Chapter 65
Rose sleeps a concerning amount. The doctor says it’s natural after what she’s been through, but I know it’s more than that.
She’s withering, wilting before my very eyes, and because it’s not on my terms, it’s irritating the hell out of me.
When she breaks apart, it will be because of me, and the carefully crafted plan finally coming to fruition, not crumbling under what she suffered through at Bleakcrest. She’s stronger than that.
And soon, I’ll see how well she can handle me.
Tension tightens like a noose around my neck as Rose mumbles in her sleep.
Eyes roving beneath their lids, she groans in sleepy agony.
The pitch is familiar, I’ve heard it a time or two since being home.
She’s in the midst of a nightmare I have no hope in waking her from.
They cling to her so deeply, it’s better for her to ride them out than be ripped from that reality and dropped into this one.
A few times, despite the peril in her mind, the dream’s conclusion has been good.
Those are the days when I see her shine the brightest, almost like she’s herself again.
Rolling over, she settles, breathing slow and quiet. The breath I was holding hisses out of me as I round the bed to continue monitoring her, pulse gradually returning to normal.
Emotion slithers its way through my veins the longer I linger.
I try to force it away, rip it out at the roots, but she’s dug herself far and wide.
I feel her even in the places I dare not wander.
She’s fucked my head past the point of reason.
I’m unsettled and untethered, and because of that, I’m clinging to the original plans like a fucking lifeline.
Take over Maximus’s empire, and demolish the strongest woman I can find.
I’ve already got her falling for me, I can see it in her eyes when I enter a room.
The fog lifts just enough that a small smile almost always curves the side of her lips.
When she’s primed and ready to dive headfirst into love with me, I’ll rip it all out from beneath her—shattering her to dust.
But in order to make any progress, I need her to wake the fuck up and stay conscious for more than a few hours at a time.
When awake, she spends more time in her head than with me.
Cognizance is a line she dances along with dangerous steps.
Hopefully, finding out what the hell happened to her sister will bring some life back into her hollowed out eyes.
The purple flowers she snatched up on the way out of Bleakcrest have dried out, lying in a pile of petals and shrivelled roots on the side table.
I move to swipe the remnants into my palm, wanting to dispose of them as silently as possible, but her cold fingers land over mine, scaring the absolute shit out of me. “Don’t take them,” she whispers.
“They’re dead.”
“It’s okay, I like them.” Rose looks up at me. Seeing me for the first time in what feels like an eternity, instead of looking through me. Slowly, she’s getting through this, processing all she endured.
“Do you need anything?”
“Nope,” she says softly.
“Are you sure? Kyle’s got a hidden stash of ice cream. It’s moose tracks.” I wiggle my eyebrows.
She smiles, gentle and warm, shaking her head.
“Coffee? Chocolate? Peaches? I bought the good ones, I swear.” What the fucking fuck is happening to me? Stop blabbering, she said no.
“Ripley,” she sighs, “I’m okay.”
“Are you?”
Rose pulls back the covers. The slowly healing lashes marring her naked skin leave small blooms of red across our white abstract dinosaur design sheets. “Stay with me?”
“You need to eat.”
“Don’t tell me what I need,” she bites back, and my dick jumps. There she is. “Either get in, or get out.”
I internally roll my eyes, but slide in beside her with a schmuck’s grin upon my face.
“Tell me something.”
“Like what?”
“Anything,” she replies.
Looking deep into her eyes, I’m ready to confess shit to her I’ve never said to anyone before, and I don’t know why. “I’m worried about you,” I whisper.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” she groans jokingly.
“Hey!”
“You don’t have to worry so much, Nurse Morgan. I’m just tired…and sad.”
“I know, but I want to make it better.” The words roll so effortlessly off my tongue, I realize they aren’t a lie.
She nods shallowly. “I want to know what happened to her. Maximus said the most horrible things, and after seeing the state of her room, I can’t help but wonder if what he said was true, and not just a threat to keep me in line.”
“Bucky’s searching every hidden corner of that computer system, if there’s even a trace of her, he’ll find it.”
“What about Karson?”
“He hasn’t come back. Not that we’ve seen, anyway. He could have creeped up on the side, saw what was happening, and took the opportunity to run.”
“He’ll know what happened to her, we have to find him, Rip.”
“How will he know about your sister? He was your handler.”
“He cared for Chelsea, spent all of his available time with her, protecting her. While still trying to keep me safe because she demanded it.”
I hope she’s right. It could be just as likely Karson killed her sister. He could have fucked her to death, and left Maximus to clean up the mess.
“I’ll have Bucky dig into everything about him. Know his last name?”
“No,” she replies.
“It’s ok, we’ll figure it out.” Silence hangs, balmy and comfortable. She inches closer, sliding her hand around my waist to urge my body towards hers. I scoot across the mattress until every inch of us is aligned. She lets out a content sigh, resting her cheek on my chest.
I’ve never been touched like this. For nothing but comfort and a need to know I’m there.
No expectations. No implications. Just her soothing my worry with the gentle travelling of her fingers down my sternum.
They tickle as she descends my abdomen, dancing through my treasure trail, and swirling around my belly button before skimming back up to the top to repeat the process all over again.
Holding her close, I shift onto my side, resting my chin on my propped up arm. I’m about to destroy this euphoric peacefulness with the words she needs to hear.
Rose snuggles into me, breathing deep, as I drape my arm across her, thumb moving in absent-minded sweeps across the soft skin of her hip. “I did a bad thing…”
Her gentle circling fingers pause their dance along my spine as she registers my words. “I apologize if this comes out as blunt, but what the actual fuck does that mean?” Rose gradually inches back, away from me, taking her heat with her. “We did many bad things.”
Yanking her close, because fuck the distance she’s trying to force between us, I reply, “I did something when I was away. I wanted to surprise you when I got back, but then things got crazy.”
She looks up at me, both hesitant and excited.
Gods, she’s perfect for me. Giving me that fear I fucking desire, but also enjoying the darkness woven through my skin. “I killed someone…well, multiple someones.”
“Can you just spit it out? Stop being so cryptic.”
“Promise you won’t be mad?”
Her eyes narrow to slits. “No.”
Damn, okay then. At least I can run faster than her if she decides to kill me.
I wonder where she put that gun I gave her…
“I paid your family a little visit while I was away,” I mumble somewhat quietly.
“Rip…”
Her breath hitches when I grip her impossibly tighter, dragging her body up mine until our faces are aligned, sharing the same fluffy pillow.
“Are they…?” she whispers.
“Gone,” I confirm, waiting leisurely for her to punch me or finally swallow my cock in gratitude.
“Why?”
“Are you seriously asking me that?”
“Why would you do that for me?”
“Because I can.”
“Why go there at all?”
“Are you upset?” I question, somewhat flummoxed by the fact she wants to know why I did it, instead of being upset I murdered her family.
“Answer my question, you evasive shit.”
“I wanted to.”
“Why?”
I roll atop her as a burning erupts in my fucking chest. “Because they fucking deserved it!” I roar.
“If selling you wasn’t reason enough, they earned their deaths for all they subjected you to.
” I’d be lying if I said I did it just for her.
I’m so horribly selfish. I enjoyed killing off every last person she cares about so all she has left is me.
And I’ll do it again, if needed. Without any reason to run, and nowhere to go, she’ll stay. She’ll have no choice.
“Why are you the one who gets to decide their fate?”
“Because—”
“Tell me, Ripley.” Rose’s eyes alight, the flecks of rich whiskey within their depths igniting in the sun’s rays. “Fucking say it,” she snarls from beneath me.
I don’t know what she wants from me. It was my duty, my fucking honour, to wipe that shit from her life.
“Why go there? Why take that risk?”
“I wanted to make sure they wouldn’t try to take you from me,” I finally divulge, feeling much more vulnerable than I’d like.
“Why?” She glares so deep into the chasm within me, it threatens to swallow her whole.
A lie doesn’t have the time to form as the truth slips out, shocking me with the rightness of it rolling off my tongue. “Because you’re fucking mine.”
She runs her fingers through my hair, quelling the rapid rise and fall of my chest, breaths as heavy as the confession hanging between us. “Are you sure about that?” my flower questions coyly, a slight uptick of teasing in the cadence of her voice.
Rose’s touch distracts me, dismantles me, soothes me. And I fold like a wet paper bag.
My eyes jump between hers, more alive than I’ve ever seen them. “Yes,” I say, voice cracking.
“You sound sure.”
“I am.”
Rose pulls me close, brushing her lips against mine. “Good,” she whispers, sealing her mouth over mine in a kiss that’s long overdue. I’ve been dying to have her in my bed, watch her release soak my sheets and scent the air around us as her screams bounce off the walls.
I tug the covers over our heads, creating our own little cocoon away from the world as she draws out the kiss, savouring it—me.