Unravel Me (Playing For Keeps Book 3)
Unravel Me: Chapter 20

I swear this body was made for me. Warm and soft, curled around me tighter than it’s ever been, gentle fingers that drift along my arms, a tender gaze that doesn’t sway.

This body is perfect, every sweet inch of it, and I don’t want to let it go.

We sit for so long beneath the stars, tangled limbs huddled together under a cozy blanket, Bear sprawled out at our feet. Rosie’s different now than she was before. Freer, like she doesn’t need to hide anymore. She’s dropped her last wall, put it all out there, and now she can just…be.

She never needed to hide, but I understand the hesitancy to let someone all the way in. I’m just thankful I’m the lucky fool who gets all her pieces.

She tells me about the house she grew up in, big and beautiful, an old Victorian with stained glass windows framing the front door, and a sprawling wraparound porch with a swing. Her favorite places were the bay window in the living room where she curled up to read, and the garden of peonies she and her mom planted out front. She loved all the charm the house came with, and tells me that, despite the old wiring that led to the short-circuiting that caused the fire, she only looks back on her memories there with so much fondness.

“Adam?” Rosie rubs the spot between Bear’s eyes, smiling down at his head in her lap. She looks up at me, her eyes moving between mine. “I want to apologize for not telling you sooner that I was in the foster system too. I know the ideal time to tell you would’ve been when you shared the same with me, but when you told me about your time in the system, I felt a bit jealous. You found this beautiful family, and I found nothing. Your experience sounded so wonderful, and mine was so lonely. The jealousy didn’t last, but then I felt dirty and guilty for ever feeling that way, and I didn’t know how to talk to you about it. My biggest insecurities were formed during my time there, and I’ve spent the years since trying to combat them, to hype myself up, love myself enough so that I didn’t have to rely on someone else to give it to me. But some days are harder than others when it comes to remembering all the strides I’ve made. So, I’m sorry, Adam.”

“You don’t need to apologize for being human. Those feelings are real and valid, and you deserved time to sort through them.” I press a kiss to her palm. “Thank you for being honest with me about this.”

We stay snuggled together for another half hour, no words spoken as we hold each other. She’s had a long day, so when she buries her third yawn against my arm, I shift her off my lap.

Standing, I hold my hand out to her. “C’mon, sweetheart. Let’s go to bed.”

Bear doesn’t make it past the living room before choosing to pass out on the couch. I keep Rosie’s hand in mine as we move silently through the dark house, and when she disappears into my bathroom to get ready for bed, she does so with a kiss on my lips first.

I strip down to my boxer briefs and plug my phone into the charger. I’ve got nineteen missed notifications. Two are more calls from that unknown number; the other seventeen are my Puck Sluts group chat. Garrett’s sent four eggplant emojis, four peach emojis, and eight question marks. Emmett says Cara wants to have another girls’ night so they can analyze our first time. Jaxon wants to know how many of his condoms I used. Carter wants to know if we had post-sex snacks in bed. Apparently, that’s his and Ollie’s favorite bonding time.

I’m too exhausted to deal with any of them, so when the bathroom door opens, I turn my phone right off.

“Ready for be—ahhh. You’re naked.” She’s fucking naked . I shove my hand through my hair, then gesture at Rosie’s beautiful, full, naked body. “You are…really fucking naked. Fucking spectacular, too, in case you were wondering. Also, naked.”

My favorite brand of trouble giggles, that adorable nose crinkling when she does, her hands wringing at her stomach. She steps forward, and my eyes bounce from her immaculate tits to the swing of those round hips. Christ, she’s flawless. Have I already said that?

“Can confirm, I am, indeed, naked. In case you were wondering.” There’s a hint of mischief in her eyes that shines so bright, hiding nearly all the nerves. “Would you like to get naked too?”

“Well, I…I…” I rub the nape of my neck, then point at the bed. “To do naked stuff?”

Rosie nods. “To do naked stuff. If you want to.”

“I don’t want to take advantage of you feeling vulnerable.”

“I am feeling vulnerable, but not in a bad way. I feel safe, Adam, and it’s freeing. Tonight made me feel closer to you. Maybe I dropped my last wall.” Her shoulder pops up and down. “I don’t know, but I feel good, and being with you makes me feel even better.”

I swallow the lump in my throat when she stops in front of me. “Being with you makes me feel better than I’ve ever felt.”

She takes my face in her hands, her smooth, warm touch gliding along my stubbled jaw. “Can I kiss you?”

My heart thunders, and I give her the most articulated whispered response I can manage. “Duh.”

She beams, the most incredible, breathtaking sight, and guides my face down to hers. This kiss is everything Rosie. Patient and slow, soft but confident, the gentle way her lips move on mine, her tongue sweeping my mouth with certainty, fingers gliding into my hair, sifting through the curls. It settles my heart and sends every nerve ending racing at the same time.

“You’re shaking,” Rosie murmurs, head cocked as she watches me. “You’re nervous.”

“No,” I lie. “No way. I’m totally prepared and super excited and not at all nervous. Look!” Dashing to my bedside table, I yank open the drawer with my super-steady hands. “I even got all these.” I hold up the massive wad of rubbers Jaxon shoved at my chest yesterday, waving them in Rosie’s face. “Condoms!” I start sorting through them. “Ultra ribbed, bare-skin raw, banana flavored, mag—”

“Adam.” Rosie laughs, placing her hand over mine and my gigantic collection of condoms. “Why the hell do you have so many?”

My face burns, and I can feel my heartbeat in my throat. “My friend gave them to me.”

“He really likes his variety, doesn’t he?” Rosie picks through the assortment, setting one aside, tucking the rest away. With a smile so sure, so certain, she steps up to me, and my brain short-circuits as I stare down at everything I’ve wanted, craved for so long. She’s finally here, this incredible woman in front of me, and part of me is terrified to reach out and take it. It feels like there’s no turning back after this, but what if she wants to? What if she decides I’m not enough?

“I keep trying…” I swallow, shaken by the nerves rolling off me while Rosie stands there so sure of this. She takes my hands in hers, steadying the tremor in my hands when she squeezes. “I don’t mean to rush you. I’m trying to take things slow with us.”

“Do you want slow?”

My eyes move between hers, hoping she sees it all. The commitment, the awe, all my best intentions. “I want…you. I just want you, Rosie.”

“You have me, Adam. I don’t feel like we’ve rushed anything or moved too slowly. Everything feels right.” She brushes my curls from his forehead before pressing her lips to mine. “Very right.”

And maybe that’s exactly what I needed to hear, that I’m just right for her. Because the tension stacked in my shoulders dissolves, and as I stand taller, my chest swells with pride.

“Ah,” Rosie muses. “There’s that smirk. One part playful, two parts cocky.” She slings her arms around my neck as I yank her into me. “Just the way I love it.”

“You know what else you’re gonna love?” My mouth moves over her shoulder, up her neck, pausing at the shell of her ear. “The way I fuck you.”

Rosie’s fingernails bite into my shoulders as I walk her backward. The back of her thighs hit the bed, and with my hand on her collarbone, I force her down to the mattress. Her wide eyes follow the path of my hands, down to the waistband of my boxer briefs, and when I lose them on the floor, she licks her lips.

“God, I keep forgetting how big your cock is. I’m almost certain this is going to hurt.”

“I’ll be gentle,” I promise. “I’ll try to be, at least.” Trailing my finger up her thigh, I watch her skin pebble with goose bumps before her legs fall open to me, letting me step between them. “We can stay in bed all day tomorrow and eat hot fudge sundaes while you recover.” S~ᴇaʀᴄh the Find ɴøᴠel.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Careful. Serve a girl hot fudge sundaes in bed, and she just might fall in love with you.”

“Note to self,” I murmur, reaching down to grip the back of Rosie’s neck, hoisting her mouth to mine. “Serve Rosie hot fudge sundaes in bed.”

Stepping back, I fist the base of my hard cock, taking a moment to appreciate the scarlet flush creeping over Rosie’s body, the way it makes me hot from the inside out.

“Feet flat on the bed. Let me see how wet that pussy is, gorgeous girl. Show me you’re ready for me.”

She doesn’t hesitate, propping herself up on her elbows, spreading her legs wide for me. The sight is glorious, her delicate skin a dusty rose color, glistening and needy, begging to be touched, tasted. I stalk toward her, and her pupils dilate as she scurries backward, up to the pillows. I grin, grabbing hold of her ankles, dragging her beneath me as my knees hit the bed.

“Get back here,” I murmur, fingers sliding into the hair at the nape of her neck, gripping it, tilting her chin. “Can’t taste ya way up there.”

I claim her mouth first, because I love the way she lets go against me, releases that breath that seems to hold every last bit of tension, like she melts just for me. When I glide along her jaw, trail wet kisses down her throat, her breath hitches. I palm her hip, squeezing the soft flesh in my hand as I take one rosy nipple between my teeth, dragging my tongue across it while she writhes.

“Adam,” she whimpers as my mouth moves lower, across her stomach, swirling my tongue around her belly button, nibbling on her hip bone.

“Yeah, baby?”

“I…I…” She covers her face with her hands, hips lifting off the bed when I trace the juncture of her thighs with my tongue. “Oh fuck.”

I settle between her legs, hooking my arms around her hips. “You trying to say something?”

“I…I…” Bright green eyes bounce between mine. “I just…” She swallows, the simple action audible. “I really like you.”

“I really like you too. Want me to show you how much?”

“Please.”

“’Kay.” With my eyes locked on hers, I lick a slow path up the center of her, watching as she tosses her head back with a rough moan. Her fingers plow through my hair, and when I pull her swollen clit into my mouth, she bucks against me, crying out my name.

“More,” she pleads. “God, give me more, please.”

“I told you before. Just Adam is fine.”

Her head rolls backward. “You’re infuriating sometimes.”

“If it’s you I’m infuriating, I’ll gladly do it for the rest of my life.”

Rosie comes alive when I push two fingers inside her, and shit , if that isn’t a stunning sight.

She keeps one hand in my hair as she grinds against my face, rides my fingers, a brilliant flush staining her immaculate skin, crawling up her throat like a vine, pooling in her cheeks. Her soft pink waves graze her slender neck, full red lips parted as she struggles to breathe, each one a strangled cry as she chases her high.

I curl my fingers inside her, pulling a gasp from her throat, and suck her clit until she comes undone, spilling all over me while my name rings in my ears.

Rosie sits up, scrambling to the head of the bed as I head to the bedside table, grabbing the condom she picked for me. Magnum .

I fucking love her.

I hold her wide gaze as I tear the wrapper with my teeth and sheath my throbbing cock in one fluid movement. My knees hit the mattress, and I crawl over her, cupping her cheek as she lies down.

“You’re sure?” I ask quietly.

“So sure.”

“Good. Because I’m so sure about you.”

She smiles at me then, free and gentle, and I know I’m going to remember the way I feel right now for the rest of my life.

Rosie wraps her fist around my cock, guiding it between her thighs. Despite all her confidence in this bedroom tonight, I feel the slight quiver in her touch. I take her hand off me, instead holding it in mine.

“Hey,” I murmur, smoothing her hair off her face. “It’s okay to be nervous. I am too.”

“It’s been a long time,” she admits on a whisper.

“For me too. But I’m glad for that. It means I waited for something special. You’re my something special, Rosie.”

She tips her chin, running the tip of her nose against mine before kissing me. “I’m ready.”

I grip my cock, pressing it against her. My chest tightens and my heartbeat leaps to my throat as Rosie holds my gaze, and slowly, so slowly , I sink inside her. Her mouth opens on a gasp, fingernails scoring my shoulders as she tenses below me.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper against her neck, holding myself still. My body trembles with the desire to plunge forward, to feel every inch of her squeezed so tight around me.

“I don’t want this to go to your head, but it feels like I’m being politely split in half.”

I chuckle. “As long as I’m doing it politely.”

She lifts her hips, urging me deeper. I squeeze my eyes shut to the overwhelming euphoria as she takes me to the hilt, pausing there to adjust.

“Christ, Rosie.” I drop my forehead to her shoulder, struggling to hold onto my sanity. “You’re so fucking tight.” Slowly, I rock my hips against hers. “Is that okay?”

“Yes,” she moans, matching each rock with one of her own. “Please, more.”

I give her more, pulling out before I sink back inside, inch by aching inch, careful not to push her. She takes it all, opening her legs wider, lifting her hips higher, and I grip her chin as I drive a little deeper, a little faster.

“Such a beautiful girl, taking all of me. You’re doing so good.”

Hazy eyes roll down to mine, pink tongue swiping across her swollen lips. She tosses one arm around my neck, pulling me closer, the other strewn haphazardly above her head as she meets every one of my thrusts. “So good,” she mumbles. “So perfect. Don’t stop, Adam. Please.”

I don’t think I could stop if I wanted to, but if she asked me to, I’d find a way. I’d give her anything, whatever she wants, because as she stares up at me like I’m the sun in her sky, I realize she’s mine. She’s everything bright and good in my world, and in this moment, I’m so fucking thankful. Thankful for an ex that treated me wrong, because she showed me what I deserved. Thankful for dates that went to shit, because they showed me what I wanted. Thankful for every single thing that hasn’t worked out the way I wished it did at the time, because all of it—all the bullshit, the broken trust, the hurt—led me right here, to this incredible woman below me, the only one I want at my side.

And the knowledge makes me feral.

Something comes over me. Something dark and hungry that wants to claim this woman so everyone knows she’s mine. My hand goes to her throat, closing around it, dragging her drugged gaze to mine as I growl out my next words.

“You wanna belong to someone, Rosie? You belong to me. These eyes are for me. This smile is for me. This heart? All mine.” I drag my hand down her side, over her hip, digging my fingers into her ass as I bring her closer, drive myself deeper and deeper, until there’s nowhere left to go. “These hips. This ass. This fucking pussy? Mine . All of you belongs to me, Rosie.”

“Oh fuck ,” she cries, squeezing me tighter. “Adam, I’m gonna come.”

“Not yet, you’re not. Not until you tell everyone who you belong to.” I hike her leg up, tossing it over my shoulder. She cries out as I plunge deeper, and thank fucking fuck I took that shower, because I’m about thirty seconds from blowing my load. “Who do you belong to, Rosie? Better make it count, ’cause I’m only gonna ask once.”

Her eyes widen, legs trembling, and when her head falls back, I grab her hair and bring her gaze right back to mine. Her walls shake, and the faster I thrust, the more she tears at my shoulders. My thumb finds her clit, and she explodes around me with a cry, screaming my name.

“You ,” she cries as I bury my face in her neck, combusting inside her. “I belong to you.”

Crushing my mouth to hers, I haul her slick body against mine and reach for another condom, because I’m not fucking done. Not with her, and I’m gonna make sure she knows it.

“You’re not my first choice, Rosie. You’re the only goddamn option.”

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