Chapter 55
fifty-five
Never have I felt safer than I do wrapped in Rowan’s arms. By the time we get back to his place, the excitement has almost completely worn off.
“You want a bath?” Rowan asks, his thumb brushing across my cheekbone as we stand in his entryway.
I nod. “That sounds amazing.”
Hand firmly at the small of my back, he leads me up the stairs. The way he’s hovering—like I might shatter any second—under normal circumstances would annoy the shit out of me. But after all the chaos, I find his protectiveness comforting.
“You know, I can run my own bath,” I grumble halfheartedly as he guides me into his ensuite.
“I know,” he replies, turning on the faucet and testing the water temperature with his wrist. “But I want to.”
The bathroom is massive—all marble and glass with a separate shower and a tub that could easily fit four people. Rowan adds some kind of fragrant bath oil to the water, and the room quickly fills with the scent of vanilla and something spicy.
“Did you have fun otherwise?” he asks, sitting on the edge of the tub as it fills.
I lean against the counter, watching him. “Yeah, actually. Evo took me to the Broad. And then we got lunch at this amazing taco truck. The food was incredible.”
“I’ll make sure he gets a bonus for taking such good care of you.” He stands and kisses the top of my head. “I’m going to make us something to eat. Take your time.”
After he leaves, I peel off my clothes and sink into the steaming water. It’s hot enough to make me gasp, but in the best possible way. My muscles instantly relax as I lean back and close my eyes.
The bath oil smells even better now that I’m surrounded by the scent. I breathe in deep, trying to calm my swirling thoughts.
The last twenty-four hours have been a whirlwind. From the gala to the paparazzi ambush. And then there’s what happened between us last night.
Heat that has nothing to do with the temperature of the bathwater spreads through my body. The way Rowan’s hands felt on my skin, the way he looked at me, the things he whispered in my ear.
I’ve spent years convincing myself I hated him. And those feelings are nothing compared to how I feel about him now.
Hot water laps at my skin as I sink deeper into the tub, my thoughts drifting like the steam rising around me. I’ve spent so long building up my walls against him, convincing myself that my anger was enough to keep me safe from the hurt he’d caused. But those walls have since crumbled to dust.
What scares me most isn’t the paparazzi, or the attention, or even the chaos of his world. It’s how easily I’ve fallen back into his orbit. Almost as if I’d never been forced out of it in the first place.
I run my fingers through the water, watching ripples spread across the surface, thinking about how possessive Rowan was about me in regard to Walker. The intensity in his eyes when he said none of this was fake for him. The way he looked at me this morning, like he was afraid I might disappear.
“Hey.”
Rowan is leaning against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. The look in his eyes sets my skin on fire.
Pushing off the door, he slowly makes his way over to crouch next to the tub. Resting his forearms along the edge, his hazel eyes darken as they travel over my body beneath the water.
“Feeling better?” His tone is soft, laced in gravel.
I nod, more than aware of how he’s looking at me. “Much.”
His fingers trail through the water, creating little ripples that dance across my skin. “I made us some sandwiches. Nothing fancy, but they’ll do the job.”
“Thanks.”
His expression shifts, heated gaze lingering on the water lapping at my nipples.
I bite my lower lip as his fingers trail higher, his eyes never leaving mine.
His hand lowers, fingers skimming up my thigh.
I suck in a breath, my legs parting of their own volition—an invitation he accepts with a groan.
His fingers find me, circling my center. My head falls back against the edge of the tub, a moan escaping my lips as he works his magic.
“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he murmurs as he slides a finger inside.
I gasp, hips rising to meet his touch as he sinks his digit even deeper.
“There’s my sunshine girl,” he encourages, voice rough with desire. “Show me how much you crave my finger fucking your pretty cunt.”
Rising to his knees, he keeps working me as his hot mouth finds mine, mimicking the pace of his finger as it pumps in and out.
“You’re so fucking tight,” he groans against my lips.
He curls his finger and thrusts.
“More,” I demand, hands gripping the edges of the tub.
His eyes darken as he adds another, stretching me deliciously. Overwhelming pleasure takes over as he scissors them inside of me.
“You love it when I finger-fuck you, don’t you?” he growls, free hand roaming up to squeeze my breast before thumbing a nipple.
I can’t find any words. My brain won’t let me. All I can do is moan. When he adds a third finger, the pressure almost too much to bear.
“Eyes on me,” he commands.
My eyes flutter open, meeting his heated gaze. Pupils blown wide, his lips are parted as he watches my face with rapt attention.
“That’s it, baby,” he murmurs as I begin to move more urgently against his hand. “Let go for me, Sunshine.”
His thumb finds my clit, circling and pressing as his fingers shove inside me.
My legs tremble as my hips move in tandem with his fingers.
“Come for me, sunshine girl,” he moans, bending down to press his lips against my ear. “Let me see how beautiful you are when you fall apart.”
A familiar heat coils tighter and tighter in my core, the pressure building as his fingers pump even faster, his thumb moving in perfect circles over my clit.
“Ro,” I gasp, my fingers digging into his shoulders. “Oh, fuck! Oh... Unngghh!!”
The orgasm hits me with so much force that when my back arches, water sloshes over the side of the tub. My inner walls clamp down around his fingers as waves of pleasure crash through me, one after another.
“Fuck, yeah,” he croons, fingers still working as he watches my face with smug satisfaction. “So hot, baby.”
Thighs quaking, the aftershocks ripple as they start to fade. Rowan slowly withdraws his fingers, bringing them up to his mouth, sucking my cum off them with a smirk.
“Delicious,” he purrs before pressing a soft kiss to my forehead. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to eat.”
Body still humming with satisfaction, he leaves me alone, trembling and twitching blissfully in the tub.