Page 78 of Tempting Promises
I hate him.
“It’s not mine.”
Technically, that’s not a lie. It’s mine in the fact that I’ve had it in my possession for about two years, but it’s not mine because it’s actually Sawyer’s. Semantics don’t really need to be debated in this case.
“Then whose is it?” he asks, walking toward me.
“Yours.”
Possession is nine tenths of the law and all that.
He laughs, low and throaty as he squats in front of me, placing the hat on my leg and his hands on each arm of the chair. “Is this going to be our excuse to keep doing what we both know we shouldn’t?”
“No, we aren’t going to do what we shouldn’t have to begin with.”
“We’re not?” he asks as though he already knows the answer.
“No. We’re not. Whatever we did can’t happen again.”
The corners of his lips tip up. “I agree. I just came to bring your hat.”
I sigh. “I’m serious.”
“I am too.”
“I had to lie to Aurora today,” I admit, feeling like shit.
“She asked if you’ve been sleeping with me?” Rowan’s voice is filled with surprise.
I shake my head. “No, I just...avoided anything about it, which isn’t hard because Aurora likes to talk about herself more than she cares about what I’m doing.”
Just saying it makes me feel sad and disloyal, but Rowan, if anyone, might understand.
He stands, pulling the other chair over beside me. “Do you have another one of those?” I hand him a bottle of beer, after he takes a long drag and I do my best not to watch his throat as he drinks—and fail—he looks to me. “I don’t know Aurora better than you. I don’t really know her much at all. We never dated.” He raises his hands. “I know, I know, you don’t believe it, but it’s true. We were fucking around, which I was honest about. We never had deep, meaningful conversations, but she did talk about how she loved you a lot.”
“I don’t doubt she loves me. I just don’t think she cares about what I’m going through right now.”
Rowan watches me, drains his beer and grabs two more. He opens the top and hands me one. “Your farm is in trouble.”
It’s not a question, it’s just a fact and he knows it. “I’m handling it.”
“I know you are.”
The way he says it is like he has all the faith in the world that I’ll do what I have to. It’s strange, us talking like this. There’s no anger, for one. Also, he’s not giving me some grand pep talk, he’s just believing in me, and I didn’t realize until now that I needed that more than anything.
“Why are you really here?” I ask.
Rowan looks to me. “Because I was lying in my bed and I could still smell your perfume. Next thing I know I was throwing my sweatshirt on and walking here.”
The butterflies in my stomach take flight. “Do you know why I came overlast night?”
“Tell me.”
Our eyes are locked and I can see the desire pooling. Why do I feel this way? Why do I want to leap out of my chair into his arms?
“I felt vulnerable and I didn’t want to. I knew you’d take it away,” I admit the truth and wait.
“I can make it go away now, Charlotte. Just say the word.”
