Rose of Thorne (6 page)

Sebastian

I have stayed away for four days now, and I can no longer stand being away from her. When I walk inside Jesse’s Café, I am shocked to see such a long line of people waiting and no one working up front.

Where is everyone at?

Stepping around the long line of people, I head to the back room that is normally reserved for large groups and parties. A group of whistling, drunk, college guys surround a table. They are cheering the guy in the booth on, but I can’t see from this angle what is happening. When I step around the group of guys I see Skylar’s terrified face as the boy holds his hand over her mouth. I see red and shove the rest of the guys out of my way.

This motherfucker is
dead!

I yank
his punk ass off of her and watch as his friends all scatter like the pieces of shit they all are. I lifted him up to the wall and proceed to make him understand just how serious I am about him leaving her alone. As soon as he leaves I just want to take her into my arms and lose myself in her. I haven’t been able to get her off my mind, and I now crave her more and more with every breath I take.

Waiting tables has
been an experience all on its own. I am ashamed to say that it is the first time in my almost twenty-seven years that I have ever truly gotten my hands dirty and broken a sweat. I barely could manage the few customers I had at the counter, but she breezed around the entire front of the room with ease. I was already exhausted after just thirty minutes of doing this. How on Earth does she do this for hours and hours on end?

Girls had slipped me their numbers all night, b
ut I just smiled politely and tossed them in the trash. A month ago I would have never tossed a number, but now there is only one person I want. I know it is wrong, but I admit it… I want her. I didn’t know how, but I am going to do whatever it takes to make her mine.

After the shift
, we walk side by side down to Marie’s bakery. I can’t help but smile at the red coat that she is wearing. It fits her as though it was custom made for her. I was right. Red definitely is her color. She senses me watching her and begins speaking.

“Thank you so much for the coat, Sebastian, but you
truly shouldn’t have. I feel badly enough for running out on you the other night. Besides, I could have just cleaned mine,” she says shyly as she looks down to the pavement.

“Skylar, I’m the one who is sorry.
I never meant to make you feel uncomfortable or ruin your jacket with the coffee. It’s the least that I can do,” I reply.

She seems
to ease at my words and nervously crosses her arms in front of her body as we continued walking to the bakery. Marie throws her arms around my neck and kisses my cheek as I enter her shop. She wiggles her eyebrows at me and even pinches my butt as I follow Skylar into the back of the shop. I shake my head at her forwardness; for an older woman she is quite the flirt.

“Marie, I’m going to show Sebastian
the light from the roof if that’s okay with you?” she sweetly asks the older lady.

“Why of course
, darling, go ahead. Oh, here let me pack you some stuff to take with you. I just took this out of the oven. It’s your favorite cheesecake bites.”

I can
see Skylar beaming at the old woman’s words and Marie quickly packs us an assortment of treats and hot chocolate to take upstairs with us.

“Here
, you grab this and follow me. Be careful, these stairs are a little shaky,” she warns as she points up to the top of the stairs.

I
nod and carefully follow Skylar up the large wrought iron staircase and out onto the rooftop of the old bakery. The view of Austin’s lights is simply magnificent from up here.

“It’s great
, isn’t it?” she asks knowingly. Her loose curls blow in the night wind and her face seems to light up as she gazes out across the skyline.

“Yes, this is a
really a great view up here.” I reply smiling back at her.

My view is
even better, but I’m certainly not talking about the lights
. 

She reaches in the basket behind her and slides one of the treats int
o her mouth. The way she closes her eyes and savors the bite makes me envy that little piece of cheesecake. My mouth involuntarily opens at the sounds she makes as she continues enjoying the dessert and I feel myself awakening below.

SHIT! Down boy!
Not now!

Catching me off guard
, she pops the cheesecake into my gaping mouth. The flavors of caramel and cheesecake swirl in my mouth and are simply heavenly.

“MMMMmmmm!” I moan.

“Delicious, isn’t it?” she asks as she giggles.

Not as delicious as she is
. God, her smile is killing me!

I
slowly nod, smiling as I lean in closer, and put my hand to her face. I still have a tiny bit of cheesecake on my lips, and she gently swipes her tongue to lick it off.

“Mmmmm…
,” she giggles as she wraps her arms around my neck and lifts up on her toes. I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her slowly up my body. Our tongues tenderly move across one another, and my desire for her ignites as she makes that noise that drives me fucking insane. I don’t want to, but I have to slow this down before I lose complete control and take her right here. This beautiful creature deserves more than that the first time we are together. Oh shit, has someone else already taken her like that up here? The thought of any man holding her, kissing her, inside her, I just can’t deal with it.

Pushing the thoughts out of my mind
, I ease her back down to her feet, pulling her over to a nearby patio chair. I sit, and she eases herself down in my lap and leans back against me. Her long hair falls against my chest, and I inhale her scent as I pull her waves closer to my face. Lifting her curls, I begin kissing a trail up her neck, and by the time I reach her ear, she’s smiling. She turns to face me and our eyes lock. There is something so magical in just the way she looks at me. It’s like she sees so much more than just me, she sees deep inside, past all the hate and fear to the parts I never knew survived.
How can that be?

I cup her face
, and she closes her eyes at my touch. She is so responsive to me. Like she was made just for me. I trace her plump perfect trembling lip with my thumb. Her breath catches, and she opens her turquoise eyes. Those long full black lashes blink and we are slowly pulled to one another. It is so magnetic; as if the universe itself can’t pull us apart. She brushes my hand on her cheek and never breaks our stare as our lips meet. We deepen the kiss and her hand squeezes mine. I don’t want to break the kiss, and when we finally come up for air, I press my forehead to hers.

W
hat is she doing to me? Better yet what am I letting her do to me? I am never like this. This feels like something out of my control.

I watch as she traces
my face with her finger and I find myself so hard I have to grit my teeth to control myself. Closing my eyes as she feathers kisses across my face, I can smell her sweet breath. She runs her hands leisurely through my hair, and every inch of me melts at her silky touch. Never in my life have I been at any woman’s mercy, and yet here I am, fully surrendering myself to her.

Suddenly she stops and stands to walk over to the railing on the side of the brick.
She hugs herself as she stares quietly across the night skyline. I come behind her and rest my chin on her shoulder and wrap my arms around her.

God she feels so
magnificent, so fucking perfect. I don’t ever want to let her go. But what am I doing? I can’t have her.

“
Are you okay?” I ask her.

“Yes, I am
just thinking,” she says softly.

“Wha
t are you thinking about?” I ask as I begin rubbing her shoulders. She moans in appreciation and smiles back at me.

“I am just
thinking about the fact that I really don’t know you. Yet, I feel as though I’ve known you my whole life. It scares me how you make me feel, and I just can’t lose my head. Not now. I have too many responsibilities, and my little sister depends on me. I’ve waited a long time for something like this, and I don’t want to lose it, but I feel out of control when I am around you. It’s like it hurts to be without you, but how can that be? Now do you think I’m crazy?” she asks as she drops her shoulders.

“Of cou
rse, I don’t think you are crazy.” I answer. Relieved to hear her confession.

“
It is the same for me. I can’t explain this attraction between us. It’s made me crazy this past week. I have never felt anything like this before,” I kiss her hair and I turn her back around to face me.

A tear forms
in her beautiful eye, and I lean down to kiss it away.

“For the first time in a l
ong time, you make me forget the hurt I feel. I didn’t think that was possible. It’s like I can finally breathe again,” she says. Her words slice into me like razors, and the guilt rushes over me. I want to tell her that she has awakened me in a way that I have never felt before. I want to tell her that I can feel again because of her. But, I’m not worthy of that look because, even as deeply as I already feel for her, I don’t deserve her. I hold her in my arms, and I know that as much as she will hate me, as much as I will hate myself, I have to let her go. It will be the hardest thing I will have ever done, even harder than leaving her that night so long ago. I walk her back to her car and kissed her with everything I have in me. With promises of seeing her tomorrow, I pull her close to me for the last time and let my beloved girl go.

Skylar

5:00 am is just too damn early. I slap the beeping madness called an alarm clock and moan. I reach over and pull my pillow over my head and contemplate suffocating myself with it. These fourteen hour shifts are catching up with me, but I know I have to get up and get moving. No sense complaining. I have yet another long day ahead before my big internship interview tomorrow.

Dr. Martin, my advisor, had phoned me and explained that the first initial
meeting had gone over extremely well and that they wanted me to meet with the CEO for one final interview. I was excited by the news but terrified by the thoughts of not getting it. Too much is riding on this and I have to have my mind clear and focused if I am going to impress them. Funny thing is my mind hasn’t been clear in a while. This is all thanks to Sebastian.

This just isn’t getting any easier.
It has been five long days since that night on the rooftop. I deeply regret my words to him. I mean how could I have been so stupid? Of course, I scared him off. The night had been just so perfect, but then again I don’t have much to compare that to. I had been on a few dates over the years, but no one has ever made me feel the way he did. I look hopefully at my phone on the nightstand, but there were no messages.

Why has
n’t he called me?

He
took my number at Marie’s, and even gave me a passionate kiss goodnight when we reached my car. For the first time, I didn’t have a nightmare that night. I was so happy when I woke up the next morning that I walked around with my head in the clouds all day. Funny how now, I can barely pull myself out of bed.

I
am exhausted by the time I finish my shift and make my way to the dance studio. I am relieved I have this place or else I don’t know what I would do. This is my saving grace, the one place that I can be me. The one place I feel free and can let out all my pent up emotion. I befriended the owner, Kristina, many years ago at dance competitions. Sadly, a car accident in high school damaged the nerves in her leg too badly for her to continue competing. She never wanted to give up her dream of dancing, so her parents convinced her to open up this studio. She offered it to me to use anytime I wanted. Sometimes, she asks me to help with some of her more advanced students. I absolutely loved every moment of it, but my busy schedule doesn’t allow much, if any, time for that.

I finish my stretches on th
e bar just as the music shuffles. Slowly, I move to the middle of the room of mirrors and begin to move. I dance until the tears come as they do every week. And when they come, I always give into them. Tonight, I cry for my heart that breaks for someone I will never have. For someone who obviously has forgotten about me. So why can’t I forget about him? When I am done, I hurriedly lock up the dance studio and make my way home to get ready for the big interview tomorrow.

It’s t
he day of my interview, and I am thankful to have the only working bathroom to myself this morning. I shower and take my time styling my long wavy hair into tighter curls, allowing them to remain loose down my back. I take my time applying my makeup and carefully add mascara and liner, both of which, I normally don’t wear. I slip on my tan silk wrap shirt and black pencil skirt that I chose the night before. Selecting this outfit wasn’t hard since I only own a few dressy outfits. I step into my black heels, spray on my favorite body spray, and grab my new red coat. Double-checking my portfolio one last time, I pick up my keys and walk out the door.

I
rehearse mock interview questions as I drive into the city. When my little Honda reaches the sky rise of Thorne Enterprises, I pull into the parking garage and nervously make my way to the lobby. The rude receptionist directs me to the top floor of the building where I am to meet by Mr. Thorne’s personal assistant, Sara.

I am
surprised to see a gentle eyed older lady with gray hair greet me as I step off the elevators.

“Ms. Rose?” S
he asks uncertain.

“Yes,” I reply shyly.

“Hello dear, I am Sara Marx, Mr. Thorne’s personal assistant. He is just finishing up a phone conference and will be with you shortly. May I get you anything while you wait?” she asks.

A garbage can
so I can throw up would be nice.

“No, but thank you so much,
” I respond nervously and she pats me on the arm.

Truth
is I was too nervous to eat or drink anything this morning.

“Breathe
, sweetheart. I will be back to get you as soon as he is ready.” she says, and she disappears into the row of offices.

Oh
shit, I think I am going to be sick!

Sebastian

Another fucking sleepless night! I jerk the covers back and make my way downstairs. I have an early meeting this morning and according to Sara, my personal assistant, I am looking at an extremely hectic day. I get dressed and head to my gym downstairs. I hit the treadmill, run my normal five miles, and then hit the punching bag for another half hour. Grabbing a bottle of water out of the refrigerator, I sit down at the desk in my office.

I open the drawer
, and glancing at the black vinyl file, I pull it out, place it on my desk, and open it. Her beautiful face stares back at me. I unclip her picture and lean back into my chair. It has been five days since I have seen her and yet it seems as though it has been an eternity. I gently trace my finger over her picture as I relish the memory of the way her skin had felt.

Blinking out of my
daze, I put the picture back in the folder next to the dark velvet bag that sits next to it and closed the drawer.

Fuck! Even her memory has
me instantly hard.

I grab a quick shower and take
care of my raging hard on. With my hand jerking furiously on my cock, I lean my head back on the tile wall. I am thinking about how I would have taken her on that rooftop. I imagine taking her in every sinful way possible over and over again. My release came violently up against my stomach, shooting all the way up to my chest. I quickly wash and make my way to my closet to put on my suit and tie. It is only 6:30 am, but I decide to head on in to the office.

Sara has
my schedule sitting on my desk when I arrive this morning, along with the notes I have requested for this morning’s meeting. I glance down at the appointments. I roll my eyes at my lunch date with Tiffany Arlington. I will be canceling that one. The 1pm appointment caught my eye. Intern interview? Apparently, the board wants my final approval on a candidate.

A waste of an appointment
if you ask me; can they not make the decision on their own?

Around 7:30
am, Sara makes her way into my office carrying a coffee and a bagel. I thank her, and she leaves to prepare the boardroom for the breakfast meeting.

My morning goes by quickly and before I know it
, it’s 11:30 and Tiffany is arriving at my office.

Shit
. I forgot to cancel our lunch date.

While
she is an incredibly attractive woman and we had a fun night together a long time ago, I’m not interested in continuing or repeating anything with her. Unfortunately, she isn’t easily convinced of that. Her father is now an important client of mine, and she feels we are the perfect match. If I had known who she was when we slept together, I would have never gone through with it. I decide to take her to lunch and try to blow her off for good. I just don’t know how to do that in the nicest way possible.

Lunch with Tiffany
did not go well at all. I put her in the company town car to send her on her way. Looking up, I see a beautiful young woman crossing the street.

Skylar? Fuck, this girl has my mind messed up.

I shake it off and mak
e my way into the building, away from a crying Tiffany. I hurry back into the office to make a quick phone call before my one o’clock appointment.

Sara kno
cks on my door a little after one and informs me that the candidate has arrived. The file has been on my desk for me to review, but I have been too busy to even glance at it. I pull the file in front of me and tell Sara to send in the candidate. Moments later, the large mahogany doors to my office open and I stand to meet her. My breath completely leaves me as I watch her walk through the door. In a tan silk shirt and black skirt, she looks breathtaking. Extending her trembling hand to me, her gorgeous eyes grow large as she takes in the sight of me.

“Mr
. Thorne, it’s nice to meet you,” she says. I take her hand, and I can’t find my voice as her contact electrifies me.

“
Skylar,” I whisper.