Forbidden Desires ✔️

~Chapter Twenty Three~

Christian's POV

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I gave Rosalie some time to herself in the bedroom to get herself comfortable, whereas I was currently stood in the bathroom, running the bath water for her, checking it every so often with the back of my hand to make sure it wouldn't scald her.

A small creek of the door caught my attention. Rosalie had stood behind me silently, fiddling with her fingers as she stared down at the floor.

Once the bath was filled enough, I excuse myself and give her time to get settled in. Finding my hallway closet that was filled with towels, I find the softest one I could put my hands on and return to Rosalie.

After making sure she was situated comfortably in the bath, I smile lightly and lay the towel on top of the sink counter.

I look down to see Rosalie's phone light up, a message from asshole Garrett, flashing across the screen.

If it wasn't for the preview, I wouldn't have looked, but for this idiotic man to just turn around and say "caught up with work, I'll be late", after his wife has just told him she needed him, it's the biggest jerk move anyone could pull.

I scoff silently and mute her phone, flipping it face down, not wanting her to be anymore upset by his stupid inconveniences.

"I'll be downstairs if you need me."

Just as I was about to walk out the door, a small whimper stopped me in my tracks.

"Stay.. p-please." I turn around, my eyes meeting with Rosalie's tear-filled ones. "I don't want to be alone."

The sound of her voice pained my heart. So little. So broken.

I stood small steps back towards her and knelt down on my knees beside the bathtub. "I'm right here, Amore." I speak in a quiet tone, reaching for the small jug that I had kept in one of the cabinets.

I fill it to the brim with the water and gently tilt her head back, soaking her hair. She let out a relaxed sigh and breathed out slowly.

I wished she could be in this state all of the time.

No worries, no responsibilities... just free.

Reaching for my shampoo, I squirt a generous amount onto my hand and lather it up, before gently massaging my fingers against her scalp.

"Apologies if you smell like a dude after this. I don't have any of that coconut shampoo you like but, this does the job, trust me."

With saying that, I managed to crack some sort of a smile from Rosalie, but to anyone else, you would just think it was a twitch of her lips.

I make sure every inch of her brown locks were throughly cleaned with the shampoo, before grabbing the jug again, rinsing all of the soap studs from her hair.

"And not to worry. Best of treatments for my Rose, none of the two in one shenanigans." I wave the conditioner bottle in front of her with a goofy smile on my face, finally cracking a small giggle from her.

Not nearly there, but a little progress.

"There's that beautiful smile." I mumble, happy that I had managed to somewhat get a brighter reaction from her.

After running my fingers through her hair with the conditioner, I do a second rinse and hand over the body wash. I keep my back turned to let her do her thing, even though we had seen each other many of times, it didn't feel right at this moment in time.

Even if she didn't want me to leave, I still didn't want to disrespect her privacy in anyway.

Once she gave me the all clear, I reached my hand back to her with the towel and gave her a few minutes to dry off.

"I have a spare shirt and shorts if you want to use them instead. I'll stick your clothes in the washer so they're ready for tomorrow."

Rosalie just nodded in response and I rush out to find one of my many plain black t shirts and a pair of shorts to go with it.

Even though they came to mid thigh on myself, after seeing Rosalie dressed in them, they could easily pass as three-quarter lengths on her.

I chuckle at our size difference and lead her to my bedroom, where I had a comb and blow-dryer already waiting.

No words were spoken, it didn't feel like we needed any. As I combed her hair and dried it thoroughly, I watched her through the mirror, as her eyes fell heavily.

I combed through a second time over, and braided her hair, knowing how she liked it tied away from her face while she slept at night.

I couldn't forget a single fact about this woman even if I tried. It was like all my life, instead of reading a bible, I was given a study of the great Rosalie, taking in every piece of information with care.

And it was a study that had every fibre of my being wanting to learn even more.

Placing a kiss on the crown of her head, I quickly secure her braid in with a hair tie and rest my palms on her shoulders.

"Better?"

Without a word, Rosalie stood from her chair, instantly turning to wrap her arms around my waist, her face buried into my chest.

My heart pounds from within at the slightest of touches from her, and I instantly wrap my arms around her shoulders, holding her as close as possible, like it was the last chance I'd ever be able to do it.

"Thank you, Christian." She breathed out, and my smile remained as she finally spoke up for the first time in six hours.

"No need to thank me, Amore."

The relief I felt after hearing her voice, was like something out of this world.

For a moment, I was convinced she had gone mute.

"But you didn't need to do all of this. For me."

I smile, stroking my thumbs over her cheeks as I cup her face in my palms.

"I didn't need to. But I wanted to." I simply mumble, my eyes flickering between hers.

When I saw her lean up towards me, I quickly but as cooly as possible, divert the awaiting kiss, even if it pained me to do so.

"I-I'm so sorry. I-" She escaped my hold and darted out of the door, making me chase after her.

"Rosalie, stop!" I shout, quickly grasping her hand in mine before she was able to run downstairs.

Wrapping an arm around her waist, I pull her body towards me, trapping her between mine and the wall behind her.

"Rosalie, Sweetheart, I don't want you to feel obligated or have your feelings mixed up."

My thumb strokes over the smooth skin of her cheekbone, keeping her eyes locked with mine.

"I don't."

"You don't..."

"Feel obligated."

I sigh softly, her eyes setting me in a trance as I rest my forehead upon hers.

Letting my lips brush against hers for a few moments, I hold her close to me, wanting to protect her from everything bad in this world.

Keeping it to a minimum, I pull back not long afterwards, pressing a kiss to her temple.

"Come. You and I could both use some sleep."

A few small steps to the right led us back into my bedroom. Pealing back the blankets, I let Rosalie slip under the sheets first, before I crawl in next to her, holding my arms wide for her to cuddle in between them.

"Christian.."

"If you thank me one more time, I won't hesitate to head butt you."

"I was just saying goodnight, you moron."

Finally hearing her laugh was like every world problem was solved in an instant.

"Sweet dreams, My Rose."