Rubble: Devil's Rose #12

Chapter 20: Alice Owens

Flying back to Westmoor, it's bittersweet. I'm sad to leave my parents with my dad still healing. I don't want them to feel like they are alone. I don't think they do though.

Their neighbors came over throughout the week to reassure Major and me that our parents would be well taken care of. But nothing can change the fact that I'm going to miss them.

Nick said that they have 'wild spirits,' and I get what he means. That partly has to do with the fact that they live in Louisiana. Everyone who is born and raised there has a wild spirit.

I know that they are going to be okay; it seems like Major and I are more traumatized about what happened than they are.

However, I'm also really glad to be heading home. I miss my friends and working and sleeping in my own bed. I like stopping by the bar every day and going on little outings around Westmoor and Grove Heights with Nick.

I miss seeing people I know when I'm grocery shopping and heading into Vellichor to say hello to Gabby and Violet. I just miss it all. I especially not having sex on a floor. Not to say that Nick and I had a bunch of sex while at my parent's house because that would be gross, but when we tried to do anything, it was uncomfortable.

After my first night sleeping there, my bed was so squeaky that I couldn't even sleep (I knew it). Honestly, I mostly slept in the guest room where Nick was because of the bed and it was hard to sleep without him.

When Major found out about us, and then my mom and dad found out too, neither of us could come up with a reason not to sleep together.

"Hey, sunshine, you want to stay at my place tonight? I think it's time."

He's sort of been bugging me about staying at his place. I've convinced myself that it's a kink thing. It obviously has something to do with me in his bed, wearing his clothes afterward, taking a shower with his soap.

It's definitely some sort of possessive act, a good one, and I'm not judging him for that. I forget that sometimes he's literally just a man because he's such a good man. I think it's both funny and hot at the same time.

No one else is going to know besides the two of us that I slept over at his place, so it's weird that it's a show of possession, but it's also extremely sexy that he wants to possess me in the first place.

I know that in his perspective I'm not an object to possess, but we want to fully be each other's sexually. I'm not quite sure about romantically from his point of view.

"Yes, we can stay over at your place," I reply, giving in to his request.

I think he's about to drop to his knees right in the backseat of Major's truck.

Nick leans toward the front seat and tells Major, who's driving, that we both going to go to his place. He places small circles on the inside of my thigh as he tries to distract me from overthinking, which would be on track for me, or coming up with an excuse to change my mind.

With his warm grip on me, I don't think there's anything that could change my mind. I want him so bad. I want to tangle my fingers in his hair, moan into his mouth, and fall apart underneath him.

He thinks he's obsessed with me, but he has no idea. I don't what I would do without this man. I want to insert him into my blood. I want to be entangled with him. I would do anything for him.

"You ready, sunshine?" Nick says, bringing me back to the real world.

I'm so in love. He just can't know that.

I get out of the car, on the sidewalk side per Major's instructions, as Nick unloads our suitcases from the bed of the truck. Major has a cover on his truck, so it's not like they got destroyed on the road trip.

I give Violet a massive hug before stepping up to my brother, who I've never seen this exhausted except when he came back from his Iraq stint. This is an odd way of putting it because he's traumatized from what happened to him, around him.

I tighten my hug, feeling the tears brew up in my eyes. I'm so glad that he has Violet now. I used to worry about him to the point of sickness, and I still worry about him, but I know someone has his back.

I know that there's someone he can go home to, that will hold him when he needs it most and when he doesn't need it at all. He has someone to support to; he needs that as well.

Major says goodnight to both of us and reminds Nick about the Devil's Rose meeting that they have tomorrow before getting back into his truck to drive home.

Nick texts Alpha and Tank, telling them that the four of us made it back home safely while I collapse onto the floor of our apartment.

"Baby? Are you okay?"

"I'm so glad to be back. Oh my god," I sigh, breathing in the smell of Nick's home.

He smiles down at me and collapses onto the floor next to me.

"I'm glad to be back too."

And we don't say anything for a while, just lay on the cold and comforting floor together.

"Why don't you take a shower? There are extra towels in the hall closet. You'll find it. I'll make us some food," he directs, groaning in exhaustion as he gets up off the floor.

He takes my wrists in his right hand and pulls me up off the ground. I follow his direction, thinking it's a good one, and walk around his house in search of the bathroom and towels.

I think he didn't give me directions, so I have an excuse to look around because he knows I wouldn't without permission or some sort of need. He knows me so very well.

I step into his bedroom, and it's simple. Dark blueish gray walls, more blue than gray, a couple of bookshelves, a dresser and closet, a huge bed, and a side table.

It's everything that I would expect his room to be. I didn't have many expectations in the first place but simple and clean. Which is exactly how it is.

I see a bathroom attached to his bedroom, but I'm not sure that's the one he was hoping for me to use because there's also another one closest to the hall closet.

I have already grabbed a towel, so I guess I'll just use this bathroom instead of the other one. The hot water rushing down my back is extremely needed as soon as possible.

When I step out of the shower, I smell like him, and it's so damn sexy. I'm not too tired. I could spend a couple of hours doing my favorite Nick and Alice activity.

A pile of clean clothes sits on his bed with a little note that says that I can wear whatever I like. I slip a white and large T-shirt over my head and just a clean set of my own underwear. I want him to know what I'm looking for.

There's no point in me wearing doughnut pj pants. While he wouldn't mind, it's not the message I'm trying to send. I can smell the pizza, that he actually ordered, from the hallway and my stomach grumbles like crazy.

He stands in the kitchen, freshly clean too, with his back turned to me as he pours two glasses of red wine, putting Sprite in mine just how I like it. Red wine is way too bitter for me, so I put Sprite (it has to be Sprite or Ginger Ale) in there to sweeten it up.

When Nick turns around, he stills when he sees me. He sets the wine on the kitchen island next to the counter, licking his lower lip.

He knows exactly what's he doing.