Chapter Twenty
Milo
“I passed!” I threw myself into Rowan’s arms when he let me into his hotel room.
“I knew you would.” He twirled me around and kicked the door shut.
“I got a B- but I’m so happy with it. Thank you for your help.” I peppered kisses all over his face, to the grin he was sporting.
“My pleasure. You should be proud of yourself.” He placed me on the bed and sat next to me. “Now, don’t be mad, but I wanted to celebrate your exam and cheekily assumed you’d want to spend time with me.”
“Okay, quite a fair assumption, but you look guilty.” I crossed my arms. “Out with it.”
“It’s flexible, so any day you could spare—”
“Ohmygods, what is it?”
“I booked a lake house.”
“Oh. For a retreat together?” I tilted my head, processing. Rowan was aware of how anxious I was to take any days off work, hence the amendable option.
“Yes.” He still looked sheepish. “You said you loved going camping and staying at a small cottage somewhere, and you haven’t been in a while, so—”
I interrupted him by straddling his lap and kissing the air out of him. He’d listened to all my stories about my parents and my aunts when I’d shared my happy memories with him. “I can take this weekend off.” Frowning, I waved my hand. “Off-ish. As usual.”
“Of course, Mr. Workaholic.”
“Pot.” Glaring, I poked his chest. “Kettle.” I pointed at my own.
He rolled me onto the bed and blew raspberries along my neck.
I squealed like an animal in the wild and wiggled, laughing. “It tickles.”
Rowan took a deep breath and continued down my body until I was giggling so hard, I somehow lost all my clothes and so did Rowan.
We arrived at a tiny lake house on a Friday evening after only a two-hour drive.
Trees grew at the back of the property, while the path in front led to the easy slope to the lake with a small deck.
Rowan took my overnight suitcase, so I grabbed his duffel bag and keys, and ran inside.
The one-bedroom cabin had a cosy living room and a disproportionately big bathroom. The place was built of wooden logs and had the ultimate cottagecore vibes with potted plants everywhere, mahogany furniture, and cute-as-fuck rugs.
I traced a finger along the spines of old books and several figurines carved from wood. “It feels homey, not a vacation house.”
“An elderly couple lived here, but they passed away a few weeks ago. During my search for a short retreat, I found this, and it looked perfect for what I wanted. Mike and John’s families are temporarily renting the house before they sell it.
They all live too far to use it. They cleaned up all personal belongings but left knick-knacks that make this place so cosy. ”
I crossed my arms. “And all that was on the website?”
“No.” Rowan pursed his lips like a child caught stealing candy. “I talked to Franny, their granddaughter, over email last week. I had to be sure you’d like it here.”
I narrowed my eyes. Mr. Unsociable chatting to people? Then again, maybe he was more open online than in person. “You went to all this trouble for me?”
“I wanted to enjoy it too.” Rowan snuck his hands behind me, cupped my bum and lifted me up.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist. “Thank you.”
“Now we need to put the steaks in the fridge, and you can pick what you want for dinner.” Rowan scratched my cheek with his beard affectionately.
“Whatever we packed, as long as we’ll sit on the deck and look at the sunset while we eat. I’m fine with popcorn.”
“That’s not food.”
“Sure is.” I wriggled out of his arms and sprinted to the kitchen.
We ended up with quick-prep hot-dogs and a bowl of popcorn on Rowan’s blanket spread across the deck. The same checkered monstrosity he’d had in his car when we’d stopped in the woods on the way from Raina’s wedding. I was warming up to it. Fond memories and all.
We didn’t need to change from shorts, thanks to the heat that lingered into the evening with a warm breeze from the lake tickling the hair on my legs.
Rowan took his tank top off, but I kept my cute crop top on.
It had a sun in the colors of the rainbow and a shadow of a bigfoot in front of it with the inscription: “out and proud”, referring to how cryptids were out of the monster closet and living amongst humans, but also to the abandonment of the society-created concept of rigid sexuality and gender rules.
“You picked the best place,” I said around a mouthful of hotdog. The sky glowed red and orange, bathing the lake and the surrounding trees in warm colors. This was the magical moment when the day was ending and on its way toward dusk.
“I don’t remember the last time I simply sat and looked at the sunset. Maybe on the trip to Egypt my parents took me and all my siblings when I was little.” Rowan bit into his food. “When I was not chasing a career and success.”
“You’re successful now, so you can look at the setting sun and relax for a moment.” I nudged him with my elbow.
“You’re running a cafe, studying, helping your aunt, and organizing events for the community, and still you’ve never lost your whimsy.” Rowan put his hotdog down. “It’s admirable.”
“I have my bad moments,” I mumbled, regretting it immediately.
“That’s hard to believe.” Rowan wrapped an arm around me and kissed my temple.
“Be glad you don’t have to see me at my worst.” I set my food aside and wiggled my way between Rowan’s parted knees, resting my back against his front.
“Maybe I could help then.” He nuzzled the top of my head and inhaled.
Sadness twisted my gut. “You’re a good person, Rowan.”
“If you say so. You’d know.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
“You’re such an excellent judge of character, but you want to see the best in people, anyway. It’s so clear how intuitive and affable you are. Everyone who meets you adores you.” He wrapped his arms around my chest.
“I read people well. I knew Andrew was an asshole, but I still hoped he’s decent deep inside. You have an aura about you that told me right away that I could trust you. I can’t explain it.”
Rowan hummed into my hair. “You said you have cryptids in your family, right?”
“Anabelle was a snake shifter, and she was my great aunt on my mom’s side. But the cryptid genes skip a generation here and there.” I caressed Rowan’s hairy forearm, soothing myself with the touch. “They skipped my mom and my grandpa, Anabelle’s brother.”
“That’s possible, but I don’t think they skipped you.”
I scoffed. “Why?”
Rowan turned me around in his arms. “I think you’re a low-level empath.”
“Oh…” I chewed my lip, frowning. A mix of dread and relief flooded my stomach. Could I have missed something so huge about myself? “That would actually explain a lot.”
“I see how you interact with people. You always know what they need, and you’re there to offer a smile and your help.”
I shrugged one shoulder. “It comes naturally to me.”
“Exactly.” Rowan smiled and kissed my forehead.
My stomach did a flip flop of emotions. His words and gentleness broke me. “Is that why it hurts so much?”
Rowan cupped my face in his large palm and caressed the soft skin under my eye. “What does?”
“The thought of you leaving. It’s like a permanent ache in my chest. But it intensifies when I’m around you.”
“Maybe.” He licked the tear that rolled down my cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay.” He was hurting too. We didn’t have a lot of time. “Let’s shower. I need your cock inside me tonight.”
“Oh, okay.” Rowan looked surprised but stood up with me in his arms and carried me into the house.
I insisted on showering separately and shoved him into the bathroom first. That way, we wouldn’t get too handsy with water and soap together before the main attraction.
By the time I emerged naked, still towelling off my hair, Rowan had prepared the bedroom. On both nightstands were candles which, on a closer look, were glass-encased lamps imitating a flame.
“These are so pretty. And safe.”
“I knew you’d be worried if I used real ones, and this house is very flammable, so when I saw these at the store the other day, I had to get them.”
Rowan simply accepted my weirdness and rolled with it.
I placed a hand on his hairy chest and pushed. “I love them.”
He followed my lead and lay on the bed. “And I lo—I’m happy that you do.”
I straddled his legs and licked the ribbed underside of his hard-on in one long move, then took the head into my mouth.
I didn’t want to imagine what he might have said.
Because stupidly, I could have replied with the same.
But we couldn’t give ourselves glimpses into something that wasn’t meant to be.
We were both too set in our lives to change.
His intoxicating scent intensified when he was aroused, as if he was made for me to want him so badly, to need to bury my face in his groin and roll all over him until I could smell like him.
Rowan patted my shoulder and pulled me on top of him.
Our tongues mingled in leisurely strokes, the kiss growing deeper and turning from sweet to filthy.
I nipped Rowan’s lip and sucked at it, getting some form of revenge for the way his beard scratched me every time we kissed.
It was much softer than any beard I’ve touched before, including mine—a rare occurrence, but still rough compared to my clean-shaven face.
Rowan cupped my cheek and looked at me as if he was about to recite a profound poem.
“Sit on my face,” he said.
I burst into giggles and climbed up his body to do as he asked. Holding on to the sturdy wooden headboard, I squatted over his chin.
He grabbed my thighs, supporting my position, and licked a stripe between my cheeks. Releasing a low rumble from deep within his chest, he latched onto my hole.
I loved when he ate me out like it was his favorite thing and he’d been deprived for months. Even if he enjoyed it so much, we’d hooked up regularly apart from the concussion recovery days.
“Stretch me, Rowan.” I moaned, rocking over his lips. “Prepare me for your cock.”
He mumbled something into my skin, then patted the bed. I placed a bottle of lube in his hand and he chuckled into my ass, giving me a thumbs-up.