Chapter 29
Three days later “Come on, you’re going out with us.” Fleur stood in Adalyn’s bedroom doorway, already dressed in her Mardi Gras getup.
“You look like a nightmare.” Adalyn blinked as she swept her gaze over Fleur.
Her sister’s dark hair was in two braids and she had on some weird Harlequin-style hat on. In a green bustier and purple and gold skirt that might as well be a stretchy headband, she was actually the opposite of a nightmare. Her thigh-high striped socks in the same color scheme topped off the outfit.
Fleur just grinned. “Tiago said I look like his dream girl.”
“Eww, no.”
“Wait, eww, me or eww him?”
“Just…eww. Ugh. Whatever. Fine, I’ll go to the dumb parade but I’m not dressing up.”
“Oh, you’re dressing up.” Fleur turned on her heel, flashing Adalyn her purple and green ass—oh my god, even her underwear was Mardi Gras themed—as she sashayed away.
Adalyn forced herself to get out of bed even though she wanted to continue to sulk, or whatever it was that was going on with her. Okay, she knew what it was. She needed to grieve, but she knew once she let go, she would be down for days.
The local police had found a lot more evidence over the last few days, and it had been confirmed by Hailey and Gage that Omar Ali had been the guy. Good news, right?
Except she couldn’t shake the sadness that had enveloped her, was weighing her down. The deaths and bombings were all so senseless. And now good people were dead, their families grieving, and for what?
It was all her fault too, she knew that. If she’d just let things go, if she’d never gone after Bes Ali, then his cousin never would have come after her family, her friends. Maybe that was her problem.
Big fat guilt.
All of this shit was her fault. For the last three days they’d been tying up loose ends and she hadn’t been able to shake the heavy sensation in her gut. Hadn’t even wanted to put a word to what she was feeling.
Guilt.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she scrubbed a hand over her face, looked up at a slight sound. And was only a little disappointed that it wasn’t Rowan at the door. “What is that?”
Her sister strode in carrying a monstrosity of lacy fabric that might have been a dress. “Your outfit.”
“I’d rather get punched in the face.”
Fleur’s grin just grew and she pulled out a T-shirt from behind her back, threw it at Adalyn. “I know. So I got you this instead. Come on, everyone’s downstairs waiting.”
Adalyn eyed the T-shirt, felt her face crack with a grin at the green shirt that said Jolene, you can keep him. “Nice.”
“Figured you’d like it. Now throw on some jeans and let’s roll. Aunt Collette saved us some tables up on the balcony of her place so we’ll have a good view of the parade.”
Adalyn didn’t want to go. Didn’t want to do anything at all right now other than wallow in her guilt and sadness, but knew if she stayed that it would ruin everyone’s fun. And they’d all come down here for her—because of the big mess she’d brought with her need for revenge. But they’d had her back so she needed to do this. “Just give me a few minutes, okay?”
Fleur blinked, her gold-dusted eyelashes sparkling with the movement. “You’re being very acquiescent.”
She lifted a shoulder. “It’ll be good to get out. Just…make sure Rowan rides in your SUV.” Because she didn’t want to be too close to him. Or, more accurately, she wanted to be straddling him while they were both naked and forget all her problems.
But that would get her nowhere so she’d been ignoring him the last few days. Soon they’d be returning home, back to their jobs in different branches.
She wouldn’t have to see his wonderful self again for a while.
And she was counting down the seconds. So she could just get through one more day before the others headed out tomorrow.
Easy as pie.
Rowan was about to crawl out of his skin.
Or lose his mind.
Or both.
Adalyn had been ignoring him for the last couple hours—plus the last three days—and he was one hundred percent done with her bullshit. Her aunt had hooked them up and roped off one of the balconies on her three-story bar, and it was prime real estate for anyone who wanted to have a good time but not get smothered by drunk strangers during one of the wildest seasons of the year.
So the whole crew had a private balcony, and Adalyn was sitting on the other end talking with Hailey and Jesse. Too far away from him.
Maybe this wasn’t the time or place, but screw it. They were leaving in the morning since their job here was done and he wasn’t letting this thing between them end. He’d been more patient than he’d ever been in his life with her.
He leaned over as a large parade float in the shape of a clamshell slowly rolled by, a Venus sitting in the middle and waving at everyone while the others tossed out beads and moon pies. “Hey,” he murmured to Fleur, who was cuddled up next to Tiago. “In about three minutes, tell your sister that her aunt wants to talk to her in her office.” Without waiting for a response, he stood and headed inside.
The cacophony was immediate as he stepped into the third-floor bar area. A basketball game was on the multitude of channels and everyone cheered as someone scored.
Ignoring a blonde woman who tried to get his attention, he headed for the stairs and descended to the second floor. He had to turn sideways near the bottom as two drunk couples noisily made their way up the stairs. Normally his size was an advantage because people tended to move out of his way. But not today. People were too busy drinking, too much in their own worlds to pay attention to anything else.
At the second-floor bar, he waved Collette over, the woman an older version of Fleur. The petite brunette smiled at him and he could practically see the dollar signs in her eyes. She was cleaning up today for sure. Heck, all week and probably most of the year in a place this busy.
“Hey, darlin’. You guys need more drinks?”
“Hey yourself. Can I borrow your office for a few minutes?”
“Ah, sure,” she called out over another shout at the televisions at her bar. She tossed him a set of keys. “It’s the one with the purple dab of paint on it. Everything okay?”
He nodded. “Yeah, just need to have a private conversation. If you see Adalyn, will you send her to your office?”
“Of course. Make sure y’all let me or anyone here know if you need anything. My employees have orders to check up on you guys all day.”
He grinned, nodded. “We will, thanks.”
He knew there had been bad blood between Collette and Adalyn at one point, but it was clear that it was water under the bridge. Collette’s office was on this floor, right off the stairs, so he hoped Adalyn didn’t stop by the bar and went straight to the office.
That way he could simply ambush her into a conversation.
It took longer than he’d have liked to push back through the crowd, but he made his way to the office, ducked inside and left the door unlocked.
Immediately the noise level dropped, which told him Collette must have serious insulation. Either that or he’d lost some of his hearing from the assholes out in the bar—bars. Jesus, when had he gotten so old? He owned a bar, though it was a lot different than this one.
Aaand none of that mattered.
He glanced around at the neat and tidy office. Collette had a few pictures on the walls with her and various people, some who looked vaguely familiar. There was a filing cabinet in one corner, a desk and a corkboard on one wall with a very complicated-looking schedule.
“Hey,” Adalyn said as she stepped inside. “Everything oka—” She blinked as he leaned against the front of the desk but shut the door behind her, closing them in once again. “Why are you here? My sister said Aunt Collette wanted to see me?” She’d had a few drinks and her expression was more open than normal, her body language relaxed.
And for some reason it pissed him off even if she deserved the break. Because he was wired and there was no going back now. “I asked her to say that. What’s going on with you? With us? You’ve been ignoring me for three days and all I can think about is eating your pussy again.”
Adalyn’s mouth fell open, her cheeks flushing with twin pink spots. “What… You can’t just say that kind of stuff!”
“Pretty sure I can.”
“Is that all you ever think about?”
“Before you, no. But now? Yes. All the time. A ridiculous amount, in fact. I should probably be embarrassed by that, but I’m not.” He stood up, prowled toward her and was glad when she didn’t back down.
Nope, his Adalyn placed her hands on her hips and stared him down like a warrior goddess.
“I’m obsessed with you, Adalyn.”
“Sex is just a temporary pleasure.”
“Not obsessed with sex. You. All of you. And I’m sick of being ignored.” God, he did sound adolescent, but he didn’t care. He was putting it all out there now, laying it all on the line.
Her eyes widened even more, but then they narrowed just as quickly. “You want more than I can give, okay? Because, fine! I’ve been thinking about you too. A lot,” she added.
“Thinking about what?”
She motioned between them a little wildly. “Us. What we shared.”
“So why have you been ignoring me?”
“Because of the exact reason I said. You want more than I can give.”
“What can you give?”
She sputtered for a moment, then jutted her chin out. “Sex. That’s all I have to offer.”
“Fine.”
She blinked, her hands falling to her side loosely, her expression skeptical. “Wh…fine? You’re fine with that?”
“Sure.”
“You’re lying.”
“So? It lets you off the hook. I’m fine with only sex if I get you.”
“No, that’s ridiculous.”
“You’re the ridiculous one,” he snarled. “Why are you pushing me away?”
“Because!”
“Is that it?”
She threw her hands up, let out a frustrated growl and made a move to leave.
But he moved like lightning around her and leaned against the door. Locked it.
“You’re gonna keep me in here?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
“I can bring you down.” Her words were a low growl.
He grinned at the spark in her eyes. “Please do. Or better yet, let me go down on you.”
She screamed again, this one muted. “I’m a mess, Rowan.”
Oh god, he loved when she said his name. Under any circumstances. “So what? We all are. And you’re not, for the record. What is really going on with you?”
“Don’t make me say it,” she whispered. And to his horror, it almost looked like…tears in her eyes. But she turned away from him too quickly. “All of this is my fault. Everything that happened. I was so sure of myself that I went after Bes as if there would be no consequences. I was only thinking about myself! I wanted revenge. And look what happened. Clara’s murder, Rory’s…all my fault! Two kids are going to grow up without their father and—”
He moved in close, wrapped his arms around her to comfort her—aaand she elbowed him in the stomach.
He grunted under the impact but didn’t let go. “Come on, Adalyn. This isn’t your fault. And even if it is, it doesn’t change how I feel about you.”
She turned in his arms, placed her palms on his chest. “How can this not change anything? You hated me before—”
“I didn’t hate you.”
“Well, you didn’t like me.”
“I…had complicated feelings for you. I’ve wanted you since Afghanistan. Since before you shared that rum with me. Since…” He scrubbed a hand over his face but didn’t give her any space. “Probably since the start when you strode into our tent and told us we’d be working together and that if we gave you any shit, you’d cut us off at our knees and then poison us for good measure.” It had been like watching an Amazon goddess, all fire and determination, striding in and threatening a bunch of strangers. Marines, no less.
“Liar,” she muttered.
“Not lying.”
“Well—”
He kissed her because he was done with excuses and he hoped she was too.
When she suddenly pulled back, he let her go. She stared up at him, her green eyes sparking with a multitude of emotions. Then she surprised him by leaning into him, reaching for him instead of walking out the door. Because he wouldn’t force the issue. If she wanted out, then it was over and he had to walk away.
But as her mouth met his, he could feel the energy arcing between them as she tugged at his shirt, so wild and hungry it might as well be a live thing.
Oh, so this was happening. Without pause, he lifted his shirt up and off, tossing it onto the desk.
“We need to lock the door,” she murmured against his mouth.
Leaning back, he reached out blindly, clicked it into place before pinning her up against the filing cabinet. The metal cabinet shook under the force of the two of them, but she didn’t seem to care and he definitely didn’t.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to strip, and even though he knew that absolutely nothing had changed between them, he was still diving into this thing. Adalyn was a drug he wasn’t walking away from.
“God, you’re huge,” she murmured with a hint of awe as she palmed his erection, stroked him once, hard.
He shuddered at the feel of her stroking him even as her words punched through him. He knew what he looked like, but to hear her talk about him with such awe… He crushed his mouth to hers again, cupping her breasts as she continued teasing him.
Pleasure spiraled through him, and part of him wanted to come on her stomach, to rub himself into her and mark her in a ridiculously primal way. But he wanted to be inside her, to feel her pleasure as she came around him.
If he was going to get her as addicted to him as he already was to her, he needed to focus and attempt to hold on to a semblance of control. Which was hard to do when she was palming his cock and squeezing with the perfect pressure.
“Hold on,” he growled against her mouth, grasping onto her wrist and tugging her away. “Just, hold on.”
She grinned against his mouth, but gave him the reprieve he needed. For about ten seconds before she took charge again.
He groaned against her mouth, then dropped to his knees. Because it was clear the only way he was going to get her to stop was to make her come first.
“Oh!” She cried out in surprise as he lifted one of her legs over his shoulder but it shifted into a moan as he began teasing her.
She clutched onto his head with one hand and the side of the filing cabinet with her other as he stroked between her slick folds. With each teasing flick she rolled her hips against his face, spreading her thighs for him.
And he took everything she gave him, until he pulled an orgasm right out of her.
“Rowan!” Still clutching onto him, she cried out as her climax ricocheted through her, rode his face as she came down from her high.
And he didn’t give her a moment to catch her breath before he pinned her against the side of the cabinet, thrust inside her slick heat.
Taking all of him, she arched, her nipples little pebbles against his chest as she met him stroke for stroke. And he was beyond talking, or even thinking at this point, as her inner walls tightened around him.
With each thrust, he barreled faster and faster toward the edge. He’d never felt this way over a woman before, could barely wrap his head around it. And when she bit his bottom lip he let go, his climax surging through him as he emptied himself inside her.
Marking her. Claiming her. Whether she realized it or not.
Because Adalyn was his.
Though he hated to pull out of her, to separate for even a moment, he eased back and set her completely on her feet as they both caught their breath.
She leaned into him, wrapped her arms around him and just buried her face against his chest. He had no idea what was going on in her head, but he’d take this closeness from her. Now and always. Stroking his hands down her spine and over her ass, he enjoyed the feel of her curves beneath his fingertips.
Enjoyed the relative quiet of—
Bang. Bang. Bang.
“Shit.” Adalyn jumped back as another round of pounding on the door followed. “Ah, hold on!” she called out to the interloper even as she scrambled for her clothes.
Rowan was faster, grabbing her pants and shirt and handing them over before pulling his own clothes on. As he smoothed out his T-shirt, he looked at her and…yeah, they definitely looked like they’d just had sex. Oh well, he wasn’t ashamed.
Shrugging, he pulled the door open, smiled at her aunt, who just gave him a dry look before that gaze cut past him to Adalyn.
“I wouldn’t have given you my key if I’d thought you two were going to screw like bunnies in here.” Her tone was just as dry.
“Oh my god, were you watching us?” Adalyn somehow managed to look indignant even as she tugged her boots on, stumbled once against the desk.
“Well not intentionally! When I realized what was going on, I turned my camera off.” The woman pointed up at one of the corners, and yep, there was a camera hidden in a piece of art. “I deleted what little was recorded.”
Adalyn grumbled under her breath as she straightened and adjusted her T-shirt.
“I’ll meet you upstairs,” Rowan murmured when it was clear that her aunt wanted to talk to her alone.
He shut the door behind himself and started up the stairs, but froze when he saw Curtis Miller across the bar.
The man held his gaze for a long moment, then turned and disappeared into the crowd, heading for the other set of stairs.
Rowan frowned even as a shot of adrenaline coated his veins, woke him out of his sex-induced haze. This wasn’t PTSD. No, he wasn’t imagining this. Or god, he hoped he wasn’t. Before, when he’d had episodes, he’d always seen someone in a crowd. But it was at a certain angle, the side of someone who looked like someone he’d known and lost. And it had always been fleeting.
But this… Curtis Miller had just stared him right in the face. And Rowan refused to believe that he was losing his mind.
“Hey, watch it,” some guy muttered as Rowan pushed his way through the four-deep crush at the bar.
Rowan ignored him and kept moving, swimming his way through the throng of purple, green and gold until he finally reached the stairs. Hurrying down them, he pulled out his phone to call Adalyn or Tiago, but it was too loud to hear anything. It was also too loud to use voice to text and he wasn’t going to waste any time until he caught up with Miller.
At the bottom of the stairs, he saw the tall, blond-haired man duck through a door next to the main floor bar. EXIT glowed red and white above it so he hurried after the man, shoved the door open.
And felt the cold steel of a pistol against his neck right before something sharp pricked his upper arm.