then?”
Rose’s face glows as she opens the front door to the cottage and sees me. She’s wearing my black hoodie—the same as when I left her—with her blonde hair flowing down over her shoulders.
I wrap one arm around her waist as my lips drop to her neck and kiss her silky skin.
“You were hardly gone long enough for me to get changed, even if I’d wanted to.” She tilts her head to one side, sighing softly as I dust her neck with kisses before sliding my nose into her hair and inhaling.
“If I had my way, you’d either be wearing me, or my clothes, all the time.”
She giggles as I pull back and take her hand, leading her into the kitchen.
“You did have your way. All night.” She bites her bottom lip as she slips underneath my arm and curls herself into my side, her hand coming up to rest on my chest. “Is this what you were doing?” She watches as I put the bag I’m carrying onto the counter and unpack it with my free hand.
“Yes.”
I place the bottle of juice down and then pull out the tube of cream I picked up from the pharmacy.
“It’s a weird breakfast combination.” Rose wrinkles her nose, and I press a kiss to the top of her head.
“There’s breakfast in there for you too. But this first.” I hand her the bottle of juice.
She takes it and frowns.
“We were going at it for hours last night. You need to drink it.”
Her expression softens as she reads the label. “Cranberry juice. Okay.” She smiles and pops a brow at me. “And what’s that?” She points at the tube of cream.
“This.” I take the bottle from her and put it down, then grasp her around the waist and lift her up, sitting her on the counter. I slide my hands up her bare legs and spread her thighs. Energy fires its way to my dick as her smooth pink skin comes into view. “This is for you as well.” I take the cap off the tube and squeeze a generous amount of the soothing cream onto the tip of my finger. “It’ll help… We were…” I roll my lips as I think of how hard we went at it last night, wincing as I recall the blood. “Is it okay?” I arch a brow in question, my shoulders softening in relief as she nods at me with trust-filled eyes.
I slide my fingers inside her and push the cream up high.
“Dax.” She gasps, widening her thighs and leaning back on her hands, watching my arm as it flexes between her legs.
“Fuck, Rose. You’re soaking.”
She looks at me, her eyes hooded as I curl my finger inside her, spreading the cream. It makes her shudder the way she did all night every time my fingers, tongue or cock were inside her.
I ignore the throbbing that my Rose-obsessed dick has started up and concentrate on rubbing the cream inside her.
She squirms on my finger and lets out a breathy moan.
This is meant to be healing for her. I’m well aware of the fact she spent hours stretched around my cock last night when she’s only had sex once before. She must be feeling it today.
Once before.
The thought makes my jaw clench and I force away the images my brain wants to conjure up of her and some prick of an ex who didn’t deserve her.
I swirl my finger in a slow circle mentally telling my hardening dick to back the fuck off. She needs to rest. Her body needs to rest.
But fuck, she is wet.
“Rose,” I growl in warning as her moaning increases in volume and she clenches around my finger.
“I can’t help it.” She arches her back and shuffles closer to me, sinking herself further toward my knuckle. I let out a hiss which she ignores as she grinds gently against my palm. “It’s what happens when you’re here. You turn me on, Dax. So much.” She drops her head back, the ends of her hair reaching the countertop as she moans again, and her body sends wetness rushing around my finger and out onto my hand.
I told her I could be patient last night. But fuck, I can’t. Not with her. Not now. Not ever again.
“What am I going to do with you?” I pull my hand back and unbuckle my belt and push my pants down with lightning speed as the urge to be inside her tight wet heat overwhelms me until I can barely breathe.
I grab her hips and drag her to the edge of the counter, thrusting deep inside her in one powerful stroke.
“Dax,” she gasps as I grip her hips and fuck her with hard, committed pumps.
“I’m supposed to be looking after you. You’ve spent the night stretched around my cock. You need a break,” I growl, my words in direct contrast to my actions as I thrust into her, every muscle in my core tensing with the effort of holding back from driving into her harder and deeper until all she will ever feel is me imprinted inside her body forever.
“I just need you.” She looks down at where I’m disappearing inside her, then brings her fingers to her lips and sucks two in between her pink lips. “Please.” She drops them to her clit and circles it. “I don’t want to think right now. I just want to watch. And to feel.”
“What’s wrong?” Tightness claws at my chest as her brows drop and her eyes pinch at the corners before she brings them up to meet mine.
“Please, Dax.” Her eyes are wide and shining as she gazes at me.
Something isn’t right. I’ve been gone less than half an hour.
Her phone.
I gave her phone back before I left.
“Ro—”
I suck in a sharp breath as she lifts her hips toward me, effectively cutting off all further discussion as my piercing gets rubbed inside her, sending the head of my cock into pleasure overdrive, and making me groan long and loud as she coats me with more of her arousal.
“It feels so good.” She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth as she watches my glistening cock pull out and drive back in, while touching herself.
“Fuck. I’m going to come watching you do that.” I grit my teeth as heat fills my balls.
Her cheeks flush as she increases her pace. “I love it when you come inside me.”
That’s it. I’m a goner. No fucking willpower. Zero. Obliterated.
“Fuck,” I hiss as my cock swells. She moans, and then spasms, coming in waves around me. “Rose,” I grit out, grasping her hips, my hair falling forward to my eyes as I watch our bodies merging together.
I pull her onto me harder, relishing the way her body squeezes me as she welcomes her own release. She cries out as I push her hand away from her swollen clit and drop my chin and spit, pressing my thumb to it and rubbing my saliva over her.
I lift my eyes to meet hers. “Come on my cock again. Come while I fill you.”
Her clear blue eyes widen as I twist my hips, altering the angle I’m moving inside her. I’ve got her exactly where I want her. She will come again like this, I’ve no doubt. I know her body. And this angle tips her over the edge fast.
I groan as she drops her mouth open and pants through flushed lips.
She’s beautiful.
We are made to fit. Me and her. I know it. It wouldn’t be this good if we weren’t supposed to be together.
Heat surrounds my cock as she tightens and then comes with a loud cry. I can’t take my eyes off her face as I come hard, heat racing up my cock as I empty all I have inside her. My heart’s hammering as pulse after pulse leaves my body into hers, stealing the air from my lungs at the same time.
“Dax,” she moans, her eyelashes fluttering as she fights to prevent her eyes from rolling back with pleasure.
It’s the best sight in the world.
“Good girl,” I groan with awe as she comes in a long chain of deep, hot waves around me, her body shuddering as I wrap her in my arms until the last tremors leave both of our bodies.
I rest my forehead against hers, breathing deeply as calm washes over me. “You’re going to need more cream.”
She exhales with a satisfied smile. “I don’t need it. I’m fine.”
I grasp the back of her neck and press my lips to her forehead. “You’ve looked after me before. Let me look after you. This works both ways. You might not feel sore now. But if you do later, then it’s because of me. I’m responsible.” I ease out of her gently and pull my pants up.
“Who was responsible that night you got hurt?”
Her words hang in the air as my shoulders tense. That night I had to show Marcus’s friend what happens if you disrespect me, Rose cleaned me up. She wouldn’t have been so keen to wipe up my blood if she’d known why it was there in the first place.
“Who’s Marcus?” she asks when I say nothing.
My blood runs cold.
“Just a guy I know.” I grab a clean washcloth and run it under the tap until the water is hot. I clean Rose up gently and then throw it aside and grab the cream, avoiding her eyes as I squeeze it onto my fingers. She lifts her hips, granting me easy access to slide my finger inside her and rub it in. She’s full of my cum. It’s running down the sides of my finger as I try to get the cream to stay inside. “You’re going to need to reapply this soon. It’s coming out.”
“Is he a friend?” Rose searches my face, and I avoid meeting her eyes. I don’t want to lie to her. And I don’t think I could if I was looking into those beautiful clear blue windows to her soul. She’s too pure and innocent for the world I cross into away from the estate.
“No.” I put the cap back on and toss the tube onto the counter. “Why are you asking about him? We’ve never spoken about him before.”
She pauses before she speaks. “Haven’t we? I thought you’d mentioned him. Maybe it was Logan.”
I snap my eyes up to meet hers.
Logan doesn’t know Marcus even exists. Neither does Jasmin. No one from the estate does.
Her lips twist, and she looks at me guiltily. “Or maybe I saw his name on your phone earlier? When I was looking for mine.”
I breathe out, my shoulders softening with the way she’s looking at me. Like she thinks I’m going to be mad. Blame her for something somehow.
“He’s just someone I know. He works for another business. Now stop saying other guys’ names when I’m rubbing cream inside you, or I’ll start thinking you don’t like me anymore.”
“Who says I do?” Rose smirks as I grab a clean cloth to wipe her with.
“Ouch.” I frown as I finish up and then smooth my hoodie back down, covering her.
“Just kidding.” She strokes her fingers over the front of my shirt and then pulls me to her by the collar. “I think I like you just fine. Especially when you bring me breakfast.” She presses a soft kiss to my lips.
“You want to talk about what you didn’t want to think about earlier while we eat?”
Rose stiffens momentarily, then sighs and kisses me gently again, dusting her lips side to side over mine as she speaks. “There’s not much to say. Casey just keeps telling me she’s sorry. That she loves me and I’m her best friend. That she never meant to hurt me.”
I slide my hand up around the back of her neck and stroke her pulse point with my thumb. “But?”
Rose’s bottom lip trembles before she takes a deep breath and steadies it. “But I don’t know if I can forgive her. I don’t know if I want to forgive her. All I feel is anger and betrayal. People lie to me, Dax. They lie and tell me it’s to protect me from getting hurt. But really, they’re just protecting themselves.”
I wrap her in my arms, and she sinks against me. Gentle, delicate, and beautiful. Surrounded by dark arms stained with ink and secrets.
I press a kiss to her hair, allowing my eyes to close.
Vanilla and petals.
Protecting myself is the furthest thing from my mind. But protecting her? I would make a deal with the devil to forfeit my soul in exchange for Rose to be safe. The same way I would for Jasmin.
Some days, it’s like I’ve already signed.
