Chapter 38
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
ROWAN
I lunge for Everly, diving into the pool with a growl.
Her squeal bounces off the walls. She tries to swim away from me and I’ll give her credit, she’s a strong swimmer.
She makes it halfway across the pool before I manage to grab her ankle.
Her yelp is cut off as I yank her toward me, forcing her underwater.
Planting my feet on the pool floor, I let go of her ankle to grab a fistful of her hair.
With a hard jerk, I yank her head up out of the water.
Immediately Everly kicks and screeches. I ignore her attempts to fight me and pull her up until she’s eye level.
“You don’t know me, Everly!” I bellow.
Before she can respond, I shove her back down into the water and hold her there.
The adrenaline has my heart racing and dick harder than steel, but damn it—my skin feels like it’s on fire.
I fight the urge to reach over my shoulder to scratch what I can reach of my back but as Everly thrashes in my hold under the water, the itch grows ever more persistent.
Damn it, this isn’t getting me anywhere with her. Is that why I’m suddenly so fucking itchy? If so, I need to calm the fuck down or this is just going to get worse.
With an annoyed huff, I yank Everly’s head above the water.
Without missing a beat, she breathlessly snaps back, “Does anyone know you, Rowan? Without the glitz and glam, who are you?”
It’s a blow I’m not prepared for. How could Everly possibly know that’s the same question I’ve been asking myself for days?
With a roar, I shove her back underwater. She kicks at my legs and struggles in my hold but I keep her beneath the surface, trembling with fury. The itch is there, persistent and demanding my attention, but beneath it and my anger is something else.
Does anyone know you, Rowan ? Her words strike yet another chord.
Braum knows me. Without a doubt, he’s probably as close as a brother to me. But is one person enough?
Before Serenity Falls, I had a ton of friends. They followed me to every party, ate up every word that I spoke, and jet-set with me around the world. There was a time when I was never alone.
Where are those friends now, though? Realistically, they’re probably high at a photoshoot or at a club.
Have they even noticed my absence? Have I been gone long enough to be considered…
irrelevant? I cringe. In the modeling world, irrelevancy is worse than a crumbling mental state or a drug addiction.
The thing is, if that’s the case, I can’t even fault them.
If the situation was reversed with one of them here and I was free, I’d probably have moved on with my life and forgotten them too.
That’s because I am—and they are—super-fucking-ficial.
I stare down at the thrashing woman before me. Everly’s not like the others that I used to keep around me. She’s not even like the members of my court. Everly’s not attracted to my fame or fortune.
Which fucking sucks because, even pissed, I want her.
I’m so deeply attracted to the person she is that my mind and soul have declared Everly’s value to be worth more than any piece within my Collection. She is the final piece.
The reminder that the woman I’m partially drowning is the one person I want more than anything else helps bring clarity back into the moment. I’m certainly not going to win her affection this way, am I? A hard shudder rushes through me as the anger subsides.
With a grunt, I pull Everly back up out of the water.
As she gasps and lets out ragged sobs, I readjust my grip on her hair to grab a fistful at the base of her skull.
Using it, I roughly pull Everly up against my body.
Her hands come up to brace against my chest and instantly my body absorbs the warmth radiating from them.
I tug her head back, forcing her to look up at me.
Her eyelashes are so thick and long that they hold drops of water. Those droplets shine like gems in the light and give her a nearly surreal look as she glares at me. Everly’s captivating, even while she’s furious and coughing up water.
“Why can’t you be like the others?” I shout into her face.
“W-what are you—” she coughs, “—talking about?”
I fling my free hand out with exasperation. “Why can’t you just make this easy?”
Without waiting for a response, I bend down and kiss her. It's hard and demanding. When I pull away, Everly’s staring up at me, bewildered.
“Make what easy, Rowan?” she asks, her brows furrowing.
I snort at the absurdity. Can’t she tell? Now that I’ve figured it out, it seems so fucking obvious that I might as well have a billboard sign over my head, announcing it.
“I want whatever the hell it is you’ve given to Vick,” I correct. “And it’s not just friendship, is it? I want that .”
She lets out a mocking laugh. Her hard expression cracks, exposing something painfully vulnerable, while her eyes grow haunted. “What do you think I have with Maverick, exactly? You said it yourself, I’m worth less than dogshit to him.”
“You love him,” I blurt out. “I want all that being loved by you entails.”
Hurt flickers across her face. “Why? So you can throw it back in my face, just like he has?”
Those small cracks exposing her vulnerability expand. Something in me aches to fill them.
“No,” I lean down swiftly to press a light kiss to her mouth before I tell her, “I can give you what Vick can’t, Everly.”
“And what’s that?” Her skepticism is twisted with a tired but haughty scoff.
“Attention. Reverence,” I promise quickly. “Whatever you need, I’ll give it to you.”
Before she can speak, I kiss her again. It’s another light one against her lips. Little does she know, it’s a wordless plea. For all the fake shit in my life, I need something real and this is it—Everly’s all-consuming adoration. What does she want for it? I’ll give her anything.
I’ll even beg if that’s what it’ll take.
“Why him, Everly?” I murmur against her lips.
Letting go of her hair, I reach into the water and snag Everly’s waist to pull her closer so there’s no space between us.
Like this, there’s no hiding my erection.
I’m hard, and it’s all for her. I give her another kiss before I shift, kissing the corner of her mouth, her nose, her cheek…
I trail kisses all the way across her face to her ear.
She holds still, as if frozen with either shock or indecision.
“I just don’t get it,” I admit with frustration. “Did you guys date before?”
There’s the slightest shake of her head. “No.”
Frustration claws at me. “Then this has always been one-sided, Everly. He doesn’t care about you.
Don’t you see that? It’s why he hasn’t come back for you.
Vick’s probably plotting against me and Braum right now, just because we’re taunting him by keeping you.
You’re hardly a part of his equation.” I kiss the shell of her ear.
“But me? I can’t stop thinking about you.
Let me show you what it feels like to be wanted.
I can be so fucking good to you, Everly. Just… forget about Vick.”
She’s part of The Collection, my most prized possession. Whether she understands that or not, it means I’ll be taking care of her needs. I have to in order for her to continue to shine. She’s in good hands.
Because I’m holding her and Everly’s hands are braced against my chest, I can feel the slightest tremor rush through her.
“Rowan, y-you just tried to drown me and for the past few days you locked me up in a cage—for hours, mind you. None of this is, ah, conducive to what you’re offering.”
Touché.
“I wasn’t trying to drown you, I needed you to be quiet while I nursed my wounded pride,” I say quickly, giving her a playful grin.
“And the cage? That’s so I don’t lose you.
If you run off with Vick or get caught trying to—you’ll be gone.
Out of my life and reach. I can’t have that.
I just want you so damn much it’s making me a bit…
” I search for the right word, finding it a moment later. “ Irrational .”
Everly grimaces. “That’s one way of putting it.”
“Give me a break,” I complain. “I’ve never once had to take care of someone before.
Yet here you are, suddenly in my fucking care, and I’m scared.
What if I fuck it up? I have to keep you, no matter the lengths I have to go to do so.
But keeping you isn’t enough. I want to make you happy so that you want to be here.
Fuck, let me cater to your every whim, Everly. ”
The intensity of my desire for Everly should be frightening to her. Hell, if the roles were reversed, and a woman had done to me what I’ve done to her and said the very same thing—I’d make sure I’d have the strongest restraining order drawn up and that I was living on the other side of the planet.
But Everly doesn’t balk. She doesn’t even try to pull away. Instead, a small, sweet smile splays across her face. It’s just as startling as it is encouraging. Everly doesn’t smile often, and I just managed to wrangle yet another one from her. Fuck yes .
“Y-you want to take care of me?” The skepticism in her voice is twisted with a hint of curiosity.
“Yes!” I bite out, desperate for her to understand.
“I’ve made sure you had three meals every day, that you were comfortable at the library while I went to my classes, then came to visit you between them to keep you company, and I’ve brought you here to unwind.
All because I want to make sure your needs are met and you’re content.
Do you think I’d give anyone else half the attention I’ve given you? ”