A fractured fairytale

72

"Ready to go?" I asked Rose as she stepped up towards me.

She smiled brightly back at me and I felt my heart jump. She was so beautiful when she was happy. "I'm ready," she confirmed.

I took her bag from her shoulder and tossed it onto the back seats of my car beside the boxes of her presents. I was pleased she liked them. I'd spend a long time trying to find the perfect gifts for her, things that she would appreciate. I knew she wouldn't care about the money so expensive stuff wouldn't go over well which meant it all had to be meaningful for her to accept them.

The books were the easy options. I knew, no matter how much I'd spent, she wouldn't be able to refuse them. She loved reading too much and I knew it bothered her having incomplete series on her shelves. The other bits and pieces were things I knew she needed or things that would help her in one way or another, and then the necklace was more for me. Seeing it hanging around her neck right now flickered a sick sense of possession in me.

I opened the car door for her and she thanked me – like she did every time – and slipped inside. She was so damn adorable. I shut the door before rounding the car and getting inside myself. She was flicking through the radio stations and settled back into her seat when a song she liked came on. I loved how comfortable she'd become with me.

"Did you tell your mom I'm coming?" she asked me.

"Yep." In fact, when I'd called, she'd squealed down the phone telling me how happy she was. I ended the call on her. "But I told her we'd be back later. I want you all to myself for a little while first."

A cute little frown marred her face. "Where are we going?"

I winked at her. "Somewhere where we'll be alone."

The journey was spent in comfortable silence and only twenty minutes later I pulled up in the small forest car park that was unsurprisingly empty. It was pouring with rain which meant the walk to the waterfall was far too slippery.

"Matt, it's pouring down. We're going to get soaked."

"We're not going to do the walk," I assured her. I turned the radio up slightly before leaning across the centre console and cupping her face. "I just wanted some time alone with you before I have to share you with my family."

Her lips spread into a smile right before I kissed her, tongue running along her lower lip until she parted them. It was my turn to grin. Kissing her was as close to heaven as I ever would be lucky enough to get. She tasted so sweet and soft and when she melted against me, hands going to my shoulders to tug me closer, I couldn't hold back the groan.

"Perfect," I murmured into her mouth.

I slid my hands down from face to her waist and tugged her closer. She was much too far away. I removed one hand from her briefly to unclip her belt before reaching back over, lifting her up and dragging her over onto my lap.

Her legs fell either side of me, hands roaming up and down my chest while our lips stayed connected. I was running out of breath but I didn't care. I'd happily die right now with her lips against mine, her body pressed to me.

"God, you're amazing," I told her, pulling away with extreme reluctance. While I was happy to die like this, I wouldn't forgive myself for suffocating her. "Have you had a good birthday?"

Her answering smile was breathtaking. "Every day with you is a good day."

That made me feel so fucking amazing. I hated the idea of having big ego but God this girl did wonders for my ego. It was hard not to be a bit smug when I'd managed to land a girl like her. Especially when she said things like that.