Page 103 of Roses Are Dead
A hard kiss interrupted me. Bear’s tongue pressed into my mouth. It caught me by surprise, but once I realized we weren’t in danger, I leaned into the kiss.
He growled and kissed me harder.
A car whizzed past and rocked the SUV.
I was panting.
Bear wasn’t much better. He stared at me hard. “You’re mine, and I’m yours.”
I nodded, unsure of what was happening, but it was significant.
He grinned.
With one more kiss, he let me collapse back into my seat while he buckled up and checked for traffic before slipping back onto the road.
“You pulled over for a kiss?”
“That wasn’t just a kiss, woman.”
My cheeks felt warm. It certainly wasn’t. It might have been the single most romantic thing he’d done yet. All because I got a little lost in my thoughts and let my emotions slip out.
I let myself be vulnerable and it felt good.
This time, I reached across and put my hand on his knee.
He slipped his hand off the wheel and covered it.
We were still holding hands when we met John in the waiting room. He glanced down at the sight. Then took in Bear’s leather, denim, tattoos, and piercings. And my floor-length black gown with skull eyelets and the black lace overlaying it all. A smile tilted at the corner of his mouth.
That’s right. I finally found someone to be myself with.
John sized Bear up again. It was shocking to see they were almost the same size. I’d gotten so used to seeing both of them alone, or with people smaller than they were, that the shock of them together brought out comparisons. They both were giants compared to normal men. Bear had thicker legs and hands. John’s fingers were slightly longer, and both had biceps for days. John was clean-cut, Bear wild. It was almost as if they came from the same mold, but were decorated to match Beth and my personalities. I pinned a mental note to tell Beth about that.
But first I had to make sure they didn’t kill each other.
“Play nice. I’m going to check in and wash up. Bear? I’ll be out in about a half hour. You good?” I moved close so I could brush my fingers against his scalp. He shaved the sides almost daily, but had missed a day or two. The stubble there was soft and velvety. I adored the feel of it under my fingertips.
“All good.” He locked eyes with me. “You got this.” He leaned in and kissed me, ending it before it could heat too far. His nose brushed mine. He was so close I couldn’t focus, so I closed my eyes to soak in his strength. John didn’t need to watch me break, he had enough on his plate. Somehow, Bear knew that and was giving me some of his abundant energy.
I dug my fingertips into the muscles of his neck to let him know I appreciated his offering. “Tonight.” I kissed his cheek and let go before I lost control.
I’d give him everything. Lay myself out on a platter and let him take anything he wanted. I trusted him enough for that. It was a heady feeling. I barely felt the floor beneath my feet. The trance of his magic floated me through the ritual of hand-washing, wrapping my hair, putting the protective over layer on, and donning a surgical mask.
Then I was allowed in, and it all came crashing down.
I was fifteen again. And Beth was dying for the first time.
Sure, she was older, I was wiser, and we were both much more experienced at navigating death, but seeing her so frail knocked my walls down. Everything let loose at once. The pain, the tears, the rage… I couldn’t feel so much at once.
I was barely able to walk the scant few feet to plant my butt in the chair next to her bed.
“Hi.” Lame.
Beth smiled and started to say something just as lame, but opted to reach a hand out instead.
I took it immediately. She was mine. I poured power into our connection. The strength I’d gotten from Bear, the hope he’d given me when he announced the club was spreading the word nationally for donors, all of it. “You look like shit.”
She laughed. “Feel like shit.”
