AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh, right. Of course. Well, here is your coffee. I guess you don’t have to pay because you’re the owner, and—”
“Willow, stop,” I say, grabbing her hand and leading her outside and away from earshot. I push her into a small alley next to the coffee shop and try to get her to look at me. “I have to goout of town tomorrow and will be gone for a couple days, but I’ll be back on Valentine’s Day. I’d like to pick you up from work and take you to dinner.”
She looks up, her emerald green eyes meeting mine, and I am overwhelmed by the level of vulnerability in them. “But you said—”
“That I don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Yes, it’s not something I have done before. I’ve never wanted to spend a day celebrating romance with someone before, and this might sound crazy, but I want to spend it with you.”
“Are you sure?” she asks, her voice careful, as if there is any chance I would ever turn her down.
I drop my forehead to hers, then brush my lips against her mouth. She tastes so sweet, like the smoothest honey, and her cherry scent…it’s becoming more addictive with every breath I take.
“Rowan,” she moans against my lips, her hands fisting my shirt. “I…I need to go back—”
I need to leave as well and prepare for my trip, but pushing away from her proves to be damn near impossible.
I tuck my face into her neck and breath in her scent. I could bury myself in her arms and shut out the rest of the world, but this isn’t the time or place.
“Willow?” Nora’s voice breaks through my lust-filled thoughts and helps me draw back from her. “Where the fuck is she?”
“I need to head back, Rowan,” Willow whispers, but she is as reluctant to leave as I am.
“Yeah,” I whisper, leaning down and kissing her again. I straighten up and pull my phone from my pocket, handing to her. “Put your number in here. Not seeing you for the next few days will be bad enough, I’m not going cold turkey with no contact.”
She smiles warmly and does what I ask, then hands my phone back to me. I send her a text so she has my number before pocketing my phone. I can’t help myself and swoop in for one last kiss. She hums, a small whine escaping when I draw away from her. It takes every bit of my strength to walk away, and when I do, I find myself wishing that time would move faster, already desperate to see her again.
CHAPTER SIX
Willow
“Hypothetically speaking….” I begin as I lean against the shop counter and watch Nora clean the espresso machine.
My voice trails off, and I watch Nora from under my lashes. There is no telling how she’ll react when she learns that I have every intention of sleeping with her brother. I could keep this little detail to myself, but she’s my best friend, and I need advice. Rowan is going to pick me up later for dinner, and I need to know what to expect.
Just the thought of seeing him again has my body strumming with need. It’s all I have been thinking about since he left. The memories of his fingers over my body and his lips trailing my skin and caressing me in a way no one else ever has play on a loop in my head.
“Go on,” she responds, popping her gum loud enough to wake the dead as she scrolls through her phone.
“So, hypothetically speaking, if you were going to have sex with a guy you like for the first time, what do you need to know?”
Nora looks up from her phone, her eyes clouded with so much judgment, I find myself shrinking back. If I could, I would become one with the wall behind me.
“Willow, are you asking me for advice about sleeping with my brother?”
“Well, not exactly…wait, you know about us?”
“I would be a fool not to with the way the two of you were staring at each other in the shop. Quite frankly, it was uncomfortable to watch,” she mutters. “I could’ve died happy having never seen that look on my brother’s face.”
Okay, so maybe Rowan and I weren’t being as subtle as I’d thought, but I’m not ashamed of it.
“Fine, I find Rowan hot, sue me,” I say defensively.
“You’ve known him less than a week, Willow, and most of your interaction has been over the phone.”
“You knew Jared for three hours, and you still went with him to his sister’s wedding.”
Her eyes narrow on me, and she smacks her gum loud enough to pop my ears. I know Jared is a sensitive topic, as the man left with her car after the two broke up, but bringing him up just now felt necessary.
“Your point?” she asks.
