Rowan (The Irish Wolves Book 3)

Chapter 13

Rowan stretched, smiling at the light peeking through the window shades. She’d slept amazingly well. She needed to call her sisters. They’d be waiting for updates about last night’s date. Her hand felt around her nightstand to grab her phone off the charger.

The nightstand recalled to mind what she’d done last night. Oh my God, Rowan still could not believe she’d sent that picture to Hugh. Served him right, but still. Raven and River would shit if Rowan confided in what she’d done.

Swiping up to open her phone, there were several texts. William, Nan, Raven, River, and…Hugh. She’d save Hughs for last. Her body tingled in anticipation of what he’d written. If he liked it.

Nan sent a picture of a new flower garden at her new home. Marrying Devlen had transformed Rowan’s grandma. She seemed so full of life. It was heartwarming to see that Nan was adding flowers, making the new house her own. Nan texted her sisters and Rowan together. Never worry. I am keeping the flower gardens at your place beautiful as well. You three had better come visit before my new great-grandbaby gets here. I mean it. They might be able to swing a weekend now that her job was wrapping up earlier than expected.

Her sisters used a joint thread to text Rowan this morning.

Row, you looked stunning at the charity. The Social Edition pics online are gorgeous! The one after the charity is smoking. Can’t wait to hear how the night turned out for you and Will. Call soon.

Damn, Row, how many people asked you where your sidekick Flit was hiding? LOL Totally nailed Pocahontas—Will could have been your John Smith, I suppose. Call us already.

River, don’t you remember. Rowan always hated that show because she wanted Pocahontas to choose Kocoum.

Oh, yeah. Moody and broody’s always been her thing.

And big.

Dark hair.

Muscles.

Rolling her eyes at their teasing, she opened William’s next.

Will apologized again for working last night. I laid in bed for hours last night, regretting that I hadn’t found a quiet corner so I could taste your mouth again. I’ve thought of little else. You are an incredible woman. I will miss you when I leave town today. Would you consider coming to Houston next weekend? I will send my plane to pick you up on Friday afternoon. Talk to you soon.

Rowan sighed. He was wonderful, but she could already feel herself pulling back. He told her he’d thought of her for hours last night. Kissing her again. Rowan spent her time taking dirty pictures and sending them to another man before she happily fell into a deep sleep.

She wasn’t ready to give up on them yet. She and Will could be…something.

Rowan’s finger hovered over the last unread message. Hugh. Oh God. Rowan took a deep, shaky breath, let it out slowly, and opened the message.

Agree to see me tonight. Come to my place for drinks. You owe me.

Who in the hell was this new Hugh? Hugh 1.0 would never ask her over. Hugh 1.0 wouldn’t have freely touched her body or put his lips to her skin either. What in the hell was he playing at? Her fingers hovered over the keypad. Agree or not? While Rowan thought about big girl issues like dating two men and the consequences, she propped herself up against the headboard and pulled her laptop close. She found the paper’s Social Edition.

“Oh wow.” She and Will were in several at the Philbrook charity. They looked good together. “Oh my.” A photographer had gotten a closeup picture of Will leaning over her at their table. She was smiling as his lips touched hers. It had been a soft, sweet kiss. This picture made it look as though they were in love. Groaning, no wonder her sisters were so eager for her call.

Raven had mentioned a picture taken after the charity. Rowan clicked through the rest of the museum pictures before searching the main Social Edition page.

Stanton Tech Heir in Love. The bold description sat directly above a picture of her and Will kissing in the hotel lobby. Oh God, Oh God. Oh God. This was the reason her sisters wanted to talk to her, not the charity photos.

Matilda would see them as soon as she got up. Diana Gaines was an early riser. She would already have seen them, which means she would show Owen and Will when they visited her before they left town. Staton Tech Heir in Love. Christ Almighty, Hugh would see them.

Maybe he wouldn’t see them. He didn’t seem like a social media troller. Unless his sons tipped him off. She needed to call her sisters immediately and head that off.

She also needed to reply to Hugh’s text from last night.

What do I owe you for?

Bubbles appeared immediately. I stayed hard for hours.

That mental picture dragged a moan from Rowan’s throat. It amazed Rowan how comfortable she was with sexual discourse when it was with Hugh. They’d never even kissed, but they’d trusted each other to witness vulnerable moments.

Hugh knew her body and she knew his. Rowan would trust him with more than watching. She always had. He hadn’t trusted her. Rowan kept asking herself the same question: What had changed?

She tapped her chin thoughtfully. Agree or not? Rowan could not let the image of Hugh’s erection cloud her judgment.

How did you get it to go away?

You know how.

Christ have mercy. Lord have mercy. Pray for this sinner, Lord.Unfortunately, praying didn’t stop her fingers from typing.

You’ll only run. Why would I open myself to that? Again.

Bubbles for minutes. Hugh was either typing a novel or deleting and repeating.

I’ll never run again. Give me one more chance. I want to explain.

There could only be one response. Rowan wanted answers. She hoped Hugh didn’t let her down. Okay.

7. I’ll have fruit, veg, and Slane.

She was in the deep end now. No returning to the ledge. The last hurdle before she faced the day—a call to her sisters and maybe telling...probably telling them what kind of deep shit storm she’d willingly walked into.

They answered on the first ring.

“What’s going on?” Raven asked.

“Spill,” River demanded.

“The long or short”

“Long.” Raven.

“Short.” River.

“Medium it is,” Rowan sighed. “Prepare yourselves. I had thought not to tell you everything, but I need your input and you have to know it all.” Rowan swallowed her embarrassment and told her sisters a PG version of her and Hugh’s previous sexual encounters. His rejection. His multiple rejections. Raven and River had witnessed the one in the hospital room.

Rowan detailed her time with William, short though it had been, and her feelings for the man. Trying to decide whether or not she could see herself with William long-term. Even though she’d told them some of what had happened the morning Hugh had seen her ass tat and the…touching that had followed, Rowan filled in the blanks of what he’d said and what she’d lied about.

“So, you made Hugh think you and William were intimate?” Raven asked for clarification.

“Yes, and I hate that I did it, but damn it, I didn’t want him to know that I was still hoping he would want me back!” Rowan admitted.

“Let’s be honest, Row,” River started. “He always wanted you. He’s just been a dumbass for months.”

Rowan didn’t disagree. She then told them about her date with William, that she did really enjoy his company, and she could see trying something more permanent with him. “But...” Rowan’s reasoning petered off.

“But…you love Hugh, and you think you want to take the chance,” Raven finished Rowan’s thought.

“Exactly.”

River asked about the pictures. Wondering why it looked like Rowan was super into William.

“I am into him, damn it! That’s the problem, but less than thirty minutes after William kissed me in the lobby, I took a nude selfie in the shower and sent it to Hugh.”

Turns out, her sisters could still be shocked. There was a lot of wha wha wha’s and gasping. “In my defense, Hugh had egged me on by texting me ridiculous shit right before I got in. So, he got what he got.”

“Okay, I’m swallowing my shock. For now. But…how…I mean, how did he respond?”

“Yeah,” Raven seconded, “did he…make a surprise visit again?”

“He texted back, but I didn’t get it until this morning. He asked me to come over tonight. He said I ‘owed him.’ I agreed to meet,” Rowan revealed.

“I don’t care if he wanted you to come over,” River practically yelled. “Did he mention the picture?”

“And what did he mean you owed him?” Raven demanded.

“He said…well…he said I owed him because he was hard for hours after I sent him the pic.” They had all the details now. Probably way too many details, but Rowan needed solutions fast, and that required oversharing.

“Sexy as fuck. Wow, my father-in-law has serious game,” River teased.

“Game and hard dicks aside,” Raven started her lecture, “I’m glad you’re going tonight, but you have to set boundaries. Hugh’s natural inclination will be to bulldoze all the obstacles between him and you. You know he had to have seen those pictures of you and Will. He’ll be in damage control, and that may include damaging Will.”

“I agree with Raven. Hear what he has to say about his past asswipe blunders, and then give yourself time to assess. You like William, but you love Hugh—though he doesn’t deserve it after how badly he hurt you—so proceed with great caution,” River advised.

“A great deal of caution,” Raven seconded.

Hugh was tense.He’d changed clothes three times. He never second-guessed his first choice. He never gave a single shit what anyone thought of him. He said what he wanted, and the recipient either liked it or they didn’t. He started out in a suit. Bad choice. A woman was coming to his place. He wasn’t going to a board meeting for fuck’s sake. He’d torn the suit off.

Next came jeans and a t-shirt. The jeans felt restrictive and irritating. He’d hated all the shoes and boots he’d tried on with it. He looked like he was running errands. Hugh stripped again.

Finally, he chose a pair of dark brown joggers and a soft, tan t-shirt. His feet were bare—no reason to tower over Rowan any more than he did naturally. This was a stay in casual date, well perhaps it wasn’t a date, but it felt like it. He hadn’t had a date in years, but he never remembered one feeling like this. Rowan would most likely choose comfortable. So, he would too. Clothes finalized; Hugh continued pacing through his apartment.

He’d missed Oklahoma. Not as much as he thought he would, but still, it was good to be back. His mother always lived in town. Hugh preferred living closer to nature. That’s why the Muskogee compound suited him so well.

His sons loved living there as well, but they were married now, and their priorities were their wives—as they should be. Hugh was excited about the distillery, so he knew he’d go back to Dublin sooner rather than later.

He did love Dublin. His sons were there, which meant Hugh would be there. He wondered if Rowan would spend part of her time in Oklahoma with him. She struggled to leave her sisters as much as he struggled to be away from his boys, and now his grandson—her nephew. Jesus, their family was convoluted.

Rowan did love the compound. She really loved the library. The unfinished library. Maybe he could draw her to his home using the library as a lure. Hugh groaned at his thoughts. He was getting ahead of himself. This was just a simple meet-up for drinks. He wasn’t proposing for the love of God. It wasn’t that big of a deal. It was a very big deal, he thought.

He also shouldn’t be so bothered by the pictures of Rowan and William online. He was, though. Damn it, he was a lot more than bothered. Hugh had called the O’Faolain’s head attorney that morning.

Interrupting the man on a Saturday had been thoughtless. Asking him to hire investigators to find any dirt he could on William Stanton was borderline out of control. Mom and Rowan would have Hugh’s head if they knew he’d even considered it.

That’s how crazed he’d been since seeing the woman he…a woman that was…of Rowan in Stanton’s arms. He wanted to find anything that might destroy him. That William dared…If Hugh was being reasonable, he would admit that William couldn’t have known she belonged to Hugh. Unfortunately for Stanton, Hugh wasn’t in a reasonable headspace.

The photographs that hit the papers and online media this morning almost crippled him. He’d felt rage, despair, then denial. The way they looked at one another…Christ...there was a real possibility he’d screwed up any chance he’d once had of making Rowan his.

Did Rowan love William? It looked like she did.

She had agreed to meet Hugh. She’d agreed to hear him out. Rowan would walk through his door any minute and every speech he’d been practicing evaporated from memory. He was edgy and angry, and very, very panicked.

All of Rowan’s favorite fruit and vegetables had been delivered on trays an hour ago. Chilled water and ice. Lemon wedges. Low ball glasses and whiskey. All her favorite things.

He’d golfed with a few friends and had lunch at the club today to waste several hours. He spent those hours surreptitiously staring at the picture Rowan had sent him. Naked and in the shower. He hadn’t lied to Rowan. He’d been hard for hours. It had taken every ounce of his willpower to not let himself into his mother’s place and into Rowan’s bed.

He could barely make out her form, but he knew her body. Every naked inch and his memory was faultless. That bit of nipple he could make out had his mouth watering. He could see her eyes. They appeared to be staring right at him. Rowan had been playing with fire. He had instigated it with his initial text. He desperately wanted to know what she had nestled away in her side table.

Yesterday he’d had his mouth on her ass cheek. That had been the first bit of her skin that Hugh had ever tasted. He wanted more.

On the golf green, he was either adjusting his dick after looking at the shower pic or fuming over the pictures of William and Rowan. Had she sent William a naked picture too? No. Hugh wouldn’t believe she’d do that. Her body belonged to Hugh. Or it used to.

When she’d been pissed at Hugh for coming into her bedroom, she’d admitted that William had had his hands on her body. Hugh didn’t consider himself a violent man, but he’d had visions of beating the man to within an inch of death. He’d settled for attempting to ruin his reputation or his business. It was not nearly as satisfying, but he wouldn’t end up arrested.

His anger was worse because he and William were friendly. He wasn’t a stranger. Will was Diana Gaines nephew, so Hugh had been around the Stanton family several times over the years. Hugh and Helen had attended William’s wedding thirty years ago.

That thought made Hugh pause. Hopefully the investigators would find out why Will and Katy got a divorce. Maybe he’d been a shit husband. Rowan wouldn’t like that, he thought, grinning.

Hugh stopped his pacing when he heard his phone ringing. He’d left it by the whiskey bar and quickly moved there. He prayed it wasn’t Rowan cancelling. He snatched the phone from the counter and saw that Bran was calling. Panic seared his chest. It was almost one in the morning in Dublin.

“Bran. What is it?” Hugh barely leashed his anxiety.

“Everything is fine, Dad. Seriously, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Then why in the fuck are you calling me at one o’clock in the morning? Are Raven and Daniel okay?” Hugh was taking deep breaths to calm his racing heart.

“Fine, fine. No worries. My son has decided sleeping at night just isn’t his thing. For four nights,” Bran chuckled softly. Probably hoping Daniel would change his mind about passing out. “Rave and I are taking turns.”

Bran sounded exhausted. Parenthood…the great sleep depriver. Hugh’s heart ached that he wasn’t there to help too. “You pulled that shit with me. Did I never tell you?”

“No, you didn’t, and I can only apologize for torturing you.”

“Mom sorted me out. I called her late one night, waking her and Dad, which she was pissed about until I told her you refused to sleep at night like a normal person, and I was losing my shit.” The doorbell rang. Oh, God. Rowan.

Hugh walked over and opened the door. Rowan was in thin cotton shorts, a matching black t-shirt, and flip flops. Her hair was up in a bun, soft tendrils coming loose. Thank God. Casual. He waved her in and mouthed Bran, pointing at the phone. Her immediate concern soothed his earlier reaction. Anyone would have panicked. Christ, it was the middle of the damn night in Dublin. He mouthed, “It’s fine.”

“She told me to stop whining like a child.” Hugh continued. “She also told me how Dad got me to sleep.”

“Oh, Jesus. Tell me now. Please.” Bran was desperate.

Rowan sat at the bar smiling. She loved their family as he did. He fixed her an ice water and a double of Slane, while he poured himself Glenmorangie 18. She loved Glen 18. Hugh had considered she might want to taste it on his tongue.

“Turn your air down so it’s colder than the normal temperature. Then turn the television on, or music, but keep it low. Take your shirt off and lay on the couch. Strip Daniel to his diaper and lay him on your chest. Don’t cover him up.”

“Okay, I’m doing it all now. Give me a second.”

Hugh could hear Bran murmuring to Daniel and moving about, following the instructions. Rowan took a sip of her whiskey and raised her brows in question.

“Daniel isn’t sleeping at night,” Hugh whispered. “Bran is up with him this time.” Rowan nodded in understanding.

“Okay, I’m back. Who were you talking to?”

“None of your fucking bus—” Rowan was staring at Hugh, and he would swear that her look was a dare to tell the truth. Shit, he was fucking up already.

“Rowan.”

“Oh, yeah,” Bran said like he knew Rowan was coming over, which he probably fucking did. “Tell Row hi. Okay. I’m on the couch and Daniel’s on my chest, but he’s squirming like he’s cold and about ready to scream. Scream more that is. Maybe just a light blanket? Patty’s blanket?” Hugh and Rowan grinned at each other then. Patty’s blanket referred to Patrick’s baby shower gift. He’d crocheted Bran and Raven’s child a baby blanket and Raven put their son to bed every night with it.

“No. He gets his Patty when he stays asleep in his own bed like a big boy.”

“Now what?” Bran sounded stressed. Daniel’s fussing was becoming louder.

“Mom said to ignore you. She told me you’d eventually get tired of being ignored, which you did. She said the cold air would make you snuggle into my chest, which it did.”

Bran spoke even quieter. “He’s snuggling. Oh God, Dad, his eyes are getting heavy,” Bran’s voice was so low Hugh and Rowan could barely hear it. Hugh had turned the phone on speaker so Rowan could follow along.

“Ignore it all. No eye contact. Remember!” Hugh whispered back.

“If he goes out, let him sleep until six, then wake him up and do his normal routine, but Mom told me to give you two naps, not more than an hour to an hour and a half twice a day. No extra-long naps. In a day or two Daniel’s clock should be adjusted.”

“He’s completely limp on my chest and sleeping.”

“Try to sleep, too, Son. Call me tomorrow.”

“Thanks, Dad. I love you.”

Hugh had to blink his eyes rapidly to stop any moisture from escaping. “Love you too.”