Chapter 25

(Rylan) 

After Araron makes a hasty exit to his car, Rosalie looks at me with a knowing smirk, then walks back into the living room to start hauling boxes to her room. I grumble about having roommates as I follow after her. 

Aaron comes back a few minutes later with a bottle of red wine. This man thinks of everything. I was shocked that he bought me and my sister flowers tonight. They are both lovely displays and will bring some happiness to the house.

Rosalie has yet to notice the chrysanthemums, but I will move them to her room later so that she can enjoy them more.

For the next several hours, the three of us moved boxes and the few pieces of furniture she brought with her from South Carolina from the living room into Rosalie’s room. By the time we were done, we were all tired and hungry. I was grateful that I called Aaron to ask for his help. 

Rosalie and I could have done it alone, but having a stronger person to help made it go much faster. Not that we were really on a tight schedule or anything; I just wanted all of her stuff out of my living room, where the movers left it. 

“Alright, ladies, I think that is a wrap,” Aaron says as he flops down on the sofa. 

“Ugh, I am so tired,” Rosalie whines from where she is lying on the floor between the coffee table and television. “There is no way I am cooking after all of that.” 

“Good thing I called ahead to Sal’s having dinner delivered,” Aaron says quietly. His eyes are closed as he leans his head back against the couch. 

Of course, he thought ahead. This man always seems prepared. The army trained him well, as did his mother. From what I observed during Annie’s wedding preparations, Tori is the same way. Sometimes I was completely surprised at all the odd shit she would pull out of her purse.

One day, she will make an amazing grandmother. 

Wow, where did that come from? What am I even thinking about kids right now? I am not even sure I want kids at all, let alone with Aaron. No, I am sure that if I do have children one day, they will be with him. We have yet to have those types of conversations now that we are a couple. 

I guess we should eventually, but for now, I am just going to enjoy all my time with him and all the mind-blowing sex. Sex that I could be having right now if my sister wasn’t here. I am starting to rethink this roommate thing already. 

No, I wouldn’t have it any other way than with her staying right here with me. Here, far away from Grant Donovan. Here she is safe, or as safe as she can be for now. 

“That is very good thinking, Aaron. What did you order for us?” 

“A family serving of their chicken parmesan, some garlic bread, and salads. I bought the wine with me,” he says, opening his eyes to glance at his watch. “The food should be here soon. Do you mind if I take a shower before it gets here? I stink.” 

I shake my head, then motion towards my bedroom. He gives me a quick kiss, then gets up off the couch to go shower. Rosalie’s head pops up off the floor when the bedroom door closes. She looks at me with that knowing look, telling me without words that she knows exactly what is going through my mind. 

I throw a pillow at her, then get up and race to my room, her laughter following me down the hall. Aaron is grinning at me from the bathroom door when I enter the bedroom. His shirt is already off, and his belt is undone, making my mouth water at the sight of him. 

Those rock-hard abs, his bare chest with just a hint of a happy trail leading into the waistline of his pants. All those sexy as hell tattoos on his chest and arms make me want to trace all of them with my fingers and tongue. This man’s body is every woman’s wet dream, and he is all mine. 

Soon we are both wet and slippery as he fucks me senseless against the wall of my shower. Our moans of pleasure are muffled by the pounding water, and I have never been more grateful for the sound of water than I am today. Aaron brings out the most primal side of me, and I love it.

He knows exactly what to do to me to get me to explode around him. Sometimes I think he knows my body better than I do, which is funny since we have only been sexually active with each other for a few days.  

Those few days feel like a lifetime, and I never want this feeling of being complete to end. Aaron Carter completes me in ways that I always knew he would. He just gets me, and sometimes that makes me want to cry.

“Fuck, baby, you are going to be the death of me if we keep going like this,” He whispers in my ear twenty minutes later as we lay on my bed with me riding him hard and fast. 

“Are you complaining? We can go back to no sex if you want,” I threaten with a mischievous smirk as I stop moving. 

As expected, he flips us over so that I am now on my back with him pounding into me. An orgasm rips through me a few strokes later, and his release follows shortly after mine. 

“That, by no means, was a complaint. Now let’s get dressed again so we can go eat. I am pretty sure I heard the doorbell ring while we were getting out of the shower.” 

I laugh, then do as he says, because if we stay in my room any longer, I will end up straddling him again. 

By the time we walk into the small dining area, Rosalie has already plated up our meals and set the table. I feel bad for leaving my sister alone so I can have some sexy time with my boyfriend. Not bad enough to not do it again when he is here next, but still bad.

If it weren’t too soon to think about her dating again, I would try to set her up with one of my coworkers, or maybe Mac. Mac has been single for a few years; it could be good for both of them. At least I know he will treat her right. 

It is something to think about and bring up with her in a few months. Maybe she will be ready to find love again by then, or maybe she will tell me to shove it. Who knows? 

Wait a damn minute. I am suddenly reminded that Rosalie has a nursing degree. She will have to get recertified with the state of California, but Mercy General is hiring new nurses, as is Annie. Then there is the outreach center that Quinn and Aaron are building. They will need nurses there too. 

I will have to talk to Rosalie about it later, after Aaron has gone home.

“So, Rosalie, what are you going to do when Rylan goes back to work tomorrow?” Aaron asks while we are cleaning up after dinner. 

“Well, I called that lawyer this morning, and I have an appointment with her at ten in the morning on Monday. Then I will probably start looking into getting my nursing license back. It has been years since I used it last, and I would have to get certified in California.” 

“That sounds like a lot of work. How long do you think it will take to get recertified?” 

I think he is following my train of thought from a few hours ago.

“I am not sure, but it is a place to start. Why do you ask?” 

He gives her the rundown on the outreach center and the fact that they will need nurses once it is done. “They are also hiring nurses at Mercy General, where Rylan works, and Annie, you met her at my house; she is opening her own private practice, and she is looking for nurses.” 

“What kind of work does she do?” Rosalie asks. Annie’s practice got her attention. 

“She is a pediatric surgeon, but her practice will include general pediatricians too. If you are interested, I can have her give you a call later this week if you want.” 

“All of those sound interesting, but I would have to get certified again and probably take some classes to get up to date on everything.” 

“Mercy General is a teaching hospital, so that wouldn’t be a problem; you could take classes and work at the same time,” I tell her with a smile. 

For the first time in days, true joy lights up my sister’s face. Giving her hope for her future makes me feel happy for her. If she can regain the life she once lived before she ever met that prick she called a husband, that will prove to her that she is worth so much more than what our mother let her believe and what Grant made her into. 

I am eager to see the new version of Rosalie that she becomes. I will help her in any way that I can to help her achieve that independence. A place to live and a job are just the start of her new life.

(Aaron) 

After dinner, Rylan and I took a walk around her neighborhood. The sun had already set, and the streetlights were on. With her hand securely in mine as we walked, I felt like a king.

We talked about how nervous she was to return to work tomorrow after what happened in the supply room with Heath. I asked her how she was doing with all of that. I know how she was on the day it happened, but I wanted to know how she was feeling about it now. 

“I know that I didn’t deserve what he tried to do to me. Yes, we slept together, but that was it. He wanted something I wasn’t willing to give; there were just too many red flags that I should have listened to but didn’t. Sleeping with him was a bad idea, but I did it anyway because I was pissed at you and felt rejected.” She tells me when we stop at a small park in the area. 

It bothered me to hear that she fucked some douchebag because of what I said in France. However, knowing I was sleeping with every willing woman that threw themselves at me, I can’t really be pissed at her for that. 

“You didn’t deserve either of those dickheads doing what they did, but that doesn’t answer my question. How are you doing with it? How are you actually feeling about those incidents?” 

She looks at me for a few moments, then looks away to stare at the ground. Her fingers are gripping the edge of the bench we are sitting on, and her knee starts bouncing. She is agitated, and I get that, but we really need to talk about this. 

“Something inside my mind snapped that day, and I crossed a line with you far sooner than I should have, considering what happened mere hours before. I should have just held you all night like I did in the shower. Instead, I took advantage of the situation; for that, I will always be sorry, Rylan.” 

Her head snaps in my direction, mouth open in what I can only assume is shock. “Don’t you dare apologize to me for what we did that day. It was not what I expected, but it was the distraction that I needed. It was also something that I have wanted from you for years. Was it too soon? Maybe, but I do not regret it one bit.” 

“Not one bit?” I ask with a slight frown on my face. 

“Nope, not one bit. Nor do I regret everything we have shared over the last week. You are a part of me, Aaron, and I have wanted you for years. Now that you are mine, I can’t regret how it came to be.” 

I pull her onto my lap so I can just hold her. She is a part of me just as much as I am a part of her. I will show her just how much I love her as we get to know each other on a much deeper level. 

I love Rylan Danvers with every fiber of my being. 

We talk for a bit more, then we head back to her place. She was in a much better mood when we got there. Her nervousness about returning to work was gone by the time we got to her front door. I gave her a passionate kiss, then told her I would come have lunch with her tomorrow.

I left her with a smile on her face, then went home.

When I pulled up to my house, I frowned at the car in my driveway parked at the gate. The Mercedes is not one I recognize, so I am at a loss as to who it belongs to. I put my car into park, then open my door so I can get out to see who is waiting for me. 

The driver’s side door opens as I step out of my car. One long, bare leg slips out, followed by another, and then a head of raven hair pops out of the car. Charlotte gets out, then spins around to face me.

I am stunned by her appearance, not just her looks, but her being here at all. She looks like she has been crying, and I can tell by the bruises on her face that things back in London have not been going well for her. What happened to her after I left? 

Did she go back to that prick of a husband? Was he the one who did that to her face? What is it with men thinking that they can use women as a punching bag for their anger? Now there are three men I want to kill. 

Jake Paulson, if he ever shows his face again. Grant Donovan for hurting Rosalie like he thought he had every right to just because she was his wife. Now, Franklin Bishop, the bastard, bartered his wife for money and lost, then called her a whore even though she never slept with me.

Something that I am grateful for because meeting her was the kick in the ass I needed to go after the woman I love.  

“Charlie, what the fuck happened?” 

“Franklin is dead; I killed him,” she says with rage in her voice. 

Woah, holy shit.