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Juggling the vase in the crook of my arm, I snatch it from his grasp. “Thanks, but we both know you didn’t come here just to give me my library card.”
Rowan finally lets me pass but follows me the same way he had the day we met. “You’re right. As promised, I’ve come to collect you for our date this evening.”
I barely manage to get around the side of the building before I whirl on him. “Collect me?”
“Yes, that’s what I said.”
Rowan blinks when I utter a harsh laugh, and after hoisting the arrangement into the dumpster, I swipe my glitter-covered hands together. “The only thing you’ll be collecting from me is a fat lip if you don’t get out of my way.”
I clamp my mouth shut. I… I can’t believe I just said that. Me, the least confrontational human on the planet. The same human who prefers to be seen, not heard.
“That’s an awful big attitude for such a petite woman.”
“I don’t have an attitude. You just excel at getting under my skin.”
The corner of his mouth quirks. “You’re cross with me.”
He says it as if he likes it, and Rowan liking things about me makes me nervous for reasons I don’t care to dissect. Months ago, I had my heart broken by a man like him. The last thing I need is him hanging around, taking pity on me for something that should have never happened.
“What ever gave you that idea?”
“That sour look on your face, for starters.” He pinches the tip of my nose and I swat at his hand. “Did you know you scrunch your nose when you’re irritated?”
We’re locked in a staring contest I refuse to break. A million questions about this man flit through my mind, but he beats me to the punch.
“Why were you on stage last night?” he asks.
“Why would you bid all that money for an evening with some girl you don’t even know?”
The sun has long since set, filling the alley with a coldness that seeps into my bones and rivals Rowan’s calculating gaze. “I suppose I’m curious about you,” he says.
There’s no malice in his tone, no underlying mockery, but I’m sick of being something people find ‘curious.’ “I’m not all that interesting, trust me.”
Besides, he wouldn’t feel that way if he saw what I was hiding underneath this makeup.
Grasping my arm, he halts me before I can make a move.
“I wasn’t finished.” I meet his steely gaze, which contrasts sharply with his gentle touch. “More than curiosity… I wanted to embarrass that prick for what he did to you.”
The nape of my neck tingles when he raises a hand to adjust the fallen strap of my overalls. Once it’s secured, he murmurs, “I have no tolerance for bullies.”
Despite myself, my heart pitter-patters at the gesture, and I can’t help but wonder if Rowan’s the knight in shining armor type. A gruff, hard-nosed man on the outside hiding his vigilante heart.
“I appreciate the chivalry, but I can handle Wade just fine on my own.”
I shoulder past him, quickening my steps until I reach the front door of the shop, but when I turn to close it on him, his hand lashes out, holding it open with minimal effort.
I glance at my straining biceps in shock. How dare they betray me at a time like this?
I shove the door harder with a facetious smile. “Lovely talking with you. Ta-ta for now.”
But the damn thing doesn’t budge an inch.
“Fight me all you want, but you’re coming with me tonight, one way or another,” he says through the gap.
“Gosh. You know, as romantic as that sounds, I think I’d rather chew my arm off. But thanks for the offer!”
“You do realize if you refuse the date, my donation is null and void, right?” When I pop my mouth shut in surprise, he shakes his head. “My god. Your face is a literal billboard for your feelings.”
