“Fine. I don’t mind laying in the sun with you for a while,Bear.”
I muttered about her ridiculous nickname for me under my breath as I steered us to the small island in the center of the lake. It had a small sandy beach on one side and the rest was covered in tall trees that hid us from the world.
Helping her out, I pulled the boat from the water, lifting out the backpack I’d bought, as well as a blanket.
“How did Addi find us somewhere so secluded? I love not having to hide or worry about people taking pictures.”
“Who knows? That woman seems to be able to sort anything.”
“I know. We’re lucky to have her, although it’s going to be weird having Ethan take over managing us. She’s like part of the band. Actually, does that mean you’ll be around less? I don’t think I’ll feel safe if you’re not around.”
“I’ll be around, but the day to day stuff, I’ll be doing less of that.” She looked at me with sad eyes. “To be honest, Rogue, I shouldn’t be protecting you. Not if I’m in a relationship with you.”
She gasped. “W—what?”
“Well, it’s a conflict of interest. If I’m protecting you all, I would always put you first. Stepping back from the band means I can have a relationship with you.”
Her eyes widened as her mouth fell open. “Sorry, did you say relationship?”
I spread out the blanket and lowered myself to the ground, staring up at her. She’d changed before we came out and was now dressed in a white pleated short skirt, a tight, bright pink vest top, a white hoody, and white Vans, her long dark hair falling over her shoulders. Holding out my hand, she moved toward me until she stood, her feet on either side of me, exposing the toned pale skin of her thighs.
“Did you wear this skirt deliberately to tease me, Rogue?”
“Maybe,” she sighed, breathlessly. “You shouldn’t have packed it for me.”
“I didn’t. I think Addi might have repacked your case.”
“Ah, that makes sense,” she laughed.
Pushing her skirt higher with my pointer finger, I groaned, finding her naked underneath.
“No panties, Rogue?”
“Nope,” she replied, popping thep.
Unable to resist, I pulled her closer and pressed my face into her folds, breathing her in.
“Fuck, Rogue, you smell amazing. I want to drown in your pussy and never come up for air, but first I want us to talk.” I guided her into my lap, so she faced me, straddling my now very obvious erection. “Does that feel okay?”
Frankie ran her fingers through my beard, cupping my cheek, her eyes burning into mine. “This position or your cock nestled against me?”
“Both.”
“Both are good.” She rocked her hips over me, making it suddenly impossible to think straight. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her down harder, the pressure of her exposed pussy making my balls ache, but holding her firm so I could say what I wanted to say.
“Rogue, now I have trapped you on a deserted island with no interruptions or places for either of us to run, we should talk.”
My hands slipped under her t-shirt and gravitated to her lower back, making me sigh as I found that familiar skin, my thumbs circling automatically, while her hands moved to the back of my head.
Our faces inches apart, I spoke. “I know I messed up. I should have been honest about my past from the start, but talking about Emma and Alfie is so hard. No matter what anyone told me, I believed they died because I was too busy working to answer Emma’s call. I’ve spent so much time wondering what would have happened if I’d spoken to her. Could I have saved them? Would it have made a difference? Could I have told her I loved her… told them I loved them both one more time?” My voice cracked as my guilt broke through to the surface. I let my head fall forward, the weight of my emotions suddenly feeling too much to bear.
“Someone walked into my house and killed the two people I loved most in the world. My job was to protect them, and I failed. I honestly believed I wouldn’t ever want anyone else. That I would spend my life missing them. I believed I needed to be punished for how badly I’d let them down. And I lived like that for a really long time. Then I met you.” I paused.
“You, Frankie Hill, sparked a fire in me I didn’t understand. You made me feel things I’d never even felt for Emma, and that scared me. I started to doubt my feelings for her and then that made my guilt worse, so I pushed you away, and then I had to watch you from a distance for years. Watch you get hurt by that fucker Jimmy, watch as you hated me, watch as other people got to spend time with you and touch you while I had to stand on the sidelines and pretend I didn’t feel a thing. Fuck, that hurt. You have no idea how many times I wanted to crawl to you on my hands and knees and beg you to forgive me. But I didn’t because I didn’t think I was worthy… of you or of love. I loved Emma and Alfie and look at what happened to them.”
Frankie tilted my head up and kissed me softly and briefly, allowing me to take a moment before I continued.
“Every time I tried to tell you about them, I lost my nerve. I thought you’d blame me for what happened. I thought you’d think less of me. I couldn’t bear that.”