As he leaves the room, I have to force myself not to run after him and beg him not to do it. He’s right to get rid of them. In that documentary I watched, I remember judging those addicts. I had thought to myself, why can’t they just stop?
Because they’re one hell of a Band-Aid. That’s why. At times, those drugs made my bleak life euphoric. They kept the nightmares at bay. They made everything okay.
By the time Preston comes back, I’m just sitting on the side of the bed, completely despondent.
“What am I going to do now?” I ask after the quiet click of the door latch.
Preston comes over, and the mattress dips when he sits next to me. “Well, I’m going to be honest—you’re not going to feel great over the next several days. You’ll go through withdrawals. You might experience headaches, muscle aches, and nausea. The good news is, you weren’t on the drugs for that long, and you already started cutting down your dose, so maybe it won’t be so bad.”
“Easy for you to say.”
“Once we get settled somewhere, we’ll get you a doctor. A real one. And if they think you need to be on something, they’ll prescribe it.” He sounds so optimistic, but I don’t share his attitude.
Because who knows when that will be? In the meantime, I’m going to have to go back to feeling like I did before. Trapped inside myself.
Although I guess that isn’t true anymore. I’m free.
I have so much to be excited about. Reasons to be happy.
Glancing down at the ring on my finger, I get an idea.
“In exchange for my compliance,” I begin, sending a sly glance at Preston, “I want something from you in return.”
He tucks some hair behind my ear. “Anything.”
“Help me cross off the stuff on my list.”
“Which ones?”
“All of them.” Staring down at my hand, I spin the ring around and around.
Silence stretches between us, and my heart’s pounding so loud I swear Preston can hear it. Finally, he asks, “You’d marry me?”
I can’t look at him. “Well, as far as proposals go, that one really sucks, but yeah. I’ll take it.”
Notching his finger under my chin, he forces me to look at him. There’s at least a foot of distance between my mouth and his, but I swear my lips react to the thought of kissing him again.
If I’m being honest, other places on my body are affected, too.
Tingly and hot.
Preston does this to me. He always has, ever since the first time I saw him chopping wood, and now that I know him, my infatuation has multiplied.
“Rosalie, this isn’t a game,” Preston says, more serious than I’ve ever heard him before. “If you promise to be my wife forever, I’m going to hold you to it.”
“Good, I wouldn’t expect anything else,” I quip. Preston still looks apprehensive instead of overjoyed, and I start to get self-conscious. “That is, unless you don’t want to be with me. I mean, if you don’t want to be stuck with me, I’d understand.”
“Baby, if you knew how I really feel about you… how obsessed I am… you might not be asking me to do this. You might be running for the hills.”
My heart leaps with happiness and aches with compassion at the same time.
Preston still thinks he isn’t good enough. Deep down, he’s still that little boy who got rejected over and over again.
Well, he’s more than my best friend. More than my obsession. More than my hero.
He’s everything.
And it’s time he knows it.
“Rosie, there’s so much for you to experience,” Preston goes on. “There are literally billions of people out there to meet—”
I cover his mouth with my fingers to shut him up. “I could meet everyone in the world, and I’d still want you. Do you hear me? You’re the only one I want.”
One thing I love about Rosalie—yes, love—is her honesty. I know when she’s telling the truth, and she’s being so real and vulnerable right now.
In the past several seconds, she’s granted me my greatest wish.
To be chosen.
She’s choosing me over everyone and anyone.
I’m her number one.
And she’s mine. She’s my one.
Slipping her hand away from my mouth, she leans forward and replaces her fingers with her lips.
My body immediately reacts. As our kiss seals the deal, my cock becomes a steel rod in my black sweatpants.
Rosalie licks at my bottom lip before nibbling on it with her teeth, and I grip the back of her neck to hold her head in place while I fuck her mouth with my tongue.
In the span of the few kisses we’ve shared, she’s become good at this. She uses her whole body while letting me lead.
Arched back. Her nipples rub against me.
Pliant limbs. She’s submissive.
Wandering hands. Her delicate fingers trail over my abs.
She’s so eager to feel all of me.
And as much as I hate to stop kissing her, I don’t want to push for too much too soon.
“Rosie.” My breathing is ragged as I rest my forehead on hers. “Baby. We gotta slow down.”
“Why?” Her desperate kisses start up again on my chin and my jaw.
When her lips make it to my neck, I groan.
“Because I want to fuck you,” I say honestly. “I want to fuck you until we both come, and then I want to fuck you again. And even when you’re sweaty and tired, I’m going to keep fucking you, and I won’t stop until neither of us can move.”
A tremor racks her body, and when she sways back to look at me, I don’t see fear in her hooded eyes. I see dilated pupils and excitement.
Shit. That warning was supposed to scare her, not turn her on.
She smirks, making her look devious and innocent at the same time. “I like it when you say fuck.”
Her tentative hand lightly grazes my chest to my stomach. When she continues her descent, I realize her intention and catch her wrist before she can grab my cock.
“Not tonight.”
“Why not? Please, Preston.” She pouts the sexiest pout.
I want her so fucking bad.
Ten years ago, if someone had told me I’d refuse sex with a gorgeous girl who was literally begging me for it, I would’ve laughed.
I’m not laughing now. “We need to be married first.”
Rosalie’s eyebrows draw together. “Is this a religious thing? I guess we’ve never talked about that.”
“I do believe in a higher power, but it’s not about that. We’ve been in each other’s company for less than twenty-four hours.”
“But I’ve known you for a lot longer,” she argues, and damn it, she’s got a point.
I shake my head. “I want to do this right. Everyone’s definition of ‘right’ is different, and that’s okay. But when it comes to you and me…” Cupping her jaw, I bring her face close to mine. “I want the dream. The white picket fence, kids, and a dog. Anniversaries we’ll get to celebrate with our great grandchildren at our feet.”
“You want to be basic bitches together?” Her smile spreads.
I chuckle. “Damn straight.”
She bites her lip. “Okay, then I respect your wish to wait, but in the meantime, could you leave the room for a while?”