Resisting Rosaleen (18+)

15

Eenie, meenie, miney, moe...

My fingertips grazed the delicate dresses that hung in my closet. I needed the perfect outfit—something tempting yet decent, something elegant but sexy, something easy to remove by a thirty-year-old-man, but not by the wind.

My eyes caught some rose pink. I took the dress off the rack and held it in front of me in the mirror. Perfect.

I untied my robe and slipped the number on. It's a wrap dress that ties to the side and had a strappy back. I slipped on some shoes, black with medium heels. My makeup was light. There was a knock on the door and I hurried to answer.

"Hey," I chuckled and stepped aside to let Aiden in, "You're here early."

"Wyatt let me in and told me to tell you that he'll be leaving to pick up his Charlotte," Aiden watched as I struggled with my necklace.

"Yeah, we'll meet them there," I sighed when the clasp slipped my fingers again.

"Let me," I watched in the mirror as he stood right behind me and reach for the lock. His brows furrowed in concentration and his tongue peeked out the corner of his lips.

"There ya go," the jewelry stayed in place when he stepped back and wiped his forehead. Dramatic.

"Thanks. Let me just fix my hair and we're ready to go."

When I was finally satisfied with my look, Aiden and I headed downstairs. It was Jared's day-off and Aiden insisted on driving. I knew exactly where to go when we arrived at the harbor.

I stared at Arabella.

She wasn't the biggest one, but she sure was the prettiest. Her hull had a part that's maroon—almost like a thick horizontal line and that alone made her stand out. She had modern levels and lightly stained wooden decks like most. Inside and on top of it, you can see the white interior—white seats, tables, etc. but with a few accents of maroon. Maroon pillows, maroon ottomans, and any other additional things. I marveled at her beauty. I'm not really a fan of boats, but I gotta admit, Arabella had my heart.

The breeze blew and I hugged myself, suppressing a shudder. In a second, Aiden had his arm around me, his hands rubbing my arm to bring me warmth.

We boarded Arabella. On the main deck, the four adults were already settled in. Wyatt and Char sat on a sofa and Bianca and Nick on another. They were all laughing at who-knows-what when I decided to clear my throat and make our presence known. I got three smiles and a frown.

I dare you to guess who frowned.

"Rose! You're here!" Charlotte hugged me before shaking hands with Aiden as I introduced them.

"Sorry we're late," we took our seats and the boat started sailing. Wyatt made sure that the night was appropriate for a yacht to move on water with no threats from the wind or the weather. The ride will only take two hours and we can resume our small gathering parked at the docks.

The first few minutes was boring for me. Aiden, being the charmer that he is, engaged in conversation with the other four. I talked as much as I could but I all-in-all didn't say much. Nikolas hadn't looked at me all night since I arrived and it was pissing me off. Bianca was snug in his arms.

"I'm gonna get a glass of something," I stood up and held my hand out for Aiden, "Come with me?"

"Sure," we made our way to the minibar where we were out of earshot.

"Nothing's happening," I whispered while my hand came to reach for a bottle of tequila.

"What did you expect? An orgy?" Aiden got himself a glass and some ice.