Page 37 of Carnival
“You said that we weren’t friends, though.’’
He snorts. “And we weren’t. But between the annoying Willow and the boring Gabriel, you were the only person I found worthy of speaking to. But once I realized that Willow would use you to try and force me to be by her side, I distanced myself from you.’’
I pause for a moment. I don’t remember any of this, so why is my chest aching? It’s like a deep wound that never properly healed, and it’s slowly starting to bleed again. I take a deep breath, trying to focus on James.
“Let me guess, she was never properly punished for what she did?”
James shakes his head. “I think she was jealous when you arrived. You were a cute kid, and she wasn’t used to having another girl in the house, so the attention was shared between the two of us.’’
“Then tell me… why was I removed from the family?’’
“Veto.’’
“We are not doing this again.’’
“Then stop asking the same question.’’
“Fine,’’ I scoff. “How about…’’
I pause, pondering my next question. James rolls to the side, props on his elbow, and rests his face in his palm. The blankets drop, and his torso is all I can focus on for a while. I ignore the tingling sensation between my legs and clear my throat.
James lifts an amused brow, a smirk on his lips. Damn it, the bastard caught me staring.
“Two years ago… when I walked into that terror house… did you know who I was?”
“Yes,’’ James responds without hesitation, and my heart skips a beat. “You were removed from the Cooper family when you were ten years old, and I stayed until I turned eighteen. The moment I was out, I spend every waking moment searching for you, Rose.’’
“You did?” I whisper, disbelief in my voice.
“Of course I did,’’ he sighs. “It wasn’t easy. Because you were originally from Louisiana and the Coopers were in New York, I had no idea where you would’ve been placed next. And whenever I thought I was getting closer to finding you, I’d come up empty. It wasn’t until I saw you in the terror house that I finally found you again.’’
“But that was eight years after I was removed from their house. I changed a lot.’’
He chuckles. “Yes. You grew from a shy, nerdy girl into this beautiful, confident woman. Although your appearance changed over the years and you grew up, those pretty eyes remained the same. I thought it was you, then I heard Aria refer to you as ‘Rose’ and knew that it had to be you.’’
“But you couldn’t have been sure, right? I mean, there are a lot of girls my age, with my looks, that are called Rose.’’
A small laugh slips from him, and I’m caught off guard. It’s sincere, soft, and unlike anything I’ve heard from him thus far. “Yes, but I recognized the scar,’’ he mumbles, his free hand coming to stroke my shoulder.
I have a small, rectangle-shaped scar. It’s light and old. I don’t remember exactly how I got it, but it’s been there ever since I could remember. It never bothered me, and I didn’t think he’d use that as a means to recognize me.
His thumb strokes the scar, his warm hand connecting to my cold body, causing me to lean more into his touch, like I’ve been touch-deprived for years.
“Is that why you took my virginity back then?” I mumble. “Because you recognized me?”
He lifts his eyes from the scar and looks me in the eyes, a smirk on his lips. “I didn’t just take your virginity, Rose. You took mine, too.’’
“Wait—what?”
He hums. “You heard me.’’
“But, but…’’
“But what?” He sits up and pulls me to sit on his lap, the covers falling off my body, baring it to him yet again. He stares at the endless love bites he left behind, a hint of satisfaction lingering in his eyes.
“Why did you lose it with me?”
“Because, my hellion,’’ he murmurs, gently tossing my hair behind my back, his hands cupping my breasts gently. “Back when we were at the Coopers, I was maybe too young or perhaps too naive to understand something very important.’’
