Rose of Thorne Read online

  “SKYLAR… STAY WITH ME! SKYLAR!!” she screamed, and then I don’t remember anything else.

  A week later, I was released from the hospital and spent the next month recuperating at the Reynolds’ house. Trevor not only evaded capture that night, but he also managed to steal the entire $100,000 that my Granna had left us.

  The scars of that night run deeper than just these on the outside. Trevor still sometimes tortures me in my dreams at night. To be honest, I always look over my shoulder, and I have forgotten what it was like to feel safe. That is, until now… until Sebastian.

  Sebastian

  I order half the damn menu from the Italian restaurant down the street. I don’t know what she likes, but she needs to eat. She has been asleep for most of the day now, and it’s time I check in on her. When I step into my dark bedroom, I see the bathroom light illuminated from underneath the door.

  I hear a sudden crash from behind the closed door, and I bolt inside without knocking. My panicked eyes land on her as she jumps and pulls herself up straight trying to cover herself up. There she stands, wrapped in one of my chocolate colored towels, leaning up against the counter for support. I see her glance down at the hair dryer on the floor. Apparently, this had been the crash I heard. I reach down, pick the dryer up off the floor, and place it back on the counter. I am much too concerned about her right now to dwell on the fact that she is standing there practically naked.

  “Are you okay?” I ask her. She looks so pale and exhausted that I am beyond worried.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. It just slipped out of my hand.”

  “Let me help you back to bed, Skylar. You shouldn’t have gotten up without calling me in the first place,” I scold her.

  “I’m fine, Sebastian. I needed a shower, and I didn’t want to bother you. Besides, I managed just fine on my own.”

  I fight back the impulse to argue with her stubbornness and begin urging her out of the bathroom.

  “Let me get you something to change into, and then I will help you back into bed, okay? The doctor said you need to rest, and he will be by this evening to check on you. Besides, I’ve ordered us dinner, and I’ll bring you a plate. There is a ton of food in there, so I hope you’re hungry.”

  She nods, and I quickly walk back into my bedroom to find her a t-shirt and a pair of my running shorts to wear. After a few moments, she emerges wearing my clothes, and I won’t lie, it’s fucking sexy as hell to see her in my oversized clothes. She slips back into bed, and I bring us both a plate into the bedroom. Even though she doesn’t eat much, I am still so glad to see her actually eat.

  Talking to her is so easy. I don’t have to pretend. I don’t have to put up a guard. And best of all, she sees me for me. Tonight, I realize that the reason it’s so easy is because I’ve unconsciously made the choice to let her inside the walls that I never let anyone else in. It is my own personal fortress where I can control and protect myself from everything. The thing is that I don’t need to protect myself from her; she needs protection from me. What’s even better is that she doesn’t expect anything from me, and with her, I can be something I have never been. Normal. As soon as we finish our meals, the front desk calls to let me know of the doctor’s arrival.

  Dr. Somers examines Skylar thoroughly and is happy with her progress since seeing her last night. He wants her to rest for the next couple of days, but feels she will be fine after that. Even though I want her to stay here with me, I know she will never agree to it. She’s already spoken to her sister, and Kylie will be moving in to take care of her for as long as she needs.

  “Are you sure I can’t convince you to stay here and rest, at least for tonight?” I ask her as we stand on the curb on my street.

  “Thank you Sebastian, really… for everything, but I will be fine.”

  She gently kisses me on the cheek as I ease her body into the backseat of the waiting car. Putting her in that town car is harder than I ever imagined it would be.

  Night after night, I have sent women home in that car and never gave it a moment’s thought. But tonight… tonight, I want nothing more than to keep her here with me where I can keep an eye on her and watch her sleep… where I can keep her safe.

  I have never felt as lonely as I do right now laying in this bed without her. I can still feel her body up against mine. I can still smell her candy scent on the pillow that I am sleeping on. I even find the tiny droplets of dried blood on the pillowcase erotic, simply because they are from her. Pretending it is her body, I hug the pillow close to my body and try to dream of her. Maybe when I awake she will be here… still in my arms.

  The district attorney’s office calls the next morning and informs me that Skylar has made her official statement to the police. They will be moving ahead with their case against Brandon. I finish up with my meetings at the office and have Sara check in on Skylar at home for me. I want to call her, but I just can’t bring myself to do it. I hate that I am being such a fucking coward about all of this, but I am terrified that she is making me too weak. I can’t afford to look weak in this business.

  After their phone conversation, Sara informs me that Skylar will be returning to work the following day. I am concerned that she is pushing herself too quickly by doing that, but I nod and thank Sara for the information. I know that it is going to be awkward when she returns to work tomorrow. I don’t want her to think there is something there or a possibility of something happening between us. So when she returns tomorrow, I will be piling work on her.

  Yes, I know I am an asshole.

  Over and over the next day, she tries to thank me, but each time, I rudely dismiss her. By Thursday, the mere sight of her makes me furious. I decide it is best that I work the rest of the week from my home office where I know I can compose my conflicting emotions. I can’t avoid her for much longer, but for right now, I have to regain the control that I have lost while I am around her.

  JAB. PUNCH. My fists furiously pound into the heavy Everlast bag over and over again. My swollen red knuckles ache from the past hour of constant pounding, but still I continue relentlessly slamming my fist into the bag. I am just so angry at myself and even angrier at her. Out of all people, why her? This internship had barely started and it was already hell.

  The board that consisted of both women and men were never in total agreement on things, yet their decision to award her the internship position had been a unanimous one. I had never seen anything like that in all the years I had worked here.

  PUNCH. PUNCH. JAB.JAB. I continue unleashing my anger out on the swinging bag.

  I haven’t slept more than a few hours all weekend long. The way her haunting eyes stare right through me, the way her flawless silky skin feels against my hands, and the way her curvaceous body feels against mine, it’s all I can think about. Skylar Marie Rose is driving me fucking insane! Panting, I jerk the glove off my hand and turn up my cold bottle of water as I try to catch my breath.

  Control, Thorne. You MUST regain control.

  Skylar

  It is painfully obvious that he doesn’t want to talk about what happened between us. Time and time again, I try to talk to him, but each time, he coldly turns me away. He piles the work load on me, and to be honest, even though I am still recovering from the assault, I welcome the distraction. Little do I know that a new distraction will be walking back into my life on Monday morning.

  “Delivery for a Miss Skylar Rose,” the short delivery man speaks shyly as he stands at my little desk. Confused, I sign his delivery sheet and hand him back his pen.

  Are these from Sebastian? Who else would be sending me flowers?

  He hands me the most beautiful arrangement of flowers that I have ever seen. Tropical flowers in every possible shade of pink now sit on my desk, and earn envious looks from others in the office. Sara’s face erupts in a grin when she returns to her desk.

  “Wow!! Someone seems to have quite an admirer,” she winks. “Who are they from?”

  I slide the card out of th
e little envelope, and my face breaks into a smile. Lucas. With his long sandy blonde hair and piercing emerald eyes, he is quite unforgettable. Scrolling down to his name in my contacts on my phone, I send a text to thank him for the gorgeous flowers.

  ME: Just got a WONDERFUL surprise! Thank you so much, Lucas!

  His reply is almost immediate.

  LUCAS: I’m so glad you liked them, gorgeous! How about dinner tomorrow night?

  I think long and hard before answering his text. Am I ready for that? I mean, it is just dinner, after all. Staring back down at the beautiful flowers, I take a deep breath and answer him.

  ME: Sure, what time?

  LUCAS: 7:30?

  ME: Sure

  LUCAS: Send me your address and I’ll pick you up.

  Since I don’t like the idea of giving out my home address, I ask him to pick me up at Marie’s shop instead. He politely agrees, and I slip my phone back into my purse. I’m not sure if I know what I am doing, but anything is better than wasting my time on some arrogant asshole like Sebastian Thorne.

  For the rest of the afternoon, I throw myself into my work, and before I realize it, it is time to leave for the day. I put the things on my desk away, and head across town to Sophie’s home game. I love that I get to see more of them now that I’m not working the late shifts at the café.

  I cheer for my sister as she continues scoring goal after goal against the opposing team. When she scores the winning shot, I am on my feet jumping and screaming. Coach Stephens pulls me aside when the game is over to speak with me.

  “Hi, Skylar, I just wanted to tell you that we’ve had several college scouts asking about Sophie. I think she will be getting some seriously great scholarship offers coming her way. I just want to tell you that your sister is a truly gifted player. It’s been my honor coaching her the past few years,” he says sincerely to me.

  Beaming with pride from his kind words, I shake his hand to thank him. After she showers and changes, Sophie and I decide to head to our favorite pizza place to have dinner. It is so nice spending time like this with my little sister; I have really missed out on this. I look at her beautiful face and feel the tears threatening. It’s as if she has grown into a woman overnight. Soon she will be graduating high school and leaving for college. I don’t know how I am going to handle being all alone once she leaves. I push my thoughts aside and try not to think about all of that just yet. Right now, the thoughts of me being all alone are more than I can handle.

  Sebastian

  The sun hasn’t even risen Tuesday morning when I step out of the elevator on my office floor. The early arrival means I avoid the prying eyes of my employees and avoid the risk of bumping into her. I tell myself that I am heading straight for my office, but the sight of the large vase of exotic flowers on her desk jolts me to a stop. Of course, I know that those flowers are none of my business, and I need to keep walking to my office, but I can’t. Instead, my feet lead me astray, and I find myself standing in front of her small desk that’s attached to my assistant Sara’s.

  When I see Rosendall’s infamous trademark R embellished on the front of the card, I instantly know these flowers set someone back a pretty penny. I know this because flowers like these ran at least $700, and I can’t imagine who would have sent them to her.

  Wait… Why do I even give a shit?

  I need to walk away right now, but instead I find myself reaching for the card. Looking back over my shoulder to making sure I am alone, I carefully open the small envelope that bears her name in elegant script.

  The most gorgeous woman deserves the most gorgeous flowers. Looking forward to Wednesday!

  Lucas

  I have to be careful not to crumple the card. With trembling hands, I slip the note card in the envelope and back away from the desk. Who is this Lucas and what was he doing with my Skylar?

  What the hell? My Skylar?

  She isn’t mine and she never will be... she can’t be. Why do I care whom she sees? Of course, she is a beautiful woman, and I know she is going to have admirers. So, why does it piss me off so damn much? I storm down the hallway and slam my office door. I sit down at the large antique desk that was once my father’s and run my hands through my hair.

  “FUCK!” I shout as I slam my fists on the hard wooden desk. My knuckles still ache from my morning bag punching. I have to do something about this and fast. There is a simple solution really. I need to do what I do best. Find a beautiful woman, and fuck her brains out. Once my cock is buried deep in another woman, I will finally have her out of my mind and feel back to my old self. I have let this woman distract me long enough from who I really am.

  Sara pages my office to tell me that everyone is present and waiting for the meeting. Standing up, I smile and straighten my crimson silk tie in my office mirror. I already feel much better, and now I know I can face her. I stride in the large conference room with my restored confidence and the room immediately hushes as I make my way to the head chair. I haven’t laid eyes on her, but I can feel her from across the room. I quickly scan the large area and find her sitting in the far back corner. With her head tucked down, she is hiding shyly behind a guy from the drafting team. She thinks she goes unseen, but I see the looks of the young men who are sitting near her. She never looks up as she grips her notebook and pencil for dear life. Her dark, wavy hair is pinned up neatly, and she is wearing a pale pink dress that comes to her knees. Once again, I am shaken by her mere presence, and I have to remind myself of my destination tonight.

  For the next hour, I explain the importance of the design requests that our potential Japanese VIP client, Mr. Chiro Yung, has made. A few people seem to be paying attention, but I notice that Skylar is actively writing down and listening intently to my every word. When the meeting is over, I watch her be basically mauled by three men from the design team. Each of them shamelessly flirts and competes for her attention. I feel my hands clench to my sides and my jaw pop when I see Anderson from the drafting team make an obscene gesture to another coworker when she turns to walk out of the room.

  “ANDERSON!” I shout and he smiles as he turns to face me.

  “Yes, sir?” His smug face is now serious and full of question.

  “In my office, NOW!” I shout. He looks confused and nods, turning to head towards my office.

  “Hold my calls, Sara!” I snarl and slam the tall mahogany door behind me.

  “Don’t bother sitting, Anderson, you won’t be in here long enough! What the FUCK was that back there?” I say as I move to face him.

  “What do you mean, sir?” He says genuinely confused.

  “Back there, with the hand gesture. What was that about?” I spat at him, and he raises his eyebrows in realization.

  “Oh, I am sorry, sir. She is the new intern, and Scott and I were talking about how hot she was. I didn’t mean anything by it, sir. Scott wants to ask her out, and we got carried away I guess,” he says while smiling smugly at me.

  “Right there, that smile. See, I was going to let you off with a warning, but I think you can just go ahead and clear your things out of your desk. This isn’t the first time you and I have discussed this type of behavior,” I say sternly.

  “What? You’re firing me? You can’t fire me, sir! I never even laid a finger on her!” he says angrily to me.

  “Ms. Rose is new on our team, and she will be working with all of you. I can’t have her treated with disrespect just because you and your buddy want to get laid!” I am now shouting back at him.

  “Oh, I get it now. You just want to fuck her yourself. I mean, that’s probably how she got this job anyway, am I right? A girl like that probably knows how to work her best assets, huh?” he speaks as he shoots me a cocky grin.

  It takes me all of two seconds to have his jacket lapels in my hands and his back pressed into the wall behind him.

  “Don’t you EVER talk about her like that, do you understand me? EVER!” I say as I release him.

  “Sara, get security up her
e now!” I angrily spit out as I slam my hand down on the intercom on the wall.

  “You can’t expect me not to go the board about this,” he returns angrily.

  “Go right ahead, and when you do, I’ll be sure to play them the video of your behavior in the boardroom. I’m sure you don’t want sexual harassment documented on your file. So don’t fuck with me or I promise you that you will more than regret it, Anderson!” I growl through gritted teeth. I don’t bother waiting on security to arrive as I yank open the door to drag him down the hallway.

  “You won’t get away with this, Thorne!” He shouts as I throw him into the two guards who were making their way to us. Skylar stands horrified, gripping an armful of files as they take him past her.

  “Escort him out of the building now, and we will have his things delivered to him. He is to be permanently banned. Is that understood?” I shout to both of the guards.

  “FUCK YOU, THORNE!” he shouts and looks over to Skylar with a wicked smile.

  “Don’t you know you are just another one of his whores? What a pity too, because a hot piece of ass such as you deserves something better. I wouldn’t count on anything more than him fucking you and leaving you,” he says hatefully to her. I have his body pinned up against the wall before he even finishes his sentence.

  “Mr. Thorne, We have this, sir.” The guard says as he pulls me off him. I turn to walk past my employees who are standing there in complete shock at what they had just witnessed. Seeing me lose my temper is certainly not something new by any means, but never like this. I walk past a confused and hurt Skylar on my way back to my office. I kick the door shut and begin furiously jerking off my suit jacket and tie. Throwing them across the room, I walk over to the window and peer out at the city below.

  Minutes later, I hear a light tapping on my door, and I scream harshly at the intruder who is entering without my consent.

  “What the FUCK now?” I shout and turn from looking out my large office window. Something about seeing the horrified expression on her face paralyzes me.