a small suitcase rolling behind her, my cock had managed to get itself under control.
We got into the car. After I turned on the engine, I reached down to the cupholder and handed her a coffee.
She finished buckling her seatbelt and stared at the cup in my hand. A flicker of that same insecurity shining in her eyes.
‘It’s not poisoned, promise.’ I held up my pinky. The anxiety I’d seen ghost over her face vanished as she interlocked her pinky with mine, squeezing it tightly.
Her lips curled as she took the coffee and had a long sip. She slouched back into the seat and her eyes fluttered closed. ‘Goddamn, I needed that.’
I chuckled. ‘I’m beginning to think you run on coffee and tequila.’
Pulling away from the curb, I pressed start on the navigation system on my phone propped up on the dash.
She hummed thoughtfully. ‘And orgasms, don’t forget the most important one.’
I glanced at her quickly and saw the wicked grin spread across her face.
‘Trust me, I’ll never forget that one.’ Moving the conversation on from this dangerous territory, I reached out to the centre console and lifted the charger out to her. ‘Only fair that you chose the music.’
She put her coffee down and let out an excited squeal. ‘And you won’t complain?’
‘Oh no, I’ll probably complain, but you can still choose.’
‘You know good music has been made since the eighties, right?’ she said as she plugged in her phone and started scrolling.
‘Doubtful. Music stopped being good after Queen.’
‘Jesus, okay, grandad.’
I arched my brow at her. ‘I’m only seven years older than you, sweetheart.’
‘And yet, your taste in music is practically geriatric. Have you even heard of Taylor Swift? Lizzo?’
‘I’ve heard of them,’ I wasn’t closely acquainted with their music, but you go into any store and they have their songs playing over the loudspeaker. ‘Just don’t think you can do better than Under Pressure.’
‘I’m gonna prove you wrong.’ The conviction in her voice warmed my heart, and I peered at her out of the corner of my eye. Her lower lip was pulled into her mouth as she scrolled through a playlist. I shook my head with a smile.
‘Go ahead, sweetheart.’