Rowan looks over at me with a stern expression which is so different from the playful and heated looks I’ve been getting from him all night. “Stay here, wait until I get your door. Always wait until I get your door, Clara, okay?” I guess he’sreally taking this gentleman thing seriously.
“Yeah, okay.” He kisses the back of my hand and smiles then gets out of the car to come to my side. It’s then I realize there’s no way this is ending after tonight. Oh, I am so screwed, it seems like in more ways than one and none of them are bad.
9
Chapter Nine
Rowan
Iround the back of the car towards Clara’s door, my eyes scanning every direction and the tops of surrounding buildings. Killian, Nolan, and Ryan, our guards for the night, are also scanning the area. When we all look at each other and nod I open the door and help Clara out. When she opened the door earlier I lost all sense of my plan, and the more time I’m spending with her I can’t help but throw the whole damn thing out the window. This feels right, she feels right. I don’t know where I’m at with the whole ‘Rhett being with a practical stranger tonight’ thing. I’ll tell you what I’m not though, and that’s trusting of anyone who’s last name isn’t or won’t one day become ‘Byrne’ with him.
It’s exactly why Kieran is sitting in his car across the street from Olivia Wilson’s modest rancher right now. Clara doesn’tneed to know that yet though. Just like she doesn’t need to know quite yet that the car seat is for Rhett. I bought it after researching everything there is to know about four year olds and car seats. It’s rear facing because that’s what’s safest for him should we ever be in an accident. She also probably doesn’t need to know that it’s not just in this car, but in every vehicle that I and my brothers own. She beams up at me when I help her to her feet. I place my hand at the small of her back and lead her inside the restaurant. Yeah, I’ll tell her later.
The hostess looks up and her face instantly pales, “Oh Mr. Byrne. We have your room ready, you can follow me.” She walks in front of us, menus in hand as I guide Clara slightly in front of me. Just in case any crazy fucking Russians pop out of the shadows I can shield her easily. We make it to my private room at the back of the restaurant without incident. I pull out Clara’s chair and as I scoot her in I drop a kiss to the top of her head. Now that I’ve tasted her I can’t stop. I need to touch, to kiss, to just be in her presence.
I sit across from her as the hostess leaves us with a promise of the server coming. Clara looks at the menu then peaks at me through her lashes unease and anxiety swirling in her deep brown depths. “Everything here is amazing. I guess I’m kind of partial, but it’s still the truth. You can’t pick wrong.”
Clara puts the menu down and starts fidgeting, “I’m not sure what’s allowed. I don’t want to pick wrong. Can you help me?” Confused, I take her hand across the table.
“Are you allergic to anything?” She shakes her head no and I’m now even more confused about what she’s talking about.
“Then get what you want, baby. It doesn’t matter to me.” The waiter comes out at that moment and takes our drink orders, she disappears again as I watch Clara who studies themenu and looks close to tears. I squeeze her hand gently and she jumps then looks up at me, fear in her eyes. It’s then that it clicks.
“Hey, I promise that I don’t care what you order as long as it’s what you want. I don’t know what you’ve been through, and I won’t pry. You’ll tell me when you’re ready, but whoever he was, I’m not him. I want to get to know you and explore this feeling I think we both feel, but not because I want to micromanage you. Clara, you can make your own decisions, as long as they’re safe ones. I’m sure it’ll take time for you to believe me. The good news is, I seem to have an infinite amount of patience when it comes to you.” I kiss her hand and will her to believe me.
She gives me a shaky smile and wipes her eyes, “I’m so sorry. This is embarrassing. I’m just being ridiculous.”
I stop her mid-thought by cutting in, “No, you’re not. You don’t need to apologize. What looks good to you?” She scans the menu, biting her bottom lip in concentration and I want nothing more than to pry it from her teeth and replace them with mine. Of course I don’t do that and instead I will my cock to calm down before I embarrass myself.
She sighs and finally looks up, “Honestly? That steak looks to die for.”
I smirk at her as the server returns to take our orders, “Perfect, I actually think I’ll do the same.”
* * *
I help Clara back into the car after we finish dinner. Everything was perfect as it always is. Clara can’t stop talking about how it was the best meal she’s ever had. If the little moanswhile she was eating was any indication, I think I may just take her here every night. I shut her door after I make sure she buckles and move to my side of the car, adjusting myself as discreetly as possible on the way. I slide into my seat then just like earlier I buckle up. Reaching for her hand and placing it on my thigh, I use my thumb to draw circles lightly on her thumb as she sighs in contentment.
I’ve learned a lot about Clara tonight. From things as small as her favorite color (green), her favorite show (The Challenge), she doesn’t like onions, but mushrooms are fine and her birthday (April twenty-ninth). I also learned bigger things, like she moved here six months ago, she’s worked for Kellum almost as long, she was raised across the country in Arizona, she’s an only child and she does NOT want to talk about her family. All in all I’ll say this is the fourth best date I’ve been on. Only coming fourth to our not-date-lunch-date, the ice cream date I had with her and Rhett earlier this week, and our impromptu movie and sleepover last night.
Clara brings me to the present when she pulls her hand out of mine and lightly runs her perfectly painted nails up and down the middle of my thigh. I don’t even think she realizes she’s doing it, but I realize. “Thank you for tonight, Rowan. Seriously, this is the best date I’ve been on.”
Smiling, I turn fully to face her, “Oh baby, this is just part one. We still have an hour and a half before we have to get you to Olivia’s house.”
Her hand stops moving and she smiles shyly, “It’s not just me right? This electricity, this pull, like we’ve known each other forever. You feel it too, right?” I grip her chin between my thumb and forefinger to make sure I have her entire focus.
“No, it’s definitely not just you. You’ve seemed to work yourway under my skin, Clara Sanders. Don’t ever work your way out.”
Sealing my lips over hers quickly because we’re still held in place by our seat belts. Right then and there I pray to whatever higher being exists to let me be the one she trusts and opens up to, because I’m already so far past gone. At this point I’ll set the whole city ablaze just to see the reflection of the flames dance in her beautiful eyes.
* * *
Opening the door to Clara’s complex, we make it up about three steps before I spin her around and her arms go around my neck, my lips instantly find hers. I grip her hair in one hand and push her back against the wall with the other. My lips move to her neck, biting then using my tongue to soothe the pain. Her head tips back as she lets out a whimper. My cock is about to bust through my zipper as my restraint snaps. Moving both my hands under her perfect ass I lift her. Her long legs wrap around my waist as her core lines up perfectly. She buries her head in my neck nipping and tasting. She nips right under my ear and my legs go weak. I press her harder into the wall so we both don’t drop and push up grinding into her, I know the exact moment I’m where she wants me. She tosses her head back and lets out a low moan.
“Fuck baby, You’re perfect. I wish you could see yourself right now.”
She opens her eyes and pure carnal hunger shines in them, “Rowan, take me to bed. I need you, now.”
I don’t even wait for her sentence to finish before I’m startingup the stairs with her secure in my arms. Hitting the top of the steps, she starts to move in my arms over my cock. I push us into the nearest wall and hiss out, “Fuck baby, you have to stop or we wont make it to your apartment.” She bites my neck and sucks in response and I can’t help but groan.
