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He had to figure out a way to break apart the barriers between them—those caused by mistakes he’d made, and the ones brought about by misunderstanding and upset. First he had to make sure they were kept safe, and then—if he survived it and stayed out of jail—he’d make them his, forever.
Whatever it took, he’d do it.
Chapter Eighteen
Rowan awoke to the sound of a dog barking somewhere in the distance, and realized she wasn’t at home, but in London. With the awakening came a horrible sense of loss and emptiness because Pixie wasn’t close by. Pixie was her immediate thought and deed every single day since she’d been born. It didn’t feel natural to be so far away from her.
It’d only been a couple of months since Pixie had her own room. They were in Pixie’s room together before, and Rowan was still adjusting to that change, let alone this one. To be separated overnight was doubly difficult. She pulled open the curtain and peered out the window, her mind turning over her situation. The garden was so pretty and the trees surrounding it were a living wall, giving it a feeling of seclusion and calm.
Except she didn’t feel calm. She needed to see Pixie. Then there was the fact Sean Rattigan was close by, somewhere in the same house, but they were apart. In the cold light of day, she realized she’d come here with secret hopes, hopes of being reunited, and they’d been harshly dashed by reality.
With a deep sigh she sat up and picked up her phone, quickly checking in with Nan. They had a brief conversation and then she talked Nan through face time so she could see Pixie. It took a while to organise Nan, but once she got the hang of it Pixie was right there on the screen. Pixie had no trouble adapting and talked to Rowan as if they were in the same room.
Rowan tried not to cry. It was difficult. By the time she hung up, she’d decided to go home. It would be tough saying goodbye to Sky so soon, and she’d scarcely said hello to Rory, let alone seen Draco. But being apart from her baby girl was tearing her apart for no good reason. She and Sean were over. There was no point even telling him Pixie was his, he wouldn’t care less.
Once she dressed, she threw her things back into her backpack. Taking a deep breath, she went to the bedroom door, planning to run for the bathroom and then make a quick exit. She could grab breakfast at Euston station before she boarded the train to Crewe. She turned the handle. The door creaked open and she jolted and yelped, astonished at the sight meeting her eyes.
“We need to talk.” Sean was standing right outside the door, arms folded across his massive chest, waiting for her to appear.
Gasping, she dropped her backpack and stepped back, astonished. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough.”
He’d probably eavesdropped her conversation. Rowan fumed.
“I could hear you packing.” He glared at the abandoned backpack and strode into the room. Before she could even think of a snarky response, he snatched her into his arms, carrying her back to the bed, booting the door shut behind them as he did so.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Stunned, she wriggled free of his grasp, her senses running wild as her back hit the bed.
“I’ve got a job to do today, and another tomorrow. I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s a matter of life and death.” He held her gaze, his face close to hers.
Rowan inhaled sharply, shocked at his words and actions.
“I want you to stay here, in your Narnia, where it’s safe.”
Rowan tried to restrain her smile. “Narnia?”
“You called it, lover.”
Lover? Her heart raced.
He was over her in a flash, pinning her down, rising up on powerful arms so he could look down into her eyes. “Stay here. Promise me. I need to know you’ll be here to come home to at the end of it.”
There was no doubting he meant it, but she was too stunned to reply.
“Rowan!”
“Okay, okay. I promise.” Her heart tripped, but she loved this. Can’t let him know, she thought, muddling through chaotic emotions and desires. “But I have things to do too. How long will you be?”
“As long as the job takes.”
“Men!”
“We need to talk, and you…you…” He wrapped his hands around her shoulders and then stroked them the length of her body, groaning as he did so, his eyes filled with promise. “You and I are going to sort this thing between us, once and for all.”
He was up and gone before she had to time to catch her breath, let alone speak.
She stared at the door, half expecting him to come back and issue some other command. It was kind of thrilling, and she bit her lower lip, her heart soaring.
