Page 37 of XO

“But—”

“People expect to see us together. Yet, I can’t even tolerate her. You seem so taken with Kevin, I had little choice but to be around her more so I can keep an eye on you two.”

“You’ve been watching out for me this whole time?”

He takes both my hands, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel butterflies. “Look… Kevin’s the master of shit talk. He’ll tell you anything you wanna hear. But he’s not a good person, Rosie, you have to believe me. I know things about him and his father that could see them both in prison.”

“You don’t need to tell me,” I say regretfully. “I found out tonight exactly what type of person he is.”

Jacob tenses like hell just froze over. “Why? What happened?”

“Typical shit which you probably tried warning me about, but I wasn’t listening.”

“Rosie, what did he do?”

“The asshole forced himself on me in front of everyone at the bonfire and became heavy-handed when I rejected him.”

“He hit you?”

I nod. “Took his rage out on my cheek.”

Frustrated, Jacob runs a hand through his tousled hair while pacing in front of the bed. “I’ll fucking kill him. I’m going to fucking kill him.” He moves past me searching for the light switch. Flicking it on, he gently lifts my chin and studies the damage.

Jacob takes a deep breath, his nostrils flaring. “Rosie, I’m so sorry he did this. I thought with all the people down at the bonfire, you’d be safe. But I’m an asshole for putting anything past him.”

“It’s okay, he came off second best, in the end.”

Jacob’s lips twitch, pausing a moment as he tenderly tucks my long hair behind my ear. “Rosie Rachel Reign, what did you do?”

“Nothing too terrible. Just a throat punch following by a swift kick to his genitals.”

His disarming smile becomes megawatt, and my heart beats a little faster because, well, his boyish charms have that affect. “You are officially my hero,” he confesses.

I giggle but silence when I hearhervoice.

“Jacob… where the fuck are you?” Chelsea screeches, now royally pissed off.

Moving fast, I push the lock on the door and switch off the light, plunging us once again into darkness. When our eyes adjust, I swallow hard because even if we can barely make each other out, his stare penetrates straight through me, and it’s making me feel all kinds of things.

“Did you mean all those horrible things you said about me earlier?” I ask, referring back to outside the stadium.

“Of course, I didn’t. I was merely trying to keep you and Kevin at an arm’s length.”

“And what about Chelsea?”

“Chelsea’s searching for me because she was trying her best to have sex, and I told her I wasn’t interested and left. That’s when I found you. So, there is no Chelsea and me.”

“What are you going to do now?” I ask, breathy, because Jacob closes the space between us, our bodies now touching from chest to toe.

“What I should have done years ago.”

Without another word, Jacob lowers his lips to mine and kisses me gently. They’re beautifully soft but commanding, leading the way with my limited experience. Kissing Jacob is everything I’ve ever dreamed it to be, and when I wrap my arms around his neck, he deepens the kiss, holding me close as if our lives depend on each other. When our tongues meet, I melt and moan, letting him claim my mouth and loving the control he has over me. He tastes delicious. He feels delicious. And I want more until he has nothing left to give.

When we finally separate, panting foreheads resting against each other, I realize my world has forever shifted.

“What happens now… between us?”

“I know what I want. And that’s to have you in every way.”

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