Chapter 49
Rowan
Ella was definitely sleeping more. That, in itself, wasn’t a concern—but our hours were erratic, and Alec’s standard office schedule made him the obvious choice to stay home with her.
My issue was simpler. I didn’t want her out of our sight.
My mother’s whorish tendencies had left me cautious by nature.
I pulled her chair out and waited until she sat before taking my own seat. Alec and Nick were already showered and dressed for work. Nick watched Ella with that familiar intensity, but she didn’t seem to notice—her attention fixed entirely on the plate of pastries.
She was glowing.
I couldn’t tell whether it was the sun, the sex, or the possibility we weren’t acknowledging out loud yet—but she looked content. Soft. Happy.
“Oooh,” she gasped, lifting one of the smaller pastries.“What’s this?”
Alec approached with a platter, lifting the lid.
“Raspberry, lemon, and mascarpone,” he said.
“Wow. You went all out,” she replied, taking a bite.“Thank you. Mmm.”
We all watched as she licked icing from her lip before taking another mouthful. She hummed again.
I shook my head, breaking the spell, and poured myself a coffee.
Ella slid her cup forward, but Alec filled it with orange juice instead. She hesitated, confusion flickering briefly across her face, before lifting it to her lips and drinking.
Yes. We wouldn’t be able to conceal the truth for much longer.
“Open up,” Alec said, taking the seat beside her.
He placed the tiny white pill on her tongue, followed by the larger pink one. She frowned but swallowed them down with a sip of juice.
“What was that?”
“Just a multivitamin,” Alec replied casually, already loading his plate.
We followed suit. I fixed Ella’s plate for her while she returned her attention to the remains of her pastry.
Alec’s sleight of hand—and his offhand delivery—had worked. I relaxed slightly, until I caught Nick staring too intently at her.
I kicked him beneath the table.
He cleared his throat and picked up his cutlery.
???
I dabbed my mouth with a napkin as I watched Alec kiss Ella. The way he fisted her hair and devoured her mouth made my dick hard.
“He didn’t put that much effort into kissing you,” Nick chortled.
I tossed the napkin at him.
He lingered, waiting for his turn before heading to work.
Alec finally broke away from Ella’s ravaged lips.
