Page 12 of The Contractor's Rose
But what if I didn’t want to be his “friends’ perfect daughter” anymore?
What if I didn’t want to be sweet or polite orsafe?
What if I wanted him to see me now—reallysee me? Not as the kid upstairs or the girl next door.
But as a woman.
Ashiswoman.
SEVEN
GAVIN
We walked backto where my truck was parked in front of the shop, Thai food containers in hand, the evening air thick with that low pressure that only ever meant one thing: rain was coming. The sky had turned a bruised, smoky purple, the clouds sagging low like they were deciding whether to break or hold back.
We made it to the waterfront just as the sky was threatening to crack open.
As I shifted into park, a low roll of thunder chased itself across the horizon, vibrating faintly through the steering wheel under my hands.
“Of course,” I muttered, already reaching for my phone. I thumbed the screen, radar map blooming with swirling bands of red and yellow. “Storm’s rolling in. Looks like it’s gonna sit right on top of us.”
Rose glanced out the passenger window, her eyes tracing the darkening clouds as lightning spidered across the sky in the distance. “We could eat in the truck?”
I nodded and flipped the center console up to clear the space between us. “It’s not much, but it’s dry.”
Great word choice, asshole. After the last twenty-four hours she’s had…
She unbuckled her seatbelt with a soft click, then shifted in her seat until her back was resting against the door. She curled her knees up, folding them beneath her in a casual, cozy position that sent my already fraying control straight to hell.
Her sundress shifted as she moved—higher.Too high.
Jesus.
My eyes caught on the stretch of thigh she didn’t even try to cover, smooth skin glowing faintly under the stormlight.
I stared too long. IknowI stared too long.
She cleared her throat, and I blinked. Hard. “Right. Probably should’ve left the console down, huh?”
She gave me a shy little smile and shook her head like it was fine. Like she didn’t just expose bare skin I’d kill to touch. Skin I couldn’t stop thinking about.
I opened the food bag and handed her the container of pad see ew. Our fingers brushed. It was nothing. Innocent. Barely a second.
But I felt it.
All the way down.
I cracked open my own container of pad Thai and tried to distract myself with the scent of peanut, lime, and sweet chili. It didn’t work.
The rain started a moment later, soft at first. Like the sky was holding its breath right along with me.
She took her first bite and let out a quiet, satisfied hum.
And my cock twitched hard behind my zipper.
Get a grip, Gavin.
For a few minutes, we just ate. Forks scraping softly, thunder rolling in low waves, and the patter of water drumming across the windshield like a heartbeat trying to stay calm.
