Chapter 18
Score an own goal – when you think you scored for the opposition, but you really scored for yourself
“What the hell?”
I jolt upright in bed at the shout. I rub my eyes and scan the room to try and figure out what’s going on, but there’s no one in my room. It must be Rowan shouting somewhere else in the house, but why? What happened? I hear more cursing. Someone’s angry.
Sigh. Guess I better go figure out what’s going on. I follow the sound of cursing to the guest bedroom where Rowan is currently sleeping. I knock but enter before he can respond.
“Why are you—” My question screeches to a halt when I notice why he’s pissed. “Damn Aspen. I’m going to kill her.”
Rowan jolts. “What are you doing in here? And where are your crutches?”
“Ta da!” I lift my walking cast. “I got this fashion accessory today. All the cool kids have one.”
Something he’d know if we weren’t avoiding each other. I thought I was the queen of avoidance, but Rowan’s better at it. Since the forehead kiss, I can’t stop thinking about, I’ve barely seen him. I don’t know where he’s hanging out in the evenings, but it’s not in his house in front of his television where he can usually be found.
“Great.” He pauses and I wonder if he’s going to tell me to go home since I’m now mobile. “But I don’t want you climbing too many stairs. A walking cast is still a cast.”
Relief hits me at his words and its force nearly knocks me to the floor. I didn’t realize how much I feared he was going to tell me to go home until this very minute.
“What’s going on here?” I ask and motion to the spot where his bed should be before I can do something incredibly stupid such as tell him I never want to leave.
“You tell me.”
I rear back. “What? You think I did this. How the hell did I manage it on one foot?”
“If anyone could, it’s you.”
My chest puffs out. “True. But I have no idea who stole your bed.”
He raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms over his chest. My gaze drops to watch how his bicep muscles flex with the motion. I bite my lip to stop myself from licking it or, you know, licking any part of his body.
He clears his throat and I realize I’ve been staring at his muscles longer than is polite, although no one’s ever accused me of being polite before.
“What? I’m not lying.”
“You’ve been home all evening and you didn’t hear a thing?”
I fist my hands at my hips. “No, Mr. Accuser, I did not. I worked all evening on a new assignment.” When he continues to stare at me, I explain. “I was in the closet with my headphones on. The house could have burned down around me, and I wouldn’t have heard.”
He frowns and mumbles something about a security system underneath his breath. I don’t ask him to clarify. Not when he’s acting all big brother again.
“I guess I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Don’t be stupid. You can sleep in your bed.”
“I am not letting you sleep on the couch with a broken ankle.”
I roll my eyes. “I’m not sleeping on the couch. We can share a bed. It’s no big deal. The bed is practically the size of Rhode Island anyway. I’ll stick to my side. You can stick to yours.”
I really hope I can stick to my side. Who knows what my lustful body will do once I’m asleep? But I can’t let him sleep on the sofa. It’s too short for him and he needs to work in the morning.
“Come on.” I motion for him to follow me as I hobble toward the main bedroom I’ve been staying in. “I promise not to maul you in the middle of the night.” At least, not consciously.
I climb back into bed and settle into what is now my side of the bed. I don’t cling to the edge. There’s no need. I wasn’t joking about how big this bed is. The lights switch off before the bed dips to indicate Rowan has joined me.
“Good night.” I do my best to sound normal despite feeling as if my body just lit up from being jolted by a thousand tasers. Actually, a taser would probably have less effect on me than the man laying next to me.