23. Rose #2
“Kirin,” she whispered, but he was already closer, forehead resting against hers, encasing her in the subtle power of his presence. And she lost her train of thought.
“I keep wanting to wrap you in a blanket and hide you away,” he said, so quiet it felt like a confession meant only for her.
The vulnerability under his magnetism made her heart clench.
“Then I saw you in the corner with that guy looking at you, and I realized I’ve never wanted to claim you more.
It’s the last thing you need, but I can’t seem to help it. ”
“Kirin—” she started just as the guy left the bathroom and Kirin leaned into her again to give the guy more space until he passed.
Her hands twitched at her sides, craving to grab him and pull him into her again.
She wanted the contact, desperate for more than the brush of his thumb, the nearness that made her ache.
She leaned in instinctively, and their breaths mingled in the tiny space between them.
Every nerve screamed, every heartbeat shouted, and yet they held still, poised on the edge of something they both knew was inevitable.
“Rose, I know this is fake for you. But it isn’t fake for me anymore.” When her eyes snapped to his, she found him blushing. He ran his thumb down her cheek, his gaze following the movement. “Please don’t ask me to stand around here watching other guys flirt with you.”
She could get in her head about this. It was an option. Or she could roll with it and be honest. “It’s not fake for me either, and I would never give anyone enough hope to warrant your watching someone flirting with me.”
“Is that why you walked down here—away from everyone? Trying to get my attention? Or just get me away from those girls?” His hand pressed against the wall beside her head, causing her gaze to shift to his on instinct.
There was a lot of confidence staring back at her in those gray eyes and even more heat.
“I removed her hand as soon as I could. I don’t want anyone else touching me. I want them to know I’m yours.”
She sucked in a sharp breath. “I know you didn’t ask for it. She didn’t look very happy about your trying to get away.”
He chuckled darkly and looked away. “I don’t care. All I’ve been able to think about all day is touching you”—he winced—“and kissing you.”
Rose slid her hand over his jaw, wondering if the wince was because he was waiting for a rejection.
Did he think admitting he wanted her was too much, too fast?
It was possible. They’d kept things painfully mid-level, sleeping beside one another all weekend, waking up tangled together.
Only giving one another pecks here and there in front of Ainsley and Harper.
Neither of them had stepped beyond the line.
“Then kiss me,” she breathed, eyes closing against the tension threatening to undo her.
His lips brushed her ear, his breath warm, his hand lingering at her waist—a tether to reality that somehow made the longing sharper, deeper. “There’s no going back if I do,” he warned, voice husky, as though even his restraint was a temptation.
A shiver slipped down her spine. She wanted to lean in, to close the distance fully, to let herself fall into the fire and calm he embodied at once. Every inch of her, body and mind, pulsed with the magnetic pull of him—the danger and safety, the thrill and tenderness.
“Kiss me,” she whispered again, her hands tracing the planes of his chest, fingers curling into his shirt, drawing him closer. Her heart hammered in her ears, mind hazy with want and wonder.
He hesitated, voice low and raspy. “Flower, don’t.” But the brush of his lips on her jaw betrayed the same longing, the same restraint that made the tension unbearable, delicious, and entirely theirs.
A couple of girls giggled passing through the hallway, and Kirin’s body stiffened. She watched them leave, heart still hammering. He rested his forehead against hers, sighing, arm encasing her.
“It’s been a while since I’ve dated anyone,” he admitted. “I don’t want to mess this up.”
“Don’t want to mess this up by fucking me?” she teased, nuzzling against him.
“I want you—all of you,” he said, voice low. “But you deserve more than a wall at a college bar.”
The idea of his hands everywhere, pressed against her where anyone could see, made her breath hitch. His hand slid from her neck to her hip, pulling her flush to him, and she let herself imagine all the possibilities.
“Tell me to stop,” he murmured, lips tracing the curve of her jaw.
Then finally he kissed her—deep, electric, leaving her lost in him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck. She molded her mouth to his between nips and licks until he was growling.
His hand trailed down her side until it curved around her hip, and she sighed against him, his tongue slipping easily into her mouth as she sucked it.
His fingers tightened, a shudder wracking his frame.
“Good Lord, I thought you flushed yourself down the toilet,” Harper cut in, and Rose froze.
Kirin stiffened against her, his chuckle low as he pulled away.
“Which one of us?” he asked, then turned back to her. “I don’t think either of us would fit.”
“Have you tried it?” Harper asked. Her brows lifted, and Kirin laughed again while he tucked an arm around Rose’s waist and guided her down the hall.
“Can’t say I have,” he murmured with a smile. “Lovely to see you, Harper.”
“Yeah, yeah, stop hogging my roommate. You had her all weekend.” Harper closed her hand around Rose’s wrist and tugged her out of Kirin’s hold and into the bar again. She pulled Rose close even as Kirin stayed within arm’s reach of her. “You have got to help me beat Jesse. It’s driving me insane.”
“You suck at pool. Are you better at anything else?” Rose asked, and Harper sighed.
“They banned me from darts. There was an incident last year.”
“Oh, boy.” She sighed, and Harper shrugged, her gaze shifting to Kirin.
“Things are going well then.” It wasn’t a question, so Rose didn’t confirm or deny it.
Instead she turned her focus to their group which now included a different girl on Leon’s arm, Harrison standing with Ainsley as they talked over a game of darts, and Kevin and Jesse waiting patiently with their pool sticks.
“You’ve got your partner now, Harper?” Jesse asked, and Rose shot her a look.
“Oh, so can you be my partner?” Harper gave her an impish smile, and Rose sighed.
She’d watched both the boys play. She knew they were good, but she wasn’t horrible, and they didn’t know that. Either way, this was going to be a bloodbath, because Harper was absolute shit. Still, she leaned into her roommate and smiled. “Let’s do this.”
Harper squealed and bounced, taking the pool stick out of Jesse’s hand and handing it to Rose.