ROSIE"Shut up. What do you mean 'like you screw Alpha Dominic'?" Ella's grinning at me like I've just confessed the juiciest secret of the century.Meanwhile, I'm over here drowning in guilt, feeling like I should be stretched out on some therapist's couch spilling my sins."Lower your voice..." I hiss, glancing around. I can't decide if I should tell her this isn't something to celebrate... or that I seriously might need help.Her eyes widen, a wicked sparkle in them. "Wait, so that means you've screwed both Lockwood brothers? Those two walking, talking wet dreams?" She lets out a dramatic gasp. "Rosie... you're an innocent baddie. Goddess, even Cassie never got herself that deep in the tangle. How the hell did this happen?"I stare at her, half wishing the ground would swallow me whole.I needed help. Not a hype woman cheering me into a Hall of Shame."It just happened, and I need help... like, the kind that digs all the way down to the roots," I mutter, dropping the camera strap o
ROSIEYou know when they say sanity returns after the deed is done? Yeah... it's hitting me like a strong surge right now.The scent of him still clings to my skin, my body still humming from everything we just did. Dominic's breathing slows, his gaze shifting from my flushed face to the mess we've made on the floor. He exhales, a softer note threading through the roughness of his voice."You're on pills, right?"I can't look him in the eye. "Yeah. I am. You... you don't have to worry about me."My cheeks heat, that secondhand embarrassment setting in as I snatch up my clothes from the scattered heap , shorts, shirt, panties, bra, all discarded on the floor like they never mattered.Goddess, help me.His voice comes again, quieter this time "You're going back to him?" Even though he tried to sound so casual, I'm not dumb, I caught the sad note embedded in each words.My spine stiffens. I don't want to talk about Ashton right now. I mean, we just broke up and I'm already getting screw
ROSIEI'm hurt, like, genuinely hurt, despite the fact that I'm the one who actually walked out. You'd think leaving would give me the upper hand, right? Or maybe some kind of peace? Nope. It feels like someone is stabbing several blades into my chest at once, and each twist is sharper than the last.Who knew heartbreak felt like this? And what really messes me up isn't even the walking away, it's knowing he's hiding things from me. And instead of explaining, he's been acting like some psycho straight out of a dark romance novel, obsessive, unpredictable and watching me like I'm prey. I can't hold that. I can't bear that.I don't deserve this. I mean, honestly, who does? You wake up one morning thinking your best friend of eighteen years is just... your best friend. Someone who knows your secrets, your history, the way you take your coffee. Then you find out he's a full-blown psycho who gets some twisted joy out of hurting people. Like, surprise! Your childhood safety blanket is secre
ROSIE Needless to say, I'm shocked. And not just a small shock, the kind that hits so hard my brain just refuses to process.Anything about Ashton should've prepared me for something, but nope... this is the full-on shocker of my life.I'm still staring in awe, my eyes darting over the dimly lit room where people are tied in intricate knots , Shibari, I think it's called. Silk ropes winding over bare skin, bodies on display like living art.im still standing with that whatsoever ball still lodged deep inside me, humming faintly, making me feel awkward and, oh, damn it. My thighs tense automatically. I don't know if I'm supposed to watch or just... find the nearest exit."So, when you say you want me as your sub... is this what you mean? Me, tied up like that?"My gaze locks on Ashton's green eyes, searching for any hint of a joke.He isn't laughing, his look plain and serious. He nod, and then clicks the remote in his hand.A sharp vibration jolts through me, and I let out a muffled
Chapter 57Rosie I wake up to Ashton staring at something on his nightstand. My eyes follow his, its a small velvet pouch. My brows dip and Ashton's lip twitches in that suspicious way that makes my stomach flip. By the heavens, he doesn't need to tell me, this nigga is up to something."What's that?" I ask groggily. Ashton's standing at the closet, black linen shirt halfway buttoned, a half-smirk playing on his lips like he knows a secret joke. I reach for it. "Don't," he snaps. "It's for later," Ashton barely blinks slipping his arm through a black crew neck sweater. "We're going out tonight."I pull the covers higher. "Where and why?"He closes the space between us, flicks off a hair strand from my forehead. "Somewhere I want to show you. Don't worry, cupcake, we'll tell Xylus we're headed for driving class." his words are whispers.I roll my eyes, my shoulders folded over my chest. "Driving class? Really?It's like six in the evening Ashton" There's no way Xylus would let
Rosie Something's definitely up with my brother, and the worst part? He won't even tell me who she is. Screw him and his secrecy.Later in the day, when I get back to the kitchen, I find a sticky note on the fridge: "I'll be back by nine." And here we are again, he's off to visit his anonymous lover. I don't mean to sound jealous, but I'm curious. So fucking curious. I need to know about her... or him... or whatever they are.But at the same time, I don't want to screw this up for Xylus. For the Moon Goddess's sake, this is the first time I've seen him so in love that he actually dumped pack work yesterday... and left his food untouched today. Weird but that means I get to visit my boyfriend. Ashton. The thought of him alone makes my heart perform an excited back flip. Damn, if sin was a person then it had to be Ashton. Every fibre of his being was built to tempt me; green x-ray eyes that could make me wet from just staring long enough, a sturdy chest that felt more comfortable than