Scarlett Mila Marino

Rowan hasn't been the same since...well Anthony died. He's been quiet and distant in a weird way.

When I realise he's not home I know exactly where he is.
I get one of the drivers to take me to the cabin by the lake.
He drives slowly down the narrow dirt road.

It's quiet here, but peaceful. The trees are tall, their branches tangled together, creating shadows across the path.

I step out of the car and walk toward the lake. It's just ahead, the water shimmering under the fading light. As I get closer, I see him sitting on a bench, facing the water.

He's still, his shoulders slightly hunched, hands clasped in front of him. He doesn't move, but I can feel something radiating from him. He's not okay.

I hesitate standing there for a moment. Not sure if I should interrupt. He looks so lost in thought, and I don't want to intrude whatever's going on in his mind.

But then before I can decide, he speaks.

"Just the person I needed. Come." He says still not facing me.

What the hell? How did he know I was here?

I blink in surprise.
Then walk up behind him, my hands finding their way around his chest. I lean down pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. Feeling the roughness of his stubble against my lips.

He exhales slowly.
"What are you thinking about?" I ask, my lips still close to his skin.

He doesn't answer right away. And I can tell he doesn't want to say it. He's always been like this, carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, holding everything inside because he thinks he has to. That's why I sent him to therapy in the first place. He needs to talk.

I slide around and settle into his lap, facing him, letting his arms naturally wrap around me. I study his face, the tightness in his jaw, the way his eyes avoid mine. I can see it all, the pain, the regret.

I cup his face, making him look down at me. "Talk to me, baby." I say and that's all it takes.

"I...I promised you." He says, his voice thick. "I promised you I'd get them out safe. Both of them. And now..." he trails off, shaking his head. His eyes closing as if he can't bear to look at me. "I failed you, Mila."

I feel a sharp pang in my chest, hearing the way he blames himself for it all. I shake my head immediately.
"No." I whisper. "You didn't fail me. None of this is your fault, Rowan. You did everything you could." I say.

His eyes meet mine again, and I can see the torment there, the way he's carrying this guilt.
He clenches his jaw, like he doesn't believe me, like he's convinced he could've done more. But he's wrong. He did everything.
He found them for me.

I press my forehead to his, closing my eyes. "You didn't kill Anthony." I whisper, my hands sliding down to his chest, feeling the steady thud of his heartbeat. "You fought for him. For all of us. You kept your promise."

He lets out a shaky breath. I feel some of the tension in his body start to release. He nods once, as if thanking me.

Rowan holds me close. The steady rhythm of the lakes gentle waves lapping against the shore.
After a while, his voice breaks the quiet.

"My therapist once asked me where I saw myself in ten years." He starts.

So that's where this question came from. I was caught off guard by the question the first time he had asked me it.

I shift slightly in his lap, tilting my head, curious. "And what did you say?" I ask quietly.

He doesn't answer right away. His gaze drifts out over the water.
"I didn't know how to answer it back then. The idea of a future felt...impossible. I'd lived too long in the shadows, doing things I'm not proud of, being someone I hated. Ten years ahead? I couldn't see anything." He says.

I listen, my heart aching as he speaks.

"But now...now I have you." He says his fingers tightening around my waist.

His words hits me like a soft blow, and I feel my breath catch in my throat. He turns his gaze back to me.

"In ten years...no...In a hundred years, I want to be with you. I want to wake up every day and see you beside me. I want a future with you in every lifetime, Mila." He says.

"No one's ever ever looked at me the way you do. With all the broken pieces of me exposed, and like what they saw. You're the first person who made me feel like I wasn't beyond saving." He adds, his voice rough with emotion.

I don't realise I'm crying until I feel the warmth of a tear slide down my cheek. I can't look away from him.

The way he's looking at me, the way he's opening up to me right now...it's everything. It's all of him.

I press my lips to his.
He kisses me back like he's been needing this.
He smiles against my mouth. "I fucking love you, Scarlett. Don't ever forget that." He says before pressing his lips back on mine.

He stands up, lifting me. I let out a small gasp as I hook my legs around his waist. God this man is everything I've ever wanted.
He carries me through the trees. His mouth doesn't leave mine, and the heat between us feels like it could set the whole forest on fire.

Rowan pushes the door open with his foot, his grip tightening around my hips as he carries me inside the cabin. He pushes everything on the table down with swift motion, and places me on it.

His body pressed close to mine.
His hands are everywhere, my waist, my back, sliding up under my shirt...
I gasp when he cups my breast in his hand.
Dear god. Yes.

And his lips move to my neck, sending a rush of heat straight through me. I tilt my head back for better access.
He groans softly, his voice rough against my skin. "God, Mila. You're perfect." He says and I can't help but smile, pulling his mouth back to mine, desperate to taste him again.

A moan escapes my mouth as he pushes himself harder between my legs, and I can feel how hard he is for me.

"I've been thinking about you on this desk since the first time you visited me here." He says as I unzip his pants.

I suck in a breath. "Me too." I admit pulling him closer to me. He pulls down my pants, and everything else with it. Tossing it on the floor.

"If it gets too much, tap on..." I cut him off.

"Rowan...put it in. Now." I order smiling, not wanting to wait another second.
He smirks, and I feel him enter me. I throw my head back, moaning. Fuck that feels so good.

"God, yes. All of it, baby." I beg as he pushes further inside me.

"I love the way you move...the way you moan for me. Fuck, it's driving me crazy." Rowan says as he moves his hips. I can feel every inch of him inside me. I grip his back, digging my nails into it.

The sensation is overwhelming. Every thrust giving me pleasure.

In and out, in and out... fuck, yes.

Rowan moves deeper, the sensation becoming consuming, igniting every inch of my body.
My skin tingle at every brush of his lips against my neck, as his hips press deeper into me.

"Rowan..." I breathe, barley able to form words. "Don't stop, I'm almost there."

His grip tightens, his breath hot against my ear. "Come for me, Mila. I want feel you." He growls.

His words push me even closer to the edge. My body responding instantly, tightening around him. His pace quickens.
"Fuck, baby. Let go, I've got you." He says, his voice ragged.

With that, everything in me unravels. My body shakes with release. I cry out his name.
My breath catches in my throat and a broken moan escapes my lips. My whole body trembling against him.

Every inch of me consumed by him. I feel him shudder inside me, his body bucking as he gives in.

🤭