Page 60 of Make Me Trust Again
“It’s not fine!” I hiss, my head snapping up.
Rose jerks back at the harsh tone of my voice, and I curse myself for letting my temper get the better of me.
Inhaling deeply, I let my thumb skim over her skin. The slow circling motion grounds me. Her skin is soft, nothing like my calloused fingertips. This time, when I speak, my voice is gentler. “He left bruises on you,” I whisper, slowly lifting my gaze to meet hers as my words ring in the air. That anger is still simmering, barely contained. “It’s most definitely not fine. I should have punched him when I had the chance.”
Her heartbeat kicks up a notch under my touch, goosebumps peppering her flesh.
“No.” Rose shakes her head adamantly, the fingers of her free hand grabbing mine. “You can’t do that. It’s not worth it. He’s not worth it.”
“But you are.”
I don’t know where the words come from, but they’re out there before I can think them through. Think of theramifications they might have. My thumb skims over her pulse point, the wild beat of her heart calling to me. I press my thumb against it gently, feeling the furiousthump-thump-thumpthat matches the ringing in my eardrums.
Rose’s lips part as she sucks in a breath, those sky-blue eyes widening in surprise. Her tongue darts out, sliding over her lower lip, and a soft pink flush spreads over her cheeks.
“Nobody has ever said that to me.”
I swallow hard and lift my gaze to hers, my voice coming out raspy. “You’re worth it, Rose Hathaway. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”
A shaky breath escapes her. She sinks her teeth into her lower lip, drawing my attention to it. What would happen if I leaned down and tugged it free? How would she feel like? Taste like?
As if she can hear my thoughts, she lets the lip pop. The color rushes into the flesh, making it the most delicate shade of pink.
Fuck my life.
A rumble comes out of my chest as I take a step closer, when from the corner of my eye, I see the front door open.
I pull back, letting her hand drop like it burned me. Rose turns around to face her son. Her trembling hand lifts, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Kyle glances at us, his eyes shifting from his mother to me, Shadow by his side. “Did your sister come?”
My brows furrow in confusion, and it takes me a moment to remember what I told him. “False alarm.”
Kyle shakes his head. “Your hearing isn’t really good. I’m deaf, but what’s your excuse?”
“Kyle!”Rose chastises, her cheeks turning pink.“I’m so sorry, I don’t know where that came from. Apologize to Mr. Williams right now.”
“It’s fine,” I reassure her. “He’s right. My hearing isn’t the best.”
Kyle looks at me skeptically. “You don’t hear?”
“Not well.”
“But you don’t use ASL.”
“No, I never learned it.”
“You should learn it. It’s the best. My friend Levi is learning sign language, and we can talk so nobody understands us.”
“This kid will be the death of me,”Rose mutters, her eyes narrowed at her son. As she lets her hands drop, I can see her curling her wrist to try to alleviate the ache that John’s manhandling caused. My jaw clenches, the anger at her ex rising to the surface. I need to get out of here.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I tell Kyle before glancing at Rose. “You should put some ice on that.” I tap the side of my leg. “Let’s go, Shadow.”
“You’re leaving already?”Kyle pouts.“I wanted to train Shadow a bit more.”
“Yeah, I have work to do. Another time.”
“You promise?”
