5. Rowan

5

ROWAN

S he stood on the sidewalk in front of a locked door that read "Leith Mamon, Attorney at Law". While she'd skirted Granny's express wishes otherwise and called a few lawyers, feeling out the how they might handle the situation with the jackhole intimidating her and other townsfolk, she was practically positive she'd never set a meeting with one.

So, the question was: should she stay or should she go? The chords of an old 80's song started playing in her brain. Great. Now she'd be stuck with that earworm all afternoon. At least it was a good song.

She spun on her heel, intending to leave, and crashed into a tall man carrying two drinks and a bag with the logo of the local bakery stamped on the outside. He bobbled the drink container, an arm going around her waist to steady her. Heat flooded her body where it pressed up against the comforting firmness of his.

"Oops. Sorry about that," she said, her cheeks flaming. She took a step back and smoothed her clothing. "Good reflexes."

"And you have excellent timing," he said, handing the white paper bag to her and fishing a set of keys out of his pocket.

The heavenly scent of chocolate croissants from the Sir Bakes A Lot Bakery down the street tempted her nose and made her stomach growl. Avocado toast was tasty and all, but breakfast was a few hours ago, and nothing beat the sweet, sweet goodness of Rob's creations.

She eyed him as he unlocked the door, the cool rush of air conditioning making her skin prickle. A strange déjà vu-like sensation crawled over her. He felt familiar somehow, like she'd met him before. But she could swear she'd never even heard of Leith Mamon. Still, as Granny liked to tease, she'd lose her head if it wasn't attached to her neck.

Clearing her throat, she said, "I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but for the life of me, I can't remember setting up this meeting. Honestly, I don't remember even talking to you."

Nearly a foot taller than her, he reminded her of that hot, super-tall actor who played an elven king in the hobbit movies, but with darker hair. He wore sharp-creased, navy blue pants and a pale blue button-up. He'd loosened his blue polka-dotted tie and unfastened the top few buttons, baring the hollow of his throat. Beneath that crisp shirt, his muscles bulged and flexed.

"Well, that's a shame because I remember you," he said, his voice an aurally pleasing low rumble. He held the door, gesturing for her to proceed him into the office.

She gave him another long look, again briefly debating stay or go. Can't do any harm to see what he has to say, can it ? she asked herself. After all, I'm already here. And, if nothing comes of it, Granny never even needs to know .

As soon as it crossed her mind, the second-biggest gossip in town, one Miss Ida Wick, spotted her from across the street and waved.

Raising a hand in acknowledgement, she locked eyes with Leith, who watched her, a knowing smile playing around the corners of his mouth. Well, shit , she thought as she crossed the threshold. Busted.

His office was a welcoming space, the frosted glass on the big front windows diffusing the sunshine to a warm glow that played well with the modern wood and metal furniture. It smelled good, too, a light lemony-grassy scent that wasn't overpowering.

She liked that he'd refinished the wide oak floor planks and exposed the brickwork of the long wall separating his office from the space next door. Too many people were far too quick to cover up or tear out the old and replace it with new. It hurt her heart every time someone gutted one of the old structures around town, destroying the character, and replacing it with soulless design and materials that were, quite frankly, of far inferior quality.

With a hand hovering at the small of her back, he guided her to a criminally comfortable visitor's chair, set two steaming paper cups of Earl Grey on the desk's empty surface, and handed her a wrapped croissant.

Silently, she watched as he slipped on his suit jacket and straightened his tie. I wouldn't mind seeing that in reverse , she thought, taking a sip of her tea.

He walked by her, notes of ozone and eucalyptus swirling behind him. Rather than sitting behind the professional shield of his desk, he sank into the visitor's chair next to her and picked up his cup of tea.

The lawyer was a seriously good-looking man, the hard planes of his face and nose softened in the warm light of his office. A scruff of dark stubble covered his square jaw. Her heart beat faster and a slight flush crept up her neck as eyes such a deep blue they were almost black focused on her. No ring on his long, elegant finger, though that didn't mean he wasn't attached. Unfortunately, she'd found that out the hard way before she learned to always double-check profiles and social media before diving deeper into any kind of situationship.

"You married?" she blurted out. Her cheeks heated as she cursed her impulsive mouth. One of these days, her brain would stop that mouth of hers before it spewed its nonsense.

The corner of his lip quirked up. "I am not currently married, nor am I seeing anyone."

"Yeah, me neither. Tough out there." Tough out there? Geeze, Ro. What the actual fuck is wrong with you? This man is a lawyer and a professional, and you're treating this like you're picking him up in a bar. Get it together, girl. "Sorry," she said, waving her hands as if she could erase what she just said. "Anyway…"

The word hung awkwardly in the air until he took up the conversational baton. "So glad you could make it to our meeting, Ms. Burnay."

She wrinkled her nose. "Rowan, please."

He gave her a smile that warmed her right to the tips of her toes. "Then please, call me Leith. Shall we proceed?" He shifted, opening a leather binder holding a legal pad and uncapping his pen before setting his phone to record. His finger hovered over the button. "Okay if I record this?"

"Sure."

"You hired me to help your grandmother, who I understand is having trouble with someone trying to force her into selling her property."

"Wait." She set her drink and the ball of crinkled parchment paper that once held a delicious pastry on the wide expanse of his nearly empty desk and scooted to the edge of her seat. "What do you mean, I hired you? I haven't hired anyone."

His smile grew, his dark eyes sparkling with secrets. "Are you so certain?" He pulled out a shiny quarter from his pocket and rolled it across his knuckles in a steeplechase flourish.

Her gaze darted from the coin to his face and back again, realization dawning. "No," she said, narrowing her eyes at him and concentrating, cracking open his glamour to reveal the red-skinned demon beneath. She leapt to her feet and pointed a stiff finger at him. "No. What the fuck, demon? We finished that deal. I paid the offering, said the words. We're done," she said with a slash of her hand before pivoting on her heel, a cloud of anger boiling in her wake.

But before she could complete her dramatic exit, his office door slammed closed, the lock turning with a loud click. She twisted the handle, the lock resisting her attempts to open it. "Let me out of here right now."

Her heart pounded in her chest as she struggled with the door. Last night's poor decision-making had come back to haunt her. She jumped when he put a warm hand over hers.

"Rowan, please," he said, his voice low and gentle. "I mean you no harm. I promise."

Oddly, she believed him. Her racing heart steadied as the heat from his large hand seeped into her icy fingers, his tall presence not so much looming as protective.

Still, she was disgruntled, and he needed to know it. Pulling her hand out from under his, she glared up at him and poked at his hard chest. "Keeping me here against my will is technically kidnapping. You're a lawyer; you know this."

"I do." He gestured towards their seats. "But we have unfinished business, you and I."

She stomped over to her chair and plopped down, folding her arms with a huff. "Fine. But I'm not happy about this."

He sat, crossing one long leg over the other. "Understandable but, unfortunately, unavoidable. As I've said, I mean you no harm." He gave her an intense look that made her spine tingle. "The last thing in the world I want to do is hurt you."

She swallowed hard before capitulating. What would it cost her to hear him out? After all, Granny needed a lawyer.