Love Hate Relationship (a Colors novel)

by Jessica Prince

  Ripping my mouth from his, I sucked in a ragged breath as he rocked against me, the rigid outline of his hard cock hitting me just perfectly. My eyes closed and my head fell back as Rowan attacked my neck, biting, sucking, and licking until I thought I might go up in flames. When I said his name on a loud moan, he went crazy, growling as he moved back to my mouth, his tongue mimicking the movement of his hips as he hiked the hem of my dress up for better access. I had no choice but to move against him as heat coiled low in my belly, my panties growing damper and damper with each thrust. I was seconds away from tumbling over the edge and all I could think was that I never wanted him to stop.

  “Need inside you,” he panted against my lips. I managed to peel my eyes open at his words and saw the same raw, dark passion that was undoubtedly written all over my face reflected back at me in his icy gaze. He was just as lost for me as I was for him.

  “Rowan,” I gasped, falling back on my hands, granting enough space between us for him to do whatever he wanted, because I was helpless to stop this from happening. I didn’t want to stop it.

  “God, I need to fuck you,” he groaned as one of his hands left my hip, running up the inside of my thigh to my center.

  This was it. Holy shit, this was really about to happen.

  I’d just about accepted the fact that Rowan and I were going to have sex in the ladies room of a club when a sudden pounding on the locked door pulled me back down to earth, instantly snuffing out the passion in the room like a bucket of water being dumped on a camp fire.

  “Hey!” a loud voice yelled. “Unlock the damn door! I gotta pee!”

  “Oh, shit,” I gasped, sliding back from Rowan and covering my mouth with both hands. “Ohshitohshitohshit!”

  “Navie, just calm down,” Rowan spoke, obviously grasping that I was about to have an epic freak-out. “Don’t run from me again. I’m getting fucking tired of chasing after you tonight.”

  “Then stop!” I shrieked, decidedly un-calm. When I put my hands to his chest and shoved that time, he moved back several inches. “We can’t do this, Rowan,” I spoke as firmly as my quivering voice would allow. “I can’t do this. Tonight was a huge mistake, and it’s never happening again.”

  “Don’t count on that,” he warned, the muscle in his jaw ticking as he made a move for me again.

  Just as the woman with the tiny bladder started pounding on the door again, I hopped off the sink as quickly as possible and sidestepped Rowan.

  “I’m serious,” I told him as I began backing toward the locked door. “Whatever… this… was, it’s done,” I said, waving my hand in the growing space between us. “I mean it.”

  “You have two seconds to unlock this door or I’m getting security!” the woman yelled.

  Rowan running a frustrated hand through his jet black hair did little to detract from his staggering good looks as he took one step toward me, then another, and another, until I could feel his breath whisper across my cheek. I stood, frozen by the fierce expression on his face, an expression I couldn’t possibly get a read on. “I finally got a taste of something I wanted, and there’s no fucking way I’m stopping with just that.”

  “Rowan,” I whispered, hoping and praying he could read the earnestness in my eyes. “You’re my boss. You don’t do relationships. And I don’t do random bathroom hook-ups. You need to forget this ever happened, because I sure as hell am.”

  I didn’t let him get another word in before I spun around, flipped the lock on the door and hauled ass out of the bathroom, muttering a half-hearted apology to the woman on the other side as I brushed past.

  “Hey!” Harlow said excitedly as I stumbled up to where she and Pepper were still dancing. The bright smile on her face quickly disappeared as she took in my disheveled appearance. “You okay? You disappeared on us for a bit.”

  “Yeah,” I lied. “I think I just drank a too much. I’m feeling a little sick. I’m gonna go ahead and catch a cab home.”

  “Hold on,” Pepper started. “We’ll come with you.”

  I waved off the offer as casually as possible, hoping Harlow didn’t see through the facade. “No, it’s fine. You guys stay, have fun. I’m just going to crash anyway. Don’t let VIP access go to waste.”

  “You sure?” Harlow asked, the look on her face just as skeptical as the one on Pepper’s. “Did something happen?”

  “Other than puking my guts out in the ladies room?” I laughed awkwardly. “Not much. Seriously, you guys stay here. I’ll see y’all tomorrow.”

  “Okay, sweetie.” Harlow leaned in and squeezed me tightly before moving back to give Pepper her turn. “But you text or call us if you need anything. Got it?”

  “Promise.” I gave my friends a small smile before taking the stairs to the VIP area as quickly as my heels would allow. I offered Griffin a pathetic goodbye, refusing to spare a single glance in Rowan’s direction, and then I burned out of the Neon Room like my ass was on fire.

  Where was she?

  I paced the length of my entryway over and over, checking my watch for the fifteenth time in the past ten minutes. Navie was late. She was never late. Hell, if anything the girl was so prompt she typically started her work day early.

  Bringing my cellphone to my ear, I hit re-dial for her number, a-fucking-gain. And just like the past three times, it went to voicemail after only two rings.

  “Son of a bitch!”

  I couldn’t believe it. She was blowing me off! I’d never been blown off before. And the fact that she hadn’t even bothered to show up to work without so much as a heads up really pissed me off. Despite everything that happened at the Neon Room three days ago, she still had a damned job to do.

  Scrolling through my phone for the number I was looking for, I hit call.

  “Rowan? What are you doing up at eight forty-five in the morning? Shouldn’t you be busy pushing your latest booty-call out the door?”

  It was moments like this when I questioned why I hadn’t fired Lauren yet. Ignoring her dig, I pushed forward. “Where is she?”

  “What? Who?”

  It was too fucking early, I hadn’t had enough caffeine, and I was in serious need of getting laid. To say I had a low tolerance for my publicist’s bullshit was an understatement. “Don’t mess with me, Lauren, not today. Where the hell is Navie? She hasn’t shown up for work and her phone’s going to voicemail.”

  “Jesus, Rowan,” Lauren huffed through the line. “Don’t you ever check your email?”

  “Of course I don’t check my own email. I have a goddamned personal assistant for that! Why would I check my own email?”

  Ignoring my attitude, she responded. “She sent a message that she’s sick and is going to be out today and tomorrow.”

  Stomping back into my office, I pulled up my Outlook, and sure enough, there it was. Flu-like symptoms, my ass. She wasn’t sick, she was avoiding me. And that brought forth an entire slew of emotions I didn’t want to think about.

  “What’s her address?”

  “Oh, hell no,” Lauren spoke. “The poor girl’s sick. The last thing she needs is you giving her shit for missing a few days of work. That’s what paid time off is designated for, Rowan. Leave her alone.”

  I was fuming. “For the love of… just give me her damn address, Lauren. I want to go check on her. Make sure she’s all right.”

  “You want to…” she trailed off, her voice full of disbelief. “For God’s sake, Rowan! Please tell me you haven’t had sex with that girl!”

  “Of course not!” I shot back, keeping it to myself that I had every intention of doing just that. Hooking up with another one of my assistants would go over about as well as a lead balloon as far as she was concerned.

  “If you’re lying to me, so help me God—”

  “I’m not lying!” Yet. “Just give me the address.”

  By the time I got off the phone, I had a raging headache, but at least I had the address to Navie’s apartment in Murray Hill.

  Time to pay her a s
urprise visit.

  I’d been ignoring my phone all morning long. And by ignoring, I meant sending every single one of Rowan’s calls to voicemail. And to my shock, there had been tons of them. It had become apparent that the surly man was most definitely not accustomed to being ignored. After what happened at the Neon Room, I’d decided I needed a break from all things Rowan and took two days off work to get my mind straight. I needed to mentally prepare myself to see him again, and the only thing that helped clear my mind and calm me down was making jewelry. When I’d woken up, I dove right in to a set I’d been picturing in my head for weeks. Unfortunately, even my jewelry wasn’t doing much to help. I’d screwed the necklace up three times already—each time was after rejecting another call from Rowan. My hands just wouldn’t work the way I needed them to, my fingers nowhere near as nimble as I needed them to be.

  I dropped the mangled creation on the desk with a huff just as my cell phone rang again, cutting off my AWOLNATION playlist. I picked up the phone, prepared to send another call to voicemail, when I saw the name on the screen.

  “Hey!” I answered excitedly.

  “What’s up, buttercup?” Cassidy chirped happily through the line.

  “Oh, not much. How are you? Being pregnant in the heat of the Texas summer killing you yet?”

  I loved Cassidy beyond words and thanked fate every single day for bringing her and her family into my life. Before them, the only real family I ever had was my foster bother, Carson. He had worked tirelessly for years to take care of me. He was my protector, my confidant, my saving grace. He did so much for me that I would never be able to pay him back, no matter how hard I tried. He deserved the absolute best, and that was Cassidy and her daughter, Willow. Not a day went by that I didn’t miss them like crazy, but after leaning on Carson for so long, I needed a chance to prove to myself that I could make it on my own. New York was that chance for me.

  “I still have four months left, and I’m already miserable,” she answered. “I’m sweating in crevices I didn’t even know I had!”

  I giggled into the phone, spinning my desk chair around in a slow circle, having given up on my attempt at jewelry making, at least for the time being. “Aww, poor baby. You should make that husband of yours bring you up here. It’s hot, but nowhere near as bad as it is down there. He still being overprotective about every little thing?”

  “You have no idea,” she replied blandly. “I thought he was gonna stroke out when I lifted Willow the other day. It’s like I’m the first pregnant woman on the face of the earth. He keeps forgetting that I’ve done this before. This time around is a cake walk compared to my pregnancy with Willow.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at Carson’s behavior. He was so different from the man who had practically raised me. And even though there was a small part of me that envied what they had together, I was still thrilled for him and Cassidy. “Then I doubt there’s any way he’d let you on a plane right now, huh?” I asked, feeling a pang of sadness. I really wanted to see them. With everything that was going on with Rowan, it felt like the foundation of my life was growing shakier and shakier. I needed my family to help me feel balanced again.

  “I don’t know, I might be able to convince him. I know he misses you just as much as I do.”

  “I miss y’all, too. See if you can work him. I know Harlow would love to meet you guys, and I’m sure we can manage to make room for y’all.”

  I could hear the smile in her voice as she answered. “I’ll talk to him. We’ll make it happen, I promise. But you have to swear you’ll be down here as soon as this kid pops out of me.”

  “I swear.” I laughed. “Wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

  “You sure your slave driver boss will give you the time off for that?”

  Looking at my lap, I picked at the hem of my t-shirt anxiously. All Cassidy knew about Rowan was how rocky things had been when I first started working for him. There was no way in hell I could tell her about the growing attraction I felt for him, so talking about what had happened at the club the other night was totally off-limits.

  “Nah, he’s gotten a little better. It’s not so bad anymore.”

  “You sure? Because you know Carson and I are more than willing to help you financially until you can find something else. We don’t want you stuck in a job you hate.”

  That was exactly what I didn’t want. Those two had helped me too much already; I couldn’t take anything else from them. I needed to do it on my own. “I’m good, I promise.”

  “Okay,” she spoke hesitantly. “But you tell me if something changes. We’re here for you, sweetheart. Even with the miles between us.”

  “I know. And I love y’all for it.”

  “We love you, too.”

  The backs of my eyes began to burn with unshed tears, and my throat became hoarse with emotion. “You talk to Carson. Convince him to come up here.”

  “I’ll do that, babe. Take care of yourself and we’ll talk soon, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I sniffled, needing to end the call before I turned into a sobbing mess and made Cassidy worry that something other than homesickness was the issue. “Bye, Cass. Give everyone my love.”

  We hung up and I had to suck in a deep breath to stem off the rest of the tears that wanted to fall. I really hoped she could convince Carson to make the trip. I needed to see them, even if it was just for a weekend.

  A loud knock came from my front door, startling me as I dashed away the rest of the wetness on my cheeks. Just as I stood to answer, a loud voice called through the battered wood.

  “Open the damn door, Navie. I know you’re in there.”

  My head fell and my shoulders slumped. I don’t know why I was so surprised that he’d tracked me down. After the way he’d blown up my phone earlier, I should have known his persistence knew no bounds.

  “What do you want?” I asked through the door, feeling somewhat mollified by the protective barrier it created between us.

  “I want you to open the damn door.” Just the sound of his rough voice sent shivers through me. Memories of his lips so close to my ear ran through my mind as desire assaulted my senses. No way in hell was I opening that door.

  “I’m sick, Rowan. You should go. I bet I’m contagious.” I fake coughed for good measure.

  “I’m willing to risk it. Open the door.”

  Damn it. I tried a different approach. “How do you even know where I live? I never gave you my address.”

  I could hear his frustrated sigh and hoped that was enough to get him to go away. Yeah, not so much. Karma seemed to hate me.

  “Open up! I’m not leaving here until I see you.”

  Okay, he wasn’t the only one starting to get pissed off. Every time that bossy attitude of his kicked in, it made me want to junk-punch him as hard as I could. I slid the chain lock into place—mainly because I knew it would make him even madder—and opened the door as far as it would allow.

  “There, now you can see me. What do you want?”

  “You don’t look sick.”

  “And you don’t look like a doctor. Now, if you’ll kindly leave, I’m going back to bed.”

  I moved to push the door closed, but he stuck his big, dumb foot in the way. “Let me in,” he demanded, making the urge to punch him even greater.

  “No. Go away.”

  “Come on, Navie. Just let me in for a second, okay? It won’t take long, then I’ll go.”

  I raised a brow skeptically. “You promise?”

  “Cross my heart.”

  With a roll of my eyes, I let out a heavy breath. “Fine. Move your foot and I’ll unlock the door.”

  Two seconds later, Rowan pushed his way in like he owned the place.

  “Why’d you skip work?” he asked, crossing his muscular arms over his broad chest as he stared me down.

  Don’t look at his muscles. Don’t look at his muscles. Damn it! Why does he have to be so sexy all the time!

  I tried to mimic his stance, but serio
usly doubted I looked anywhere near as intimidating in my Cookie Monster sleep shorts and ratty tank top. It wasn’t until his eyes narrowed on my chest that I realized I wasn’t wearing a bra… under my very white shirt!

  Spinning around, I grabbed a zip-up hoodie from the back of the couch and threw it on before turning back to face him. “I didn’t skip work. I called in sick.”

  “You’re not sick.”

  “You don’t know that!”

  “Yes, I do,” he replied, lowering his arms and taking a step closer. “You’re avoiding me. Which poses a serious problem, seeing as you’re my assistant and all.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. I was equal parts turned on, pissed off, and freaked out. “Y-yeah… w-well…” I stuttered. “Maybe I wouldn’t have to avoid you if you’d quit trying to have sex with me! It makes for a rather hostile work environment, you know.”

  He stepped even closer and I had to back away to keep the necessary space between us. “Name one time I’ve ever hit on you at work.”

  I wracked my brain for an example to prove my point and came up empty—which only made me more mad and flustered. “Ugh! Stop being so damn logical!”

  A devilish smirk spread across his stupid face as he slid his hands in his pockets and leaned against the wall casually. The bastard knew he had me on the ropes. “Then explain what the problem is because I’m not seeing the issue here.”

  “The problem is you’re my boss!”

  “And I’m willing to overlook that,” he answered nonchalantly.

  I threw my arms out in exasperation. “Well, I’m not!”

  “Bet I could convince you.” He grinned and I felt it all the way down in my lady parts. So not good.

  I sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. “You can’t do serious, Rowan. And I can’t be like all your other women. I can’t do casual like that. It’s just not how I work. I don’t do one-night stands.”

  He studied me for a moment as if I were a specimen under a microscope. “Are you a virgin?”

  “What? No! Jesus! You think just because I’ve never had a one-night stand, I have to be a virgin?”