Page 44 of Ruined Rose

Micah

There’s no better feeling than walking out of the locker room after a long, grueling practice and seeing my girl waiting for me. It would be better if we didn’t need to worry about Alora’s threat hanging over our heads, but we’re doing the best we can.

For example, we’ve resorted to some hard-core sneaking around to have time together while staying off Alora’s radar. It’s bordering on ridiculous and really starting to piss me off. We escaped any notice this morning when we arrived together, but Daphne and I have plans to hang out at my house and do homework before Scarlett and Xander come over to watch a movie around eight. So we’re going to be as careful as possible and hopefully get her out to my SUV undetected.

Daphne doesn’t see me at first, and that gives me a few moments to study her. She’s seated on the bleachers at the opposite side of the gym from the locker room I’d just exited and has her nose in a book. Her long hair is piled on top of her head in a messy bun, like she doesn’t care how it looks so long as it doesn’t interfere with her studying. She’s fucking adorable—schoolgirl uniform, hair twisted into a knot, feet tapping in her favorite pair of Vans to whatever music plays in her ears.

As if she senses me watching her, she glances up, smiling big when she sees me and pulls out her earbuds. She marks her place in her book carefully and packs up her belongings.

When she stands up, I jerk my head toward the door, and she gives me a nod before I hustle toward the gym exit on my own.

My Lexus GX is parked at the far end of the student lot near some trees. I glance backward and see Daphne following at a distance. A quick scan of the other students heading to their cars doesn’t reveal anyone concerning—namely Alora—so I pull the driver’s side rear door open and toss my bag on the backseat while I wait for Daphne to make her way over here.

Despite the fact that she’s cautiously watching over her shoulder, it doesn’t take her long before she’s at my side. She shoots me a nervous grin as I take her bag, setting it beside mine.

“If you’re up for a delicious meal reheated by me, I thought we could just hang at my house this afternoon until Xander and Scarlett can join us.

Daph giggles. “That sounds perfect.” She bites on the corner of her lip in the adorable way she does when she’s a little nervous. “Everything about you is perfect,” she whispers, stealing a look up at me.

And I can’t resist. I dip my head down, brushing my mouth over hers, and when she whimpers, my tongue slides into her mouth. She tastes like some sort of forbidden fruit, and I deepen the kiss, my hands cupping the nape of her neck. I hold her in place, nipping at her lips and sucking on her tongue. Her fingers clasp my shoulders tightly at first, but the longer my tongue works its magic, the more relaxed she becomes. She presses close to me, giving as good as she’s getting, tongue thrusting and swirling with mine. Lost in the moment, I want to think of nothing and no one but my girl.

At the roar of an engine behind us, our bodies tense and we break apart. My jaw locks as I realize what we’ve just allowed to happen.

Alora has pulled up behind my SUV and is watching us with a death glare from inside her BMW M4, fury clear on her face.

“Oh no.” Daphne’s eyes widen and her face pales as she clings to me.

This is not how it’s supposed to be.All I care about is that Daphne is my girl—my choice—and if I want to devour her mouth right here, I should be able to do it, dammit. Frustration mounts inside of me. I refuse to let some spoiled rich girl who thinks she can have anything or anyone she wants call the shots on what I do with Daphne or how I’m supposed to feel about her.

The damage is done, so fuck it. I haul Daphne close to me, going in for a hot kiss. Alora can fucking screw herself. I’m done with this. I give her one last I don’t care what you think look before caging Daphne and claiming her with my mouth, my body, and my soul. I breathe her in. I like everything about this girl, from her soft lips to her warm body to her sweet, generous heart.

Several minutes later, someone coughing nearby jerks us from the moment and we break the kiss, breathless. Daphne holds on tight, hands fisting the front of my shirt, as we both turn in the direction of the noise. My eyes dart around, but Alora is no longer anywhere in sight.

Instead, Xander and Scarlett stand hand in hand grinning at us, trying their damnedest not to laugh.

Daphne relaxes in my arms when she sees it’s just Scarlett and Xander. “Oh, thank God. For a second I thought you were Alora.”

Xander chuckles. “Nope. She took off like a bat out of hell.” He nods in the direction she’d gone, a little smirk on his face.

“I take it she saw you two sucking face?” Scarlett grits her teeth together, giving us a worried smile.

Daphne releases my shirt to hide her eyes behind her hands for a few seconds. It’s fucking cute that she gets so easily embarrassed. When she removes them again, her cheeks are a gorgeous shade of pink.

Smiling inwardly, I reply, “Yeah, we fucked up a little. I couldn’t keep my mouth to myself.” I squeeze Daphne to me and kiss the top of her head.

“Personally, I think it’s about time Alora minded her own business.” Xander’s brows draw together.

I exhale sharply. “It’s not that easy, unfortunately. We’ll probably pay for what she saw in one way or another.”

“She still can’t get it through her head that you’re not interested in having anything to do with her, huh?” Scarlett’s perplexed expression tells me she has no idea about the video. Xander, being the good friend that he is, has kept his word.

I shoot him a strained smile. “No. She won’t back off.”

Xander sighs and lifts his hands with a shrug. “I don’t know what to tell you, man.” He hesitates for a second. “Are we still on for a movie in a couple of hours?”

Daphne nods. “Abso-fucking-lutely. I don’t want to think about Alora any more today.”

Scarlett smiles. “We’ll come distract you, no worries.” She snorts. “But I bet Micah will work on distracting you until we get there. Text us when it’s safe to come over.”