I let another sip of coffee slide down my throat. Rowan wouldn’t understand my homesickness, but the cause of it was vent-able.
“This schedule is killing me,” I said dramatically. “I’m the only one this overloaded as far as I can tell. Why do I need to shadow someonefixing the plumbing? Or sit in Hope’s office and read over old housing disputes, while Brody stares at me?”
Rowan scowled. “Brody’s the kid that was bothering you the other day, right?”
“He was the first person I met after you.” I rubbed my arms. “The minute he figured out I was a girl, he got really pushy.” I took a breath to say more and jerked back.
Rowan wasn’t dressed as an enforcer right now, but he still was one. He’d been part of the group that carried out the ‘stress test’ at my placement. I shouldn’t be this comfortable talking to him.
“Sorry, you wanted to talk about Angela, right?” I picked up my half of breakfast and took a bite.
“Quinn,” Rowan held my gaze. “We don’t know each other well, but if someone’s bothering you, you know you can trust me, right?”
I chewed and swallowed, all the while locked in a staring contest with the giant of a man. Even seated, he towered over me. His gray sweater and sweatpants didn’t hide his bulk; if anything, they accentuated it. His square jawline was sharp enough to cut glass. Tousled white hair framed his face as if he’d just walked through a storm and come out looking the better for it.
I took a deep breath and looked away from everything that was him, only for my gaze to land on his little breakfast picnic. He brought all of this down here for me. And now, instead of talking about whatever he needed to, he was listening to me like my dad used to.
Rowan was under contract. He was safe, except I didn’t know that for sure. He worked for the Architect. Ezra forced our friendship by making Rowan teach me.
Never in my life had I so badly wanted to trust someone.
Never in my life had I had so many reasons not to.
I took another bite of my breakfast sandwich and let his question die.
Rowan started to speak and stopped before picking up his coffee. “Angela has seven suitors now.” He took a sip. “I’m number six.” A slight blush rose to Rowan’s cheeks. “Um, I need to give you some background. And please, don’t talk to anyone about this.”
I put my hands in the air. “I hate her. I only met her once, but I meant what I said. Capital B bitch. You’re safe with me.”
Rowan grinned, and the past minute vanished as if it had never happened.
“So, this is what it’s like.” Rowan pointed at his throat. “She had leather necklaces made.” He made little quotation marks as he said the word necklaces. “And had all of us wear them to seven balls to celebrate. I had just become one of Ezra’s Generals and missed four of the balls, so she cut me out of all activities for four months. I’ve not bonded with her other suitors, which I guess doesn’t always happen, but it was something I was looking forward to. Especially because Jax is a Windsor. Do you know your London families?”
I blinked at him. “Do I know my Edinburgh families?”
Rowan grunted. “I don’t know how you exist.”
“Welp, I don’t pick my girlfriends based on their connections to start with.” I poked Rowan in the stomach, only to stub my fingers on his crazy hard abs. Yummy. “But honestly, Mr. Tate, I don’t have a family name to support, so existing is simple. I do stuff and hope for the best.”
Rowan laughed before sobering. “Just do stuff and hope for the best. And how has that worked out for you?”
So many emotions crashed into me, I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to cry, laugh, and scream all at once. I still didn’t know what ‘this’ was. I could be drooling in an asylum with my mind trapped in a vivid dream.
“Quinn, what was that?” Rowan asked.
I cocked my head to the side. “What was what?”
Rowan opened his mouth and closed it before pointing at my mostly eaten sandwich. “You better finish that before I have to work your shift for you.”
“You’re a lifesaver!” I popped up and pretended to leave.
Rowan growled. He wrapped his hand around my waist and pulled me onto his lap.
We both froze as if waiting for the other to leap away.
Instead, I let my weight sink into him, and he let his hand rest on my hip.
“Your favorite spot.” Rowan’s voice dropped. “Now finish your breakfast.”
