In a single sentence, Elissa’s dignity was ground beneath Rowan’s heel.
<i>But </i>
the truth was, it didn’t matter anymore.
She could always double back–plead with Frank, or even Carm. If she
had to put everything on the line, she would, as long as she could keep Tanya Foster safe.
Yet, staring into Rowan’s fathomless eyes in that moment, Elissa’s stubbornness red up. No matter what, she refused to admit defeat.
She let out a self–deprecatingugh. “Maybe Frank. Or te, who knows? Hell, if some old man’s interested, I’d even take that-”
Bang!
The bathroom door flew open, mming so hard against the wall it cut
her off mid–sentence.
Rowan strode in, scooped her up without a word, and carried her straight to the living room sofa. He set her down, then headed back to the bathroom, returning with a soft, dry towel.
His face was unreadable, but the tension in the air made it clear he was
anything but pleased.
Elissa instinctively shrank back as he sat beside her, grasped both her ankles in onerge hand, and rested her feet on his knee. He wrapped her feet in the towel, gently but firmly drying them off.
As his long, deft fingers moved across her skin, there was something unexpectedlyforting about it.
Maybe it was because when she was younger, he’d dried her feet like this countless times. Elissa found herself oddly at ease.
Once he’d finished, Rowan set the towel aside and nced over at her, voice even and unhurried. “Is your period over?”
Elissa immediately tensed up, startled by how quickly he’d cut to the
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chase. She shook her head, flustered. “Not yet.”
Without another word, Rowan unwrapped a sugar cube and dropped it into a ss of steaming water on the coffee table. He handed her the
cup.
She blinked, suddenly realizing she’dpletely misunderstood <b>his </b>intentions. Taking the cup, she murmured, “Thank you.”
“Drink it and get some sleep,” Rowan said crisply, tossing a thin nket over her legs before standing <b>up</b><b>. </b>
Elissa hesitated, then asked, “What about Tanya Foster?”
“Worry about yourself,” he replied coolly.”
And just like that, he walked out to the balcony, phone in hand, sliding the soundproof door shut behind him.
That was his answer.
Staring at his tall,manding figure, Elissa finally felt herself rx. She drank the sweet, hot water in quick gulps. As soon as she set the cup down, a wave of sleepiness crashed over her.
She stopped worrying about whether Rowan could get it done. Ever since she was a child, he’d always seemed capable of anything.
Still, Tanya Foster’s plight lingered in the back of her mind, and her sleep was restless. After what felt like only two hours, she woke, half–aware, nuzzling <i>into </i>theforter. The familiar, smoky scent made her frown in
confusion.
She opened her eyes fully and looked around.
She was in Rowan’s bed.
She’d asked for his help, and instead of agonizing over it, she’d fallen sound asleep. Embarrassed, she slipped out from beneath the covers. and padded into the living room. Dawn was just breaking outside.
The living room was empty.
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Almost on autopilot, she wandered into the kitchen–and stopped short. For the first time in her life, she saw Rowan, who never so much as boiled water, standing at the stove, making breakfast.
There was something almost domestic about it, his usual icy presence. softened as he stirred a pot of porridge.
Elissa moved closer, intending to speak, but then she realized Rowan was on the phone.
One hand held the phone to his ear, the other stirred the pot with at ceramicdle to keep it from sticking. “Rx, I didn’t stay up all night.”
“Yes, yes, you’re right. Lack of sleep will kill me young. But let me remind you, if I die, no one’s going to look after you.”
His voice was gentle, uncharacteristically patient.
He was coaxing someone. Comforting them.
And that’s when a jarring truth crashed through Elissa’s foggy mind.
She’d almost forgotten–Rowan had a girlfriend.
<b>3/3 </b>