Painkiller

“Who is it?” Rebel asked, but didn’t seem all that interested.

She shrugged. “Not sure.” Rosie answered the call anyway. “Hello?”

“Rosie?”

She felt her brows knit as she stared at Rebel. “Yeah? Who is this?”

“It’s Charleston.”

Charleston?

“Um, hi.”

“Who is it?” Rebel said, not bothering to keep his voice low.

“How did you get my number?” She covered the phone with her hand. “It’s Charleston.”

The expression on Rebel’s face changed to annoyance. He went to reach for the phone, but she got off of him and smacked his hand away, smiling.

“I’m not some stalker, I swear.”

“Okay,” she chuckled a little awkwardly.

“But you’re pretty easy to find online.”

Yeah, I’d say that sounds stalkerish.

“Okay, that came out weird as hell.” Charleston cleared his throat. “Anyway, if you’re not too creeped out by me, can I hit you up for those tutoring lessons?”

She didn’t answer right away, glanced at Rebel and saw he was pissed, but didn’t want to straight out turn Charleston away.

He’d done nothing bad to her, and just because there was this beef with him and Rebel, she didn’t want to be a bitch.

“Sure, I can tutor you.”

Rebel flared his nostrils as his anger was tangible, and she shrugged. Once she was off the phone and had it shoved back in her bag, she looked at Rebel.

“What?”

“I don’t like you talking to that asshole.” Rebel stood and picked up her bag from the floor.

She followed him out of the house and locked the front door behind her. “Rebel, he’s been fine to me, nice even.”

“He’s bad news.”

“How can you possibly know that? He’s been at the school for such a short time.”

Rebel stopped and faced her. “Because he’s like me, and I know what an asshole I can be.”

She couldn’t help but smile. Looking around to see if anyone was outside, Rosie grabbed his hand and pulled him back onto the porch where they were partially hidden. Then she rose on her toes and kissed him.

He groaned and gripped her nape, pulling her even closer and he stroked her lips with his tongue. She pulled away before it got too intense.

“Is it that you really don’t like him, or that you’re just jealous?” she asked, kind of teasing, but hoping he’d come around and see that not everyone was this bad guy.

True, she didn’t know Charleston that well anyway, but it wasn’t like she’d just agreed to go on a date with him or anything.

“Both,” Rebel said honestly, and without any hesitation. He leaned down and kissed her again, but it was a quick peck. He grabbed her hand and led her to the car, and once inside he cranked the engine.

Although he seemed fine now, looking over at him showed that Rebel was still tense.

Well, her guy certainly was a “bad boy”, and Rosie knew that came with a lot of things. But it’s also one of the massive reasons she’d fallen so hard for him.

* * *

Rebel reached out and took hold of her hand, pulled it closer, and downshifted while their fingers were entwined.

“What do you think my mom and your dad will say when they find out?” she asked, and he could see out of his peripheral vision she was looking at him. “Or do you think we shouldn’t tell them? They’ll probably freak out.”

Yeah, no doubt they would, because their parents saw them as one big happy family. They might be that, but he’d never seen Rosie as a sister, and the very thought of her in that way made him disgusted.

He loved her, wanted her, and now that they were past all the bullshit of hiding how they truly felt, he didn’t want anything getting in the way.

“No, I think they need to know, but if you’re not comfortable telling them anytime soon I won’t push you.” He glanced at her and gave her hand a squeeze. “But I’m not letting you go, and sneaking around will be hell, but I’ll leave the ball in your court, Rosie girl.” He loved that her cheeks heated.

“I like when you call me that.”

He couldn’t stop his grin. He liked calling her that, his little pet name for the girl he was in love with.

When he finally pulled up at school and cut the engine all he wanted to do was lean over and kiss Rosie. He wanted her, wanted to fuck her until she couldn’t walk straight.

Hell, he was semi-hard right now just having her in the seat beside him, but there were people all around, and he knew just because he’d finally slept with her, and they’d professed their love, that she may not be ready for the type of PDA he wanted to give her.

Rebel also knew even if they did kiss and hold hands, and do all that sweet shit, she’d have nothing to be worried about concerning people giving them shit.