Page 26 of My Rose

“You are always telling me what I shouldn’t do. Shouldn’t walk home alone, shouldn’t walk home alone in the dark, shouldn’t walk barefoot, shouldn’t hide my teeth when I smile. I can’t even wear someone else’s jacket now, either, apparently. All these things I shouldn’t do, but what about the things that Iwantto do?” She paused, righting her back to gain an inch or two on me. But even that couldn’t make her taller than me as I leaned back in my trunk. Her thumb wiggled between our palms. “I want to kiss you, Briggs. Are you telling me you don’t want to kiss me?”

Fuck.“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Do you want to kiss me?”

“Rose,” I warned.

“Briggs.” Her thighs pushed against mine as she stepped in closer. So close, if she moved any closer, she’d certainly feel somethingthat would tell her a lot about what Iwantedbut wasn’t feeling as inclined to say.

“Do. You. Want—” My fingers moved to her thighs, sliding up slowly to the loopholes of her jeans, right where my jacket was covering them. She let out a sharp gasp as I tugged her closer, my mouth less than an inch from hers as I tucked my chin to meet her face.

Her breaths were labored as I said, “You can’t know what I want, Rose. If you knew, you wouldn’t be asking me what I wanted right now. You’d be taking, and I’d be…fuck.” I muttered the last word, trying to take a deep breath, but when I did, all I smelled was a mix of coconuts and the citrus she seemed to be enjoying a lot of back in the woods. Fuck, we evensmelledgood together.

“So…you’d be…” Her eyes widened, pupils flaring under the heat of my gaze roaming down to her lips. She drew in her bottom lip again, pinning it down, and all of my senses were lost to my desires—lost in her.

“Fuck it.” I thrust my elbows back, closing the distance between us and forcing her mouth to mine. Her soft, full lips parted on a moan while she melted into me, her body languid in my hold. I swept my tongue in with gentle strokes, claiming her mouth with the kiss she asked for.

I pulled her in harder, needing more of her. My elbows bucked against the back of the trunk door, along with my head, but I didn’t stop. My hands moved from the loopholes of her jeans and wrapped around to her lower back, where I spread my palms along her jean-clad ass, then moved them up underneath her shirt. She wasso warm, her skin flushing with goosebumps as I trailed my fingers further up, and she let out another moan against my mouth.

“You’re so fucking soft,” I groaned as my hands continued to roam her skin. Rose’s knees slid into place on either side of my hips, and the car dipped under the weight of both of us using it to brace ourselves. I couldn’t help but hope August was taking notice of my car—the way it was rocking with our movements.

“Briggs.” She gasped, and I moved my mouth from her lips and down to her jaw, then her neck, forgoing the part where I promised a kiss. A singular kiss. Because how could I give her just the one? Her hips started moving against me, grinding against my rock-hard cock. I wanted nothing more than to let it break through the restrictive material of my jeans, to let her have me any way she’d take me.

But this was only supposed to be a kiss. If I let this continue, I’d never be able to turn back from her. I wasn’t even sure I could now that I’d tasted her.

Fuck, I’m kissing the one girl I shouldn’t be kissing.

“Rose.”Kiss.“Stop.”Kiss.

Rose slid her hand down my chest, down to the waistband of my jeans, then continued until her hand fell just over my dick. She moaned and bit down on her lip, clearly satisfied with what she discovered as she ignored my words. She whispered my name against my ear, and goosebumps erupted in the wake of her warm breath as it rolled down my neck.

I knew I should, but I couldn’t stop. My fingers moved to her front, gliding across her hips, her waist. Silken, long grooves spread jaggedly over where my fingers had moved too far up along herribs—and that’s when my entire body shut down. Images of a fire, of a young Rose trapped inside of her home, filled every cavity of my mind, the pain returning in agonizing waves with the reality of what I’d done. With a swift movement, I tore my mouth from her skin and lifted her from my lap, planting her beside me.

“You should go home,” I said roughly.I’m such a fucking idiot.

Her swollen lips parted in shock. When they snapped closed, she only nodded, then adjusted her—my—jacket, giving extra attention to the spot where my hands had left so abruptly.

She flushed over. “Did I do something wrong?” Her words were unhinged and full of the heat she was just feeling between us, tinged with embarrassment as she fought to meet my eyes again. I had to ignore the way her mussed hair and reddened mouth were calling me back to her because it was too painful to feel the wounds I’d caused her. And she didn’t even know it. But I’d given her what she asked for, and the path she was going down—it wouldn’t end well. Not for either of us.

I stood up from the trunk, tucking my painful erection away as discreetly as I could before turning and helping Rose up from the trunk, then closed the door. I reached into my pocket and pressed the button that let the gull wings fly open.

“Briggs, what—”

“I told you, Rose. I’m no good. Especially not for you. I agreed to be your friend, and I stupidly agreed to kiss you. Now it’s your turn to agree with me tonight and get in the car so I can take you home.”

She tucked her hair behind her ear, opened her mouth for a moment, and then shut it again as she nodded. “Okay.” I didn’t likewatching her lose her voice in front of me, losing the strength I knew lay within her to tell me to continue and make me see that this was okay when it wasn’t. But I knew it was the only way. We could never happen.

Rose made her way into the passenger seat, and I walked around to close the door for her as she buckled in. I heard Clarissa hollering the annoying fucking nickname she always called me, but as usual, she wasn’t ready to go yet. Maybe August would be useful for once and take her home this time, but I couldn’t count on that. I’d probably be driving back to pick her up later. The only perk would be seeing his face once he saw me again after I did what I was about to do.

I started making my way around the car and stopped when I came up to August’s jacket. I tucked it behind my back tire with my shoe before climbing into the seat and starting the car.

Sludgy snow and dirt kicked up as I let the tires roll over the jacket in a burnout, shredding the fabric to pieces. If August hadn’t noticed Rose leaving in my car with his jacket abandoned on the ground, he certainly would now.

Chapter 11

Rose

“We are ever striving after what is forbidden, and coveting what is denied us.” ? Ovid

---