SWNOVELS When He Desires: Chapter 27
“Good evening, everyone! Thank you so much for joining us tonight!”
The shock of the voice blasting through the speakers sends my heart into my throat. I jolt away from Rowan and look toward the stage where Lottie is standing talking to the audience. The faces around the table come into focus, and with them, an uncomfortable sensation of being under a microscope.
I pin my gaze onto my plate and hide my face behind the curtain of my hair. I don’t want anyone to see whatever drama is playing out across my face, especially not the man sitting next to me.
My cheeks burn. Lottie’s announcement that the charity auction is about to start barely registers. I glance at the paddle by my plate—on it is the number thirteen.
An omen for how the rest of my night will go?
No matter how deeply I try to breathe, I can’t seem to get enough air.
The look Rowan gave me just now—warm, tender, and so damn possessive—is branded into my memory. What if he’s starting to feel something more than just meaningless lust for me? Keeping my heart guarded was already hard enough when I thought sex was all he wanted.
I shiver, trying to shake off the lingering sensation of his gaze.
The auction begins, Lottie announcing the first item—some kind of vase hand-painted by a local artisan. People call out their bids, but it all seems distant and muffled to me. My head spins.
The vase goes for two hundred dollars.
“The next item is a mixology class donated by Blake Wolfe!”
Oh no.
“For those of you that don’t know, that means making all kinds of yummy cocktails. Yes, a boozy afternoon with the best bartender in Darkwater Hollow. Who wouldn’t want to bid on that? We’re starting the bidding at a hundred dollars,” Lottie says into the microphone.
In my lap, my hands curl into fists. I was so thrown off my equilibrium by that near kiss that I forgot to worry about my own item coming up for bidding, but now my nerves flare to life. No one’s going to bid, I just know it. I thought when I graduated high school that I was done with being humiliated in public, but it looks like I was wrong. And this time, I’ve got no one to blame but me. Why did I agree to Lottie’s request? I’m supposed to be putting myself first, not doing stupid favors just because I want Lottie to like me.
“This is your chance, folks! Remember, it’s for a good cause!”
My skin heats to the point of discomfort as I watch Sarah’s lips curve into a mocking smirk directed at me. I don’t know why I’m even looking at her, but I can’t seem to rip my gaze away.
This evening is another reminder that I’m nothing to these people. Why would they want something donated by the daughter of a criminal? I come from a chain of broken homes and broken families, and everyone in this town thinks they’re better than me.
“One hundred to number fourteen!”
Fourteen? That’s right beside me…
My head snaps to my right. Rowan’s got his paddle up, his arm stretched high over his head like he wants everyone to see it.
“What are you doing?” I say under my breath.
“Bidding.” Rowan lowers his paddle.
“Do we have two hundred?” Lottie calls out.
I blink at him. “Why?”
“I’ve always wanted to learn how to make a mean cocktail.”
“Two hundred to number twenty-three!” Lottie calls out.
What? Someone else bid?
I crane my neck, searching for the other bidder. When I see who it is, my eyes widen.
Brett.
My ex stares at me from where he’s sitting a few tables over, his gaze sharp, and his lips pressed into a thin line.
Dread prickles over my skin. If he wins, I’ll have to spend time with him one-on-one. Even a few hours would be torture. Why did I—
Rowan raises his paddle. “Three hundred!”
They go back and forth. Five hundred.
And back and forth. Seven hundred.
And back and forth. Nine hundred!
By this point, I’m sweating through my dress. Our entire table is staring at me, some with amusement, and some with disbelief.
This feels like a civilized version of a duel.
And the thing that makes even less sense is that they’re dueling over me.
“One thousand to number fourteen!”
Holy shit. That’s more than what I earn in a week at Frostbite.
Rowan seems completely calm, but Brett’s face is turning red.
“One thousand one hundred to number twenty-three!”
Rowan raises his paddle and calls out. “Five thousand.”
Hushed whispers travel through the room. I’m stunned. I have no idea what to even think.
I see Brett’s father lay a hand on his arm, stopping him from continuing this madness. Brett scowls but doesn’t bid again.
“The mixology class with Blake goes to Mr. Miller for five thousand dollars! Oh my goodness, how exciting!”
The room erupts in applause and Rowan turns to me. He doesn’t seem at all concerned about the eye-watering sum he just dropped on something I would have given him for free.
“Rowan,” I choke out. “You’re absolutely crazy.”
“Crazy? No, Sunshine. I just know what I want, and I do whatever it takes to get it.”
I grip the napkin on my lap. “I had no idea you wanted to learn mixology this badly. You should have said something to me earlier.”
His heavy gaze drops to my lips. ‘What I really want is your undivided attention for a few hours. That’s worth far more than five grand to me.’ A lazy smirk spreads across his face. ‘And if you manage to teach me something during that time, well then, I’ll be impressed.’
“Why’s that?” I ask, trying to ignore the heat spreading through my body.
He looks me up and down, his eyes darkening. ‘Because you make for a very distracting teacher.’
A blush rises to my cheeks. I glance down, trying to hide the smile that’s tugging at my lips. Does he have any idea what this means to me? He probably just made my lesson the most valuable item in this entire auction. And he did it in front of everyone.
He showed them all he’s not ashamed of me.
“Won’t you congratulate me?” His voice is low and smooth.
“Congratulations.” Leaning forward, I press a kiss to his cheek. His masculine scent settles deep inside my lungs and sets off a buzz beneath my skin.
The next fifteen minutes tick by with Lottie auctioning off more items. When she announces they’re going to take a short break, Rowan’s warm hand appears on my knee.
“I promised Sam I’d say hello to the mayor,” he says. “Do you want to join me?”
Why ruin my good mood? I shake my head, hyper-aware of his warm touch. “I’m going to use the bathroom. I’ll see you back here.”
The bathroom is just outside the ballroom, and by the time I reach it, there’s already a line out the door. One of the attendants tells me there’s another one farther down the hall.
I do my business and fix my makeup in the mirror. The butterflies in my stomach still haven’t settled down, and I’m not sure they ever will, because I keep replaying the moment Rowan placed his final bid over and over again.
As I step out of the bathroom, I see Brett leaning against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. His expression is dark and brooding. “Blake.”
Trepidation coils inside my stomach. “What do you want, Brett?” I ask, my voice coming out sharper than intended. We haven’t spoken since the day after the fire. He tried to call me several times last week, but I’ve ignored the calls.
“I didn’t think you’d be here tonight.”
“I’m Rowan’s date.”
His expression darkens even more. “I gathered as much.” He reaches into an interior pocket of his blazer and pulls out a folded piece of paper. “I want you to look at this.”
“What is it?”
He unfolds the paper and hands it to me. “Rowan’s background check.”
I frown, confused. “Why do you have this?” My gaze drifts over the document.
“Look.” Brett points at a line on the page. “Huge gaps in his history. Didn’t you say he moved here from New York? He didn’t, Blake. It says he was in Vegas.”
Rowan told me he lived in Vegas, so that isn’t news to me. And the fact that New York is missing… What is that supposed to mean? I have no idea what a background check entails. Is this even real?
I give the paper a shake. “Where did you get this?”
“I asked the police chief to run Rowan through their system.”
My eyes narrow. I can’t believe him. “Were you hoping he had a criminal record or something?”
Brett’s cheeks redden. “There’s something off about that guy, Blake. You’re too wrapped up in him to see it, but I’m watching out for you.”
Fury pulses through my veins. How dare he? “My God. You were hoping to dig up some dirt on him, and all you got is this? What do you think this proves?”
“It proves that he’s a liar,” Brett bites out.
“You think this is a good use of police resources? You’ve got everyone in this town in your pocket, huh?”
He clenches his fists. “I asked the chief to do me a favor because I’m worried about you.”
“If you actually gave a shit about my well-being, you wouldn’t have stripped me of my income for two weeks.”
“I did that so that you would come live with me! I would have taken care of you!”
“I don’t need you to do anything except stay the hell out of my business,” I snarl.
Brett’s jaw clenches. “What’s this I hear about you dating him? Lottie was spreading that bullshit earlier today before I told her to stop talking about things she has no clue about.”
“I don’t owe you an explanation.” I turn to leave.
“Goddamn it, Blake!” He seizes my arm and jerks me closer, his touch rough enough to make me wince in pain. “Do you really think you’ll ever find anyone better than me? I’m getting fucking tired of you playing hard to get. I took a chance on you. You know what my friends said to me when they found out we were dating? They told me I should just fuck you and then find myself someone who wasn’t born in a fucking trailer park. But I didn’t listen to them. I gave you my love. I gave you everything. You don’t get to just throw all of that back in my face.”
My throat thickens. His words feel like needles piercing my skin.
“You’re going to marry me. You’re going to have my children. And you’re going to be a good wife who knows her place, because the life I’m offering you is the best life you could ever get. Are you so stupid that you don’t see that?”
A mix of fear and anger churns inside me at his poisoned words. The man I thought I knew, the man I thought cared about me at one point, is showing a twisted sense of entitlement that makes my skin crawl.
He never saw me as an equal. Never saw me as worthy. The whole time we were dating, he thought he was doing me a favor.
I was just a poor stupid girl he probably thought he’d saved.
“Remove your hand, or I will,” an icy, commanding voice says.
I twist my head to look over my shoulder. Just seeing Rowan approaching sends relief rushing through me. At first glance, he looks relaxed and at ease, but his eyes tell a different story. Darkness swirls within them, along with a clear warning.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Brett snarls as he drops my wrist. “And what the hell do you think you’re doing with her?”
“What’s going on between Rowan and I is none of your business,” I snap, moving to stand beside Rowan.
“It’s all right, baby. No need to spare his feelings.” Rowan slips his arm around my waist and pulls me flush against his body. “Here’s what I’m doing with her, Brett. I’m treating her right. I’m earning a place by her side, not taking it for granted. And I’m taking care of her. You didn’t know how, but I do. It’s time you move on. Blake certainly has.” He pulls me closer and crushes his lips against mine.