“Come in,” I called.
The door opened and Rowen stepped inside, holding up his phone. “Aspen said ye’re lonely.”
Shrugging, I didn’t disagree.
Rowen stuffed his phone back in his pocket, then crossed his arms as he paced closer. “Why be abuck eejitand hide away in here?” He plopped down on the edge of the bed and turned toward me with a frown.
Peeling myself up to sit, I scooted closer to him and hugged him. At first, the embrace was awkward because his arms were still crossed, but he unwound them and hauled me tight against the solid muscles of his chest. “Rowen, are you okay?”
He shook his head, and my heart thudded faster. “I shoulda anticipated all this mess. Cillian woulda. He’s gonna have a never-ending fit at me when he gets back, even if ye don’t see it. He acts like it’s his responsibility to see that we’re all safe, which is all well and good, but he lets it eat at him. I let him, and ye, down. Next, all we need is Vail getting injured, and I’ll have done a horrible job all ’round.”
I rested my cheek on his shoulder and stared up into his face. “I wanted the ring.”
“I shoulda known,” Rowen grumbled, giving me a tiny shake.
“I’m a big boy, too. I didn’t look into the safety of any of it, either.”
Rowen tensed under my cheek. “And I put ye into a position to have an intimate moment in front of strangers. Me. I did that.”
All at once, this was much funnier than it had been earlier. Maybe it was because I liked to get to Rowen—just a little, not a lot. Enough to irritate him but not piss him off. “You were there. That woman didn’t touch me. I.... It was such a huge rush to get the ring off. And get off.” I began to snicker and couldn’t stop. “Y-you made it okay.”
Rowen grunted.
“It’s okay,” I said, then began to laugh all over again. “I’m tellingyouit’s okay. That’s funny.” I bopped my forehead against his jaw. “It was my dick on the line.”
Rowen leaned away from me, as if he might stand up, and I clung. “You’re really gonna leave me after you—” I snickered. “—put the ring on me. Oh! You put a ring on me!” I dragged him down next to me on the bed, using all my strength to do it, and he kicked his legs, grumbling and half cursing. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he sighed, hugging me tight. “Now you have to marry me.”
Rowen’s mouth fell open and his eyes widened, then a smile spread across his face. “Since that one got cut off, I suppose ye think I owe ye a better one, ye spoiled wee thing.” He wrestled with me until he had my left hand in his and kissed the tip of my ring finger. “Ye’re gonna throw this at me any time ye want yer way, aren’t ye?”
A good feeling squirmed all around my insides as I nodded while he stared at me.
Rowen dragged me closer and kissed my earlobe. “I really didn’t enjoy the fire crew and that doc ogling ye.” He slid his hand down my spine and rubbed at my lower back like he wanted to dive between my asscheeks and find somethingreallyfun to play with, and I moaned.
“They seemed professional.” I hid a smile against his neck. “Especially Brick. He was huge. Do you think he was bigger than Aspen?”
Rowen’s arms tensed around me, and I wasn’t shocked when he grabbed my jaw and tilted my head up so he could cover my mouth with his. We kissed, and while I sometimes liked to battle it out with Vail to see who was going to be in charge, so to speak, it felt natural to invite Rowen in and let him move me around. My engine had already been revved before he came in the room, so it didn’t take long for my hard-on to beg for attention.
Nope, I was almost always ready.
I grabbed Rowen’s hand and sneakily moved it down my abs and lower, though I gasped with a bit of pain when he rubbed me firmly.
“Ye all right, rabbit?” Rowen asked, pulling back to plant a kiss at the corner of my mouth.
Shrugging, I waggled my eyebrows. “Will you make sure I am?” I rocked my hips, and his Adam’s apple jumped as he swallowed. Rowen studied my face and sparks danced through my body, up my neck, and lit me on fire from the inside out.
“Aye,” he murmured and went back to kissing me.
I helped him open my jeans, but he gently tugged my dick out of my boxers and cradled my wood in his hand. I wouldn’t say he jerked me off, so much as gently tortured me until I was ready to die. His strokes were so light they almost didn’t qualify as touches at all. I couldn’t stay still and tried to fuck his fist, but his grip wasn’t tight enough for that.
“Careful,” he whispered in my ear. His warm breath swirled and sent a throb streaking through my shaft to pound in my cockhead. “I can tell ye’re tender. Every time I squeeze too hard ye make wee noises like ye’re in pain.” His tone was too happy as he spoke. And the jerk thought Cillian was the torturer.
“Please, Rowen, please,” I mumbled, kissing all around his face.
Rowen’s eyes widened and he got a very serious look, then dragged me closer with one arm to cover my mouth with his again. This time his strokes were firmer, though he was still too gentle.
I was in a rush, but he wasn’t, and it took a long time for him to finally send me over the edge while he held me. As the pleasure rolled through my body and my balls emptied, spraying cum between us, I actually was relieved that it all felt the way it should, except for some uncomfortable twinges I could easily ignore.
“I got ye,” Rowen mumbled against my lips. “Ye’re okay, tater tot.”
