It was almost amusing, seeing the mirror version of her place with actual furniture in it. There were some pictures on the wall, including photos of baby Bea. But Rose instantly found herself wandering toward a section of the living room that had become a sort-of workstation.
It was filled with wood, and Rose marveled at a table that was being created. She discovered a few smaller pieces set on a table: a carved horse, a guitar. When she picked up a carved bird, she heard Seth inhale a breath.
Her eyes widened when she realized it was a hummingbird. You’re like a hummingbird: all color and movement.
Stroking the smooth lines of the bird’s wings, she felt the walls around her heart collapsing. Why did this man have to be so frustrating and wonderful at the same time?
She set the hummingbird down before turning toward Seth. He’d been watching her with an assessing look, like he couldn’t make her out. Well, he wasn’t alone, she thought. She could barely make herself out lately.
“Do you want to talk about it? Your nightmare?” She took his hand and entwined her fingers with his.
“Not really. I want to talk about why you’re here when you’ve been avoiding me all week.”
She dropped his hand, and he gave her a wry look. Opening her mouth to explain, she found herself unable to explain her actions. And the thought of telling him of what Johnny had done to her…
“I just freaked out. I’m sorry. I didn’t handle it well.”
He sighed. “Why are you here, Rose?”
It was funny: she’d asked him if he’d wanted to talk, but she suddenly wanted to do everything but talk. Words seemed futile at this point. Instead, she drank him in: from his dark eyes, to the stubble on his cheeks, to the dark hair bisecting his abdomen. She was infinitely grateful for his disinterest in shirts. He should never wear a shirt: it was a crime against humanity that he covered up that magnificent body of his.
Her body was buzzing, like it had filled with an electric current. She bit her lip, torn between physical desire and emotional fear, and Seth saw the gesture with his hawk-like gaze. He narrowed his eyes as he looked at her mouth for a long, heated moment.
Shivering, she looked away, effectively breaking the moment. “How long have you been doing this?” She gestured at the table, the figurines. “You’ve never mentioned it.”
She saw him shrug in her peripheral vision. “I learned how to do it in high school, but I’ve only taken it up again recently. I work part-time at Alan’s shop.”
“Of course you just took up woodworking again and are this good at it.” She shook her head. She knew next to nothing about how to shape wood into tables and chairs and hummingbirds, but she could recognize skill when she saw it. “This is amazing,” she said truthfully as she once again picked up the hummingbird.
“I like to do smaller works to get my mind off things. The horse is kind of messed up—its head is too big.”
She hadn’t noticed, but now that she looked at the horse, it did seem rather out of proportion. The hummingbird, however, was perfect—almost. She realized that one wing was slightly bigger than the other, but oddly enough, it made it even more precious to her.
It made the maker seem more human, and she marveled at how lifelike the figurine seemed regardless. He’d even carved the individual feathers on its body and wings.
“You can have that,” he said. At her surprised look, he laughed a little. “I think I carved it with you in mind, you know.”
She brushed a finger down the bird’s neck. Closing her eyes, she thought, Don’t break my heart, Seth. Because you could, so easily.
“You never answered my question: why are you here, Rose?”
She set the hummingbird down a second time. But when she turned toward Seth, she said, “I want to touch you like you touched me.”
Seth was sure he hadn’t heard her correctly. Gazing up at him from under her lashes, she had a slight flush to her cheeks and he could see that her nipples were peaked under her tank top. He swallowed, a lump in his throat.
He’d get whiplash from how many times Rose changed her mind, but right in that moment, with his cock so hard it ached, he didn’t care. He didn’t care if she kicked him out of his apartment afterward.
To touch her—to have her touch him—it would be worth it.
He took her hand and pressed it right over his pounding heart. “If you think I’m going to stop you,” he rasped, “you’re crazy.”
She shot him a quick grin, but it turned into a sigh of pleasure as she caressed his chest before tracing a line down to his belly button. His abdomen tensed.
With only his boxers covering his erection, she had to know how much he wanted her. Yet she didn’t seem in a hurry: something his mind appreciated but his body wanted to protest. He needed her hands on his cock—and God, her mouth. He shuddered at the mere thought of something so divine.
Rose was tentative, but not fearful. Yet he sensed that she was inexperienced, like when she brushed her thumb over one of his nipples and frowned when he didn’t erupt into loud moans like she had. He bit his lip to keep from laughing, although the furrow in her brow was so adorable he wanted to kiss it away.
“I love your body,” she said on a heartfelt sigh. “When you came to my door that first time without your shirt on…”
“Had a few dirty thoughts, hummingbird?”
“You could say that.” Her grin this time was impish. “If I told you that I touched myself the next night thinking of you, what would you say to that?”
He groaned and said a prayer to some deity to help him, save him. She was going to kill him.
“I’d say that you’re going to drive me absolutely insane.”
“Good. I like seeing you lose control.”
Seth gritted his teeth as her breasts brushed against his chest, and he gritted them even harder when she kissed him between his collarbone. Her hot little tongue laved his skin. He gripped her waist, more so to hold himself steady than to keep her upright.
“How about we move this to the bedroom?” he suggested.
“No, I like it here.” Right then, she kneeled in front of him, and he almost came out of his skin. “Don’t move, Thornton.”
As if he would move. He’d stand right here until the end of the time if she asked him to.
Rose hesitated—it was only a split second, but it made alarm bells go off in his brain. She’d essentially kicked him out of her place after their last encounter, and now he wondered if she was pushing herself too hard, too fast.
“Rose, you don’t have to do anything tonight. It’s fine.”
That only made her eyes flash. He should’ve known saying something like that would dare her not to give up on what she’d intended to do. Well, he might very well get burned, but was it worth it?
When Rose slowly pulled his boxers down to reveal his cock, he knew the answer: absolutely fucking worth it.
He’d never been this hard for a woman. He clenched his fists to keep himself from touching her. Because if he touched her, he’d carry her straight to his bedroom and be inside her in five seconds flat.
“You’re huge,” she said with wide eyes, and her expression almost made him laugh again. And, yes, it also made his head swell—he was a guy, he couldn’t help it.