Free Unwritten Rules by M.A. Stacie

feeling stupid for thinking he was lying. I had no reason to think otherwise.
    I pul ed his jacket tighter around my shoulders and stepped over to the edge of the roof. “Why did you bring me up here?”
    “I come here a lot. I just wanted to share it with you.” I heard him move closer. “I messed up, and I should have said I was sorry sooner.”
    I gazed out at the other rooftops as I felt his hands rest on my shoulders. The heat radiated from his body burning through his jacket into my back. I fought not to lean into his touch. I refused to make this too easy.
    “It was embarrassing, Jonah,” I stated. “I just don’t understand why.”
    His fingers tightened on my shoulders at my
    words. I was about to turn around and repeat myself when he spoke. It was low and husky, enough to set the butterflies off in my stomach again.
    “I explained why – I got scared. We had barely spoken, and by the time my mind caught up with my body, I was already al over you. I didn’t want you to think I’d taken advantage of you. When I woke, the reality of what we’d done hit me like a sledgehammer. I was a fool. I’m sorry. I should have stayed to explain it al .”
    I turned, my eyes meeting his intense blue ones.
    “But that doesn’t explain why you avoided me. I think you would’ve continued to avoid me had I not tracked you down at the bar.”
    His eyes closed for a moment, and I wondered if he was trying to think of an excuse. I couldn’t see Jonah being the type to use the attack on me as a way to get me into bed. He had to be tel ing the truth. Didn’t he?
    “Oh, I’ve messed this up.”
    His hands moved forward to rest on my hips; his thumbs caressing my hipbones. Sparks shot to the apex of my thighs. I gritted my teeth to stop a sigh exiting my lips.
    “I want to get to know you. Wil you let me?” His voice was like some magic spel , weaving its way into my heart and dissolving my determination.
    I exhaled, pressing my forehead against his chest. His arms moved up almost immediately, hugging me close. My world was engulfed in the scent of leather and Jonah. I nuzzled closer wanting more.
    “You said we could have a do over. Can we,
    Red?”
    I smiled at the new endearment. I was about to nod in agreement, when I remembered my head was stil buried in his chest. Lifting it, I met his gaze again. “I’m giving you a chance. Don’t screw it up.”
    Jonah crossed his heart, grinning before
    enveloping me in a tight embrace.
    “So did you like the band?” he asked, his voice lighter than before.
    “You guys are crazy! I loved it, but I’m surprised you didn’t get mauled by those groupies.”
    “Yeah, they’re up front almost every damn gig. Dan thinks it’s funny. I find it tiresome.”
    “I’m sure you do,” I replied, my tone laced with sarcasm.
    I’d barely spoken the words when his lips met
    mine. He kissed me with a slow, delicate reverence. He was so gentle that my legs turned to jel y and almost gave out on me. I clung to him, his shirt bal ing in my fists. The jacket he’d placed around my shoulders earlier fel to the floor. I shivered.
    His lips were slightly swol en, and his hair was standing in haphazard spikes from where my fingers had combed through it. My heart skipped a beat; his cheeks flushed pink. I adored that smal reaction.
    He looked amazing. I wanted more.
    I sighed as he placed his hands on my bare
    shoulders.
    “You’re cold. Let’s go inside.”
    “In a little while,” I breathed, not wanting the moment to end it.
    The air around us stirred with an intense electric charge that couldn’t be ignored.
    “El e?” He hummed as he traced my col ar bone
    with his finger. “You feel it, right?”
    I smiled, tilting my head to the side. Jonah took it as an invitation and placed a smal peck there. His pul on me was undeniable; thoughts of him consuming me day in and day out. When I was near him my body made demands I didn’t want to deny.
    Jonah sighed and tunneled his