CHAPTER 46: INTIMATE ESCAPE II

Lyra woke up when the sun was already high in the sky. Even though she woke up this late, she wasn’t ready to leave the bed.

She could feel a comforting warmth in the gentle breeze and warm sunlight that slipped in through the window.

It made her want to savor the moment of waking up in a cottage. That was something she had never experienced before. Rowan had indeed brought her into a new life.

When she stirred lazily on the bed, she felt it immediately. Her body still throbbed with soreness, and her throat carried a faint rawness, likely from all the activity she’d done last night.

Carefully, Lyra tried to sit up. But the moment she attempted to get off the bed, her legs gave out. She stumbled and fell to the floor.

Rowan appeared in the doorway with a spatula in his hand as soon as he heard the thud sound.

"Lyra, what’s wrong? Why are you on the floor?" he asked, panic clear in his voice.

Lyra chuckled when she noticed the spatula in his hand and the apron stretched across his muscular body. Rowan clearly hadn’t had time to put anything down before rushing in.

"My legs gave out. It’s okay. I just need to move slowly," she said, trying to stand with Rowan’s help.

Instead of taking her out of the room, Rowan scooped her up and set her back on the bed.

"Stay here until lunch is ready," he said, pointing the spatula at her.

"But it’s boring... Can I stay with you in the kitchen? I want to sit by the window."

Rowan understood immediately, she wanted to enjoy the ocean view.

He handed her the spatula, and carried her to the kitchen. He settled her onto one of the stools and went right back to cooking.

Lyra enjoyed the view, but before long, her eyes kept drifting to Rowan as he moved confidently around the kitchen.

He set a hot chocolate in front of her to warm her stomach first. Lyra inhaled the chocolate’s aroma before taking a careful sip, feeling quietly special because a man of his status had made it for her.

After twenty minutes, a very hearty lunch was ready. Rowan’s cooking was simply too good, and she found herself feeling like it still wasn’t enough.

They cleaned up and washed the dishes together. Rowan changed the bedsheets and gathered the laundry while Lyra slipped away to wash up.

Her mind already wandering to what Rowan had planned next. There was no way they’d spend the whole day in the cottage.

...

Back in Stonehollow, Camela slammed the door open without warning and flung the photos onto the table, sending them scattering across it.

News of the Pierce Industries CEO ending his bachelor days had already spread, and the affectionate pictures of Rowan and Lyra from yesterday’s conference only fueled the burning hatred twisting inside her.

"What’s got you so worked up?" Rosalba asked her daughter, who stood there with her arms crossed. She didn’t utter a single word.

Rosalba and Nico were both puzzled by Camela’s sudden outburst. They picked up the photos and took a closer look.

Rosalba recognized the man in the photo. But the woman beside him was a stranger.

One of her brows arched, and she asked, "What’s wrong with these photos?"

She tossed the picture back onto the table.

Camela huffed in frustration. Her mother so slow to catch on. She stepped closer to the table and pointed at Lyra in one of the photos.

"Mom... that bitch. James died because of her! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten!"

Nico had been lounging lazily in his chair, swinging the photo between two fingers, when suddenly his posture straightened and he studied it more intently.

A quiet whistle escaped him. "She looks like a goddess."

"What’s her name?" Nico asked, gaze never leaving the photo.

Camela hated the way Nico’s attention the moment he looked at Lyra’s photo.

She jabbed a finger angrily in his direction.

"I don’t care if she’s some goddamn goddess or whatever her damn name is! What matters is she pays for what she did to James!"

Talking about James only made Rosalba sad. He had been the only reliable child she’d ever had.

Since James’s death, all his responsibilities had fallen back into her hands.

And the two in front of her now... useless! They couldn’t even handle a single task.

"Don’t do anything stupid," Rosalba said to Camela. She pinched the bridge of her nose before continuing, "Rowan Pierce isn’t someone you can afford to turn into an enemy."

Camela slammed her hand onto the scattered photos and snapped, "I’m not trying to go against Rowan Pierce. I just want that woman to pay!"

"Enough!" Rosalba barked. "I said drop it, so drop it. Your foolish act will only bring disaster on us."

Rosalba’s warning was sharp and final.

Camela was furious that her mother refused to listen. Ever since she first met Rowan, she had pictured herself as Mrs. Pierce.

Giving up wasn’t in her dictionary!

...

Lyra was in the shower, humming as she brushed soap over her skin. A little crown of bubbles sat on top of her hair.

Slowly, the bathroom door eased open. Rowan stepped inside, hung up his towel, and moved toward her under the shower spray.

She jumped when he hugged her from behind without warning.

"Let me help you wash," Rowan said, using that quiet tone of authority.

To her surprise, she obediently handed him the sponge. Her face flushed bright red.

It wasn’t like last night, when they had been naked in the dark. This time, everything was bright, and she could see every part of him clearly.

"Why are you so red?" Rowan asked.

Lyra stared at him with a puzzled look. He was just as red as she was...so why ask?

Before deciding to join her in the shower, he thought they would simply wash up and get out

But now they were both heating up.

He helped her wash, running the sponge along the curves of her body. He couldn’t stop his other hand from drifting upward, fumbling gently over her chest.

It was soft... and it made his breath hitch.

He leaned in and captured her lips in a deep kiss. The sponge slipping from his hand and falling to the floor.

In one smooth motion, he lifted her and pressed her gently against the wall.

Rowan held her securely, positioning himself close between her thighs, then he began to move in. Lyra cried out softly under the steady shower.

The moment lasted until Rowan reached his peak, holding her tightly against him.