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ChapterEleven
BRINLEY
My luck had run out.
It seemed childish sneaking around over the past week, but I didn’t know what to do with all the emotions that Rowan had brought to the surface and I was overwhelmed. There was a tug-of-war going on inside me every second.
Should I stay or should I go?
Do I hate him or do I still–
I didn’t get to finish the last thought because it was interrupted when I slammed into a hard wall of muscle. My hands came up instinctively to try and save myself, but it backfired because I wasn’t safe at all when I found that they were planted on the sculpted ridges of Rowan’s hard abs. A tingle started in each finger and zipped right through my palms and up my arms as I looked up and met his gaze.
Something brewed in his dark, intense eyes and I sucked in a breath. It had been so long since
I touched a man and my face flushed with embarrassment. I hadn’t had my hands on anyone since—
“Mommy, is Rowan coming with us?” Zander asked from beside me.
When I heard his voice it jolted me out of the daze I had been in and I snatched my hands off Rowan’s body as if I had been burned.
It was Saturday evening and we were just heading out the door to get pizza with some of the gang. Summer, Gyth, and their son were going, and Alley, Landon, and their sweet little girl. It sounded like the others were not going to make it, but that was okay. I was adjusting to everyone and smaller groups of people at a time felt less intimidating.
I was, however, feeling more nervous being around Alley again now that I knew she was an author. Talking about books was my thing, but I didn’t want to babble like an idiot and make a fool out of myself.
“Mommm.” My son drew out the word and I looked down at him.
“Honey, I don’t know what Rowan is doing.” I brought my eyes back to the man standing in front of me who was watching the exchange and lifted one eyebrow in question.
“Well, I was just about to knock on the door when you assaulted me,” he said with a devilish smirk. “I was going to check to see if you wanted to ride over to the pizza place with me since you may not know your way around.”
Damn, the man was infuriating. Always had been. He needed to wipe that smirk right off his rugged, intriguing, and seriously handsome face. But it was all those things combined that always had all the girls in school, and I am sure the women later, falling to their knees around him.
“I didn’t assault you,” I scoffed, making a disgusted, unladylike sound.
His smile just got bigger.Ugh.
“Mommy, I want to go. Dexter will be there waiting to play games and I won’t be there.” Zander tugged on my hand. “And I’msoooohungry.”
My son had been dramatic lately, but it was great seeing him thriving and coming out of his shell. Back home he’d played with other kids at preschool, but he seemed to be happier with his new friends. More comfortable and certainly animated.
It had a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth.
That was all I wanted. For Zander to thrive and be happy.
I grabbed my purse off the hook by the door and looked at Rowan again.
The look he gave me was almost pleading and unsure. He held his ground while he waited for my reply.
I knew I was losing my mind when the words that came tumbling out of my mouth went against everything I’d told myself I would never do again. But they did get a hooray out of Zander though of course.
“We’ll ride with you.”
Rowan’s eyebrows hit his hairline in surprise and then a small grin spread across his face. He held his arm out to gesture for us to walk ahead of him and I found myself for the second time in a week with my back turned away from him and heat trickling up my spine knowing he was watching me.
What had I done?
* * *
