"When do I get to see your place?" I asked around a mouthful of spaghetti, which was apparently the only thing Rex bothered cooking. Not that he couldn't cook, just that he didn't want to put all the effort into it—at least, that's what he said.

"Soon, soon. It's not ready yet." Jax spoke absentmindedly into the phone. It was Sunday, the day right before school started, and even though my allergies had only lasted a few days, I could not get my mind off that kiss with Rex. Well, kisses. There had been a lot of them that night, and I wanted more.

"You said that the other day." I groaned like a four-year-old, or like Denton, and dropped my fork back onto the plate. Rex was getting ready for the gym, and left me all alone to stuff my face.

"I know, I know. I just want it all together before you see it. I got stuff. So much useless, stupid, expensive junk. It's incredible."

I didn't question the awe in his voice. Jax never had junk growing up. Anything he had with his parents was short lived, and in the foster system you only had what you could carry in a trash bag. A trash bag, like everything we owned was garbage. There were the lucky kids though. The ones that actually got adopted, or stuck with one house for most of their lives.

Some even found great fosters that actually treated them like children worth carrying about. The only difference between Jax and I was that dad found me. Jax was never that lucky and he stayed in. He refused to leave. I understood why, even if I didn't agree with it. Self-inflicted punishment.

"If I promise not to show up without you knowing, will you at least tell me where it is?" Rex walked back into the kitchen then, his gym bag slung over his strong shoulder as he raised a dark eyebrow and nodded towards my phone. I mouthed 'Jax', which only earned a sharp look shot my way. I ignored it.

"Um, sure. It's right on the corner of Dove and Griffin in downtown Jasper."

"Oo! That's not far from here!" I exclaimed excitedly as Rex set his bag down and grabbed the now-empty plate in front of me.

"It's like thirty minutes from your house, Rose—"

"Oh, no, I'm at Rex's his apartment, it's literally right down Central Street."

Rex groaned as he set the plate down in the sink. "Don't tell him where I live, Rosalyn." I continued to ignore him.

A small laugh sounded from the other line. "Lover boy still hate me?"

"Yeah, but don't take it personally. He hates everyone." I mumbled into the phone and dropped my chin into my palm.

"That's not true." Rex argued as he walked back over to the kitchen table and leaned down beside me. "I don't hate you." Heat flooded my neck as he pressed a kiss against my cheek before pulling away.

"Hey, Bae, I'll talk to you later okay? I got to get this second coat of paint on."

"Okay, bye."

"Bye."

"You coming to the gym with me?" Rex asked a moment later as he bent down for his gym bag.

Exercising? Me?

I scrunched my nose up at the question. I mean, I could just sit there and watch him work out. That would be nice—very nice. Then again, how awkward would that be? Me just sitting in a corner somewhere in a crowded gym watching. They would probably think I was a pervo and get kicked out for stalking, or lurking.

I shook my head as he leaned against the doorframe of the living room watching me. For a moment there I could have sworn a flash of disappoint lit those dark eyes before he glanced away completely. "Okay, well, the TV is hooked up to everything. Netflix, cable, Hulu, whatever."

"Oh, you want me to stay here?" I thought he had planned on dropping me off at Briar Oaks on the way, but the thought of him wanting me to stay here made all those butterflies work up again.

He arched an eyebrow and leaned away from the door. "Do you not want to?" His question was causal enough, but I could hear the disgruntle tone in his voice.

"No, I want to! I just didn't think you wanted me to."

"Roza," He shook his beautiful head with a sigh. "I've already told you I hate your house. Why would I want you there?" Rex leaned down until we were face to face, his lips barely an inch from my own. All rational thought flew from my mind and the only images that took its place were those from the other night. It was suddenly very hard to breathe.

"I would rather you stay here, with me, always." The look in that chestnut gaze made my stomach feel funny things. "But I don't think your sister would be okay with that." He pressed his lips against mine in one hard, deliberate, kiss before standing and walking away—completely ignoring my shocked, wide-eyed, expression.

"I'll be back in a few hours." Rex called over his shoulder before disappearing into the living room. "I'm locking the door behind me." I was still frozen in place even after the door closed with a resounding 'click!'.

Did Rex just—just say he wanted me to live with him?

"Hey honey."

"Hey dad." I mumbled into the phone an hour later. I was lazily surfing through Rex's Netflix, regretting my decision not to go to the gym with him, and heartbroken they had taken 'Friends' off the streaming site, when my father decided to call. I had to answer, even if I didn't want to. He only called my cell when it was something important.

"How are you feeling?"

I sighed and pressed the remote against my forehead. It was always the same question every time he called and I bothered to talk to him. I guess it was caring in his own way. "I'm feeling fine."

"Good... good, that's good. How's your sister?"

"She's on her vacation, are you okay?" My lips pulled together in a small frown as my father's usual bear-like demeanor seemed absent.

"Of course, I'm okay, honey. I just wanted to check up on you."

"Well, I'm doing fine. Thank you."

"That Rex kid still treating you right?"

I felt heat scorch the back of my neck and I tried to shove down the embarrassing blush, even though there was no one around to see. Never in my life did I think I would be talking about boys with my father. "Y-Yeah, he's really great."

"Good, good. I like the kid, despite the criminal record." My father seemed lost in thought, his voice distant, and I really didn't want to keep talking about Rex with him. This conversation was weird, and I've never known my father to be so—not there? I'm not sure how to describe it, but there was definitely only half his mind on talking to me.

"Strong will, good fighter, seems to care about you a lot which is going to be important—" He rambled on, not at all aware that my breathing had stopped.

"You've seen him fight?" Everyone in Jasper, and probably the surrounding areas, knew Rex was a good fighter—a great fighter actually—but Parker Summers was never in town long enough to get to know it's residents. Then again, I did ask him to bail Rex out of jail for fighting. He probably just assumed—

"Of course, I have. You don't really think I would let some who can't even protect themselves date my daughter." He scoffed, though the noise sounded more like a laugh than anything. "I'm less worried when he's around you."

"We're not... we're not dating..." The words stumbled from my mouth on their own accord, though they fell on deaf ears. My mind had suddenly gone foggy, and I couldn't think straight for the life of me. "When did you see him fight?"

Did he go to one of his matches? Found him at a street fight like I did? I wouldn't put it pass my father. If the man needed to know something he found out what it was, no matter the cost. Powerful people did those kinds of things.

"Just this week when he came to tour the facility, didn't he tell you?"

No. No, he did not.

My heart was suddenly in my throat, my eyes wide as saucers as I felt that all-too familiar grip of panic squeeze around my lungs. "He... Rex was at Evans Corp?"

No... No. No, no, no. This couldn't be happening. This wasn't supposed to happen. Rex was never supposed to know. Oh God. Oh god, oh god, oh god—! I jumped up from the couch and began pacing the living room anxiously, panic swelling deep in my chest.

"Yes... Honey, don't get worked up. I shouldn't have said anything—"

"You promised!" I suddenly shouted into the phone, my free hand reaching up to grab tight fistfuls of my hair, like that would stop the sheer terror raging through my body. My father stayed silent. "You promised! You swore you wouldn't do this again! This is my life! Rex is in my life and you promised!"

"Rosalyn." The hard edge suddenly ringing through his tone did nothing to calm the nerves slicing gaping holes throughout my being.

He was doing it again, destroying my life again. He swore after last time, swore that Rune Evans would never hurt me—that he would stay out of my life forever. That I would be safe. He couldn't take that from me, couldn't take Rex from me. He was the only thing I genuinely wanted. I couldn't lose him.

"You need to calm down."

"No! You can't take him from me! You promised!" It was the only thing I could think to say, to scream over and over again like that would fix everything. The headache I had been avoiding all day suddenly pounded through my skull like a jackhammer.

"He came to me."

Those four simple words had my furiously pacing feet come to a halt, and my erratically thumping heart dropped to my stomach. "What?"

"Rex came to me, Rose. Not the other way around. I was perfectly content leaving the boy alone."

"Why would... why would he do that?" I asked breathlessly and fell with a heavy 'thump' back onto the couch. The panic had completely disappeared, but the sudden hollow emptiness in my stomach wanted to suck my entire body straight through the ground.

"Because he's smart. Because he wanted to know why Evans Corp would bail him out of a multiple year sentence."

I scrubbed my hand viciously down my face, but jerked back in surprise when my palm came back wet. I was crying. My eyes were leaking and I hadn't even noticed. "Did he know who you were?" I whispered softly, suddenly too tired to speak any louder. This was so not good.

My father paused and I heard him let out small sigh before his own voice softened. "He does now." I hiccupped and pushed my free hand into my watering eyes. This was really not good. "He's known for a few weeks. When Rex came looking for me, we talked. He's incredibly smart and can be an asset for the company one day. I brought the suggestion to his attention and he's been thinking about it. That's all, honey."

"You're pulling him into that world."

"It's his decision."

"You promised."

"It's his choice, Rosalyn."

"Luce was wrong." I hiccupped into the phone and rubbed my sleeve over my eyes. "You'll never change."

"Rose—"

I hung up before he could say anything else and tossed my phone on the other side of the couch. Rex... Rex knew who my dad was. I brought my knees to my chest and hugged them as tight as I could. Like that would help ease the void in my stomach. Knowing wasn't the bad thing, it was what my father would do. If there was anything Rune Evans was good at, it was growing his empire. And Rex was smart, so crazy smart he would be more than beneficial to Evan's Corp.

He was dragging me back into it, back into the very life that caused all my stupid problems in the first place. The life bent on killing me, and he was taking the only thing I cared about to do it.

"Rose!" I could barely hear the sound of my name over the pounding rain drilling holes into the top of my head. I trudged on, not caring one bit if the voice was real or not, or if my Converse were completely ruined from the water and mud.

"Rosalyn!" Car tires screeched behind me as that voice shouted again. I knew it was real this time, but I didn't dare stop. I had to keep going. I had to keep walking off the panic and terror that dragged my body too deep under water. Walking was the only way I could swim back to the surface.

A door slammed and the sound of running steps reached my ears, but I ignored it and kept dragging my aching feet. "Stop!" Someone was suddenly blocking my path, a large body with dark clothes and a too-handsome-for-his-own-good face. "What the fuck are you doing?!" Rex's hands were like iron as they gripped onto my upper arms to keep me from walking right around him. I blinked through the rain splattering against my eyes.

"Rex?" My voice sounded uncertain as it left my lips, but the bright fury shining in his gaze didn't seem to care.

"What the fuck are you doing out here?! Are you insane?!" He didn't let me answer, not that I really could. Those hands were quickly spinning me around and dragging my body towards the familiar car parked very haphazardly on the street. I didn't say anything, even as he wrenched the passenger door open and put me inside.

I leaned my head against the window as Rex jogged around to the driver's side and quickly climbed in. He blasted the heat, made sure the vents were pointed towards me and that my seatbelt was on before pulling away from the curb. "Do you have any fucking idea where we are?! Do you know how dangerous this part of town is?! And you're just walking around like it's fucking Disney Land!"

Rex was going off on some angry tirade, his dark eyes visibly furious as they stared out at the wet road. I couldn't really pay much attention though, or care that his anger was directed at me. I was going to lose him anyways. I hadn't realized how long I must had been walking for until it took us a good twenty minutes to get back to his apartment. His shouting turned to angry grumbles after a while.

"What were you thinking, Rose?" He sighed when he finally pulled into the parking lot and turned the engine off. "You were just gone when I got home, and you weren't answering your phone, and none of the others had heard from you." He scrubbed his hands down his handsome face, all that anger leaving him on a heavy sigh.

I stayed huddled against the passenger door, my head pressed against the cold window as those dark eyes turned to stare at me. Something seemed to click because his gaze softened and he reached slowly for my hand. "What's wrong, Roza?" His thumb rubbed gently against the back of my hand, and the action sent warmth straight up my arm. I sighed and stared down at our hands. I loved holding his hand.

"You know who my dad is." The words left my lips before I could stop them, that terror from before sat like a heavy rock in my stomach. Rex's hand stilled over mine. I wasn't sure what I was expecting, but a part of me hoped he would give me that cute confused look and ask what I was talking about. He didn't.

Rex let out a small sigh, but that thumb started softly stroking the back of my hand again. "Yes, I do."

There was a silent pause between us, neither knowing what to say or do. "Why didn't you tell me?" I finally asked when the silence only made the pounding behind my eyes worse.

"Why didn't you?" He countered, and for a moment I thought he would take his hand back, stop touching me forever. His grip tightened.

Silence once again filled the car, and I couldn't stop the tears building in my eyes once again, no matter how hard I tried. "I don't..." My words died on a quiet sob and I had to gulp down air before I could speak again. "I don't want to lose you." My voice was soft, so soft I wasn't even sure he heard. Though even if he hadn't, the tears had finally started to fall on my cheeks and I forced my gaze to the floor. I didn't want him to see me crying, didn't want him to see how weak I was.

"No, no, no. Hey, don't cry." There was sudden panic in his voice and I didn't resist as his hands reached up to angle my face towards his, his thumbs gently brushing the water from my cheeks. "Please don't cry. I can't handle it when you do. You're not going to lose me." He brought my face to his and rested his forehead gently against mine. "I'm not going anywhere, Roza. Why would you even think that?"

"Don't do it." I whispered against him instead of answering, against his lips that were barely an inch from mine. He pulled his face from mine, but refused to let go.

"Don't do what?"

My vision blurred in tears that just didn't want to stop. I shook my head and tried to pull away, but his grip wouldn't budge. "Work for him." I finally whispered as my fingers reached urgently for the soft fabric of his shirt. If I could just hold onto him, hold on for dear life, he wouldn't leave. "Don't work for him. It'll drag me back. I can't go back. He promised."

His dark eyes were confused, and despite how crazy I sounded he didn't pull away like he probably should have. "I have no idea what you're talking about—" I pulled away from him, and pushed the door open, ready to run as far from the inevitable as I could. "Oh, no you don't." Rex was suddenly leaning over me, gripping the door handle and slamming it shut.

"Look at me." He ordered, though I had no intention of doing so. "Rosalyn, stop." He gripped my jaw again and forced my gaze to his. "I have no fucking idea what you're talking about, but I don't give two fucks who your dad is, okay? I only care about you." I blinked slowly up at him as the tears finally started to die away. His hand brushed my hair behind my ear before those fingers traced along my cheek.

"If you don't want me to work for him, then I won't." The stark seriousness in his eyes made my heart hurt and I exhaled deeply as he brought our foreheads together again.

"They'll use you." I whispered against him, though his eyes were closed and he refused to put any distance between us. "To get to me." That dark gaze blinked open but he didn't pull away. "To get to him."

Lips brushed softly against my own, not in a kiss but a soft touch that still made my heart flutter. "I won't survive it."