Take the Fall (Take the Fall, #1)(26)

I grab her shoulders and haul her against me, dipping my head.

“What the hell, Seth?”

“I decided I’m not leaving.” Then I slam my mouth on hers and rip the sheet away. Her fingers go to my jeans, shoving and tugging at them. I help her, kicking them off and settling in between her thighs. “You’re wet.”

Her stubborn chin lifts, all defiant. I kiss the dimple in it. I snatch a condom from the nightstand, rip it open, and roll it on. Her thighs widen and her arms wrap around me. She buries her head in my shoulder, as if she can’t bear to see me.

I lift her legs and bring them over my arms. “You don’t have to talk.” I lean down, my chest brushing her hard nipples. “But you will give me those baby blues. You will see who’s f*cking you.”

She falls back on the pillow, staring at me with a mutinous look in her eyes before she screws them shut.

Stubborn-ass woman. God, I love her. “Doesn’t have to be this way, Rowan.” My cock brushes against her and she moans in her throat. “Doesn’t have to be like this at all.”

“Doesn’t change anything,” she gasps as I thrust inside of her. “Doesn’t change anything at all, you *.”

I frame her face tenderly. “Be pissed at me tomorrow. Love me tonight.”





Chapter 8





Rowan


It’s Friday morning, and Seth hasn’t spoken to me since he got out of bed Tuesday. He actually walked to work instead of riding with me. It pissed me off so badly that I’ve been crashing at Piper’s ever since.

The door opens and he strolls inside, once again ignoring me as he laughs at something Boyd says. My heart pinches and I rub the spot, but I refuse to cry over it, over him, or over this situation.

Although, it is strange to be in the same building and not talking to him. No, not strange. It’s like losing him all over again. Stupid for me to think, really, since he wasn’t mine in the first place. He hasn’t been mine for years.

“I used you just for sex. That’s it. Nothing more, nothing less.”

Worse, I feel like I crossed a line—that I ventured into territory I had no business visiting. I never should have listened to my brother, but I got desperate. Time is running out, and instead of concentrating on my future, I’m sexing up my ex.

I can’t work like this, much less live like this. I haven’t experienced this constant state of flux since I was a little girl. It has me on edge. So much has changed in my life in the nearly two weeks since Miss Myrtle’s frail body got tired of fighting the cancer that had ravaged her.

But there is a bright side. Jase is finally coming home, and I think I’m going to move back in with him. The house is big enough for the two of us, and I know he’s not planning on settling down anytime soon. Neither of us has ever thought about the future in terms of marriage.

Even as much as I loved Seth growing up, I always thought he’d eventually find someone else. I hold my hand out, splaying the fingers and taking note of the black stains along the cuticle beds. Someone who isn’t quite so rough around the edges and doesn’t like to get her hands greasy on engines. A girl more like Piper or Brooklyn—ladies with brains and class.

There’s a crash, and I start, my heart pounding.

Boyd appears in my doorway. “We’re going to the Double Deuce tonight to celebrate Xavier getting a job. You coming?”

I flash him a smile. “What time?”

“Right after closing.”

“I’ll try to make it. I’m picking Jase up at three and there’s no telling what he’ll want to do. If I can’t, then I’ll make a point to take Xavier to lunch on Monday, with you as our chaperone, of course.” I grab my phone to make a note to myself. “Hey, did you get my email about Jase’s party tomorrow night?”

“Yeah, we all got it. Not sure why you sent it by email, though.”

“Figured it was easier.” I glance at him. Boyd looks like he wants to say something more, but he shakes his head and walks out of my office.

I blow out a breath. The last thing I want to talk about is Seth and me, and what we’re doing. Or what we’re not doing.

God, why did he have to come back into my life like this?

—

Anticipation and excitement zip through me as I drive to Western Prison to pick up my brother. I’ve put Seth completely out of my thoughts. When Jase sees me, all he’s going to get is a happy, chipper sister.

I roll my eyes.

If Jase got a happy, chipper sister, he’d immediately suspect something, or think an invasion of the body snatchers had happened.

Pulling up to the checkpoint, I hand the guard my ID. My name is on the list, so they wave me through pretty quickly. Following the signs to visitor parking, I find an empty space and cut the engine, then get out and lean against my car. Unsure of where I’m supposed to pick him up, I figure here is as good as anywhere.

To pass the time, I start playing one of those mindless games on my phone.

“Rowan!” Jase shouts.

I almost drop my phone in my hurry to shove it in my pocket and run to him. He meets me halfway, grabbing me up in a bear hug.

“I can’t believe it,” I cry. “You’re out. You’re finally out.” Leaning back, I look at him. He’s different without his prison uniform. His blue eyes are vibrant and his smile is gleaming. It’s as if the cloud that’s been hanging over him has been blown away.