I turned over and tugged the covers tighter, but sleep still wouldn't come. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw those two together. The way Marcus steered the conversation, the way Rowan seemed to shrink.
Rowan wasn't a weak man and never had been. Buttonight, I didn't like the way he quietly deferred to Marcus. Seeing him like that felt wrong.
Then again, why should it matter? Rowan was in a relationship and seemed happy. I was probably reading too much into it. It had been years since we'd spent this much time together, and people change. Maybe I was just starting to see that change in him.
Still, the gnawing feeling in my gut wouldn't go away.
I turned over again as my mind drifted back to all the times Rowan had been there for me. Through every mistake, every bad decision, every time I messed things up. But now, Rowan was drifting away, and I didn't even notice until tonight. I'd seen him do it before, and it never ended well.
I lay there in the dark as I tried to make sense of the mess in my head. I knew Rowan better than anyone else. But now that I'd seen how he interacted with Marcus, everything seemed to be slipping out of my control.
I hated that feeling. I hated seeing him fade into the background to let someone else decide what was best for him. That wasn't the Rowan I knew. He was the one who kept things on track, and now he seemed to be getting pulled into someone else's version of his life.
The worst part was that Rowan didn't seem to notice. Or if he did, he didn't care. Maybe he was okay with letting Marcus take the reins. And if that was true, who was I to say otherwise?
I tried to tell myself I was overreacting. Marcus wasn't a bad guy. He hadn't done anything to make me think he was controlling or manipulative. But the way he talked down to Rowan...
I couldn't figure it out. I only knew that tonight didn't feel right. And whether it was just me overthinking or something else, I had to wonder if Marcus was pushing Rowan in a direction he wouldn't have gone on his own.
I rolled onto my back, irritated that I couldn't just let thisgo. I wanted to trust that Rowan knew what he was doing. But every instinct told me something was wrong.
I'd bring it up to him later.Awayfrom Marcus when things were calmer. For now, though, all I could do was wrestle with the uneasy feeling that I didn't know how to fix whatever had changed.
Rowan
8
The silence stretched in Marcus's car as he drove us back to his place, but I barely noticed. My mind was too busy replaying the dinner with Eli, picking apart the things he said and the way he looked at me.
I knew that look. Eli always got that way when he thought something was off. I usually trusted his instincts, but it didn't make sense this time. He’d met Marcus twice, and already he'd decided there was a problem. The thought made my stomach twist.
It wasn't fair to Marcus. He wasn't doing anything wrong. He was just looking out for me. Making sure I didn't get overwhelmed. He just had a tendency to take the lead when I hesitated. That wasn't a bad thing.
But I couldn't stop thinking about a certain word that slipped out of my mouth. Controlling. I didn't even know that word was in my head until it came out. And the way I snapped at Eli... Why did I get so defensive? He hadn't exactly accused Marcus of anything, but I was already bracing for a fight.
Maybe I just didn't like the way Eli kept pushing about it. He didn't know Marcus. He didn't get how things worked between us.
I exhaled, rolling my shoulders and trying to shake off the tension as Marcus parked on the street. He shut off theengine and turned to look at me. His sharp blue eyes flicked over my face, and I knew right away that he'd picked up on my mood. He always did.
"You've been quiet."
I forced a small smile. "Just thinking."
He reached over to brush his fingers along my jaw, then he tilted my chin so I had to meet his gaze. "About what?"
I hesitated. Lying to him outright didn't sit well with me, but telling the truth would just make things more complicated. So I settled for something in between. "Elias. He, uh... He was acting a little weird tonight."
"Yeah, I noticed." His voice was smooth, almost casual, as his thumb brushed idly over my cheek. "Seemed a little too interested in what's going on with us, don't you think?"
"He's just protective. He always has been."
"Protective," he repeated, like he was testing the word. Then his lips curved just a little bit. "Or maybe possessive?"
I blinked. "What?"
His hand slid down to the side of my neck, fingers warm and firm. I had to focus to not react to the slight tickling sensation. "Think about it. He shows up out of nowhere after years of barely being around, and suddenly he's concerned about who you're dating. Feels a bit convenient."
A flicker of doubt surfaced. I did wonder the other day, just for a moment, if maybe Eli was a little jealous. But possessive? When Marcus pointed it out like that, it sounded wrong. It didn't fit with the Eli I knew. "I mean, I don't think he'd – "
