Salvage, page 19
Be professional, Vi. Your clients don’t need to see a demonstration of your libido.
When – fucking finally – the last dawdlers left, all but chased away by Rowan walking them to the door, he locked it and turned off the Open sign.
“Alone at last.” His sexy rumbling voice made me shiver with anticipation as he approached like an oncoming storm. The air was electric, heat lightning building between us.
Without preamble, but with the confidence of a man who knows what he wants, Rowan lifted me up by the waist. He set me down on the high counter and stood between my dangling legs. His fingers traced my cheekbones gently in a featherlight, almost reverent, greeting. He pushed my hair back over my shoulders, leaving his warm hands on my bare neck.
“Hey.” His tone was heavy, filled with dirty promises.
“Hey,” I breathed.
“I didn’t get the chance to give you a proper hello before.”
“What’s a proper hello?” I blinked innocently at him.
He chuckled before leaning over me. I nearly wept when he bypassed my lips and dove for my neck. He placed a soft kiss against the thrumming heartbeat below my ear. His scruff rubbed against my skin in a delicious tease as he kissed a line up to my temple. Only when I groaned my pleasured displeasure did he seal his mouth to mine.
I moaned into the embrace, giving his questing tongue access to my mouth. My hands gripped his shoulders tightly as I slid to the very edge of the counter.
I wouldn’t fall.
Rowan would catch me.
“That was probably one of my favorite greetings ever.” I sighed happily between sips of his lips.
“Yeah? Top three?”
I tapped my chin, pretending to think.
When Rowan took the time to kiss me hello, when he wasn’t too lost to notice me, when he found ways to show he cared, it meant a lot.
It meant everything.
“What tops that list, Vi?” he asked, kissing his way across my jaw.
The windows were the only thing stopping us from getting any more heated, but if Rowan continued caressing me, driving me wild with his mouth, we’d be in trouble.
I could hardly pull his pants down and fuck him right there.
I wanted to. So badly.
Any passing car would see. We were off Main Street, right at an S-curve. A couple going at it would be hard to miss.
Rowan knew that. He teased me on purpose; I was sure of it.
Two could play that game. This was my gym, after all, and they didn’t call me the champ for nothing. I could win myself a few points by tantalizing him right back.
“I think my favorite greeting was the time you snuck into my bedroom when I was grounded for taking my dad’s truck to the Quebec side.”
Rowan laughed against my lips. “Oh, I forgot you did that. You were always so levelheaded.”
I snorted. “Right. First time I drive across the provincial border to buy us some booze, I get caught and grounded.”
“But I made up for it?”
“You made up for it,” I confirmed with a giggle.
That particular night, Rowan climbed up to my bedroom and lay in my bed, waiting for my parents to stop shouting at me. I was gutted. My dad pulled out the most effective weapon in his arsenal: Craig. Devastated and keenly aware that I’d scared the shit out of my parents, I retreated to my bedroom, sure to have a night of tailspins and nightmares.
It didn’t work out like that.
Rowan took me in his arms, kissed me sweetly, and held me through the waves of rage.
“Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what are you doing here?” I wove my fingers through the hair at his nape.
“I closed the gym late, stopped by my mom’s for a visit. Had a few things to take care of. Thought I’d stop by here to give you this.” Rowan gripped my hips, teetering on the edge of the counter and angling me perfectly to him.
His lips were soft, yet demanding. His tongue licked fire into me with every swipe. I poured every ounce of my desire into the embrace. Every scratch of his beard against my cheeks flamed the blaze inside of me.
“You sure know how to make a lady feel special.”
His smile made my heart stutter. “Good. That’s the idea, Vivi.”
“We need to get out of here before we get into trouble.”
“Why? I know the owner. She won’t mind.”
I tickled his side. “I’m starving. That leftover lasagna is calling my name.”
“There’s only enough for one of us, Vi.”
I blew out a breath. “Well, tough shit for you, babe. It’s mine.”
Rowan helped me down. “I’ll fight you for it,” he rumbled.
I threw my head back and laughed. “You? Fight me? Good luck, dude.”
“Right? I gotta be crazy to go after the champ, but I’m confident I have a few tricks up my sleeve.”
I arched a brow. “Oh?” I tapped his muscular chest as if I were placating a beast. “How about I let you pick the weapons? That way, when I kick your ass, you can’t gripe that I had you at an unfair disadvantage.”
He grinned. “Whatever you say, Vi.”
I definitely expected Rowan to pick axe throwing. It was one of his favorite activities to blow off some steam.
He kissed my temple before turning on his heels, swaggering to the back of the building. Right on his heels, I tried to guess what he would choose.
He stopped at the two large rings used to teach classes.
“Hand-to-hand,” he whispered in my ear. He trailed his hand across the small of my back as he passed by. He turned to face me with a cocky smirk and an obvious erection.
“Pretty sure that’s a weapon of mass destruction where panties are concerned.”
His smirk widened, flashing his teeth. It was half-adorable, half-wolfish. “Pretty sure you’re the only one who can disarm it.”
A snort bubbled out of me as I took my stance. Feet shoulder-width apart, one hand extended and at the ready, the other guarding my chin. “You haven’t sparred with me in a long time, Brawnan. You sure you can keep up?”
His eyes glowed with interest. “Oh, yeah, babe. I have a strategy.” He tapped his temple. “I know your weak spots.”
“Pfft. Bring it on, bucketboy.”
His laugh was smooth and delicious. Almost as enticing as his stance. Rowan’s confidence translated into easy grace and fluid movements. He was magnificent to watch.
We hadn’t done this in a long time. Years, really. Back when I first opened Bullseye, Rowan came by all the time for classes or to help out. When I stayed late, we sparred.
Sometimes, things got heated.
We circled each other, both smiling, both thinking we had the upper hand.
I didn’t wait.
I struck out with a one-two jab.
Rowan dodged me with aplomb and agility. I lunged again. He avoided my punches, but as always, he didn’t watch his step. I ducked down, sweeping my leg between his, knocking him down. He stumbled back with a chortle. I smiled innocently before giving him a nudge to the chest with my foot, sending him down onto his ass.
“Once the champ, always the champ,” he sang from the ground.
“Hardly. That was weak sauce, Rowan.” I stood above him, hands on my hips. “If this was training, I’d have you do all kinds of — ah!” Too confident in my ability, I hadn’t anticipated the illegal move.
Rowan grabbed my legs and toppled me. I fell flat on my back, but he was there to catch me. In a quick movement, he straddled my waist and pinned my hands onto the mat. His grin put the Cheshire Cat to shame.
“What were you saying?”
I clicked my tongue, feigning annoyance. “That was hardly a regulation move.” I could barely focus with his erection pressed into my side, especially when Rowan looked at me like I was his favorite snack.
“You can get out of this hold if you want to.” His husky tone brushed against my lips. Twin flames burned in his eyes.
He was right. I could best him in two moves.
Hooking my legs around his waist, I flipped up with all of my strength. The maneuver pushed him down onto his back. I sat astride his hips, but pinning his wrists was a challenge, given his size. I managed it.
“Impressive.”
“I know,” I shot back.
I rolled my hips against him. His erection pressed against my center; only the thin material of our clothing separated us. Rowan freed his wrists from my hold to grip my ass. I ground down on him, adding much-needed pressure.
“Rowan,” I warned halfheartedly. “Maybe we should pause and pick this up at home.”
“Too far,” he growled.
He sat up and cupped my face in his hands, diving for my mouth. Our tongues melted together. Every kiss, every embrace made it impossible for us to leave.
We were too keyed up.
Too in love.
Too desperate for each other.
I stripped off my tank top, thankful for the built-in bra. Rowan’s hands spanned across my bared ribcage to roll my nipples with his thumbs. I arched into the touch, pressing down against his hard length trapped between us. He replaced his fingers with his tongue, somehow managing to kick away his sweatpants while I peeled mine off.
Rowan loomed over me, our gazes hooked, our breaths nothing but hurried pants. He placed a wet open-mouth kiss against my knee, leading a trail up my thigh.
“You win, Vi. You’ve got me dead to rights.”
“You’re on top.”
His eyes flashed. “But wholly at your mercy.”
He kissed my mound softly, once, twice, before his eager tongue parted my folds.
“See? It’s all for you.”
I bucked off the floor with a cry. Rowan lapped at my bundle of nerves before licking down and back up again to focus all of his attention. He eased a thick finger into me, adding layers to my bliss. I shouted his name to the rafters.
Pleasure pulsated in my core as he devoured me.
He was relentless in his touches, knowing when to lick, when to suck, when to curl his finger to hit just the right spot.
My orgasm came on fast and hard, cresting as Rowan added a second finger to his machinations. He held my sensitive nerves in his mouth, sucking and twirling his tongue against me. My skin burned, glowed, blazed as I keened.
He held me captive to the waves of euphoria.
“You’re so damn beautiful, Violet.” He kissed my hipbones one at a time and leisurely made his way to my mouth.
Our kiss was sloppy and naughty in my post-orgasmic glow, but it wasn’t enough.
With Rowan, it never was.
I closed my hand around his girth, pumping the length a few times. I relished the sounds Rowan made above me, the way his jaw ticked with the promise of broken composure. I lined his erection with my entrance and lifted my hips to meet him.
It was a plea and permission all at once.
Rowan pushed into me. Slow, so slow. He drew out the moment until he finally bottomed out. I squeezed my walls to keep him seated.
“Fuck, Vi,” he groaned. “You…” He bit my neck. “So good.”
I clenched again, lifting my lower half clear off the ground. He was so deep my vision blurred with purple constellations. Rowan eased out before sliding in. He set a torturously slow rhythm.
A strand of hair fell onto his sweaty brow, sticking there. I brushed it back gently before kissing him, pouring love into the primal urge fusing us together.
“Rowan,” I moaned in his ear. “Take me. However you want me.”
He stilled, and for a second, I thought he would ram right into me, hurrying to the finish line.
My perfect, wonderful, insufferable man took me completely by surprise.
He continued the gentle pace, drawing out our semi-public tryst. His lips brushed my earlobe with his raspy murmur. “I want to savor this, Vivi.”
His blue eyes were an ocean of love, desire, of passion. It was slow and sweet; it was rough and wild.
He took hold of my leg and draped it over his hip, tilting my hips at a new angle. When he drove in, I felt it all the way in my soul. Wisps of pleasure, tiny explosions of ecstasy went off inside of me. They gained momentum, and I gripped onto Rowan’s wide shoulders. My nails dug onto his inked skin when I gasped. The edge was right there.
He drove in.
Hard, slow, fast, gentle.
It was everything I needed to combust.
His name left my lips over and over again as bliss bound me to another world made of stars and flames. Above me, Rowan whispered my name. He pressed light kisses to every inch of my face before his hips pistoned with a new kind of speed. He chased his completion while continuing to flame mine. He cried my name loud and collapsed onto me.
He laid his forehead against mine, panting hard. “Didn’t exactly expect that to happen.”
I giggled, kissing his scruffy chin. “Do not lie. You pla—“ A cold blast of realization hit me square in the chest. “Shit. The cameras. Forgot about the fucking cameras.” I smacked my hand to my head. “I need to destroy that footage. How did that slip my mind?”
Rowan laughed, hugging me close. “’Cause we’re that good, baby.”
“It’s not funny!”
“It’s a little funny.” He kissed my shoulder. “We legit made a sex tape without knowing it.”
“I have to reset the server and erase the last hour.” I pushed out of his arms, pulled on my clothes, and hastened to the reception desk. “Penny has the log-in. She’s unlikely to check, but…” I shuddered. Our sparring lesson was private despite the setting. “I need to delete this.”
A few clicks and clacks brought me straight to the internal server. The entire security system was digital but set to erase week-old footage. Thank fuck. Clouds might be infinite, but unlimited data storage was way too rich for my blood.
A bare-chested Rowan came to stand behind me. His arms wound around my waist, and he rested his chin on my shoulder.
“You just wanna see if it looks good,” I reprimanded.
“Well, duh,” he chuckled. “Something that epic is bound to be one hell of a show.”
I elbowed him, but the effect was ruined by my giggle.
Epic, indeed.
We hadn’t had sex in a public place since our early twenties.
“Hey, stop the tape.” He sobered and stepped beside me. “Right there.” The computer screen was split into a dozen different camera feeds, and he pointed to one of the tiny boxes on the far right corner.
“That’s one of the outdoor cameras. We didn’t do anything naughty out there.”
“Can you make it… like… bigger?” He squinted at the screen as if he could magically enlarge it.
“I can put it in full screen, but that’s about it. Why? What’s wrong?”
His features were controlled. He wasn’t post-sex, flirty Rowan.
This was fire call Rowan.
It was slightly terrifying. I clicked on the week-old footage, and it filled the computer screen.
“It’s a view of the parking lot.”
“And who drives that white SUV?” Rowan’s jaw ticked.
“I don’t know.” I looked at the time stamp. “That was last Friday during the free class I run for teens.”
“Teens,” he repeated the word like an echo.
“Rowan, what’s happening?”
Ignoring my question, he played the footage again. His focus was glued to the screen as Samuel Park and his dad piled into the vehicle.
“Park,” he growled. “Told you that mother fucker was off.”
I gently decked him in the shoulder. “Easy. That’s a valued, respected member of the community you’re talking about. What did he do?”
“He drives a white SUV,” he repeated lamely.
I rolled my eyes at him. “I know a bunch of people who drive white SUVs. So do you. Tavish has one. Pretty sure Mrs. Reid does too.”
Rowan nodded, backing away from me. I cast worried glances at him as I deleted our sexcapade from the feed and cloud.
“You gonna share whatever is happening with the rest of the class?”
“Nah. Just something from an old fire call. It’s probably nothing.”
“Rowan…” Concern and warning mixed in my tone.
“It’s fine, Vi. I’m fine, promise.”
I took a deep breath, pursed my lips, and studied his face.
“Vivi, it’s all good.”
“Okay. Sure. See you at home?”
He gave a curt nod, kissed my forehead, and vanished.
24
Puzzle Piece
Violet
The Walker family home sat on Main Street beside the family’s convenience store. The gray stone buildings were a matching set with pale blue doors and shutters. The house had an archway framing the entrance, decorated with one of Esther’s many thematic wreaths, where an enormous bay window fronted the store, giving a view of neat and fully-stocked shelves.
Before the accident, a few tables and chairs invited customers and passersby to sit and chat over a cup of coffee.
There would never be tables again.
Winston Walker sat right there when a drunk driver drove straight through the store.
He died instantly.
There was no rhyme or reason for it. The police thought the driver might have fallen asleep or been distracted by something.
Probably the 0.15 alcohol level in his system.
A mournful shiver racked through me as I walked past Winston’s favorite — and final — spot. I glued my gaze to the ground, knowing my heart would break a little bit for what the Walkers and all of Eastwood lost that day.
It was also a stark reminder that Rowan responded to that call. He was working at the gym when the pager went off. His parents’ address stared at him from the screen. He and Diego closed the gym and responded direct.
When Rowan arrived on scene, the crew tried to stop him.
They tried to protect him.
He saw it.
All. Of. It.
Rowan never talked about that day. Refused to, actually. Not only with me but with anyone. It was arguably our biggest – and longest – argument. I knew and understood the weight of mourning.
