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“I’m not going to force myself on you,” he insisted defensively.
“That’s not what I meant.”
“I get it,” he said. “You’re not comfortable. And honestly, I’d rather not lose you as my assistant if I can help it.”
It almost felt too easy, and from the carefree way he simply gave up, I was having trouble taking what he said at face value. “Really?”
“Yeah.” He shrugged. “But that being said, I expect you to be at work tomorrow.”
“Okay, I can do that.” I felt a sense of relief, despite that small niggling doubt in the back of my head. Deciding that was a bridge I’d cross if and when I got there, I pushed it to the back of my mind and took comfort in my world going back to normal, at least somewhat.
Instead of leaving like I expected, Rowan looked around my and Harlow’s little apartment, taking everything in, and I suddenly wished I’d taken the time to clean. Our place wasn’t dirty, but Harlow and I weren’t all that great at putting things where they belonged.
“What’s that?” he asked, walking over to my little work desk where I kept everything I needed to make jewelry.
“Oh, uh…” I stumbled, suddenly feeling exposed as he looked over the things that meant so much to me.
Rowan picked up the hammered metal cuff I’d been working on. I had spent long, tedious hours getting the copper leaves just right. I was extremely proud of the bracelet—it was one of my favorite pieces—but having him scrutinize my work made me feel itchy. “Um… yeah. I made all of that,” I answered, waving my hand to encompass everything on the table.
My lungs stuttered painfully in my chest until he looked up at me in awe. “These are amazing. Why the hell are you working as my assistant?” He held the bracelet up in his left hand. “This is what you should be doing! I bet you could make a fortune off this stuff.”
Despite my heart flipping with joy at his praise, I felt the familiar discomfort that came with people examining my work. That was one of the things that held me back in pursuing a career in jewelry making. Despite having grown from the meek little girl, always in need of saving, that was the one area of my life I still let fear dictate. But still, that wasn’t the main reason I held myself back, only selling a handful of pieces online occasionally. It was fear.
Shrugging, I answered honestly, pointing at the table. “There’s no guarantee of success with that. I’d rather have a job where I could count on my next paycheck, you know? I guess I just need the security.”
“Did your parents have money problems?”
Wringing my hands in front of me, I kept my eyes trained on the ground at my feet. “Nah, I didn’t grow up with my parents.”
“Other relatives?” he asked. When I looked back up, his head was tilted to the side in curiosity.
Sucking in a lungful of air, I tried my best to sound aloof. “I grew up in foster care.”
Before I could blink, he was standing in front of me, his fingers brushing my cheek so softly it was just a whisper against my skin. “Shit, Navie. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. It really wasn’t a big deal,” I lied. I was in desperate need of a change of subject. “So… are we good now? I’ll be back at work tomorrow.”
“Yeah.” He smiled, taking a step back and tucking his hands into his pockets. “We’re good.”
“And no more overt sexual advances?”
“You have my word,” he promised. “No more overt sexual advances.”
I should have been relieved. I should have been happy that we’d come to an agreement I could live with. What I couldn’t understand was why I was overcome with disappointment. Pushing it aside, I plastered a smile on my face and held out my hand for him to shake. The moment his large, rough palm touched mine, I shivered. “See you tomorrow, boss,” I offered flippantly.
Rowan chuckled from deep in his chest. “See you tomorrow, Navie.” Then he did something that stunned me. Using our clasped hands, he pulled me forward, closing the remaining inches between us, and placed a lingering kiss on my cheek. “Feel better,” he murmured in my ear. He grinned as he stepped away and headed for the door. As soon as it closed behind him, I lifted my hand and pressed it against my cheek where he’d kissed me. I spent the remainder of the night feeling that kiss on my skin as if it had just happened.
I was in a lot of trouble.
Navie was in for a major surprise. As I took the stairs down from her apartment to the street, I made a decision. I’d promised no overt sexual advances. I hadn’t said anything about wearing her down slowly… unknowingly. By the time I was done with her, she’d be begging for me to take her to bed.
She was going to be mine. She just didn’t know it yet.
I had walked into Rowan’s home ready to work the day after he left my apartment, feeling like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. Yes, my longing for him was still there, but knowing he respected my boundaries and wouldn’t push me gave me a sense of comfort.
What I hadn’t realized when I made it to work was that sense of comfort was going to be extremely short-lived.
It had been two weeks since that conversation, and every single day since then had been nothing but one temptation after another. Rowan found any reason he could to be close to me, always touching, always caressing, alwaysnear. He did it as though it was second nature, casually resting his hand on the small of my back when we prepared our coffee in the morning, pressing himself against my back to reach up for a mug, twirling strands of my hair around his finger as he studied something on the laptop screen over my shoulder. It was alwayssomething. I wasn’t sure he was even aware of what he was doing, but I’d occasionally glance in his direction to find him smiling to himself after ‘accidentally’ brushing against me. Those smiles had me thinking it wasn’t all subconscious behavior.
