Beautiful Rose (15 page)

“You look very sexy today,” He murmured, the muscle in his jaw tensing his eyes penetrated me.

All I could think about was that only a towel was separating myself from his naked body and his very obvious erection. How I longed to reach out and run my fingers over that bare tanned chest. Just thinking about it was making me wet and desperate to be touched.
My thoughts abandoned me as he reached down and hoisted me up onto his lap. His lips crushed against mine as his hands gently cupped my neck. I let myself be pulled toward him, my legs resting comfortably on either side of his.

“I think this needs to go,” he whispered, kissing my neck as he fumbled with the buttons on my shirt.

I gasped as his hand ran over the bare skin of my back, under my shirt, as he appeared to give up on the buttons. I smiled, and lifted the top over my head.

“That's better,” he murmured, running his lips over my chest.

I moaned a little as he maneuvered my breast out from the safety of my black lace bra cup and took my nipple in his mouth. His eyes twinkled at me as he gently sucked, then bit down, then sucked some more on my nipple. Everything he was doing he did
knowing
just how crazy it was going to drive me.

“Holy shit, that feels good.” I breathed.

Reaching behind me, I unclasped my bra and draped it over my shoulder, letting it fall to the ground behind us. Jack nodded his approval, his mouth still over one of my nipples while his hand gently tweaked the other. I arched my back, not sure how much more of this I could take.

“You have the sexiest breasts,” he mumbled, his hand curving around to the arch of my back. “I could spend all day playing with them.” I laughed as I bent down and kissed his wonderfully sexy chest. Pushing my hair aside, his fingers traced over my hairline as he guided my face back up.

Pressing my lips against his, I whimpered as I felt his erection press against my thigh. My hand reached for the towel still wrapped around his waist. He was hard and he needed no encouragement to spring out as the towel fell away. I giggled, causing him to shake his head at me.

“What's so funny? You know you could give a guy a complex giggling while you pull out his dick?” he chuckled softly.

“But not you?” I raised my eyebrows, my grip around his girth tightening.

“No, not me,” he muttered, guiding my mouth onto his.

I kissed him roughly as his hands gripped my thighs, my skirt riding up. Grabbing onto the sofa behind him I rocked myself, my hair falling around my face like a waterfall.

“God, Rose,” he muttered, his mouth again finding my nipple.

I closed my eyes and focused on the feel of his hands on me as they slowly made their way up over the curve of my hips until they rested on my waist. He was so warm, which was welcome against the coolness of my skin. Nobody had ever made me feel as alive as Jack made me feel. He did it completely without knowing it, too — like right now, the way he was running his hand down the crest of my back, causing tingles to erupt throughout my body. My hands curled around the nape of his neck as my fingers raked through his thick, curly hair, pressing him closer into me.

“Fuck, you feel amazing Rose,” he grunted.

I gasped as his fingers ran downwards, over my pelvis.  This was incredible. His fingers, now so close to my wet pussy, slowly began to slide over the thin material that was separating us. He pulled my head toward his, our lips entwining. His tongue worked mine as he slipped his finger inside of me. I moaned, bucking my hips forward—my body needing more of him. God, what this man could do with one finger was insane. I whimpered as his finger slipped out. He grasped hold of my panties and yanked them off. My nether regions swooned. I wanted him inside me
so
badly it was killing me.

He was hard. His cock, so thick my hand just barely wrapped around it, was resting so close to my pussy. I moved my fingers up and down his girth as he fumbled through his wallet for a condom. He slipped it on then lifted me onto him. I wrapped my arms around his neck, riding him as he pushed himself inside me.

 “God yeah,” he panted heavily.

Suddenly he lifted me off his lap and tossed me onto the sofa. Maneuvering himself between my legs, he pushed himself inside me again. I locked my ankles around his waist as the need to release began to build in me. He thrust himself hard against me, as his hand massaged my breast. He was so thick, the feel of him inside me was incredibly arousing.

“You’re so fucking sexy,” he mumbled, looking down at me. He lifted my leg so it rested over his shoulder, allowing him to push deeper inside me. I was spinning out of control, barely holding on, and not sure how much longer I could wait.

“I'm going to . . . oh, god!” I gasped. Each push inside of me created new waves of ecstasy. I pulled his face in close to me, my lips finding his again. With one final thrust he released inside of me.

#

 “Well, I wasn't expecting that,” I mumbled, at a loss for words.

Jack smiled and kissed my forehead, his hands smoothing the hair from my face. I sighed, making no attempt to actually haul myself off the sofa and move, even though I knew I should be going.

“Me either,” he said, kissing my neck.

I felt the safest I’d ever felt, lying in his arms, naked with only a thin layer of sweat separating us. I had never felt as sexy as I did when I was around him. Not always with words, it was amazing how much can be read through a look, or an action.

“So what happens now?” I regretted the question as soon as it left my mouth. It sounded stupid and naïve. But the reality was my experience in relationships was limited, and his was damaged.

“Honestly Rose? I've no idea what I'm doing here.” My defenses pricked up. Was that confusion in his voice? Or maybe regret? No idea, what did that mean? I sat up, my arms across my chest.

Jack frowned, visibly annoyed at how that had sounded. “I didn't mean it like that.”

“Are you sure? Was this you trying to move our relationship forward, or just you giving in to . . . well, whatever the hell this is between us?” I glared at him.

I was so pissed, and I didn't even know why—no, that's not true. I
did
know why. I was annoyed at myself for jumping into bed with him so damn easily. It didn't take a genius to see that Jack was not ready for a relationship and yet there I was, getting my hopes up that maybe we could be something.

“Do you have the schedules?” I asked, quickly dressing myself.

“Schedules?” he asked, confused.

“Yes. The whole reason I'm here. The schedules for work.” I said tersely. I stood up and adjusted my bra, then pulled my shirt on over the top, tucking it into my skirt.

“Rose—”

“Don't, Jack. Just let me go. I'm pretty sure I don't want to hear what you have to say,” I blurted out.

Fuck, I'll be crying next
. I could feel the tears welling in my eyes. I had to get out of there—there was no way I was going to let him see me cry.

Jack stood there for what felt like ages, just staring at me. Finally he walked over to the corner table and grabbed some papers.

“Here,” he said, holding them out to me.

I took them, and then practically ran out of his apartment. As soon as I hit the stairs, the tears began to roll down my cheeks. I didn't stop until I was outside and safely in my car.

#

 “What's wrong?” Darcy took the roster from me and balled it up before shoving it in her pocket. Her face filled with concern. I sighed, and sank down on the beanbag next to the TV.

Darcy came over and crouched down next to me. “Did something happen?” she asked.

“I slept with Jack,” I mumbled, kicking my shoes off.

“What!?!” she screeched. “Oh honey, that is so not a bad thing! You were in serious need of—”

 “Shh,” I hissed. “And please keep this to yourself.”

She looked at me innocently before racing off into the kitchen. She returned a few minutes later with two cans of Coke and a bowl of nuts.

“What, no olives?” I sniggered. She shot me a death stare and then collapsed onto the sofa.

“Okay,” she said, rubbing her hands together, her face breaking into a smile.

“What?” I asked, confused.

She glared at me in disbelief. “Okay, you can't say that and then not give me the details,” she whined, her pretty face scrunching up into a frown.

Details? Seriously?

Seeing Darcy look so upset only reminded me how long it had been since I had a real friend—someone I could talk to about anything. I must admit, it felt good.

I told her how I'd walked upstairs after he hadn't answered and found him shirtless. I laughed as her eyes widened, and then dodged the cushion she threw at me.

“Oh my god,” she sighed. “Is he…you know…
big?
”

I shrieked with laughter.

“Darcy! What are you talking about?” I gasped between giggles. “What about Benj?”

“Hey I love Benj, but I'm a woman. I appreciate a fine looking man as much as the next girl, and they don't come much sexier than Jack. Especially with that accent. So, is he?” she pressed impatiently.

She was right. I frowned suddenly, remembering how quickly the experience had gone downhill.

“For someone that just bedded one of the hottest guys I've ever seen, you don't look very happy,” Darcy commented.

“I'm not. I guess I thought . . .” What had I thought? I felt like an idiot saying it, but the reality was I'd thought I could potentially be more than just a convenient hookup for him.

“What?” Darcy pressed gently.

“I get the feeling it’s not going to go anywhere,” I finally responded.

“Rose, I've seen the way he looks at you. I don't think there’s an issue of his feelings not being on the same page as yours.” She hesitated, her eyes flicking downward as she bit her lip.

“What?” I asked.

“Look, it's not my place to tell you about his past but trust me, it's worth pushing him a little further to try and break through his shell.”

“What about his past?” I asked.

Darcy looked at me pleadingly. “His last relationship didn't end well. I don't even know all the details, but someone sure broke his heart. He was a mess when he first came here.” I nodded. It made sense. If he’d been hurt before, it was natural for him to try and distance himself. I stood up. Darcy grabbed my hand. “You’re not going anywhere until you answer my question,” she said, her huge eyes pleading with me.

I laughed. “He’s huge,” I grinned, winking at her.

I made my way down to my own apartment. Tonight, I didn't feel like doing anything. I couldn't even be bothered having dinner. Instead, I shut off the lights and went to my room and curled up on the bed.

Chapter Sixteen

Jack

I don't think I could've come across as more of an asshole if I'd tried.

Things should never have gone that far. Seeing her standing in my apartment, the smell of her perfume, the way her eyes had clung to me . . . I'd let my guard down, and now things were even more fucked up than before. At least before I could kid myself that this whole infatuation with her was just in my head. Sure, the friendship, and the kiss were one thing, but now I'd gone way, way over that line. Faced with the issue of how to deal with my feelings I'd chosen the easy way, insisting to myself that it was for both our sakes.

I stacked the glasses from the dishwasher a little too aggressively, causing a pile of them to topple over and smash on the floor.

“Shit!” I cursed, ignoring the look Benj and Darcy were exchanging.

Yesterday, after the whole thing with Rose, I wished I’d given her the night off so I could avoid facing her.

Tonight everyone was here, and with the looks the guys kept sneaking my way I was sure that Rose had spoken to Darcy, who had spoken to Benj. The only person who wasn't acting weirdly was Ash, but he was so absorbed in himself that it didn't matter.

I swept up the broken glass and tied the bag, lifting it out of the bin. I had the perfect excuse to get some fresh air. Rose had been avoiding me for the last two hours, which suited me fine. And before that she’d only spoken to me when she needed to. The tension was obvious. It hung in the air like a bad stench, one that everyone could smell but nobody wanted to bring it up.

Bag in hand, I headed to the back exit. I passed Rose, who was walking over to the bar, a tray of empty glasses balancing on her hip. I snuck a glance at her when I was sure she wasn't looking. Fuck, I couldn't even think around her. My nose tingled as I breathed in her perfume. I closed my eyes and imagined my hands on her body. What I wouldn't give to be able to touch her skin again. The way she felt yesterday when she was underneath me . . .

"Can we talk?" Her voice sent shock waves through my body.
Shit
. I felt myself get hard. I hadn't heard her approach me. Now I stood next to the back door with a bag of trash and a hard-on, looking like a fucking idiot.

"Sure," I forced out, my tongue feeling like rubber against the roof of my mouth. "What's up?" My hand was resting on the door, my eyes looking anywhere but at her. If I gave her my attention, I’d be gone, lost in her forever.

"Jack." She reached out and grabbed my arm. I breathed in sharply.
Don't do this, Rose
. I was sure that if she started something, I wouldn't have the strength to pull away.

"Look at me. Please," she begged. I turned toward her, still not meeting her eyes.
Keep control, Jack
.

"What do you want to talk about?" I asked, trying to keep my voice even. She reached out and touched my arm. I jolted it back. It was all too much.
She
was too much and not having her was killing me.

"Not here, Jack. I want to really talk. About us. You and me, whatever that is."

I sighed, my eyes meeting hers. "Rose—"

"No, Jack. You don't get to blow me off every time. It's not fucking fair." Her eyes flashed with anger, her emotion caught me off guard. Is that what I was doing? Messing with her feelings? The last thing I wanted was for her to feel like I was playing with her.