SWNOVELS When He Desires: Chapter 15
It’s official. Rowan Miller is insane. How else would you describe a man who wants me to pretend to be his girlfriend so that he can fix his reputation as a womanizer?
A huff escapes my lips as I walk onto his porch.
The first thing I see is Brett’s red BMW. Then I see Brett. He’s talking to one of the firefighters, but when he spots me, he jogs over.
“Blake, oh my God!”
Before I know what’s happening, he pulls me into a tight hug. A hug that’s as unwelcome as it’s uncomfortable. I squirm in his arms until he releases me, and then I take a big step back.
Talking to him is just about the last thing I want to be doing right now.
“Jesus Christ, B. How did this happen?”
“The fireplace, most likely.”
“Did you go to bed without putting it out?”
The obvious judgment in his voice makes me bristle. “I thought I did, but I guess I didn’t.”
His jaw hardens. “This is why you shouldn’t be living alone. You can’t take care of yourself.”
I blink at him, unsure I heard him right.
He stares back, as if he said something completely reasonable.
“What is that supposed to mean?” I demand, not caring the least bit that my voice is raised and some of the firefighters might overhear. “I took care of myself and my mom just fine for years, Brett.”
He raises his palms. “I didn’t mean to upset you. I’m just saying that staying alone in that house was always a bad idea. Maybe this is for the best.”
Anger coils around my lungs. “Are you saying it’s a good thing my house caught on fire?”
“I’m saying it could be a sign.” He points at the sky. “Maybe someone up there doesn’t want us apart.”
Did he really just say God wants us back together? How delusional can he be?
And how the hell did I date this guy for three years? I must have had a brain-altering parasite.
“You think God burned down my house so that I would come running back to you?”
He nods. “Something like that. Let me help you.”
“I don’t need your help.”
“Look, I don’t know why you’re isolating yourself and pushing me away. Everyone knows we’re going through a rough patch, but we’ll get back together.”
My throat thickens with fury. “Brett, this is not a rough patch.”
He frowns. “You’re acting like a child, B. Enough already. Come stay with me.”
There’s no chance in hell I’m doing that.
Quickly, I run through my options. There’s that old manor that got turned into an upscale hotel—a hundred dollars might get me a broom closet for the night.
There’s also the Birchwood Motel, popular among the biker crowd and known for its seedy reputation. I could probably afford to stay there for a few weeks, but word of my whereabouts would likely get to Uncle Lyle. Last thing I need is my dad’s old buddy coming around to offer his “help.”
There are other hotels, but they’re farther from here, and I want to stay close to keep an eye on the house.
There’s nothing closer than Rowan’s place. I should at least consider his offer. A few weeks of pretending to be his girlfriend in exchange for staying next door to my house? How bad could it be?
I grimace. Bad. Very bad.
It’s hard to reconcile the guy who volunteered to drive me home in a blizzard and carried me out of a burning building with the guy who kissed me with no warning and slept with another man’s wife.
Do I believe he didn’t know Abigail was married? I want to. I really do.
But I’m hesitant to trust anyone, let alone someone as…confusing as him.
Agreeing to Rowan’s offer would mean trusting him to a very large extent. I’d be living with him, for God’s sake. I’ve never lived with a man before. Would I feel safe sharing a space with him? I don’t know him all that well, so the answer should be no, but strangely enough, I have this weird certainty in my gut that he wouldn’t harm me.
Maybe it’s because of how he calmed me down after our near accident, or maybe it’s just some animal instinct, but I’ve never felt unsafe around him.
That’s more than I can say for most men.
So yeah, I think I could live with him, but what about the second part of the agreement?
If I agree to pretend we’re dating, we’d have to put on a convincing act whenever we’re out and about. At a minimum, we’d have to hold hands. Hug. Kiss.
Something hot and nervous twists inside my belly at the memory of doing just that in my kitchen.
The moment he leaned down, I knew what was coming, so why didn’t I stop it? I could have kicked him. I could have screamed.
Instead, I kissed him back.
I’m a logical, rational person, but deep down, I’m also a romantic. Spending extended time in close quarters with that man is bound to be a test for any woman with a pair of eyes and a beating heart.
What if I forget myself again, the way I did with Brett? I don’t want to put myself in a position where I’ll only get hurt again.
Brett grabs my hand. “It’ll be easier to fix things between us if we live together. Trust me.”
The door behind me opens, and Brett’s attention moves to a spot over my shoulder. His eyes narrow.
I don’t need to look behind me to know it’s Rowan. He must have heard us arguing and has come out to check on me.
I pull my hand out of his grasp. “I would rather be homeless than ever get back together with you.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” His voice is harsher and lower. It’s the voice he uses at Frostbite when he wants to remind me that he’s my boss. “C’mon. You’ve got no close friends. No family. Where else are you going to stay?”
Rowan stops close enough for his shoulder to brush against my own. A second later, I feel the warm pressure of his palm against the small of my back.
Brett pointedly ignores Rowan. “C’mon, B. Let’s go.”
My heart hammers inside my chest. Isn’t it time I do something drastic to make Brett understand we’re never getting back together?
“We both know you don’t have any other options,” he grinds out.
That’s when I decide—screw it. I am so done with this.
“Actually, I do have options. I’m going to stay with Rowan.”
Brett’s eyes go very wide. “That’s absurd.”
“I’ve got things to do, Brett. You should probably go home.”
“Blake, that’s absurd. You are not staying with him. You don’t even know him. He just appeared out of nowhere—“
“He came here from New York, and he was just over at my place for Thanksgiving. I know him well enough.”
Brett shakes his head and takes a step forward. “Blake—“
Suddenly, Rowan’s in front of me, blocking him from coming any closer. “She said you can go home.” Rowan’s voice is low and deadly. “This conversation is over.”
Brett sputters. “Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“The guy whose property you’re currently standing on.”
“I happen to know the Jacksons. They’re good friends of my dad. One call, and you’re fucking out of here,” Brett threatens.
Anxiety fans through me. I can’t get Rowan evicted. Brett’s family is powerful—maybe the most powerful family in town.
I’m about to butt in to try and defuse the situation, when Rowan says, “Go ahead. Call them. But I’m not sure what the Jacksons have to do with any of this, given I bought the house.”
What? He bought it?
Brett’s gaze stays on Rowan, but a hint of uncertainty passes through his eyes.
He didn’t know either. He’s not used to being challenged like this. Everyone in town treats him and his family like royalty.
But Rowan isn’t like everyone. Maybe it’s because he’s new here, and he doesn’t understand the power the Lewis family has.
Or maybe he just doesn’t give a crap.
I kind of admire that about him.
Huh.
“Blake,” Brett grinds out. “You can’t be serious about this.”
“I’m serious. I’ve really got to go. I’ll see you at Frostbite.”
When Brett doesn’t move, Rowan crosses his arms over his chest. “You’re still on my property.”
He sneers at Rowan before spinning on his heel and stalking away toward his car.
I tug on my bottom lip with my teeth. I know Brett, and he’s not the type to let a slight like this slip.
“Let’s go inside,” Rowan says, his voice a low rumble.
I nod, but as soon as we get inside and the front door closes behind us, I turn to Rowan. “You should be careful around him. His family is powerful.”
His eyes darken until they appear nearly black. “I can handle him and his family.”
I stand in his foyer, my breaths coming out short and quick. “So I guess we’re doing this, huh?”
A small smirk creeps onto his lips. “I guess we are.”