Chapter 35
thirty-five
After a couple of minutes, the shouts and crashing begin to fade away, and we both let out a relieved puff of breath.
We look at each other and grin before breaking into nervous laughter.
“Holy shit, that was close,” Rowan huffs, rubbing the back of his neck. “You, okay?”
As he speaks, he shifts closer, and it suddenly feels ten times smaller in here than it did a second ago. So I quickly move to the other side of the shed, peering curiously through one of the tiny cracks in the wall.
The moon, partially covered by a cloud, is a glowing sliver of a grin in the dark sky.
“Do you think they’re gone?”
“Who?”
His question, which breathes close to my ear, startles me. I hadn’t even heard him come up behind me. When Rowan’s hand grazes my arm, I quickly turn away, walking around him to the other side of the shed facing the tree line. “The paparazzi, you ass.”
I’m torn between wanting him to touch me and running like a scared rabbit being hunted by a hungry wolf. If he does, I don’t think I’ll be able to tell him to stop.
The sound of a branch snapping outside makes us both freeze.
When I suck in a startled breath, Rowan grabs me and spins me around. Clamping a hand over my mouth with one hand, he backs me up against the table that’s sitting in the corner, lifting a finger to his lips.
Molten lava floods my veins as my eyes flare wide. His eyes dance with laughter until he sees my lids flutter. Instantly, they switch to a look so dark and intense it makes my pussy pulse.
The heat of his touch sends electricity zipping through my veins. We stand perfectly still, his body nearly flush with mine as we listen close.
Outside, there’s another snap, even closer this time.
All I can feel is the heat of Rowan’s hard body pressed up against mine. Something else is hard, too. The smell of his cologne, woodsy and expensive, is making my head swim.
Patches of moonlight cut across his face, highlighting the sharp angle of his jaw and the slight cleft in his chin.
Damn it. Why does he have to be so freaking hot?
Body betraying me, a little moan escapes my throat.
Rowan’s eyebrows jack up in surprise as he tilts his head, flashing me a dark, sideways grin before leaning in to murmur in my ear. “Whatcha thinkin’ about, Sunshine? Does being chased get you hot?”
He leans away, pupils dilating as he smirks down at me, his voice a low rumble only I can hear. “Or is it the getting caught that’s got you all worked up?”
With his hand still covering my mouth, all I can do is glare.
I’d try backing up, but there is nowhere else to go.
Rowan crowds me further, thick thighs pressing against mine. “Your expression gives you away every time, Iz,” he whispers. “Always has.”
His breath is hot on my skin as my heart hammers against my ribs. I should be furious at his cocky attitude, but instead, I’m fighting the urge not to squirm against him.
The hand not covering my mouth slides down my side, his touch burning through the thin fabric of my shirt.
When his fingers slip beneath the waistband of my jeans and into the back of my pants, I suck in a breath against his palm. He squeezes my ass, large hand kneading my flesh before he drags his nails lightly across my sensitive skin as he withdraws.
My body betrays me as a shiver runs down my spine, and I hate how much I want this—want him.
His fingers dance across my skin as they shift to pop open the button of my jeans. The sound echoes in the small space, and my breath hitches.
“You want me to stop?” he whispers, his eyes searching mine in the dim light. “Blink once if you want me to stop.”
I should. I absolutely should tell him to stop. This is exactly what I’ve been trying to avoid—the magnetic pull between us that’s always been there, threatening to consume me whole.
The smile that spreads across his face is downright sinful. “Are you sure?”
Outside, a twig snaps again, even closer this time, and it makes me shiver in anticipation.
Rowan’s gaze flicks in the direction of the sound then back to me.
Slowly, he draws down my zipper before grazing his fingertips along the top of my lace panties.
“You gonna stay quiet for me? Or do I need to keep you quiet?” he asks as his fingers slide inside.
I’m so riled up, so fucking turned on that when his fingertips graze my clit, my knees almost buckle.
Rowan tightens his hand over my mouth, pressing me harder against the table as his middle finger dips to my entrance, collecting my wetness before dragging it up to trace slow circles over my sensitive bundle of nerves.
“So slick and hot,” he breathes against my ear. “My sunshine girl wants to get caught. Doesn’t she? Hmmm?”
My eyes flutter closed as he slides one finger inside me, then another, working them in and out with expert precision. His thumb takes over circling my clit as his fingers curl and pump.
Trapped between his hard body and the table, I’m completely at his mercy as he thrusts his fingers faster, deeper.
My hips buck against his hand, chasing the building pressure.
Through the fog of my arousal, I can hear the sound of crunching leaves outside, voices calling to each other, and it only heightens the thrill.
I moan against his palm. The fact that it’s harder to breathe with his hand pressing against my mouth, makes this even hotter.
Rowan pupils blow out to almost black as his eyes narrow, dick twitching against my stomach. “Shhh. They’re right outside.”
The danger of being discovered—with Rowan’s fingers buried inside me, hand snuffing out my desperate moans—sends a thrill through my body I can’t deny. I’m climbing higher and higher, so close to the edge I can almost taste it.
A voice, grumbling something about it being too dark and creepy out here to deal with this shit, is so close I can see his shadow through the cracks in the wall as he moves around to the front of the shed making a beeline for the door.
Heated gaze locked with mine, Rowan keeps finger-fucking me. “Fuck. You’re loving this aren’t you?”
Just as the coil of tension inside me is about to snap, someone calls out, “Hurry the fuck up, Jason!”
Rowan’s fingers instantly stop moving as he listens, my clit throbbing with need as I breathe heavily through my nose, waiting for him to finish me off.
Our pursuers’ mumbling ceases and he hurries away, the sound of his footsteps fading into the night.
But when silence falls, Rowan removes his hand from my mouth and slowly withdraws his fingers, grinning maniacally when I huff in frustration.
“Why did you stop?” I whisper-hiss.
My heart hammers against my ribs as he plants his hands on the table on either side of me, effectively caging me in. I should push him away. I should duck under his arm and make a run for it. Instead, all I can do is stare at his full, sexy as sin mouth.
“Don’t worry.” He tilts his head with a lazy grin. “I’m not anywhere close to being done with you.”
Clit pulsing with need, I pant, “Do you think they’re gone?”
“Yeah. They’re gone,” he says with absolute certainty, eyes never leaving mine.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because,” he murmurs, leaning in close. “All I can hear is the beating of your heart.”
He’s right. It feels like my heart might actually burst through my chest at any second. The air, thick and heavy with tension, crackles in what little space is left between us as he shoves a hand into my hair, gripping the back of my neck.
“Rowan.” Unfortunately, the warning comes out sounding more like a plea.
“Tell me to stop,” he whispers, his breath fanning across my lips as he inches closer. “Say the word and I’ll back off.”
My mind is screaming—treehouse, treehouse, TREEHOUSE—but my voice? Stubbornly silent. Instead, I find myself lifting my chin in silent invitation.
“You gonna tell me to stop, Iz?”
“I...” Jesus. What the hell am I doing? “No...”
“You sure?”
My gaze flicking back to his mouth as my tongue swipes along my bottom lip is all it takes before he makes his move.
Mouth crashing into mine, a deep groan vibrates from his chest. My back hits the edge of the table hard enough to knock the wind out of me, but I barely notice as his hands tilt my head to deepen the kiss.
This is the last thing that should be happening. Seriously. I should stop this before it goes any further. But when his tongue swipes across my bottom lip, seeking entrance, I open for him without hesitation, fisting my hands in his shirt and yanking him closer.
“Fuck, Lizzy,” he growls against my mouth. “I’ve been dying to kiss you again ever since that night at your place.”
His confession sends a jolt of heat between my legs. Before I can process what’s happening, he lifts me onto the table and steps between my thighs.
My legs wrap around his waist on instinct, pulling him even closer so the hardness of his cock smashes against my core.
“This doesn’t change anything,” I gasp as his lips trail down my neck, teeth grazing my ear before landing on the throbbing pulse point in my neck.
“Of course not,” he murmurs. Sliding his hands under my jacket, he shoves it off my shoulders. “This is just us... clearing the air.”
My breathless, throaty laugh is caught somewhere between nervous and aroused. “Sure. If that’s what you want to ca—”
Whatever smart-ass remark I was about to make dissolves into a moan when he captures my mouth again, this time sucking on the metal piercing the center of my lip. His hands are everywhere—in my hair, skimming down my ribs, slipping under the hem of my shirt to squeeze my breasts.
Then Rowan’s calloused fingers find my nipples through the thin fabric of my bra, pinching just hard enough to make me arch into him with a gasp. My body is on fire, every nerve ending sparking to life under his skilled hands.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” he whispers against my throat, teeth nipping at my skin.
I want to tell him to shut up. Tell him this is just sex. But when his mouth takes mine again, I lose all coherent thought.
Our tongues tangle and slide, demanding and possessive as my thighs clench tighter around his waist.
His hands slide down to grip my ass, rubbing the impressive bulge in his jeans against my center. The friction sends shockwaves of pleasure through my whole body, and I can’t help but grind back in response, desperate for more.
“Fuck,” he growls, breaking the kiss to stare at me with blazing eyes. “Tell me you want this, Iz. I need to hear you say it.”
My brain is screaming at me to stop, to remember all the reasons why this is a terrible fucking idea, but my body has bigger plans. And so does his. “I want this,” I breathe, my voice barely recognizable to my own ears. “I want you.”
Fingers tear at my jeans as his mouth devours the hollow in my neck. I fumble with the button on his, desperate to release his cock, but he shoves my hands away.
“You first,” he growls, voice rough with desire. “Gonna finish what I started.”
Before I can object, he’s tugging my shirt over my head and tossing it aside.
A large hand presses against my chest, laying me back against the dusty table.
I barely have time to catch my breath before he’s kneeling, removing my shoes and dragging my jeans down my legs, leaving me in nothing but my black lace panties.
The cool air pebbles my skin as his heated gaze rakes over me. I should feel exposed, vulnerable, but I don’t. I feel powerful knowing the hunger in his eyes is for me and me alone.
“Show me,” he demands, voice thick with lust.
My muddled brain barely makes out what he’s saying. “Wha... what?”
Eyes darkening, breath hot against my inner thighs, he growls, “Pull your panties aside and show me that pretty fucking cunt, Sunshine. Now.”
His command has even more liquid heat pooling between my legs. I should be offended by his bossy demand. Maybe even tell him to fuck off. But my body has completely disconnected from the logical portion of my brain.
My fingers tremble as I hook them into the edge of my panties, slowly pulling the lace aside to expose myself to his gaze.
His sharp intake of breath is followed by a deep, primal growl that vibrates against my inner thighs. “Damn. Look at you,” he murmurs, his fiery gaze fixed on my glistening pussy.
When he dips his head and devours me with his mouth, my back jacks up off the table.
“Oh my god!” I cry out, hands flying to his hair to anchor myself as his tongue makes a slow, torturous path through my folds.
He hums into me, the vibration sending shockwaves rolling up my spine. My hips rock as he circles my clit with the tip of his tongue before sucking it between his lips.
“Ro—” His name breaks on a gasp as he slides a finger inside me and crooks it, making my vision blur and shift to black.
My hips buck against his face, but he holds me firmly in place with a hand splayed across my stomach. I’m completely at his mercy as he adds a second finger, stretching me deliciously while his tongue continues assaulting my clit.
“Fuck, you taste even better than I remember,” he growls against my sensitive flesh.
I can’t for the life of me seem to be able to form coherent words, only desperate moans and pants escape my throat as he works me higher and higher. When his thumb presses against my entrance, collecting my wetness before sliding lower, I suck in a breath and freeze.
“Trust me,” he whispers, looking up at me with those damn darkened hazel eyes.