Page 23 of Under His Command
I head back into the hallway, this time to open the front door for him.
“You were considering it,” he says as he follows me. “Why not give this a chance? Give us a chance?”
“I’m not exactly… available right now,” I say, wrapping my hand around the doorknob.
“That’s bullshit. I asked Sterling and she told me—”
“You asked Sterling?!” I look back at him, annoyance surging in my tone.
I open the door at the same time. And both Jared and I stop talking.
Shock spreads on my face when I see the silhouette of Commander Rowan King staring back at us, completely dominating the space. He looks taller. He looks upset. And he looks unforgiving.
I gulp, making a mess of my breathing pattern but trying to keep it under control.
Why the hell is Rowan here? How can he be here?
“Hello, angel.” His low voice tingles my senses. It’s an effort of stubborn will not to lean into it.
“What the hell?” Jared frowns, stepping in front of me and doing his best to take control of the situation. “I’m Jared Carter. What is—”
“A pleasure to meet you, Jared. Am I interrupting?” Rowan asks, looking at me. Only looking at me.
I hold my breath, not knowing what to say or do. I’m shaking. And for once, I’m glad Jared can actually talk for both of us. Because I’m equally as stunned as he is right now.
It’s one thing to meet Rowan in his environment, where everything is new and operating by his rules. And it’s another to see him here, in my small apartment, where he’s like a bull in a china shop.
“Well, I’m sure your visit is way more important than whatever we were doing, sir. How can we—”
“Dove?” Rowan asks again, and I don’t fail to notice his subtle frown at the idea that Jared and I were doing something.
“I… um… Jared.” I touch his shoulder, getting his attention. “Please… I’ll call you tomorrow.”
But he isn’t moving.
“The hell you will. I’m not leaving you alone. I’m here for you,” he says, as if this is something he can protect me from. He can’t. No one can—except maybe my stupid little safe word. But right now I’m not even sure that would work anymore.
I look at Rowan, catching his gaze. The way he stares into my soul sends literal shivers down my spine. His eyes are burning with a mix of feelings I can’t decipher right now on my own. So I avert them like a coward, and focus back on Jared. I open my mouth once more to convince him to leave, but Rowan beats me to it.
“Dove and I have something important to discuss. Her brother worked under my command, as you probably know.”
“Oh, shit,” he says, looking back at me. “Well, yeah. That makes sense, I guess. Will you—”
“Yes. I’ll call,” I insist. “Have a good night.”
Rowan steps to the side, and Jared walks past him, making the contrast between them even more stark. At 27, Jared still looks like a boy compared to Rowan, whose training and strict routines have chiseled him into a masculine, imposing, and dominant man despite only being a few years older. I gulp at the sight and watch as Jared walks down the hall, stealing one more glance our way.
Rowan steps into my tiny apartment, slowly and controlled like a panther scouting new hunting grounds.
“Can I get you anything—” I blurt out, but he cuts me off.
“Something’s come up. Saint had no choice but to drive me back. Sorry!” Rowan recites the message I left on his dining table before I left his house. “And then I walk in here and find you all flustered with another man’s scent all over you. Things aren’t looking too good for you right now, angel. Explain,” he orders.
I take in a huge lungful of air, dragging a hand through my hair.
“Jared is an old friend. It wasn’t… it wasn’t like that.”
“It wasn’t like that?” he muses, dipping his chin, his eyes darkening. “Then why is my property reeking of some cheap perfume that was clearly picked to lure you into a fuck session tonight?”
