AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I guess that depends on whether or not I get pregnant.” She says it as a joke, forcing out a laugh, but it falls flat. Her lips drop and she turns to the fire, wrapping her arms around herself and taking another sip.
“It’ll be fine. By morning we’ll be able to get back to the castle, and Dr. Williams will have something for you to take.”
Rowan nods. “The odds are super low, anyway.”
“Exactly.”
I open my mouth to add something, then hesitate. I want to ask her if she’d regret it even if she wasn’t pregnant. If she’d ever want to do this again. If she felt something while we were in the bedroom that might have felt like more than just sex.
I sure as hell did—not that I’d ever admit it.
Rowan drains her glass and glances at me. “Well, I have a lot to think about with that new design. I might sketch out some drawings based on those paintings tonight and then turn in. I’m assuming there’s more than one bedroom in this place?”
I nod, my face remaining neutral. “You can take the room we were in. It’s the master. I’ll sleep down the hall.”
Rowan gives me a pinched smile, carrying her glass as she walks over to the studio. I hear the door opening and closing.
I’m alone.
I stare at the fire until it dies down, then I go check on the dogs and head to bed. I don’t see Rowan again until morning.
When I get up,I give the dogs breakfast in the kennel and head back inside to find Rowan making coffee. She turns to face me with a mug of coffee in her hand. Her face looks lined, as if she barely slept last night.
Was she worried about the broken condom? Or something else?
“Weather looks pretty clear,” she says quietly.
“We can head back after coffee,” I answer.
There’s distance between us, and I hate it. I hate that she regrets what happened. Most of all, I hate that I care. So, what, I sleep with a woman and suddenly I’m in love? Why do I care if Rowan regrets this or not? It’s not like we’re together. She’s the architect in charge of the redesign of my palace, for shit’s sake. She’s not exactly marriage material. We fucked. It was fun. It’s over.
End of story.
I drink my coffee in the kennels as I get the dogs ready, then wait for Rowan to emerge. We ride back to the main palace in silence.
No delicate laughs. No stolen glances. No teasing touches and definitely no kissing.
Whatever happened between me and Rowan is over.
And you know what? Good. It should be over. Keep things casual. She was a good lay. It was fun. That’s it. That’s all it should be.
But when I watch her walk toward her room on the opposite side of the Summer Palace, something in my chest twinges.
Rubbing my sternum with the base of my palm, I trudge through the castle walls until I get to my chambers. Stripping down, I take a shower and wash the memory of yesterday away. Then, I call for Dr. Williams and hope he’ll be able to extinguish any last regrets from my mind.
