Page 71 of Indulge
REGGIE
“Come on, girl. It’s safe here,” I whisper to the new kitten.
She takes a nervous step out of the crate and I keep still, not wanting to scare her.
“That’s it. Keep going.”
Fucking hell. I’m smiling at a damn kitten, like it’s my child taking her first steps.
A cat I bought as an apology to my fiancée, who hasn’t even bothered to come home.
And I know exactly where she is. Which guts me further. I can’t be mad, I pushed them together.
The kitten crawls up onto my lap, and I go still. What the hell? I was expecting her to run a mile from me. I glance down and slowly stroke the back of her neck, making her purr.
“We need to give you a name, I thought your new mom might be home to do that,” I sigh.
Scooping her up in my hand, I cuddle her into my chest.
“Maybe we should go find her? Introduce you to her. That might make her come home so I can talk to her,” I tell the cat, like it cares what I have to say.
Making my way to Rowan’s door, I pause, unease settling on me. But I unlock it and step in. To dead silence.
With a frown, I scope out the downstairs. I see two coffee mugs, yet no Bella or Rowan.
A lump forms in my throat. My mind and my heart battling. I should just leave. But I can’t. I need to see this to know it’s true.
So I creep up the stairs, each step weighing heavier than the last. The shower is still running, but the door is open. I see her clothes discarded on the floor.
Jesus fuck.
My world stops when I hear her moans. I know them already from our first meet, they’re ingrained in my brain forever.
Rowan’s bedroom door is ajar; I hold my breath and peer in. That fucking pain rips through my chest.
The way she’s looking down at him. That naughty smile. Her eyes glistening. Her hands threaded through his hair as she rides his face.
I retreat, keeping my steps light. Every breath getting heavier.
I have to be the villain in her story to keep her safe. But, fuck, I wish I could tell her how much this hurts.
It’s my own fault. I’ve been an asshole, keeping her at arm’s length to protect the alliance.
Not realizing that my feelings for her aren’t just a fizzle. They’re fucking earth-shattering.
The way she looked at my brother is what hurts me more. Not just lust. That was trust.
I wish she’d look like that at me, just once.
Once I’m home, I place the kitten down on her new fluffy pink bed and open the refrigerator. Pulling out ingredients to make a proper roast dinner for her. She’s a Londoner, of course she will love this.
I’m not angry at them. Sex doesn’t bother me. It’s not that. It’s the fact I know there’s more brewing between them.
And I can’t be the one to let her get away without at least trying, somehow, to show her I’m not her enemy.
34
ROWAN
