♡ chapter 9 - Harry ♡

            Running my fingers through her silky brown hair, I gingerly twirled the ends around my finger as I tried not to disturb her. I was well aware that this would be the closest I would ever get, but I couldn’t stop the temptation of touching her in some sort of way. Maybe dirty, maybe not. I just had to express my feelings, even in such a simple way, I feel as if a weight has been lifted from my chest.

            My eyes wavered over her beautiful face, not a blemish in sight as her gorgeous brown eyes remained close, soft snores leaving her slightly parted lips. I felt like such a creeper for watching her in such a peaceful state, but fuck; she was stunning. I couldn’t deny that God had gifted her with incredible looks.

            The morning sun seeped in through the blinds, causing Rose to stir just the slightest before relaxing once more. My fingers continued to gently weave through her luscious brown hair, tucking a stray lock behind her ear. Before I could stop myself, I trailed my finger down the side of her face, the minimal burning sensation sending shivers through my body. I didn’t press my finger to her skin, knowing it’d burn the shit out of me, but my finger drifted lightly all the way down to her plush lips.

            God, I want to kiss her so bad.

            My eyes flickered down to the bracelet fastened around her wrist, the binding protecting her from the outside demons. She didn’t need to bracelet; I can keep her safe. Never in a million damn years would I let anything happen to this angel. It would only take one snap and…

            I shook my head, riding the ludicrous thoughts. There’s no way I’ll let Rose take the bracelet off. Although the temptation to kiss her, to hold her is strong; the temptation to keep her safe is stronger. Rose doesn’t know it, but once that bracelet is off, there’s no putting it back on. The spell would snap, the shield surrounding her figure will fade, and she’ll be exposed to every danger in the world. Even though I have a strong desire to be closer to her, her safety means more to me.

            What if I’m not there and she needs me? What if someone gets to her before I can stop them? What if John tries something? What if Jessie tries something? My heart clenched at the mere thought of someone else being with her and not me. There’s too many horrific things that could happen if Rose were to take off that damn bracelet. I hate it and adore it all the same.

            Completely out of it from her soft skin under the pads of my fingers, I traced her bottom lip ever so slightly with my thumb. I attempted to cup her cheek, but the burning fire struck through me, causing me to retract my hand. I let out a soft sigh as I stared at my stinging hand, fury building inside of me at the simple thought of never being able to hold Rose like I want to. To kiss her like I want to.

            Right when I went to play with her hair again, her stunning orbs peeled open to meet mine. As if thinking she’d get mad at me, I quickly clutched my hand to my chest, my eyes locking with hers as she gave me a small morning smile.

            Fuck, she’s so adorable.

            The longer I stare at her, the more the feelings twist in the pit of my stomach. I really hate that fucking feeling she gives me, making me feel so vulnerable around her. She knows she has me wrapped around her finger and that petrifies the hell out of me. Never in my life have I ever felt so attracted to someone.

            Rose’s smile turned into a smirk as she caught my staring. “You’re a creeper in the morning, Styles.”

            I rolled my eyes, fighting back the urge to grin as I flopped onto my back. “I wasn’t creeping, Rosalie. I was thinking of ways to abandon you in the woods and leave you as wolf chow.”

            “Isn’t there only one way to do that?” Rose chuckled as she slowly sat up, stretching her arms.

            “Not when you have a creative mind,” I said with a smirk, waggling my eyebrows at her.

            Rose laughed, rolling her eyes. My grin stretched at the sound of the angelic giggle leaving her lips, drifting through my ears like a harmonic song I never want to end. I admired the way she smiled, the way her nose crinkled just the slightest, her eyes wrinkling just barely. She truly was flawless.

            But then my eyes caught sight of the red marks trailing up her forearms, my heart swelling in dread as a frown took over my smile. It bothered me to know that Rose had done something so horrible to herself, but I couldn’t say I blamed her. She had a horrific past, I could tell that much. I didn’t ask for the details because it wasn’t my business. And I respected that Rose thought the same towards me. We each have our own discrete stories, both of us choosing to keep them a secret.

            My mind went back to last night when Rose was gently tracing my scars. The simplicity of her touch sent a burning sensation down my spine. Both from the bracelet, and from my infatuation with her. She hadn’t left a burn on me, but I probably wouldn’t have cared. No one had ever been so loving towards me before.

            Rose caught me staring at her wrists and she instantly hid them under the sheets. I had been curious as to why she always wore that torn jacket of hers, but I never questioned it. But by the way her cheeks flushed and the way she stared into her lap, I knew she wasn’t satisfied with their presence.

            I sat up, leaning against the headboard and lazily rolling my head over to look at her. “Tiger stripes, right?” I whispered, mustering a small smile when she looked to me.

            Rose’s lips curled into a miniature smile, merely shrugging. Her eyebrows soon pinched together as she pursed her lips. “I’m sure you couldn’t help the ones you gained, though. Mine were from stupidity,” she murmured as she rubbed them subconsciously.

            I frowned. “But you learned from them, didn’t you?”

            She sheepishly nodded.

            “Then it’s not stupidity, Rose. You were confused, and sometimes confused people do idiotic things without thinking. You haven’t done it again, have you?”

            “No…”

            “Good. I can still say you’re the smartest person I’ve ever met, then.”

            Rose looked at me with shocked eyes, the little sparkle in her brown pupils sending my heart into backflips. I smiled back at her, my cheeks flushing at the way she was staring at me with such adoration. I’ve never felt that before, but I must admit; it damn sure feels good.

            I stood from the bed, walking over to the dresser and tugging a t-shirt over my head. Rose got up as well, my t-shirt reaching her mid-thigh and I couldn’t help but smile. I liked seeing her in my clothes. It made me feel kind of special.

            She started to make the bed, so I walked over to help her. I don’t know why I’m in such a giddy mood, but being with Rose just seemed to have that effect on me. She could always slap a smile on my face no matter what she did. She’s gained more laughs from me than anyone has in the past twenty years of my life.

            She’s truly incredible.

            Rose smiled at me in thanks before she said, “I think we should go out with everyone else for breakfast.”

            My jaw clenched as I caught sight of her minimal clothing. “All right, but you’re putting clothes on first.”

            Rose rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide the smile that spread on her lips. She walked to her duffel bag, pulling out a pair of jean shorts and a crop-top. I watched as her lips curled into a disdainful scowl. “Crap, I only brought this thing for a last resort,” she murmured as she gestured to the short top. “These are the last clean clothes I have left, also the only ones not torn from being in the woods.” She gave me a look.

            I shrugged innocently. “Is that really all your clothing? Just a week’s worth?”

            “Well, in my defense, Harold. I thought I was going to be in a motel or something at this point in time with fresh clothes in a closet,” she retorted.

            My lips formed a smirk. “Did you just call me Harold?”

            Rose’s cheeks flushed. “Maybe I did, Harold. If you can call me Rosalie, how come I can’t use your name against you?”

            I shrugged, smiling as I folded my arms across my chest. “I usually hate when people call me that, but for you… I’ll make an exception.”

            Rose grinned, then giggled as she waved me off. She entered the bathroom to swap clothing as I waited for her to get out. I had to approve of this little outfit of hers before she walked out into a room full of hormonal boys. They may be “officially” adults, but the lads still act like they’re kids in high school drooling over the popular girls.

            As soon as Rose walked back into the room, my eyes nearly bulged out the sockets. My hands curled into fists down at my sides, my jaw tightening as my eyes scanned over her perfectly fit body. Instantly, I was shaking my head.

            “Nope. I don’t think so. You need to find something else to wear, Rosalie, because you’re not going out in the living room like that.”

            Rose gave me a look, rolling her eyes. “Harry, this is all I have left. Half of my clothes got torn from being in the woods, and the rest is dirty. Besides, it’s not like I’m walking around naked.”

            My eyes landed on the top covering her bust and leaving her flat stomach exposed, then the shorts that were at least generously long as they went to her mid-thigh. My only damn problem here was the shirt.

            Gritting my teeth together, I muttered, “Fine. We’ll go into town and get you some clothing that actually does its job.”

            Rose chuckled, folding her arms across her bare stomach insecurely before walking towards the door. I was glad Rose had some respect for herself, but that didn’t stop me from walking as close to her as possible. The boys needed to know that she wasn’t up for grabs. We may not be so-called “official,” but she’s still mine no matter what anyone says to me.

            Possessive? Maybe.

            Do I care? Nope.

            As expected, the boys all gawked at Rose as we entered the kitchen. I growled, stepping in front of her as we walked to the table. Rose sat down sheepishly as I shot glares to each of the boys. I was tempted to make them each suffer a little, just so they know she’s not theirs to look at. Each of them seemed to get the message, quickly averting their gazes elsewhere. A small smirk of satisfaction danced across my lips.

            “We need to go to town today,” I said cutting straight to the point.

            Each of them seemed shocked as Niall gazed up at me with wide eyes. “Are you stupid, Harry? That’s far too obvious.”

            I rolled my eyes, folding my arms across my chest. “Rose needs more clothes, and we need more food anyways. Besides, it’s not like I’m going to get caught. You all… possibly. But let’s face it; Harry Styles doesn’t get caught.”

            Aware of my cockiness, everyone seemed to agree as Rose just rolled her eyes. It fascinated me how my own mates knew when to not push my buttons, but Rose just didn’t even seem the slightest intimidated by me. I kind of adored that toughness about her, but fuck… she could be stubborn.

            “All of us going would be too risky,” Max said.

            “Agreed. I think maybe just a few,” Louis added as he nodded. “Maybe just Rose, Harry, and three of us.”

            “I’ll go,” Jessie offered with a genuine smile directed towards Rose.

            My hands tightened into firm fists as Rose returned it, the rage building inside me. Did he seriously have the fucking nerve to gawk at her right in front of me? Brother of the year everyone!

            Finally deciding it’d be Rose, me, Jessie, Ryan, and Liam, we all prepared to leave. I grabbed sunglasses, seeming to believe it’d be enough. And well, if anyone were to recognize me, that’d be a very quick fix.

            “Maybe we’ll catch Marcus’ trail,” Ryan suggested as he shimmied on his jacket.

            Licking my lips before pursing them together, I shrugged. “Hopefully. I ran into him yesterday, but the bastard got away before I could stop him.”

            Ryan let out a humorless laugh. “Sounds accurate. You take after your father with the impossibility of getting caught.”

            I shot him a glare, letting him know he crossed the line by comparing me to that horrid man. Ryan cowered, muttering an apology before Rose slapped me in the shoulder. The quickness of her action didn’t even give the fire time to hit my skin as I turned to her with parted lips. She jabbed an accusing finger in my face as she said, “Stop being so scary. He said he was sorry.”

            Huffing, I rolled my eyes but knew Rose would get her way. “Sorry,” I murmured under my breath towards Ryan as Rose demanded.

            Ryan smirked just the slightest as we began walking out the house. Rose walked out first, and Ryan leaned over to me saying, “Dude, she’s got you whipped.”

            I resisted the urge to punch him in the face as I retorted with cold, “Shut the fuck up, Ryan, and get in the damn car.”

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A/N: Aww, Harry's in love xD Just kidding, I'm not spoiling anything you prowlers ^.^ Thank you guys so much for getting this book rated #96 in paranormal! Omg, that's insane <333 Love you all (: xx

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