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“She’s stubbornly insistent on being celibate,” Rowan explains, as if I’m to blame.
I grab the pillow next to me and chuck it at him. “I’m not having sex with you until you learn how to ask for things properly, instead of demanding them.”
“Noted,” he says dryly.
“I’ve got it.” Piper snaps her fingers. “We’re going to do an exercise to see if we can find some common ground between you.”
I glance at her, wide-eyed. “What kind of exercise did you have in mind, Elaine?”
She adjusts her glasses, pushing them up the bridge of her nose with a rebellious glint in her eyes. “There’s nothing more intimate between a couple than trust.”
“Trust?”
“Bingo.” Then cheekily, she adds, “We’ll start with a few simple movements to help with reading body language.”
I shift toward Rowan, expecting him to protest.
“What?” He shrugs. “It’s not the worst idea.”
This is the worst idea, and he knows it. So why is he going along with it?
Naturally, the vixen winks at me. “Start by standing and face each other.”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to refuse, but if we both plan on getting what we want from this deal, I need Piper to pass us.
With no other option, we do as she’s asked.
Rowan stands before me, his eyes dark with a mix of intrigue and arrogance. Already, I sense a gentle pulse of anticipation, and I swallow hard, too aware of what little space remains between us.
He raises an eyebrow, silently asking if I’m ready, and I take a steadying breath before nodding.
“You’ll need to maintain eye contact during this exercise. We’re aiming for more than physical attraction here. Essentially, we want to get you back to the basics of the connection which drew you together to begin with. That’s where your foundation is.” Piper walks over and raises our hands so they’re hardly an inch apart. Warmth effortlessly travels between our palms. “Tell me what you’re feeling.”
Rowan confidently says, “Heat.”
“Silly,” I mutter.
He smirks at my wrinkling nose, and his voice is hardly more than a rumble when he says, “Play nice, kitten.”
My eyes roll, but only to disguise my instant reaction to him: heart flutters and more heart flutters.
Piper carefully steps back, her mischievous gaze flitting between us. “Now, Molly, I want you to touch Rowan. It doesn’t matter where, but don’t stop until you get a reaction from him. Pay close attention to that response, and we’ll build on it from there.”
I try to steady my racing heart. When I’m this close to him, I start losing my self-control. And this exercise is a delicate dance between vulnerability and desire—two things I shouldn’t mix when it comes to a man who can never be mine.
Piper’s voice breaks through my thoughts. “Try to sense the energy flowing between you. Focus on the sensations, the connection, and if you feel compelled to communicate, then go with it.”
I trace the lines of Rowan’s palm, barely grazing his skin. His fingers flex, but it’s not until I lower his arm, exploring the veins mapping up his forearms that his skin twitches.
Such a simple movement, and already, he’s gravitating toward me. The shift is subtle enough that I doubt he’s even aware.
“You liked that?” I ask, genuinely curious.
He hesitates before nodding, but his chest rising and falling with deep, even breaths is a pretty good indication already.
“Good. Now, Rowan, see if you can get Molly to react to you.” Then, because she’s my best friend—and current enemy—in a stage-whispered tone, she suggests, “Maybe try moving a hand to her neck.”
I’d like to move my hand to her neck and strangle her for this, but blood is pounding all throughout my body. This is different from our encounters before, and more intimate than any other touch I’ve experienced with him. There’s no rush, no surge of need. Here, it’s just us, assessing and learning.
