Secret Affairs

NINETEEN

NATHANIEL

I saw her as soon as she walked in. Her long blonde curls were bouncing around her shoulders and her hazel eyes shined under the light. Rowan Sommers was beautiful, and she’d be the death of me. I felt it the first time she back talked with no fear. It was sealed the moment I slid inside her.

She was pure chaos and peace all wrapped up in one perfect body. A body that I had been craving like a mad man ever since. I wanted to touch her again, kiss her, make her unravel in my arms.

My first instinct was to go to her, and pull her away from Daniel James. The only thing holding me back was my sisters sitting across from me telling me about how living in New York was expensive, or complaining about the assholes they dated.

Tala, the oldest of my three sisters had recently broken up with her deadbeat boyfriend and needed to vent. Addison and I were able to come, and Poppy was off gallivanting through Europe.

I loved them to death, and I would always listen to them, but right now my focus was on the woman who wandered my mind aimlessly. I couldn’t tear my eyes off her.

“I think I’m just going to join a nunnery,” Tala said, breaking me out of my stupor.

“You’re what?” I asked her.

Addison laughed at our sister’s overdramatic huff. This happened every time Tala and her ex took a break from one another, and every time I hoped it would be the last time we discussed the asshole. As much as I hated the moron, I would always let Tala make her own decisions. She had to live and learn.

“A nunnery Nate. You know, where women vow celibacy and find God,” Addison replied with a s**t eating grin on her face.

Tala only scowled in return. She was well aware that the family hated him, but she always went back to him no matter what. I had no clue what that man had to offer., because from the looks of things, it wasn’t much. “I hate both of you,” Tala sneered at us.

“No, you don’t, or else you wouldn’t come to us every time that asshole breaks up with you,” I shot back.

“I broke up with him this time.”

Well, that was a surprise. Tala was always the one being broken up with, now I hoped that this change was for the better and she could see how much of a waste her ex was. Hopefully this signaled the end of their on again off again relationship.

They continued to fill me in on everything happening in their lives, and I went back to staring at Rowan from across the room.

In my next glimpse, I caught her and Daniel holding hands. I wanted to tear his arm off, but I had no claim to her. And even if I did, Rowan would fight me every step of the way. That only made me want to tame her even more.

“Who is that woman Nate?” Addison asked, turning around to look at the object of my attention. Only now had I realized that our entire table was staring at Rowan. Quickly looking away, I pretended like I wasn’t watching Rowan in deep conversation this entire time.

I saw the way her eyebrows furrowed, and the way her plump lips tightened into a thin line. I wasn’t good at reading lips, so I had no clue what they were saying, only that Daniel was still holding her hand. A hand that should be in mine instead of his.

“Who?” I asked, trying to play it off. I didn’t interfere in their love lives, and I sure as hell didn’t need them doing that to me, especially with Rowan.

She had already been through enough, and didn’t need the added stress. I was drowned in thoughts of wanting to give her anything she could ever crave. I wanted to make her happy, and her life easier. It was damn near impossible to not want to give her all my earthly possessions.

I had never felt this way for anyone. The last time I had given this much power to any woman, it ended in a loss of profit for the company and a broken engagement. I never heard the end of it from my dad, and it took him a while for him to trust me again.

I looked at my sisters, who were still sneaking tiny glances over their shoulder, attempting to seem inconspicuous. The only thing they were good at was snooping and I was sure they were already preparing themselves for an inquisition. “The pretty one you keep staring at,” Tala added.

“I don’t know what you are talking about,” I answered with a neutral expression and a drink of whiskey.

I couldn’t help when my eyes floated back over to Rowan, and I saw her standing being embraced by Mr. James. Hate wasn’t something I felt often.

Hating pistachios that won’t open no matter how f*****g hard you try? Easy.

Hating my ex? f*****g walk in the park.

Hating Daniel James? Debatable.

He wasn’t a terrible person, and in another life, maybe we could have even been friends, but god was it easy to hate him sometimes. Like right now, the way he was holding her, the relationship they have, the obvious affection she still has for the man. It made my blood boil.

Addison and Tala both rolled their eyes at me. “Please, like you could ever hide anything from us. Do you know her?” Addison asked, but they already knew that I knew Rowan. They just wanted to be privy to my private life and would ask anyways to see if I would give them an answer.

“That is Rowan Sommers,” I responded. There was no reason to delay the inevitable. As we spoke, Addison was already on her phone probably searching through social media for her.

Tala took another glance back at the woman that I craved like my next breath. She was sitting alone after what had turned out to be a goodbye hug from Daniel. They hadn’t even gotten to drinks.

It was oddly satisfying that he was no longer with her, but now she was solemnly looking down at her hands. I wanted to make her feel better. I wanted to go over there and chase all her pain away. I would do it, if only she’d let me. “She’s the badass corporate mogul dad was talking about? She looks— “

“Broken,” I offered.

“You always did have a penchant for fixing broken things.” I did, but this was so much more than that. Rowan was strong on her own, and she would piece all of herself back together again. If there was anything to know about Rowan Sommers, it was that she didn’t need anyone. She didn’t need me, but I wanted her to want me.

Addison looked up from her phone and gave me a sad smile, probably finding the most recent article involving the Sommers last name. One that probably described the ongoing investigation into Benjamin Sommers’ murder. “Go, I know you’re dying to put all her pieces back together.”

It wasn’t the smartass answer I was expecting from either of them, but it was an easy out to leave my sisters and go to the woman who was alone for now.

Standing up from my seat I began taking out my wallet to pay for our dinner, only to have Tala stop me. “You don’t always have to pay, you know we have jobs right,” she told me with a sarcastic tone.

“I know, but I like taking care of you three.”

“Don’t worry about it, we got this one. Go get your girl,” Addison winked at me.

With a kiss to each of their foreheads and a promise to buy them breakfast later on in the week, I made my way to the woman who had been the star of every one of my thoughts.

When I finally reached her table, I stood there for a second with my hands in my pockets, not knowing what to say. Was I supposed to say ‘I watched your entire conversation from beginning to end, but don’t think that I’m a creep, even though that’s exactly how I feel. I just saw you all sad and my mind and body said I needed to go to her.’

Before I could even utter a word, Rowan looked up at me with those hazel pools that reminded me of fall. Right when the leaves are turning crisp and just barely hanging on the trees. “Nathaniel, are you stalking me?” She asked with a cheeky grin that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I was having dinner with my sisters,” I said pointing my head over at the girls. They tried pretending they weren’t staring, but responded with a shy wave when Rowan looked over my shoulder. “Let me escort you home?”

The only answer I received was a sweet smile and an agreeing nod.

She had me.