Chapter 7 Hidden desire

Rose's POV

I pressed my hands against the kitchen counter, completely worn out and annoyed. The frustration pulsed inside me so hard I thought I might burst. I tried to breath slowly, hoping to quiet the mess in my head. But honestly, none of it worked. My feelings for Remy were way too strong, and his total cluelessness about them just made things worse.

Damn, I hated it! The stupid riddles, the way he'd look right past me, like he couldn’t see what I was so obviously feeling.

He wasn’t some innocent kid. No way. It was all on purpose, he chose not to notice. I’ve liked him for years. Seriously, years. And now, I was basically obsessed, but he just brushed it off with zero fuck given.

I’d hit my limit.

“Guess there's one thing you can't…” That nasty little voice in my head piped up, digging in deeper, making me feel even shittier. “Enough!” I shot back internally, totally furious. “Screw you, you bitch,” I spat, shutting her up.

I can’t stand these mood swings. And half the time, I can’t stand my own damn life. I know I’m blowing things out of proportion and yet I can’t stop. Remy’s hot-and-cold act just drives me insane. One moment he’s flirting, making me feel special, and the next, he’s off in some deep philosophical tangent, talking like a poet, and I’m left lost in the middle.

Son of a bitch!

Frustrated and angry, I yanked a cold water bottle from the fridge and slammed the door. I hoped maybe the chill would calm me down, but honestly, it did nothing. I tried to twist the bottle cap off, and suddenly I was locked in this pathetic, silent wrestling match with a stubborn piece of plastic. Yeah, no surprise the damn thing wouldn’t budge. I tried again. Still nothing.

Was I really this weak? Or just stupid? “Probably both, since you’re the kind of idiot who almost hooked up with her dad’s best friend.” And there it was, that voice in my head, back again. I almost started shouting at my own thoughts when I heard someone’s footsteps getting closer. I didn’t even have to look. I knew exactly who it was and honestly, I didn’t feel like dealing with him.

He came up and stood beside me. I kept my eyes down, pretending I hadn’t noticed, and zeroed in on the stupid water bottle like it was a life-or-death mission. Anything to avoid a conversation right now.

I could feel him watching quietly, but impossible to ignore. I struggled with the bottle a couple more times before he finally broke the silence. “Let me help you,” he said, reaching out after watching me fail again and again.

“No, I can handle it myself,” I snapped, yanking the bottle from his hand.

Pretty sure I heard him swallow a laugh and it stung. “If you’re just here to make fun of me, you can leave,” I spat, my eyes fixed anywhere but his face, I refused to give him even that much.

“Rose, I wasn’t laughing at you,” he said, his voice softer than before.

Screw this.

“I don’t believe you!” I shot back.

He sighed. “Okay, fine. I did laugh. Are you going to look at me now?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

I kept my head down and my voice dropped. “I have more than one reason to keep my distance, Remy. Honestly, you never get it.”

His tone shifted, more serious. “What do you mean?” ”I’m not just making this up,” I said. “I’ve watched you. You’re great at running from reality, but I face things head on. It’s just better if…I stay away from you.” I hesitated, but then I pushed through. ”To finally get you out of my head.”

I honestly had no idea what kind of reaction to expect from him. Maybe just awkward silence, or something I couldn’t even predict. But then Remy said something I never saw coming. “And you really think pushing me away is going to help you forget about me? That you’ll finally do what you haven’t managed all these years? Just magically erase me from your mind, when I’m literally the only thing you think about?”

Wow!

That hit me hard. My thoughts just vanished, he tore through all my resolve like it was nothing. I could feel myself flush, my determination slipping away while he just stood there, watching me fall apart.

He knew. He understood everything.

He didn’t have to spell it out. Just in those questions, all the answers were loud and clear. The bottle cap popped off, loud and sharp in the silent kitchen. I must’ve twisted it harder than I meant to, torn between all those crazy feelings. But standing there, honestly, I didn’t even want the drink anymore.

“So you knew it all along… you knew… that,” I couldn’t finish. He cut me off, stepping closer.

“Yes. I knew it from the very beginning,” he said, sounding almost certain. “The moment your eyes started giving everything away. The way you’d look at me, then suddenly look away, trying to hide what you felt…I saw it. I knew the day you first looked at me.”

He was so close now I could feel his breath skim my bare shoulder, barely hidden by the thin strap of my black dress.

Being near him sent a shiver through me, equal parts fear and thrill. I never thought being on someone’s radar could feel like this; dangerous, but impossible to walk away from. I tried to pull myself together. “Then fine. I want to believe taking distance from you helps me do what I need to do,” I said, my voice unsteady, chasing a logic I hardly believed. All my half-formed answers tumbled out. “Especially since you’re so good at ignoring the obvious.”

I turned away, intent on leaving. I didn’t make it far.

Before I knew it, my feet left the floor. My back hit the cold marble counter and I let out a surprised gasp.

It took me a second to realize Remy had lifted me, just like that, hands gripping my thighs, setting me down on the counter as if I weighed nothing. Suddenly, the space between us disappeared. My heart banged in my chest, wild and relentless.

He stepped in, his hips pressing close between my legs, his hands firm on my waist. He pulled me to him until my body pressed against his, hard and unyielding. The sensation hit me like a wave. Everything else, sight, sound, thought just burned away. All I could feel was that raw, desperate heat pooling low and deep, as our eyes locked.

Somewhere in the mess of feeling, I dropped the water bottle. It clattered to the floor, but I couldn’t care less. The only mess I could think about was the one simmering between my thighs, the ache, the wet heat.

The look in Remy's eyes said it all. He wanted me, hungry and unrestrained. And all I wanted was to give in. Let him take me apart, with no hesitation.