Page 34 of Rose

“If it makes you feel better, I got your lil man a new Ferrari. Better model. Faster. Fully loaded. So I'm sure he’s fine now,” Savior added casually, like he was talking about running errands.

Her brows lifted in disbelief. “Wait, really?” she asked, her voice softening despite herself. “That was... actually sweet of you, considering it was your fault in the first place.”

Savior chuckled, brushing his thumb against her thigh. “I’m not heartless, baby. I just needed to make a point. His car just happened to be... collateral damage. Message delivered. Car replaced. Wife home.”

Ahzii let out a light laugh, almost against her will—until Savior kept talking.

“Oh—and I left him a note too,” he added, deadpan. “Told him to delete your number, never contact you again. Let him know you’re married now. And if he even thinks about looking at you again? That car will be the least of his worries. ”

Ahzii’s smile dropped instantly. “Savior…”

“I warned him,” he said, kissing her lips like they weren’t just talking about threatening a man ’ s kneecaps . “Next time? I’m going for what he needs to walk.”

She sat in silence, processing everything. Her heart pounded. Her jaw clenched.

“Well… that explains why Kiyan hasn’t called me,” she muttered.

Savior smirked and kissed her again, this time slower. “Can’t stop being a lunatic,” she mumbled between his lips, rolling her eyes.

“In my DNA,” he whispered against her mouth. “And now that I’ve been inside you? You done unlocked a whole new beast.”

Savior’s phone dinged.

Gate notification.

Seconds later, a call from his security buzzed through.

“Hey boss, Mrs. Stone is headed up to the house,” Ron’s voice crackled through.

“I’m gonna take a shower and get ready,” Ahzii said, easing off his lap.

Before she could take a full step, he caught her hand, grounding her with one smooth pull.

She stared down at him, sighing. “Savior, I need to get ready so I can go to the shop.”

Without a word, he hung up the call and pulled her back down into him, gripping the back of her neck gently but firmly, guiding her lips to his in a kiss that silenced everything else. She kissed him back—her mouth soft, her resolve slipping like sand through her fingers.

When he finally let her go, she stood up on shaky legs, limping slightly toward the bathroom causing him to chuckle since he was the cause.

“Fuck you,” she muttered under her breath.

“ Sav! ” she called a second later, her tone sharp.

He smirked, walking over and leaning in the doorway like a satisfied villain.

She stood frozen in the middle of the bathroom, her eyes wide with surprise. Candles flickered around a tub filled with a warm, foaming bubble bath. The scent of jasmine and coconut drifted through the air. He’d even placed a folded towel and robe on the counter beside it.

She turned, slowly. “You… did all this?”

Savior’s smirk deepened. “Been up since four, baby. Took my dogs for a run, hit the gym, light breakfast, now I'm tryna feed you right and soak you down.”

He stepped inside, arms folded as he admired her expression. “I knew you needed to soak after I beat that good ass pussy all night. That limp you walkin' with? Proof I was right.”

Ahzii turned to him, hands on her hips. “ My boundary. Remember?”

He shrugged like she’d said nothing. “ My boundary, Allure. You ain’t gotta say thank you. You can cuss me out if you want. But you’re gettin’ yo fine ass in that tub, and you’re soaking. For you —and for my swollen baby.”

She blinked, mouth parting in disbelief.

Add that to the mental list of how unhinged this man was.

Still…

“I’m gonna say thank you, because I’m not rude. I was raised with manners. So… thank you,” she said, tone clipped despite the flutter rising in her chest .

She folded her arms. “So just because I’ve got a boundary against emotional attachment, I’m still expected to accept your romantic-ass gestures because your boundary is… what? Loving me in every way possible?”

“Correct, Allure.” He stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Her breath caught. “That’s not fair. You’re doing the exact opposite of what I’m asking you not to do.”

“Then don’t crack,” he murmured, pulling her against his chest. “I’ll give you every romantic gesture, fuck your soul out, kiss it back into you, and tell you how alluring you are every damn day…

but if you stay detached, keep your heart guarded like you swear you want to—then you won’t have a problem. Right?”

That smirk again. That arrogant, knowing smirk that made her thighs clench and her eyes narrow.

“You’re so full of yourself,” she muttered.

“Nah. Just confident in the man I am. And intentional about what I want.”

He kissed her again—slow, like a promise—and stepped back, leaving her standing still, breathless, and barely able to hold her composure.

“Can you turn around?” she asked softly. “I need to take my clothes off.”

Even though every part of him wanted to speak—wanted to tell her how beautiful she was, how he saw her and wanted every piece she tried to hide—he said nothing. He simply turned, giving her the privacy she needed, even if it killed him not to love the parts of her she couldn’t yet love herself.

Ahzii now sat still, submerged in the hot, relaxing water, the bath bomb he dropped earlier still fizzing faintly in the tub. Her body felt like it was floating—muscles loose, skin soft, the steam wrapping around her like a weighted blanket.

“You can turn around now.”

“I know you’re not gonna have time to go home,” Savior said once he turned back around, his voice low as he leaned against the doorframe. “So pick anything you want from my closet. You love baggy shit—take whatever feels good. Also... take any car. I got business to handle, so I can’t drive you.”

She blinked at him, her brows lifting. “Wait... you’ll let me take any car?”

“Any one,” he confirmed with a shrug, like it was nothing. “Keys are in the garage. Whole key ring. Choose whatever you want.”

She stared at him, unsure if the warmth spreading through her was from the water—or from him.

Savior Carter.

This massive, unhinged man had walked into her life and started peeling back the layers she buried so deep even she forgot they were there. He touched her without flinching. Saw her without blinking. And treated her—scars, attitude, trauma and all—like she was something soft and sacred.

And it terrified her.

Because no matter how much she fought it, she was starting to feel something. Something too familiar. Too dangerous.

The same feeling she once gave away recklessly to a man who tore her world apart.

William .

He was her first everything. Her anchor. Her storm. The man she once trusted her whole future with. The man who died with pieces of her still in his hands. No matter how long it had been, no one had ever touched the space he left behind.

Until now.

And it didn’t feel like cheating on William. It felt like erasing him. Like letting go. Like closing a chapter she swore she’d keep open forever.

And she couldn’t do that.

She wouldn’t.

No matter how sweet Savior was. No matter how good his touch felt. No matter how many bubble baths and car keys he left in her lap… she couldn’t give him that same part of her. That last part.

Because once she gave it away… there’d be nothing left of the woman William once loved. And part of her still needed to keep that girl alive. Even if it meant pushing Savior away. Even if it meant staying broken.

Ahzii finished soaking in the tub before slipping into Savior’s massive glass shower.

The warm water cascaded down her curves, washing away the remnants of last night—the sand caught in her boho braids, the salt in the air, the fire in her body.

These braids were coming out today anyway, but for now, she let the water rinse through them, clearing away the last traces of the beach and everything they did on it.

Everything he did to her. She tried not to think about it. But her mind replayed it anyway.

The way he touched her, like he had ownership of every inch.

The way he spoke to her, like he saw through the cracks and wanted to kiss every one of them.

The way he filled her, slow, deep strokes that touched places inside her body and soul she thought were sealed shut.

Her moans echoing against the crashing waves and rushing wind. That mouth. That voice. That dick.

She hated how badly she wanted it again.

Craved it.

She couldn’t attach to the things he said, refused to—but damn if they didn’t make her unravel anyway. Savior wasn’t just giving her what she wanted; he was giving her what he wanted too. He didn’t push. He didn’t demand. But he didn’t stop either.

He told her she could be detached, closed off, emotionless.

But he was showing her, in every word, every touch, that he still wanted all of her. And all she had to do… was not crack.

Not feel.

She’d been doing that for a year now. It should be easy.

Once she was clean, she stepped out, grabbing a towel and smoothing cocoa butter lotion across her soft skin.

The scent was warm and familiar, one she used herself, but somehow it still surprised her that he had it.

She found a brand-new toothbrush under the sink, washed her face as best she could without her usual skincare products, and moved through the sleek bathroom.

She couldn’t lie. This man’s house was insane.

Every detail screamed Savior Carter. It wasn’t trendy.

It was curated, dark, rich, masculine. Modern.

Intentional. The bathroom alone was all white marble with black accents, glowing with natural light that softened the sharp edges.

The rest of his home followed that same pattern.

Deep greys, blacks, and shadows broken up with purposeful flashes of white or chrome. Cold and bold, but still home.

He was just like that.

Clean. Controlled. Dangerous. But something about him still felt warm. Still felt like… safety.