Page 34 of Lords of Misrule
“Good. Now sleep.” His arm returns to my waist, and I fall asleep to a quietly snoring Rowan at my back.
Nineteen
Charlotte
I’ve just gotten home from the diner when my phone dings with a text.
Colin:
I’m in town for the night until I leave again tomorrow. Brought something back for you. Come over?
I stare down at it, nibbling my lip as I climb the stairs and wondering how to answer him. I’ve been slowly ghosting him since the end of the semester and he hasn’t made it very difficult. We’ve never been anything official. Just casual hookups and sleepovers when it was convenient for his schedule. Whenever he was busy, I was discarded to the wayside, only to be picked up again when he was bored and desperate. Buying me presents—usually alcohol or chocolate—is his way of trying to buy himself back into my good graces. Not that I made it particularly difficult. After all, he has something I want—it just isn’t what he thinks it is.
I can’t dump him yet. I don’t need to draw his ire while we’re still working on stealing his paintings. I’m hoping we can take them while he’s gone in the coming weeks, but there’s a chance we might need to do it while he’s still home. And ideally, that would require me to be an invited guest.
I’ve been so deep in my thoughts, lost in my phone as I made my way through the house that I jerk back when I open the bathroom door to find steam rolling out. The shower’s off but when I look to the side Rowan’s standing there, a towel around his hips in front of the mirror at the sink shaving, a straight razor sliding along his jaw.
I’m stuck staring for a moment at his muscles and tattoos, the way his shoulders move, and how his bicep and forearm flex with each movement. I get a glimpse of his back tattoo—a massive raven with its wings spread across his shoulders.
“See something you like, Duchess?” He smirks without bothering to look at me.
“Sorry. I was distracted. Colin texted.”
“And?” He takes another swipe down the sharp line of his jaw, and I follow the motion. I never realized a man shaving could be sexy, but apparently, Rowan’s made it possible. At least with that jawline and those hands.
“He wants me to go over there tonight.”
“No.” His tone is flat, and his eyes flash to mine.
“I mean… I don’t want to. But if I keep blowing him off, he’s going to get annoyed or move on.”
“Good. Let him find someone else to stick his dick in.” He takes the final swipe along his cheek, setting the razor on the sink, and grabbing a wet washcloth to wipe the remnants of the shaving cream off his face.
“That won’t help us. We need him until we get this done.”
His jaw ticks, and he rinses the washcloth and hangs it over the bar before he turns to me.
“I was pretty clear the other night, wasn’t I?” He closes the distance between us and my heart skips in my chest.
“Yes, but—”
“Yes, but,” he repeats, mocking me. “Butnothing. Tell him you’re sick or had to go out of town.”
“He’ll lose interest if I keep putting him off, and then we’ll have another problem on our hands.”
“He won’t lose interest if you call him and tell him how much you can’t wait to have him inside you again. You don’t have to go over there to feed him crumbs. You’re clever. You’ve done it this long. You can do it a while longer.”
I flash Rowan a look of irritation before I stare back down at my phone.
“I have to tell him something.”
“Call him.” It’s the same tone he’s used on Finn and Hudson before, a command—not a request.
I look up at him, and he holds my gaze, his eyes widening just enough to push me back into my place. I take a breath and unlock my phone. I don’t usually call him, but Rowan’s right. With us not having seen each other, this being more of a conversation will probably help ease any questions he’s having about my avoiding him.
“Charlotte?” Colin answers the phone after only a couple of rings.
“Hi, Colin. How are you?”
