Rowan lingered much too close for much too long, but I was very disappointed when he stepped back.

I looked from him to Maggie. “So… if we’re not going out for dinner, I can whip us up something to eat,” I suggested, my voice still breathy and thin.

Rowan tipped his chin as he assessed me. “I have a feeling that you’re always looking after people when they come here.”

I shrugged. “Well, it is my house.”

“It is,” he agreed, nodding and walking into the kitchen. “But I also have a feeling you rarely find yourself in situations where someone else is looking after you. Feeding you.”

A pleasurable ache formed between my legs.

“Feeding you.”

Of course, he was talking about food.

Except he wasn’t. I could see from the way his lip curled upward, his eyes flickering with the hunger I’d seen in my bedroom.

“I, um…” I cleared my throat. “I haven’t had the occasion to have people… feeding me.”

Rowan continued staring at me, this time with a wrinkle appearing between his brows. “Yeah, well, consider this the occasion.” He looked to my fridge. “Am I gonna get in trouble for touching anything sacred in this kitchen?”

I let out a chuckle. “Why would you be in trouble?”

Rowan opened my fridge door, motioning to the organized shelves. “Never seen a fridge like this before, cupcake. I’m afraid you might chop off an appendage or somethin’ if I put stuff back in the wrong place.

My lips stretched up in a smile. He was teasing, but he was doing it good-naturedly. Warmly.

“I like things a certain way, including all of your appendages.” I hid behind my hands for a moment, realizing what I’d said. I swallowed my embarrassment then continued. “But I promise, I’m not going to punish you for not adhering to my slightly eccentric organization method.”

His eyes flared. “I’ve got a feeling being punished by you is something that I’d enjoy very much.”

My pussy throbbed with need even though I knew my body wouldn’t be able to handle another orgasm. Okay, my body definitely could. My overstimulated mind on the other hand? No. I needed time to process.

We stared at each other for a handful of seconds before Rowan broke the spell between us.

“You got a book you’ve been wanting to read or a show you haven’t had time to start watching?”

I blinked at the change of subject before I got my bearings. “Um, I have multiple shows and books that have been put on the backburner.”

Though I enjoyed binging TV shows, and starting and finishing a book in one sitting, I’d been doing that less and less these days. My days were busy because I made them busy. Less time to be idle meant less time to overthink and convince myself I was suffering from whatever condition it was that time.

I hadn’t suffered from anything but whatever the female version of blue balls was since Rowan had come into my life.