Seduce (Beautiful Rose 0.50)

“Not anymore,” I whispered softly.

Chapter Twelve

The next few weeks were by far the happiest of my life.

When I wasn’t working, I was at home with Belle. She had all but moved in. Apparently I was playing the part of an imaginary friend named Becca and we were working on a big end-of-year project together. I went out with the guys a few times, if only to avoid suspicion. Being a workaholic actually played in my advantage, because I could turn down hanging out with the guys by claiming I had to work. It wasn’t that unusual; it had happened plenty of times in the past.

Things with Belle were going great. She really understood me—more than anyone had in the past. Most of the time we just lazed around the house, talking and getting to know one another. It was strange, because getting to know a woman on such an intimate level was not something I had a lot of experience with. I was actually surprised at how naturally it seemed to come to me. It was as though all those years of sleeping around and avoiding intimacy hadn’t damaged my ability to have a normal relationship as much as I’d thought it might.

With Belle, I actually wanted more. No other woman had invoked such feelings inside me. She aroused me, she amazed me, and every day she surprised me with her strength and maturity. I lost count of the number of times I forgot she was only seventeen. Her eighteenth birthday was this week, but in my mind she already was eighteen. How much difference does a week or a month really make? She goes from being seventeen to eighteen overnight and boom, suddenly our relationship is less creepy? Because of one day?

Our age difference did make me nervous. It was more how other people would react to our age difference and our relationship. We had kept things quiet to this point because we didn’t know where things were going, if anywhere. Though I tried not to think about it, I knew eventually people were going to find out, and that scared the shit out of me.

The opinion I most cared about was Luke’s, and I knew it was not going to be good. He knew me too well to just sit back and accept that I was in a relationship with his wife’s younger sister, no matter how genuine I claimed my intentions to be. In twelve years, I’d given him nothing to believe that I was capable of a serious relationship. Hell, I’d given myself nothing to suggest I could handle it. The more I got to know this girl, the more it worried me that I might not be able to give her what she needed. But the longer this went on, the harder it would be to give her up.

Chapter Thirteen

Tonight, Saturday, was a special night. Belle had turned eighteen yesterday, and because I couldn’t spend it with her and her family, I was planning on making tonight the most memorable night of her life.

Up until now our relationship had been kept behind closed doors. The risk of going out was too high, between the chances of running into someone we knew or the paparazzi plastering a picture of us all over the back pages, staying in had been the safer, smarter option.

I picked Belle up at work at four. She put the overnight bag I’d asked her to pack in the back and climbed into the car. Her eyes were wide with excitement. She had no idea where we were heading, but she knew me well enough to be expecting something special.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“Do you really think I’m going to answer that?” I chuckled, pulling back out onto the road. Belle rolled her eyes and slapped me on the leg.

“How about a game then? Let me earn the chance to get clues,” she grinned. My hands gripped the wheel tightly. This sounded intriguing. I needed more information.

“I’m listening,” I said slowly.

“Okay, so here are the rules. I will give you a proposition, and if you accept, you give me a clue, okay?” she asked. It sounded simple enough.

“Okay,” I said, raising my eyebrows. This weekend might turn out to be better than I thought. “Go on, what’s your first proposition?”

“Give me a minute. Let me think,” she laughed. “Okay. Something that’s been on my to-do list for a while. Sex outdoors. Somewhere secluded, just you and me getting back to nature.” She grinned cheekily at me as my eyebrows shot up.

I snorted. “You’ve been thinking about that for how long? You’re barely eighteen,” I teased.

“Yes, I’m aware of that. What can I say? I have needs,” she shrugged. “So, is that a no?”

I laughed. “Belle, that is one hell of a yes,” I smirked. Now for a clue. “Okay, open fire. Log cabin,” I said, smiling at her out of the corner of my eye.

“That doesn’t tell me where we’re going,” she argued indignantly.

“It gives you a hint of what to expect though.” I retorted.

She nodded, as if she accepted that. “Okay. My next proposition is you, sitting in front of said open fire, naked, with me between your legs, giving you the best blow job you’ve ever had.” She said it with such ease, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. I flashed her a look as the blood rushed from my head down to…Well, my other head. She glanced at the obvious erection I was harboring in my pants and began to laugh.

“I’ll take that as a yes, shall I?” she said dryly. I nodded, swallowing hard. And here I was thinking it wasn’t possible for me to be looking forward to this weekend anymore.

“Fuck it, I’m taking you to Buttermere, on the Lakes. I found the most beautiful log cottage by the water. I wanted to do something special for your birthday.” I said, surrendering. If she kept up with these propositions I’d end up crashing the car.

“That sounds amazing,” she breathed. “I can’t wait. Nobody has ever taken me away before. Apart from family holidays.” She smiled to herself as she looked out the window, taking in the scenery as we moved through the hills. I reached over and placed my hand on her leg.

I didn’t want to admit it to her, but this was the first time, ever, that I’d taken someone away. This girl had me experiencing so many firsts that I never thought I’d do.

***