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29
19 March
Austin Manor
Rowan strode from the room, his steps surer than they’d been since the accident. The new crutches were far less cumbersome and improved his mobility—and his mood—quite nicely. Pelé and Leo followed him faithfully into the kitchen and then dropped to their bums, poised for his instruction. He noted Leia’s absence and glanced away with chagrin. His pup’s devotion to Juliana was worrisome. Eventually, she was leaving them, and Leia was going to be confused.
He reached for a cup of coffee when Juliana stepped into the room, Leia on her heels. The dog noticed her mates and yelped excitedly. Rowan swore Leo and Pelé rolled their eyes at her undignified antics. Rowan rubbed behind Leo’s and then Pelé’s ears as Leia whined. Ignoring the dog, Rowan pulled another mug from the cabinet and automatically filled it for Juliana. It was interesting how quickly he’d learned her preferences and how easily he found it to respond to them.
Rowan cast a glance in Juliana’s direction and immediately noticed her distraction. Normally, she had a way of focusing her attention on him, so everything out of his mouth seemed important. But now, as he placed the mug in front of her on the counter, he noted the faraway look in her eyes and the absent tap, tap, tapping of her well-manicured finger.
After their umpteenth altercation the day before, he probably deserved a bit of the silent treatment. If their positions were reversed, he would most likely have been reluctant to talk to her this morning. Juliana wasn’t a whiny prat though. Whatever was on her mind didn’t have anything to do with her anger at him.
She absentmindedly took a sip, and Rowan’s impatience won out.
“Good morning,” he snapped, like the wanker he could be sometimes.
Juliana looked up from the place her gaze had been focused. “Good morning,” she said with none of the derision he deserved.
Immediately contrite, he asked, “Something bothering you?”
She sighed and then giggled. It was perhaps her most endearing quality. Her nervous titter, a tee-hee chuckle, humanized her in a way that made him forget her stunning beauty and her pesky crown. She opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again. Picking up her cup, she tilted her head toward the table, a subtle instruction to follow. The problem of moving his own coffee was solved when Juliana picked it up for him. They settled across from each other.
“There’s been another article,” she said without preamble.
“About the money?” he asked, but she was already shaking her head in anticipation of his question.
“Not money.” She glanced up at the ceiling, and he could see her marshaling her nerve. “The journos have published an article about rumors of an illegitimate child in the royal family.”
“Bullocks,” he muttered.
Juliana nodded her head. “It’s all speculation, but again, the timing.”
Rowan straightened in his seat and cast a droll look in her direction. “I suppose you’re going out again tonight?”
Cue the nervous giggle.
With an uneasy smile on her face, she shook her head. “No.” She bit her bottom lip. “I don’t think a night of dancing on bars is going to pull the focus this time.”
“You think embezzlement is less audacious than adultery?” He thought it was a toss-up. But being a bastard himself, he believed stealing was the more egregious offense.
“It’s not that,” she said thoughtfully. “Remember what you said yesterday about showing my arse and it not being the most effective way to divert attention?”
Rowan nodded his head, but he sensed a trap.
“I agree with you. So, I was wondering if you would help me?”
He was gobsmacked. Of course, he’d berated her yesterday about her “plan” mostly because he’d wanted to be spared the pitying and inquiring texts from his mates and agent. Rowan was not inclined to help her, especially after having to field more questions. She stared up at him with an expression he hadn’t seen before. She looked a little like Leia when the dog wanted a treat. And he decided he could do without her extraordinary eyes pleading with him. Well, maybe there were some instances when begging and pleading might be encouraged and welcomed, but typically, she’d be naked when doing it.
He shook the image from his head.
“Did you have something in mind?” he was curious.
She was media savvy and creative. He could only imagine what she might concoct.
Instead of blurting out some well-formed publicity stunt though, she looked at him with wide eyes.
He chuckled. “I surprised you.”
With a half-smile, she nodded. “You did.” Then, she tilted her head and gave him the side-eye. “Really? You’d be up for it?”
He considered and finally shrugged. “Maybe. Depending on your plan. Normally, you end up at a club, which obviously wouldn’t work for me.”
Juliana rolled her eyes before leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. “I realized you were right.” She clasped her hands together and scooted forward earnestly. “You and I are the perfect diversion.”
His eyebrows shot up. He was right; she’d definitely given this some thought.
“At first, I thought focusing on the wedding. I can name the designer I’ll use for my wedding dress. A Navan, naturally.”
“Naturally,” he concurred.
“Or we could release a date. And name the wedding party.”
“For the wedding we aren’t really going to have.”
She smirked and relaxed back in her chair. “Exactly! Then I realized we haven’t been out as a couple.” She flicked her hand in the direction of his leg. “For good reason. But we would create quite a stir if we were to venture out somewhere together. Just you alone would probably be enough. No one has seen you publicly since your injury. I’ve read your fan boards. People are really concerned about you, and they want to see you.” Juliana inhaled a deep breath. “So, I propose we go out on a date.”
Rowan rubbed his chin, thinking. He, too, had done some thinking. She was right about him pushing his friends away. He hadn’t wanted to leave the team after his injury. When his parents had taken him away though, he had done nothing to keep in touch with his mates. He felt bad about the way he’d handled everything. He glanced down at the watch on his wrist, checking the date. His team’s schedule was ingrained in his head. Today was a home match. If he showed up alone, it would be a statement. But if he showed up with Juliana, it would be an exclamation.
“I need to catch up with some people.” Juliana eyed him warily, probably thinking he was going to turn her down. “The boys have a match today. Fancy a football game?”
Her wide smile was slow but blinding. It wasn’t just that he’d agreed. Her whole expression softened, and he knew she was remembering her words from the previous morning. He watched it all come together for her.
“Yes, I’d enjoy that.”
Something inside him went wonky. Before his injury, he would have said he was content. But in this moment, as Juliana looked at him with approval, excitement rippled through him.
Fuck. I like making her happy.
