Page 7 of A Taste For Trouble

“I release you from that ridiculous promise, Dominic. I don’t need anyone to look after me because I’m an independent woman. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to clean my oven.”

“Burnt the pasta, did you?” I asked with a smirk, and she turned stiff with anger.

“Get out,” she snarled.

“Not until you drop this stupid plan. You’re not going to marry that idiot, Rose.”

“Why not?” she asked, and I opened my mouth to give her a long list of reasons why, but for some strange reason, my mind went blank.

“Because your mother would have hated him,” I said, at last, and her face fell.

I felt like an asshole for putting that look on her face. I knew Rose still missed her Mom, and I had no business weaponising that. Her shoulders drooped, and I drew her into my arms slowly.

“I’m sorry,” I said gruffly, resting my chin on top of her head. “That was a low blow.”

“I hate you,” she muttered, and I let out a loud sigh.

“I don’t blame you. But you’ll hate me more if I let you go through with this, Rosie Posie.”

A little shiver went through her body, and I wondered if she was feeling cold. She stiffened in my arms and pulled away to glare at me.

“You have no say in how I live my life, Dominic Carlisle. You’re not the boss of me.”

Before I could retort, a car screeched to a halt right behind mine, and Joe Cheney jumped out. He scowled at me as he raced up the little cobbled driveway.

“Babe! What’s going on?”

Rose groaned at the sight of him.

“Joe! I asked you not to come here today,” she said wearily.

“Sweetheart, you look upset. Are these people bothering you? Come on, let’s go into the house and talk about it,” he said, trying to get past me.

“Stay where you are,” I growled, and he froze in place. “Rose, did you ask him not to come to your house?”

She stared at him in dismay before she nodded once.

“That’s not true,” he cried, but I held up a hand.

“Do you need him to go away for now?” I asked, again looking only at her.

“Yes,” she replied softly. “Joe, there’s nothing to talk about. I told you everything I had to say. This isn’t working out for me.”

Yesss! She wasn’t going to marry this loser. A wave of triumph roared through me, and for the life of me, I couldn’t understand why.

“It’s not all about you, Rose,” replied Joe angrily. “There were two people in this relationship. You and I. And if we have to break up, it has to be mutual. You can’t just dump me because you feel like it.”

He took one step towards her, and I turned to glare at him.

“Nuh-uh,” I said, shaking my head at him slowly. “We’re not doing that, buddy.”

“Get out of my way,buddy,” he snarled.

“Hey, dumbass…she said she wants you to leave,” said Trevor loudly. “What part of ‘go away’ don’t you understand?”

“Why are you guys even here?” demanded Joe, and Trevor rolled his eyes in disdain.

“Because we’re her friends. Now, git!”