Page 13 of His Eternal Temptation

“Bad luck.”

“Yeah, not a great night all around.” Lane shot him a stony look as if Rowan’s words had been a jab. Rowan didn’t bother correcting him. Letting too much kindness show wasn’t in his interest.

Rowan led Lane to the end of the hall and opened the combination lock box mounted on the wall. All the keys were missing, meaning no rooms were free. Damn. Rowan belatedly recalled that Charles was between apartments and Kai had a visitor.

“Problem?” Lane asked.

“I thought we had a room available.”

“The couch is fine. I need to lie down, okay?”

He sounded annoyed, so Rowan led him back the way they’d come and opened the door across the hall from his office. “You can rest here until Nicole calls for us.”

Lane stepped cautiously inside, and Rowan closed the door behind them.

Lane froze. “Is this your room?”

Rowan couldn’t see his face, but he sounded incredulous, and Rowan bristled. Lane had the energy to judge his personal taste at a time like this? “There’s a bathroom through there,” he snapped. “You might want to wash up before touching the bed.”

“Yeah, almost dying makes you sweaty. Not to mention how gross the riverbank is.”

Rowan cursed himself for being rude because Lane had been. He was better than that. “I’ll stand outside the door. You should be fine inside without me.”

Lane hesitated, then moved cautiously toward the bathroom, checking over his shoulder and quickly whipping around once he saw Rowan following. He seemed apprehensive as he shut the bathroom door, but nothing happened when they lost sight of each other.

Rowan sagged against the wall.

Perhaps Lane’s sneer should have been expected. Rowan’s room stood out compared to the rest of the building. The club looked exactly as you’d expect. The casino, which Lane hadn’t seen in years, was typical, even if it operated outside human law and catered to the magic world, and the rest of the building’s interior followed a modern theme. In here, Rowan indulged his love of vintage things, a common habit for vampires of a certain age.

He preferred a 1920s aesthetic, though he was old enough to have known previous decades. Previous centuries. But he hadn’t enjoyed much before the twenties, and the trappings were a reminder of new beginnings.

None of which was Lane’s business.

Bringing him here was a mistake. This room was the one place Rowan kept for himself. There were members of his coven who’d never been in here. He’d thrown yet another careful rule out the window because Lane was annoyed and tired. Fuck. Why did Lane make him like this?

Hopefully Nicole worked fast.

After a while, Lane cracked the door open. “My clothes are dirty, so I’m coming out in my underwear. Don’t accuse me of seducing you, or I’ll get dressed and rub my muddy jeans on your sheets.”

Rowan swallowed an unexpected laugh. “I’ll avert my eyes to preserve your modesty.”

Lane snorted, and Rowan closed his eyes, pleased with himself.

Sounds of Lane moving quickly across the room were unmistakable to his vampire hearing. After a fair amount of rustling sheets, Rowan opened his eyes. The sight of Lane tucked under his fine duvet flooded Rowan’s cheeks with heat.

Mistake. This was another mistake.

Lane didn’t belong in Rowan’s bed, but hell if he didn’t look as though he were made for it, his sandy hair perfectly tousled on Rowan’s pillow, covers pulled to his nose.

Lane moved the covers away from his mouth, exposing a frown. “What?”

“Nothing.” Rowan strode to the antique chair in the corner and sat. “I have work to do. I’ll make sure not to disturb you.” He pulled out his phone.

There was a long pause. “Thanks.” Mercifully, Lane rolled over, facing away.

There. At least Rowan didn’t have to feel bad about forcing him to recover from his near-death experience on a hard leather couch. He could feel bad about the unwelcome ache in his chest instead.

It was a long night. Lane fell asleep quickly, leaving Rowan alone with his thoughts. Vampires needed sleep, though less than witches or humans, and since he could walk around in sunlight as well as anyone, Rowan didn’t generally stay awake all night, especially with nothing to do. It turned out he wasn’t a fan. He’d have welcomed unconsciousness to escape this predicament.