“Why would you need assistance?”
“I blew my entire trust fund on Dylan’s medical bills and now my father pays for everything. But the second I show a shred of independence he threatens to cut me off. Me and Dylan. He’s even threatened to take Dylan away from me, said he could prove I was neglectful because of my addictions.”
“But you’ve been sober for over three years. How can he do that?”
“Well, he can try, but the lawyer I talked to said he probably wouldn’t get too far with it. But he can cut us off financially. Dylan’s medical bills are staggering. There’s no way I can afford them on my own. But there is help out there. I think it all just seemed too hard, too much to handle on my own. Maybe I didn’t think I was strong enough.”
He tilted her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “Rowena, you don’t give yourself enough credit.”
“I’m trying to. It’s all really scary. But exciting, too.”
He turned so he was facing her. “I think I already know the answer, but I’m going to say it anyway. If you need anything—”
“I can’t. I have to figure this out on my own. But that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate the offer.”
“And the offer still stands. If you need anything, you can call me.”
She touched his cheek, smiled up at him, and he felt an odd twisting sensation in his chest. The sudden and unexpected instinct to take care of her and keep her safe was so intense his head spun.
Room service knocked, and Colin pushed himself up off the couch to answer the door, so many different emotions knocking around inside of him, he could hardly make sense of them all.
He told the waiter to leave the tray by the door and tipped him so handsomely, the man’s brows rose in surprise as he said, “Thank you, sir.”
With a simple gesture, he had just made the guy’s day. He wished there was some way he could do the same for Rowena. He wished she would let him help her, but he understood why she couldn’t. And he respected her for finally having the courage to take charge of her life. Too many people would take the easy way out.
“Well, I guess we should enjoy this while it’s hot,” Rowena said from behind him, but he wasn’t hungry anymore.
He pulled her into his arms instead, kissed her, lifted her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom. As he laid her down on the mattress, there were no protests or bids from her to have the upper hand. She didn’t try to dominate him as he undressed her and touched her. At a time when she normally couldn’t restrain herself verbally if her life depended on it, she didn’t say a word.
Colin whispered that she was beautiful, told her how much he wanted her, gave her pleasure time and time again, but it wasn’t enough. Nothing he could do or say would ever make her see how special she was.
As he settled between her thighs, he pinned his eyes on hers and slowly thrust inside her, waves of pure emotion rising up and peaking, then crashing down over him. Skin against skin, their bodies moved in perfect rhythm. Pleasure coiled tight in his belly, pulling him under, drowning him in its inky depths. Rowena cried out and shuddered beneath him and the coil snapped, spilling over with a liquid heat that burned him from the inside out.
“Thank you,” Rowena said breathlessly, clinging to him as if he were her lifeline.
He kissed her, stroked her hair, held her as she drifted off to sleep, yet it still wasn’t enough. And it occurred to him, as he watched her sleep, that tonight was the first time in his life that he had truly made love to a woman.
And it bloody well was not enough.
Thirteen
Cara walked into the restaurant at 11:15 a.m. the next morning. Rowena waved to her from their table in the back, and as she approached, Cara jumped up to give her a hug.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” Cara said, giving Rowena a squeeze, then stepping back to look at her. “It’s so good to actually see you in person! And you look fantastic!”
“And you’re glowing.”
Cara smiled and touched her cheek. “That’s what Max keeps saying.”
“He’s right. You look gorgeous. Pregnancy agrees with you.”
“So does having a less stressful job.”
They sat down and Rowena signaled the waitress. She scurried over and took Cara’s drink order, which was seltzer with lime, and they both ordered a Caesar salad, dressing on the side. Cara’s with double chicken.
“Speaking of glowing,” Cara said, grinning knowingly. “You’re looking rather luminous yourself. Are you in love?”
Rowena smiled. She wanted to save the best for last. “We’ll get to that. First, I wanted to show you this….” She pulled the yearbook out of her bag.