Page 20 of The Contractor's Rose
I was still a virgin. Technically. But I’d read enough and had explored my body enough to know exactly what I liked. What I wanted.
And I wantedhim.
I wanted him to push me back onto my bed, tear off my little sundress, and tell me I was his. Wanted to hear him growl my name while he fucked me—with his fingers first,his mouth next, and then that thick cock I’dfeltpress against my stomach when he’d kissed me.
I let out a shaky breath and flopped onto my back, one arm thrown over my eyes.
This was wrong. So wrong.
But nothing had ever felt moreright.
The guilt was there, sure. A constant weight. Every time my dad said Gavin’s name with affection, it twisted the knife deeper.
“He’s like family,” Dad said just the other day.
Family.
Meanwhile, I was daydreaming about choking on him. Or being choked by him.
I groaned, covering my face.
If they ever found out … ifTeaganfound out? My life would implode.
By the timethe sun had set, I was at Elodie’s house, the soft string lights she’d hung up around her living room casting a golden, cozy haze over everything. We were two glasses of wine in—cheap, pink, and exactly what I needed. I curled my feet under me on her faded grey couch while Elodie lit a candle that smelled like freshly baked cookies while we ate store bought ones and said it was “for ambiance, obviously.”
She turned back toward me, holding her glass with a grin. “So, how’s the shop coming along?”
I hesitated for a beat too long. Swirled my wine. “It’s … going. Slow. Messy.”
She studied me for a second. “I heard Gavin’s been helping. Dad told me he’s doing the repairs?”
Small towns. Word travels fast. I nodded, trying to play it cool. “Yeah. He’s been … around a lot.”
Elodie arched a brow. “Around a lot?” she repeated, her tone full of suspicion. “Like … with a hammer and noble intentions, or like ‘this hammer isn’t the only thing he’s swinging’?”
I choked on my wine and slapped her leg. “You’re ridiculous.”
“I’m right, though.”
I couldn’t even argue. Not after everything that had happened.
So I told her.
All of it.
I told her how he’d shown up on the day of the flood, and how we’d shared Thai food in his truck the following evening. About the kiss, and the way I couldn’t stop thinking about all of it.
By the time I finished, Elodie was practically vibrating.
“Oh my God, Rosie. This is like … book porn. But real.”
I buried my face in my hands. “It’s not just that. It’s … more. It feels like more.”
She smiled gently and nudged my foot with hers. “I get it. And for the record? He’s hot. Like, really hot. For his age.”
I peeked through my fingers. “That’s not helping.”
“Too bad his daughter’s Satan.”
