Page 38 of Our Cracked Pieces
I sent James a text, and within minutes, he was pulling up to the curbside of The Highlands. Had I not been here for a business meeting, James wouldn’t have driven me. I drove myself if things were personal, but tonight had started out professional.
It was far from professional now.
The ride over had me thinking about that fucking kiss, and there was no way Rowan wasn’t as attracted to me as I was her. That kiss was too explosive to convince me otherwise. The problem was that I had no idea where I’d lost her.
I mean, it was possible Rowan really believed I was in this for the chase, but I wasn’t the type of man who chased pussy. And definitely not for a fucking year. And not to whip my dick out or anything, but the woman had to know that I didn’t need to work this hard to get laid. Easy women were everywhere.
When I had first met Rowan, she had immediately displayed her loyalty for Mystic with her I’m-not-impressed-by-money-or-power attitude. She had made it absolutely clear that Gage and I would only be worth her time if Mystic deemed it so. She hadn’t cared that I had been Mystic’s boss at the time or that Gage had been the love of Mystic’s life. Rowan had made her alliance to Mystic clear, and as far as she’d been concerned, that had been the end of it.
Sure, I had been dazzled by that face and body of hers, but I’ve fucked many beautiful women with amazing bodies. They weren’t in short supply as long as plastic surgeons existed. And, honestly, I wasn’t all that hung up on a woman’s looks as much as some people might assumed. I was happy with any woman who didn’t get on my nerves overmuch. After all, I was only ever in it for the sex.
Until Rowan.
I was instantly captured by her snarky attitude, and over the past year, I’ve actually grown to like her, and I wanted to try this. I wanted Rowan Lewis to prove to me that I was capable of picking a woman with integrity. One that wasn’t blinded by my money, power, or status.
A woman who just liked me for me; asshole and all.
Chapter 27
Rowan~
The shower had done wonders, but my mind was still preoccupied with my freak out earlier. Or maybe more to the point that I had to face my cowardice.
Even through all the counseling and support, I let fear of embarrassment drive the direction of my sex and love life. Fearing that I’d make a major fool of myself, I avoided rather than corrected, and that decision has gotten me nowhere.
Sooner or later, I was going to want a husband and kids. Sooner or later, I was going to want to love someone unconditionally. And I couldn’t have all those things if I wasn’t willing to fight for them.
A knock at my door snapped me out of my thoughts. I glance at the clock and it was almost eleven, which meant it could only be Grayson. I knew forcing him to leave earlier would play heavy on his conscience, but that was another thing I had started thinking about lately. I wondered if my refusal to fully conquer my past was holding him back, too. That’s why I had asked him that exact question tonight. I needed to know I haven’t been taking him down with me.
Ready to get on with it, I opened my front door, but it wasn’t Grayson standing on the other side.
It was Lorcan.
“Lorcan?”
“May I come in?” Dumbfounded, I stepped back and let him in.
After shutting the door, I asked, “How did you know where I lived?”
“You’re not in the Witness Protection Program, Rowan,” he said, the sarcasm heavy. “It’s not that hard to find anyone these days.
“While true, you could have nixed the sarcasm,” I replied.
“What happened earlier tonight?”
There were so many ways I could answer that question, but I decided to go with the semi-truth. Depending on his reaction and responses, I might never have to tell him the complete truth. If he could accept some simple fun under certain conditions, there was no harm in that, right?
“You said something that made me think we might not be compatible in bed.”
Surprise flashed across his face. “What?”
I shrugged. “I don’t think you and I are into the same…things.”
He didn’t say anything for a bit, mulling my words over in his head, no doubt, but then finally asked, “And what was it I said?”
“You asked me to let you do filthy things to me and my body?” I reminded him.
Confusion swirled in those intense grey eyes of his. “Okay, so…dirty talk is a no-go?”
