Rowan nodded. Now it was her time to wait. She’d expected a cocktail and great sex. This was becoming so much more. The way he spoke made her feel like he was pulling a knot apart inside himself, one finger at a time.
“I thought she’d be back. What mother could leave her daughter without a backward glance? So we both waited, and I filled in until I realized it was only us. She sent Kelsey a letter.” A bitter laugh escaped his lips. “Said she wasn’t meant to be tied down and that the best thing for everyone was to leave. Said not to contact her so they could both live their lives. I’ll never forget reading that letter, over and over, hoping that it would change on the next read. At first, I told my daughter she was away on a long trip. Then I said she had to stay.” His dark eyes flickered with anger and regret, making Rowan want to put her arms around him. “Finally, I couldn’t lie anymore. I read her the letter. We both cried. She raged. I got her therapy. And I decided I’d do everything in my power to make her feel safe.”
His confession broke something inside her she’d pushed way down. “My mother left, too.”
He jerked. A frown snapped his brow. “Your mother?” he repeated.
Rowan nodded. “Different story, same result. She hated the ocean. Refused to move back to Hawaii and preferred LA, or any type of city. In some ways, I think she hated my father and was disappointed when I fell in love with surfing like he did. We moved to Hawaii when I was five to start a whole new life, and neither of us ever looked back. Or had regret. Dad said we choose our own happiness every day.”
His hand gripped the glass. A muscle moved in his jaw. “Is that why you keep showing up for Kelsey?”
“I keep showing up because she reminds me of ... me.”
His shoulders relaxed. The air seethed with a deep connection that only lost souls could recognize. Everett walked back, closer than before. The delicious scent of him drifted to her nostrils. Her hand trembled around the stem of her glass.
“Thank you,” he said.
“For what?”
“For sharing. For opening your heart to my daughter.”
Bagel launched suddenly, a small missile of fur and attitude, and attacked Everett’s shoelace with operatic fury. Everett froze. The cinematic moment broke apart under the rabbit’s cockblocking move.
“Stand down,” Rowan said, scooping up the rabbit mid-battle. Bagel glared. She kissed the top of his head. “He’s jealous.” Her lips tipped in a smile. “He doesn’t like sharing.”
“Neither do I.”
The words were a low growl that slid right under her skin.
“Careful, Suit,” she teased, setting Bagel on the couch. “You keep saying things like that and I might start believing you.”
He stepped in, close enough that the lamplight struck a warm burnish on his throat. “Believe what?”
“That you mean it.”
“I mean it.” His hand lifted, hovered, then smoothed a curl off her temple like he’d been thinking about doing it since the luau. “I keep thinking I can be in control around you, but everything goes to shit the minute I’m close.”
“Control is overrated,” she murmured. Challenge sparked around them, but this time it was a physical sensation that buzzed through her blood and heated her insides. It was heady, sparring with him. Knowing they were moving closer to the finale. “Control is boring.”
A knowing smile ghosted his mouth. Her fingers itched to trace it. “I promise not to bore you.”
Then he was kissing her.
His mouth slid over hers with a lazy precision and just enough edge. Rowan leaned into him, into the kiss, into the sensations of her body and the lure of belonging to this man who’d managed to hit her like a rogue wave. Strong hands cupped her hips and smoothed over the bare expanse of skin exposed by her crop top. She gave a tiny gasp at the electric heat of his touch, and he swallowed the sound, dragging her closer.
“God, you feel good. Taste good.” He nibbled her lower lip, dove his tongue deep to tangle around hers. “I feel like a kid with a present I’m dying to unwrap.”
She wrapped her arms around him, luxuriating in the strong muscled length of him. A laugh rumbled from her throat. “Aren’t you lucky it’s Christmas morning?”
Rowan loved his answering laugh, and then with one swift motion, he picked her up, never breaking the kiss. “Bedroom?”
“Back up. To the right.”
By the time they were in her room, she was already desperate for more contact. Setting her down, Everett reached for her top. “This is beautiful on you, but it’s blocking my view.”
Rowan lifted her arms so he could peel it off.
She wasn’t wearing a bra.
