An Unforgotten Bet: (A Contemporary Romance) by Emily Marcucci Page B
Authors: Emily Marcucci
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“You’re stuck with me now,” she says reassuringly, and he laughs.
“Sorry I took so long. You’re cold. Let’s go to my car.”
Still carrying her in his arms, he walks over to his car and sets her down in the passenger seat, where she relaxes into the leather of the chair. She can feel her eyes closing as he turns on the heater, and when she briefly opens them he’s staring right at her.
“Sorry, I’m tired,” she mumbles with a smile.
He laughs, leaning over to kiss her. “Can you tell me what’s going on, Rose?”
She flicks her eyes fully open and sits up to look at him. His expression is soft and warm, but there’s no denying the hurt in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she begins, shaking her head, but he puts up a hand.
“Don’t apologise, just tell me what’s going on.”
She exhales loudly, then takes a deep breath. “When I ran into you at the coffee shop, I was still together with my ex-boyfriend, Danny. We didn’t get on very well…he’d cheated on me a few times before and I was beginning to fall out of love with him. I guess we just stayed together for convenience.” She shrugs, her eyes glazed over. “Then I saw you, and everything just…changed.”
“Changed?” he raises his eyebrows.
“Don’t you remember how close we were?” she says, her voice suddenly desperate. “How we told each other everything, how we could rely on one another for anything?”
“Of course I do, Rose,” he says soothingly.
“I know we were only kids, but you somehow managed to make me fall in love with you…and that feeling just never left. Do you know what it’s like to think about someone constantly for twelve years, Tom? To compare everyone you meet to them, to always be disappointed because nobody ever quite matches up? But it’s awful, because it’s been so long since you saw them that you don’t even know what happened to them, what they look like anymore, or if they even remember you…yet you can still remember everything about them, from their voice, to their laugh, to their scent, to their weird quirks. And then, after twelve painful years of trying to forget about them and move on with your life, you see them in a coffee shop…do you know how that feels?”
“I do, Rose,” he says, his voice so quiet that she has to strain her ears to hear him properly. “I know exactly how it feels.”
She sits motionless, her mouth opening and closing as she stares at him. And then he leans over and kisses her, supporting her head with his hands as she lets go and allows him to take over. All Rose can hear over the sound of his heavy breathing is the noise of raindrops pelting off the windscreen as the black sky opens up.
Gradually, Tom edges himself closer and closer towards her, and before she can stop him he has her body pressed up against the window, kissing her neck and her shoulders and ravelling her golden curls around his fingers.
“You’re never leaving me again, Rose Evans,” he whispers between kisses, his mouth slowly making its way up to her jaw to nibble on her earlobe.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Tom Flynn,” she giggles, raising her head to expose her neck, and pressing her body closer to his.
His hands slide over to her shoulders, pulling down the straps of the thin tank top that Gina let her borrow. She’s not wearing a bra, and her nipples harden at his touch. Tom seems to notice, as his breathing suddenly quickens.
“I just can’t keep my hands off you,” he mumbles, slowly dragging his fingers across her body until he reaches her breasts, and cupping them gently. His hands feel warm through her shirt, and Rose can’t help herself from scooting closer to him.
“That feels really good,” she whispers, sliding her tongue between his lips.
“It feels really good to me, too,” he says with a grin, sliding an arm around her back and pulling her in close to his body. She groans and grabs his wrist, pulling his hand back towards her
“You’re stuck with me now,” she says reassuringly, and he laughs.
“Sorry I took so long. You’re cold. Let’s go to my car.”
Still carrying her in his arms, he walks over to his car and sets her down in the passenger seat, where she relaxes into the leather of the chair. She can feel her eyes closing as he turns on the heater, and when she briefly opens them he’s staring right at her.
“Sorry, I’m tired,” she mumbles with a smile.
He laughs, leaning over to kiss her. “Can you tell me what’s going on, Rose?”
She flicks her eyes fully open and sits up to look at him. His expression is soft and warm, but there’s no denying the hurt in his eyes.
“I’m so sorry,” she begins, shaking her head, but he puts up a hand.
“Don’t apologise, just tell me what’s going on.”
She exhales loudly, then takes a deep breath. “When I ran into you at the coffee shop, I was still together with my ex-boyfriend, Danny. We didn’t get on very well…he’d cheated on me a few times before and I was beginning to fall out of love with him. I guess we just stayed together for convenience.” She shrugs, her eyes glazed over. “Then I saw you, and everything just…changed.”
“Changed?” he raises his eyebrows.
“Don’t you remember how close we were?” she says, her voice suddenly desperate. “How we told each other everything, how we could rely on one another for anything?”
“Of course I do, Rose,” he says soothingly.
“I know we were only kids, but you somehow managed to make me fall in love with you…and that feeling just never left. Do you know what it’s like to think about someone constantly for twelve years, Tom? To compare everyone you meet to them, to always be disappointed because nobody ever quite matches up? But it’s awful, because it’s been so long since you saw them that you don’t even know what happened to them, what they look like anymore, or if they even remember you…yet you can still remember everything about them, from their voice, to their laugh, to their scent, to their weird quirks. And then, after twelve painful years of trying to forget about them and move on with your life, you see them in a coffee shop…do you know how that feels?”
“I do, Rose,” he says, his voice so quiet that she has to strain her ears to hear him properly. “I know exactly how it feels.”
She sits motionless, her mouth opening and closing as she stares at him. And then he leans over and kisses her, supporting her head with his hands as she lets go and allows him to take over. All Rose can hear over the sound of his heavy breathing is the noise of raindrops pelting off the windscreen as the black sky opens up.
Gradually, Tom edges himself closer and closer towards her, and before she can stop him he has her body pressed up against the window, kissing her neck and her shoulders and ravelling her golden curls around his fingers.
“You’re never leaving me again, Rose Evans,” he whispers between kisses, his mouth slowly making its way up to her jaw to nibble on her earlobe.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Tom Flynn,” she giggles, raising her head to expose her neck, and pressing her body closer to his.
His hands slide over to her shoulders, pulling down the straps of the thin tank top that Gina let her borrow. She’s not wearing a bra, and her nipples harden at his touch. Tom seems to notice, as his breathing suddenly quickens.
“I just can’t keep my hands off you,” he mumbles, slowly dragging his fingers across her body until he reaches her breasts, and cupping them gently. His hands feel warm through her shirt, and Rose can’t help herself from scooting closer to him.
“That feels really good,” she whispers, sliding her tongue between his lips.
“It feels really good to me, too,” he says with a grin, sliding an arm around her back and pulling her in close to his body. She groans and grabs his wrist, pulling his hand back towards her
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