Rowan stayed silent, and she could see his training now. He was stealthy and methodical in the way he moved. Really, in how he dealt with the entire situation. And it wasn’t until Rowan had her out on the street and a block away from the hotel that he turned and looked deeply at her. He cupped her face and closed in on her until her back was pressed against the brick wall of the store behind her. He stared intently. Warmly, even. “I have only been afraid like that once before now. And that was when I heard Mia had been abducted.”
Her breath caught at the emotion in his eyes, and sudden unexpected tears rose that Alex could do nothing to stop. Her heart squeezed in his warm protection, and for right now, she wasn’t thinking of all the complications between them. Her heart wanted this guy holding her close. “You got there in time.”
“Always.” His voice was thick with similar emotion, his tormented gaze saying so much. He sealed his mouth against hers in a fierce kiss, and she tumbled into all that Rowan offered her.
But most of all, she let herself be vulnerable and leaned on him when everything in this moment seemed dangerous.
When he eventually broke the kiss, he stated, “I will always get there in time, Alex. Always. Tell me you believe me.”
A tear she couldn’t stop leaked from her eye, and as he wiped it away, she whispered, “I believe you.”
CHAPTER 11
IN CHINATOWN, AFTER Rowan placed a quick call to an old friend, he entered the four-digit code onto the keypad and opened the back door of the small doctor’s office. Once Alex scooted in, he locked the door behind them, purposely not turning on the lights as he headed down the hallway and entered the first examination room. He grabbed the gooseneck exam lamp and flicked the light on, illuminating a room with cartoon drawings covering the walls. He glanced Alex’s way, finding her examining the space with clear confusion. He fought his smile and smacked the examination table. “Up you get.”
She set those inquisitive eyes on him before she moved to the table and hopped up, her legs dangling off the side. “Whose office is this?”
“A friend,” Rowan answered. He avoided her gaze and that topic, then he left the exam room to enter the room next door and grabbed a suture tray that was in the exact place it’d been the last time Rowan visited this office a year ago. Nothing in the office had changed.
When he returned to Alex, he found her smiling, even though she had the washcloth pressed against her neck and she had to feel some pain. It also didn’t surprise him when she said, “Not just a friend, an ex-girlfriend, I take it.”
Alex didn’t miss much. He liked that about her too.
Rowan nodded, placing the suture tray next to her on the examination table. “Her name is Abigail. We dated for a short time ten years ago, but now, we’re just good friends.” He wheeled the light closer. “A friend who lets me use her place for situations like this. A friend who is happily married now with two children,” he added, in case she had the same jealous streak that he appeared to hold when it came to her.
“Without any questions asked?” Alex asked.
He unwrapped the tray then grabbed two latex gloves from the box on the wall. When he slipped his hand into one, he answered, “Like I said, she’s a good friend.” He wiggled his hand into the second glove then reached for the needle and the local anesthetic.
When he lifted both, Alex cleared her throat. “Not that I doubt you here, but how many times have you stitched someone up?”
“Enough to know what I’m doing,” he answered, sliding the needle into the medicine bottle and pulling back on the handle to draw in the medicine. He flicked the needle, getting rid of the air bubbles then placed it back down on the tray. “Here, let me have a look first.”
Alex cringed when she pulled away the cloth. The bleeding had stopped, but the small wound gaped open. He pressed against the sides, making sure nothing was lodged in the wound, but he couldn’t find anything there.
He noted the way she held her breath and the tightness in her jaw. “You don’t have to put on a brave face for me, luv. I know this hurts, believe me.”
She gave a tight laugh and a loud snort. “Hurry up and stab me with the needle, will ya?”
He proceeded to do just that. When he finished up with the anesthetic, ensuring she’d be completely numb soon, she let out the breath she’d been holding. He gave a soft smile. “Let’s give that a few minutes to kick in.”
She held his gaze. “Were you and Abigail serious?”
He set the needle back on the tray then turned to her, examining the intrigue in her gaze. Were they taking a step forward? Alex rarely asked about his past. He thought that was mostly because she didn’t want to remember hers, so she stayed in the present. “We were about as serious as I’ve ever gotten with a woman.” He gave a small smile. “Until we weren’t, of course.”
“Was that her decision or yours?”
“Hers,” he explained, ensuring not to touch anything to keep his gloves uncontaminated. “It’s hard to have a relationship with someone who isn’t there, both physically and mentally.”
Alex smiled. “The CIA gig, huh?”
He nodded. “The job back then was all-consuming. Abigail deserved better. She knew that, and so did I.” He reached for the needle again then used the sharp end to poke at the open wound. “Feel that?”
“Nope.”
The tension in his chest lightened some. “Good.” He took the gauze from the tray and dosed it in iodine before he gently began to wipe at the wound. When she didn’t flinch, he pressed a little harder, making sure he got anything in there out, to avoid infection. “And what about you?” he asked.
Her brows rose. “What about me?”