Page 59 of Owned

“I called her already.”

The teasing light vanished from her eyes. “Why? I told you I wanted to speak to her.”

“I know you did, but I had a few things to say to her which you didn’t need to hear.”

She stared at me, her gaze narrowing. “Did you tell her that?—”

“We were married? No. That we were together, yes, and that yes, you’re also moving in with me.”

Rowan settled back against the pillows, hands wrapped around her coffee mug. “What did she say?”

“She was understandably shocked,” I wasn’t about to tell Rowan that her mother’s first thought was for herself. “But I told her that we’d sort her out something, some means of support. I’ve already made a few other calls to a place that can help her. It’s a live-in arrangement, so she won’t be alone.”

Rowan’s expression was inscrutable. “You didn’t tell her about Charlotte?”

“No. I didn’t think she needed to hear about that, not yet at least. We need to decide what to do about her.”

Rowan looked down, examining the contents of her cup. “There isn’t anything we can do about her. She said she had something on you to make you do what she wanted, but she didn’t tell me what it was.”

Briefly I debated her telling her Ten’s specific issue, but then dismissed it. That was Ten’s story to tell, not mine. “It’s something on a close friend of mine,” I said. “Something big that could mean jail time for him if she decides to use it.”

Rowan stared at me from over the top of her coffee. “So what do we do then?”

“I need to talk to my friend and a few others, see if we can’t find a way around it. But I don’t want you to worry about that.” I held her gaze. “All you need to worry about is pleasing me, hmm?”

She frowned. “What you said about last night and keeping the child. I didn’t think you wanted to be a father.”

Little witch. Clearly she wasn’t going to fall in line the way she should be doing. Then again, I liked her pushing me, especially when since I enjoyed the hell out of her keeping her in line.

“I told you why I changed my mind last night,” I reminded her.

Her gaze was very steady and very direct. “While making it very difficult for me to think. In fact, I think you were using sex to manipulate me into saying yes to everything.”

Fuck, she knew which buttons to press, didn’t she? An accusation of being manipulative was not something I enjoyed, especially when there were already too many similarities between myself and my father. Then again, his manipulations were all about him. Mine were about making sure Rowan and the child were protected.

“I didn’t manipulate you,” I said. “I was proving that I meant what I said, that I wouldn’t walk away.”

“With your dick?”

“Yes,” I said testily. “With my dick.”

Her gaze narrowed. “You really want to be a father, Atlas?”

The same impatience that I’d felt when Ten had said the same thing wound through me. “Well, if I had a fucking choice, no,” I said, because I’d promised her honesty.

“Why not?”

There she went again, zeroing in on the most annoying question to ask, even if it was a fair one. “Well, for starters, I told you that my old man was an asshole. He was also a shitty father.” I smiled and not particularly nicely. “I’ve inherited the worst of him which makes doesn’t make for very good father material.”

Rowan didn’t smile back. “What’s the worst of him?”

“My manipulative charm,” I said, only a little self-deprecating. “Plus a certain selfish personality, along with a little narcissism thrown in for good measure.”

“What do you mean a selfish personality?” Rowan was frowning now. “You’re not selfish, Atlas.”

“Did you miss the bit where I said everything was about me?”

“But that’s diff?—”

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