Page 46 of Roses are Royal

I never thought I’d get the opportunity to make her mine. But now that she has granted me this gift, I won’t let it slip through my fingers. She is now mine to protect, not just because of who she is to Angelo, but because of who she will become to me when she agrees to be mine. Forever. But for now, I will start with tonight.

Pulling Rose closer, I sit up without breaking our kiss so that she is straddling my lap. I know she can feel how hard I am when she presses her body down against me. My hands can’t decide what they want to touch first, so I take my time mapping out every dip and curve of her bare skin that her dress allows.

Slipping one strap off her right shoulder, I break our kiss so I can press my lips against the delicate dip between her neck and collarbone. My hands have drifted down to her toned thighs and slip under the lace hem of her dress. My hands continue their path of exploration up to her hips until they encounter the lack of panties, and my previously leashed restraint snaps.

“Upstairs, Belladonna.” My voice comes out low and raspy. I don’t want to take my hands off her soft skin, so when she doesn’t protest, I stand with her in my arms, legs wrapped around my waist as she continues kissing and licking along my neck and jawline and makes my way upstairs.

57

LUCA

I’ve been trying to delay my boss, but he is getting increasingly impatient with me. I haven’t been giving him updates like he requested, and honestly, I don’t plan to start. It’s not uncommon to go dark while on a mission, but it is uncommon for me. I need to figure out a way to tell Ro what is going on and keep her safe. Part of me feels like I need to talk to Dante and have a real conversation about each other and our connection to Ro. I was holding that out as my last resort, but it looks like it might be time to pull the fail-safe and lay all my cards on the table. I know he works for Angelo. What I can’t figure out is why Angelo would send Dante, of all people, for her. There has to be something I’m missing.

Dante is not known in our circles for being gentle when it comes to his…assignments, we’ll say. He’s not called the “Reaper” by mistake. You rarely ever see him until it’s already too late, so the fact that Ro is still alive definitely raises several questions about why Dante is the one to deal with Ro.

The last thing I need is for my team to take matters into their own hands and cause more harm than good. I told them I would be able to do this job, especially because of the history with Ro, not in spite of our shared past, and I wasn’t lying when I made that statement. Now, though, things have changed for me. Ro is mine to protect, and she has been mine to protect since she sat next to me in class all those years ago. Just because she didn’t see me doesn’t mean I wasn’t there keeping an eye on her all these years we’ve been apart.

Eighteen Months Ago

Wow, Rose looks beautiful today. She is wearing a deep burgundy skirt suit paired with her classic black patent-leather Louboutin heels that add several inches to her height. Her chocolate-brown hair is in soft curls that bounce with every step, and she is wearing large black Gucci sunglasses. Her Louis Vuitton laptop bag is slung over one shoulder, and her coffee is in her opposite hand, while her phone is clutched in the other as she glances down to check the time for the fourth time since I’ve been watching her.

Today, like most days, I wish I could go up to her and talk to her, but I can’t. Not yet at least. At least I know she is consistent with her morning routine and always starts the day off with a coffee. I can generally gauge her mood by her order, and this morning is no different. Watching her walk out of Rise & Grind, one of her favorite coffee shops near her loft, I see she likely has a long day of client meetings if the size of her iced caramel macchiato is any indication. She doesn’t look very rested either, which means this is probably her initial meeting with a new client. She tends to stay up far too late the night before meetings like this to go over everything she has prepared, as if she would forget something.

Rose is so talented, and her ideas are wasted on the clients of Franklin & Sons if you ask me. Being in the custom design world myself, I know the type of clients Franklin & Sons works with, and although they tend to have unlimited budgets, their tastes are definitely lacking in…well, taste. That is one of the reasons why I refuse to work with anyone from Franklin & Sons on my projects. The other reason is to avoid any potential overlap with Rose. The last thing I need is for us to cross paths again before everything I have planned is in place. Soon, Ro. Very soon.

58

DANTE

Irarely sleep in, but I can’t pull myself out of Rose’s bed when I finally have her sleeping soundly next to me. The pillow partially hides her face, and her hair is fanned out in all directions, but as she lets out a soft breath against my arm, she has never looked more beautiful. I would rather lose all feeling in my arm than consider moving Rose. She must sense my eyes on her because a moment later, her sleepy gaze meets mine as her eyes blink open and adjust to the streaks of sunlight coming in through the curtains.

“Were you watching me sleep?” Her voice is hoarse with sleep.

“Yes.”

“Um, why?” She sounds more amused than annoyed, which is good because someday I will have to tell her this isn’t the first time I’ve watched her sleep.

“I want to imprint it into my memory.” What I don’t say is that memories of her might be all I’ll have once she finds out what I’ve been hiding from her.

“That’s sweet…I think.”

“Mmm, I can think of something even sweeter,” I add with a wink and wrap my free arm around her warm naked body and pull her into my chest.

I’m sure she is blushing based on her soft giggle and the way she tucks her face against my chest.

“Will you be around the house today?” Rose asks, but the words come out muffled since she is still pressed against me.

Loosening my hold slightly so I can see her face, I reply, “I have some meetings in the city, but I can cancel them if you need me here.”

“Oh no, nothing like that. I do have some deliveries coming in today, but the delivery guys should be able to handle everything. I just wanted to see what time you’d be home.”

I don’t love hearing that there will be other men here with my flower while I’m away, but all the drivers have been vetted and cleared by me, so I will keep an eye on the cameras, just in case.

“Hmm…missing me already, tesoro mio?”

“Ha! Hardly!” I know she is lying when her cheeks turn the prettiest shade of pink and she playfully swats my bare chest. “I just have a surprise for you later, that's all.” Rose seems almost shy with her confession.

“A surprise, huh? I like the sound of that.” Smirking, I roll us over so Rose is beneath me and my arms are caging her in, and my hips settle between her spread thighs.