Chapter Six

Finally, Rowan thought, she had a life she could brag about on social media. She was tired of always being the one reacting and never the one garnering the reactions. As much as she loved her work, streamlining the accounts payable process was not going to get many likes.

She hit post on the pic she’d snapped of herself in her new dress and watched the compliments come pouring in.

The ‘gorgeous, girl!’ was from Carole and the ‘sexxxy bitchhh’ was naturally from Kasey, but the reaction she savored was Lauren’s quieter response. ‘You look so happy and beautiful’. Happiness was placed first, because it was from her thoughtful friend. An observation as well as a wish.

She was happy. Sometimes she wondered if she was too happy. Her friends would tell her there wasn’t such a thing, that it was merely her anxiety talking and her trauma from her relationship with her ex, Stewart, but she was still half-convinced her happiness was unnatural…not meant for her.

It had taken months for Micah to patiently make it clear that he wanted her, not someone younger and less serious, less of a hard-ass.

“But I love your hard-ass!” he’d insisted, only partly joking, because he would never poke fun at her doubts. He had them himself. It had been a stressful weekend when they’d gone up north to visit his family, but the stress was only her own inward insecurities. His family was warm and welcoming, including her in on their inside jokes, especially the ones about him. She could see how they had produced such a balanced and mature young man.

“Man,” he’d told her once when she’d automatically put the ‘young’ in front of it. “Hearing someone call me ‘young man’ makes me think I’m getting detention.”

Rowan had threatened him with detention, but she had ended up getting a spanking that night. Her first. She’d enjoyed it way more than she had expected. Almost as much as she enjoyed sucking her lover’s cock and kissing her way down his incredible body and being plowed by him.

God! Just thinking about him made her wet, and he wasn’t even on the premises.

After her break up with Stewart, she’d finally taken the plunge and bought a townhouse, taking advantage of recently dropping housing prices to get into the market. In the very back of her head, she’d been thinking about the two extra bedrooms. A home office…and maybe a nursery?

Micah had casually mentioned wanting kids, in the next breath pointing out that their company offered generous parental benefits. Whether he’d meant for himself or her, she had been too afraid to ask. It seemed presumptuous after only six months together.

Today was their six-month anniversary, marked from the night of the Beach Ball. She wondered whether Micah would remember. He’d had a lot on his plate lately, so Rowan had already pre-emptively forgiven him if he had forgotten. Besides, she suspected half-year relationship milestones were something only adolescents celebrated.

Glancing into the mirror, she made a minute adjustment to her neckline. Low without being too daring, she thought it showed off her bare neck and throat well. There were no lines on either body part. Not yet, anyway.

Contentment bubbled up in her. She was so happy. Ridiculously so.

Too bad she wasn’t sure whether she was going to be celebrating or commiserating tonight.

Either way, she knew she and Micah would end up in bed together when the day was over. To her, it was all that mattered.

But she still hoped they would be celebrating tonight.

When she heard the door opening downstairs—Micah had the key code—she went down on soft bare feet.

At first he didn’t see her, and she could glimpse only his profile, his broad shoulders, his lean body. Just that glimpse of him did strange things to her, put wild, wicked thoughts into her head.

They’d done so much over the last six months, yet she liked these quiet interstitial moments the best—the accidental touches, the half-preoccupied glances coupled with the sudden smiles, the minor considerations of ordering favorite foods or remembering to record favorite shows. Those were the real currency of a relationship…not the big gestures but the small day-to-day ones.

Micah turned before she could reach him and gave her a smile she tried unsuccessfully to measure.

“These are for you, darling,” he said, putting a big bunch of assorted flowers into her hands, a riotous variety of pinks and purples and blues. “Happy anniversary.”

“You remembered,” she exclaimed, feeling silly because she had, too. She buried her nose in the fragrant blooms. “They’re beautiful! I have something for you as well.”

She drew him into the living room where she gave him her present—a beard-care kit.

Micah grinned at her as he stroked his clean-shaven chin. “Is this a hint?”

“You said you wanted to do the next Movember in style,” Rowan reminded him. She was proud of his commitment to the month dedicated to growing facial hair to highlight men’s health issues.

His smile widened until it looked like it might split his face in two. “And you remembered. Geez, you’re good.”

“I try,” she said, casting her gaze down modestly.

This time he shook his head. “As the little green guy says in Star Wars, you don’t try…you do. And you do, my love. You always do.”

The ‘little green guy’ line was a joke. He was a big Star Wars fan. They’d watched the series together. Though Rowan would never be a huge fan like him, she’d enjoyed it. She’d enjoyed the marathon cuddle and snacking session even more.

Since their relationship had begun, she’d put on what Lauren called five ‘happy pounds’. She enlisted Micah’s help in getting rid of them over the course of the next six months. She hoped she could keep up with his exercise plan, but she was also hoping he wouldn’t decide to go too easy on her. He had tried to convince her the five pounds were unnoticeable, then that they’d all gone to the right places. Then he’d shown her what he thought of where those pounds had gone by slowly and thoroughly enjoying kissing and sucking on those curves.

“Would you like a beer?”

He smiled and nodded, taking a seat on the sofa while she bustled around with a bottle of craft beer and a cold glass from the freezer. Stewart had been a finicky whiskey drinker who insisted on a room temperature bottle and those odd cubes called whiskey stones…

It was funny to think of her ex now. He seemed so far away in the past—him and his quirky habits, him and his thin excuse for borderline infidelity. Looking back, it wouldn’t surprise her to find out he’d already been seeing other women when he’d made the suggestion to open their relationship.

Definitely old Stewart’s best idea ever.

Micah raised his eyebrows when she returned with the single drink. “Nothing for you?”

There was a bottle of champagne chilling in the freezer next to the regular water-based ice cubes she kept there, but she didn’t want to mention it in case…

Micah took his time opening the beer bottle and pouring it slowly into the glass, taking extra care to let the golden liquid trickle down the inside without creating a foamy head on top.

He took his first sip, his eyes twinkling over the side of the glass at her, before he said, “Aren’t you going to ask me how the interview went?”

This afternoon had been his third interview for a manager role in a major national company. It was down to him and one other candidate.

Rowan let out the breath she’d been holding. “Do you know already?”

The warm green of his eyes told her the answer before she even finished asking the question. He knew. The news was good.

“I got the job.”

“Oh, darling!”

She threw her arms around him so forcefully that he barely managed to save his beer and her rug. He put the glass down with one hand while grasping her tightly with his other arm.

“Congratulations,” she whispered, kissing him on his cheek, his ear, his beardless chin. “I’m so proud of you.”

He drew back then, the grin slipping away. “Are you?”

The statement didn’t seem to merit such a serious reaction, but she matched his tone and his sudden shift in attitude.

“Of course I am. You’re so talented, Micah. I knew that when you started working with me. I knew you would outgrow the role quicker than the others. I was already planning to lose you soon after you came on. I only wish—”

Rowan broke off. This wasn’t the time for sober remarks.

“I know,” he said, pulling her close again. “I wish I could have grown into a role at our place—which won’t be our place for much longer. But it takes so long to climb the ladder there, and the opportunities are better with the new company. They shared their retirement projections for senior management. If I put my all into it, I could make director in four or five years.”

“That sounds great, darling.”

It did. He was young. This was his time to put his all into his career.

Setting her palms against his chest, she put some space between them. She shouldn’t be selfish. She had had her chance to do what he was planning to do. It wasn’t his fault their timelines didn’t match up.

None of this was his fault.

As the older and presumably more mature partner, she should have known better. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up.

“I have champagne,” she said huskily, covering up her inward turmoil by busying herself with the freshly washed glasses and the long-necked green bottle.

“Here,” Micah said, getting up as she entered the room again. “Let me.”

He opened the bottle effortlessly, allowing the cork to eject into his cupped palm with a subdued pop. When she reached for it again, he shook his head slightly, pouring the bubbly liquid into the glasses himself and handing her one.

“To the new job,” Rowan said, smiling brightly. “I know you’ll be a great manager.”

She tilted her glass toward him, but Micah didn’t move.

“Just a sec,” he said. “I want to add something.”

Likely a toast for my help and support. She’d quizzed him with mock interview questions and helped him pick out his outfit. Not that he needed her help in that area. He looked great in anything he wore. Even now knowing…knowing…she hungered for him.

“I want to add,” he went on, “to the next chapter in our lives.”

Her smile turned twisted. ‘The next chapter in their lives’, whatever that meant.

They drank in silence.

“Rowan.” He was serious again as he drew her down to the sofa. “In my current position, I won’t have to give more than two weeks’ notice. I can start my new job right after that. The position’s vacant right now, so they’d be happy to have me as early as I can arrange.”

“That’s wonderful,” she said, taking another fortifying sip of champagne. It tasted like pennies in her mouth.

His eyes gleamed as he said, “I won’t be getting my first paycheck until a month from now but, after that, I was thinking I could start paying you rent.”

She stared at him. “Paying me rent?”

His stare deepened. “To stay here.”

Rowan shook her head. Maybe it was the champagne, but his words were not making sense.

“Love,” he said quietly, frowning now as she shook her head, “I want us to move in together.”

Her ears were buzzing. It was not the champagne.

He took her glass and put it down next to his on the low table. Then he took her hands in his.

“If it’s too soon, tell me.” He smiled suddenly, boyishly. “I can’t believe it’s been six months, that it’s only been six months. I feel like I’ve loved you forever. I probably fell for you the day you interviewed me.”

Micah had told her he loved her before. She’d never said it back.

“It’s gone quickly, too,” he said. “Too quickly when we’re together. Time drags when we’re apart. I want us to be together as much as possible.”

“You’ll get sick of me,” Rowan murmured, finding her voice strangely hoarse.

“You rode my ass for months when you were my boss, and I never got sick of you,” he said almost tenderly. “Now you ride my ass in a far fucking better way.”

She giggled. They hadn’t tried pegging—yet—but he loved having her fingers up his ass, if that’s what he meant.

Leaning forward, she kissed him lovingly.

“I want you to move in,” she told him after she drew away again.

Micah stopped her before she could get too far. “I have to warn you. I’m a pretty traditional guy. I want to get married, have kids…maybe move to the suburbs.”

Rowan could only blink at him. “Oh.”

“With you,” he added, in case there was any ambiguity.

“I got that,” she said, starting to smile again. To grin, really. She probably looked like an idiot. “I want all that, too. I love you. But what about you being all in with your new job?”

Instead of answering, he hauled her up against him and kissed her hard on the lips.

“No way, darling. You’re not going to drop that on me and think I’m going to just ignore it.”

“What part?” she asked with mock innocence.

“The part you’re going to say again,” he told her. “Right now.”

“I love you, Micah.” She enjoyed saying it and felt like she could repeat those words all night, but she still wanted an answer from him. “What about your new job? You’ll need to focus on that.”

“For a while,” he agreed, “but not forever. In the meantime, I want us to start trying to get pregnant. And I want to buy you a ring—after I get those first few paychecks.”

Rowan drew in a swift breath. “That’s fast.”

He seemed to want to lock her down swiftly. It was a unique experience to her. Yet they knew each other so well by now there was nothing huge left to discover, just the small, sweet things, like whether or not he liked being pegged.

“Yeah,” he sounded almost aggressively stubborn in reply. “And?”

“And”—she paused to brush a kiss over his tense mouth—“we love each other. We can make it work.”

And they could, too. They would toss all the balls up into the air—new job, moving in, babies—and keep them there…as long as they were juggling them together.

The taut lines around her lover’s mouth disappeared.

“Yes, boss.”