Chapter 11

Rogue: Thinking about you.

I read the message for the twentieth time, maybe more as I walked up the steps to Rogue"s door. I hadn"t let them know I was coming in case I"d chickened out. We"d shared texts and a few calls. It hadn"t been like I was ignoring them or anything. I"d spent days thinking, processing, and finally I"d decided that I wanted, no, needed to take the chance.

Just because Rogue wasn"t the person I"d pictured my first real relationship being with didn"t matter. They"d made me feel safe and good about myself. I wanted what Rogue offered. My arm and hand shook as I raised it to push the button beside the large door. The chiming of the bell could be heard, and I waited.

Rogue had mentioned they"d taken some days off to relax and Gigi was going to take over. My breath locked in my lungs as I listened to the deadbolt click. The door slowly opened. Rogue appeared wearing jeans and a tank top that conformed to their unbound breasts. I"d never seen them without binding tape or a binder.

"Hey, babygirl." The greeting was nothing more than a raspy sigh.

"Hi. I was hoping you"d be home."

"Get in here." They stepped back.

As I entered, their hand curved around the back of my neck and gently pulled me down until their soft lips touched mine. All my nervousness instantly disappeared. I hugged their waist with my left arm. The door closing behind me barely registered as the tip of their tongue teased along my bottom lip. When Rogue pulled me flush against them, I whined.

Rogue eased the kiss, but I chased their mouth and felt their smirk.

"I thought you had a paper to write."

"I finished it. Freida went out so I thought I"d come by to see what you were doing."

"Unless there"s an emergency, I don"t plan to leave until I"m required to be back at work. Want something to drink?" Rogue asked as they laced their fingers through mine and led me toward the kitchen.

"That"d be great. Rogue…" I paused as they released me to circle the island to the fridge.

"What"s wrong, Trinity?"

"Nothing. You told me to find you after I processed."

"Did you?" they asked as they poured two glasses of iced tea.

Rogue didn"t push or rush me to answer. I wanted to choose my words carefully. No matter how many times I"d rehearsed what I"d say, my brain suddenly went blank at being face-to-face with them. I couldn"t get over how beautiful Rogue was. I admired the self-confidence they carried themselves with.

"Baby, there"s no right or wrong way to say whatever you want. Good or bad, I want to hear it," they assured me while setting the glass in front of me.

I didn"t like the distance they kept, but I also appreciated that space. Whenever Rogue touched me, I lost all control of my thoughts. I still remembered how they made me feel on the first date, well, including the night they made me dinner. There was a comfort they so effortlessly elicited within me. The only place I"d ever felt as if I fit was with Freida. She was my best friend since we were toddlers.

Belonging with Rogue was different—intoxicating in ways.

"I want a chance to see if this works."

"That makes me extremely happy, babygirl. I know I"m not the type of person you were looking for, or even, hell, attracted to."

I opened my mouth to deny it, but they raised their hand to quiet me.

"No, Trinity. We"re going to start this off with honesty and respect. I love women, all shapes and sizes. Never really had a type. Some people can"t say that. Gigi noticed when I spotted you that night at the club. When you came up to the bar, I knew you"d been crying. All I could think is my babygirl should never be upset."

A lump formed in my throat at the sincerity in her gaze and tone. No one in my past had ever looked at me the way they did—had ever seen me. I needed that. There were no conditions on Rogue"s acceptance.

"I want you to do something for me," Rogue whispered as they circled the island to come to stand in front of me.

"What"s that?" I asked as I was back in their arms.

"Give me three days. Call Freida, tell her that you"re going to stay with me. Mini vacation."

"I am off for the next two days. I"d need to find someone to cover me for a third day."

"Do that," Rogue softly ordered as their lips hovered near mine.

They didn"t let me get closer and I pouted. I playfully glared at their smirk—that sexy quirk of their lips that drove me crazy for no reason. The arrogance should irritate me.

"What about me going home for clothes?"

"Nah, you won"t need those. I plan to keep you naked the entire time." Strong slender hands cupped my backside through my skirt.

"What if I"m not ready for sex?" I was so ready for sex. Sexual frustration wasn"t fun. Rogue had shown me exactly what was in store for me when I gave in.

"You naked doesn"t mean sex, I just want to improve my scenery."

I gently shoved against their chest, and they chuckled. They leaned in and slightly up to give a soft suckling kiss to my lower lip.

"I"ve been thinking of you naked since I teased myself with it on our cruise. The amount of self-restraint I showed amazes me, especially with how sexy you looked… sounded. As much as I"m dying to find out if I can make you scream, I assure you I can be patient until you"re ready." Their lips brushed mine. "All I want is kisses and a chance to cuddle you… share a bed with you. Although, do you need your medicine?"

"No, I do a weekly injection for my estrogen. I just took it yesterday."

"We should be all set then. Text Freida and I"ll figure out what to make for dinner. Also, I need to warn my parents away, they"ll drive us insane if I don"t."

"I like your parents." I really did. After the one night of spending time with them, I felt so much better about my future. A lot of the damage growing up in a small town without access to the information I needed disappeared. I"d held on to the beliefs instilled in me by my sheltered upbringing. My parents hadn"t meant to do that. They"d both grown up in traditional households. They"d been paired by a matchmaker.

"Yeah, I love them, but I know them. They"ll fuck with me just for amusement, especially dad. He lives to punani-block me."

I snorted so loud I hurt myself and they released me to head off to check the cabinets and fridge. While I dug out my phone, my gaze followed them. Taking in the slender strength of their shoulders, lean muscle flexing beneath lightly tanned skin. I loved the subtle strength of them. Their natural grace while they moved. Rogue was a person who knew who they were. That made me envious. I wondered if I"d ever get to that point.

Opening my messages, I clicked on Freida"s contact and typed in a quick message that I"d be with Rogue for three days. I needed that time for me. Rogue had told me before to be selfish. That wasn"t a natural thing for me. Guilt was sometimes my default. Guilty for leaving home without telling my parents the truth. Guilty for every little thing that wasn"t the so-called norm. I was tired of feeling that way. Maybe that"s why I haven"t found true happiness yet.

Freida: I WANT ALL THE DETAILS WHEN YOU GET HOME!

I laughed and covered my mouth.

"Freida all for it?" Rogue asked without turning around.

"She demanded all the details in all CAPS."

"Of course she did. Let"s not disappoint her then."

I replied that I wasn"t kissing and telling. That wasn"t something I"d done before. Freida would demand, but she wouldn"t push if I didn"t want to share. Yet that was before I"d met Rogue. This time Freida might not be put off by me saying no.

"There"s an extra charger on the counter if you need it, babygirl."

I glanced up from my phone to find Rogue studying me.

"If at any point you want to leave, I won"t keep you here. I just want you all to myself for a while. We can spend the next three days doing all the getting to know each other. Find out what I want and if it matches what you require. I"ve only had a few semi-long-term relationships, nothing I saw lasting forever. With you, babygirl, I want everything."

"We can do that."

The smile Rogue gave me made my chest tighten as if I"d given them the best gift they"d ever received. I just hoped I was worthy of all that hope. Slipping onto one of the barstools, I settled in to watch them gather whatever they were making for dinner. I was going to relax and just enjoy, as they called it, my mini vacation. Tomorrow I"d call my co-workers to see if I could find someone to cover that one shift. If nothing else, I had Rogue all to myself for forty-eight hours and I couldn"t wait.