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AvalonReeseFanFics
A/N: Thank you, you guys for all your support, again. I know it's annoying to have to wait for chapter updates, but I promise that we'll be getting another marathon soon just keep showing me the love! So this chapter here… it's going to be a fun one. I have a lot of cute things happening, but I also have a lot of funny things happening too. The chapter is ALSO super long it's around 13 pages. But I promise it's worth it because this is it, this is the chapter where they finally…. DO IT. So there is smut, I have a warning, if you don't want to read it skip that part when you get to the warning okay? And I will see you guys on Friday!
Congratulations Guest Reviewer AJ for being my 600th review! Read the next part very very carefully.
So, AJ, what I need you to do for your next review, is this: 1. Please Identify that it's you. 2. Please Name and Describe the character you want me to write. 3. Please tell me WHICH of the 10 filler chapters you'd like your character to appear in.
I know you really like the Game night with the bet, but I promise I'm writing all 10 filler chapters mentioned in chapter 98, no matter what chapter you pick, so the game night one is going to be written. So if you'd like your character to appear in a certain way, pick a chapter that will facilitate that. (I think you wanted to interact with Steve in a case of some sort, I would recommend the Doris chapter or one of the ones with Wo Fat as I plan to have him working in those, or the one where Rowan and Steve are arguing because that also involves him working it happens at the Headquarters.) If you need more info about the chapters you're interested in please say so in your review and I will post that info for you on Friday.
Chapter 101
Catherine knocked on the door to the little hospital room and then poked her head into the room. Rowan, with bandages wrapped around her head again, smiled up to her. She looked wonderfully excited for a visitor but as soon as she saw it was Catherine her smile turned upside down.
"Uh… hello… hi Rowan…" Catherine said slowly entering the room. "How… how are you feeling?"
Rowan's eyes narrowed at her. "I'm… I'm fine. Why?"
She obviously wasn't happy to see her and Catherine didn't blame her. "Well… I just wanted to check up…"
"Cut the bullshit, what do you want?"
Oh wow, she was much more brazen now. Look at Rowan, she didn't need a criminal backing her she just needed Steve's heart to suddenly grow some fucking balls.
"I wanted to ask a favour."
Those blue eyes narrowed even more. "What kind of favour?"
"Well… I'm sure you know its Steve's birthday tomorrow, and the guys are planning a little party," she told her.
Rowan perked up immediately. "Oh yes, Danny and I have been working on it for weeks. We're going to this posh restaurant, and he has to dress up all fancy, and when he gets there… BAM shrimp burgers done by Kamekona. And a couple of real burgers for me. Surprise cook out in a fancy restaurant."
"Yeah about that… is it possible that maybe… you might consider… not going…"
There we go, cat out of the bag. Rowan blinked her eyes at her. "Uh… but I was really looking forward to going and you know… I'm kinda the one that planned the whole thing... I didn't really want to brag or anything… mainly cause Danny wanted all the credit but I'm the one who did all the work…"
"Yeah, I know, and I get that. But… it's just that… things have been crazy awkward since well… since the break up… not just between me and Steve but between me and the others too."
"Uh… okay….?"
"And well its worse when you're around. And well… I kind of really wanted to go too… but with you there… I unno… I just… it's just hard to be around… when you know… when…"
"So because you feel awkward you want me to miss Steve's party… this is after you alienated me and attacked me and… and… are you crying?"
Yes, yes Catherine was crying. Because everything had been super hard for her recently. Steve had just breezed off, perfectly fine and worked things out wonderfully with Rowan. Kono wouldn't look at her anymore, Chin well… after Chin went off on her like that on Christmas Eve they hadn't been okay and she hadn't even tried to talk to Danny. She was in a basement apartment, because it was all she could afford, she had no one on the island, no boyfriend, no friends, and her job sucked because her coworkers hated her.
"Oh… geeze… Catherine… don't cry… I mean… come on… this isn't fair… I'm too concussed to deal with this…"
Catherine couldn't help it. She folded in on herself letting out weeks of pent up frustration and sadness. She had been trying so hard to be strong, to not let this get to her, but she couldn't take it anymore. She collapsed into one of the chairs by Rowan's bed and after a few minutes of crying she suddenly felt an arm around her shoulders.
When Catherine looked up, Rowan was out of her bed, a soft hand on her back petting her softly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to her. "I guess… I guess since I kinda fucked up your relationship with Steve and the other Five-0's the least I could do is miss the party. I mean… its one party right? Who cares if Kamekona was making special burgers just for me… I'm sure he'll just… save them or something…"
Catherine smiled through her sniffs. "Wow… really? You'd… you'd do that?"
"Sure. It's the least I could do," she said with a warm smile. "Just uh… stop crying… you're freaking me out."
Catherine laughed and wiped away her tears. It was actually really nice of Rowan to agree but it was also quite naive. That meant she'd get the whole party to attempt to talk and work things out with Steve with no Rowan to distract him. And if she got her way, if she could convince Steve of the merits of her plan, after this, Rowan wouldn't be the only woman in Steve's life
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
What are you doing here Jerry?
-Well I can't go back home…
Why not?
-I stun-gunned a Chinese spy in my mom's basement. I could be facing some serious retaliation.
Jerry the threats been neutralized. You're completely safe.
-You have no idea how this works do you? I need to lie low for a while. I sent my mom to her sister's and I thought I'd stay with you. You know, just till this dies down.
Jerry, I'm bringing Rowan home tomorrow…
-Aw I love Rowan, how's her head by the way?
"And that would be why Jerry is at my place," Steve said.
He heard Rowan's response, slightly muffled by the door. Something like: "Oh I see."
Chin had been kind enough to pick up a change of clothes for her from Alex's. No one wanted Steve to go over there, not with things being rocky with Steve and Rowan, and Alex still being a douche. Throw in Steve's over-protectiveness and Alex's penchant for mouthing off, they were all sure that if Steve went it would end in a brawl. Steve thought they were hiding something but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was.
Rowan came out of the washroom fully changed, she did a wobbly turn to show him her outfit and Steve put his hands out to keep her from falling over.
"What do you think?"
"Looking good," he whispered. She was looking past good. His whole body was taunt for her, but that wasn't really all the short short's fault. He had been hard for her the second he walked into her room, the second he got closer to her. He doubted it was going to stop even if he did manage to sleep with her soon.
She walked back to the bed and Steve followed her. As he stood beside her, he hoped she hadn't noticed but he was spotting her. She was swaying and he didn't like that. The doctor had cleared her, though he didn't know why he had because Rowan didn't look any better and she couldn't stand straight to save her life and she was still minorly concussed. But he wasn't going to argue because he got to bring her home and pamper her.
"It's good you have Jerry over, I'm sure it makes him feel better to have you there," Rowan said. "But as I mentioned before, you didn't need to come pick me up."
"Well, of course I did… you're coming home with me remember…"
Rowan froze and Steve frowned that was not a good response. "Well… actually… about that…"
"Rowan," he growled in warning but she still turned to him with that nervous smile on her face.
"I just think it might be a better idea if I stay somewhere else."
"Rowan, we agreed you'd stay over so I can take care of you… Remember? Cause you bashed your head into a Chinese Spy's face and cracked the back of your head open on his nose? Remember? You have a concussion and you've been ordered to rest for three days? Has it affected your memory now?"
"Okay… that's rude. No it has not, but you know… if Jerry's there maybe I shouldn't be staying over. Too many people right? I'm sure I can stay with someone else. Like Chin! Chin has lots of room!"
Fucking Chin. Why hadn't Steve sent Jerry over to Chin's? "Rowan…"
"Aw come on… I don't wanna ruin the Jerry and Steve bonding time. That boy… he just worships you, you know?"
Steve glared at her, arms folded over his chest. "Okay. Fine. I'll… uh… I'll drop you off at Chin's… on one condition…"
"Oh yeah and what's that?"
"You agree to be my date tomorrow night," he said with a smile. Rowan turned to him immediately a surprised look on her face. "It's my birthday tomorrow and Danny's throwing me a party so I wanted you to be my date. I'll even wrap my head up so we can match."
Rowan blinked her eyes. "They uh… they actually say I don't need the bandages anymore…"
"Oh even better, honestly I don't think I can pull that look off and I've always thought matchy-match couples were silly."
"And I'm actually busy tomorrow…"
Steve stopped smiling and frowned at her. "What?"
"Well… you see… I thought that I wasn't invited to the party so I… uh… yeah I agreed to babysit Grace so Danny could attend."
Steve took a step away from her. "Why the hell would you assume you weren't invited?"
"Because it's a work party."
"Rowan… you've literally been involved in every single case I've had since I met you. You dream of my cases…"
"But do I get paid?" Rowan asked him and okay she had him there.
"Well I don't think the Governor will let me put a psychic on the payroll," he muttered and Rowan crossed to him. She put her hands on his chest and he turned his disappointed frown on her and watched her wince under the weight of it.
"I'm sorry Steven. But… we can do something else, instead. Just me and you? What do you say? I'll let you taking me hiking."
"I can't take you hiking, you have a concussion."
"Fine a light stroll and then you can carry me the rest of the way up the mountain like Madame Zeroni," she said turning back to the effects she was still packing.
"Who?"
"You know? Holes? It's a great movie, and even better book. Movie stayed pretty true to the book too, it's rare you see that."
Steve groaned at her and Rowan sighed again and turned back to him. "I am sorry Steven. I didn't think you'd want me to come to a work party. I thought you'd rather like to have a… private party… with just me. I thought it would be more fun that way."
Well when she put it that way... Steve struggled to hide his sudden wide smile. Instead he tried his very best to frown. He looked away and then back to her and sighed deeply like he was mortally wounded. "I suppose I can forgive you."
And that won him a large smile and her arms around his neck. She kissed both cheeks first before he cornered her and got her lips. He greedily kissed her as many times as he could before she dropped back down to flat feet, smiled up to him and went back to packing.
A private affair with his lovely Rowan was probably the best birthday present he could have asked for.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Danny was surprised for several reasons. For one, Rowan had not been taken to Steve's like he, and everyone else including Steve, had thought she was going to be, instead she was dropped off at Chin's who had not been expecting that. And then Rowan called him and told him that tomorrow she would not be going to the party she practically planned herself and that she'd be babysitting Grace, regardless of the fact that his mom would be doing that for him. She didn't give him a good reason, of course, but he sent Chin after that answer, which he literally had to wrestle out of her. He learned that it was because Catherine had asked her not to. So that was fun to find out. And then Steve showed up at the Palace, livid and locked himself in his office.
Danny had been there to finish paperwork, now he was going to have to fix Steven.
Danny knocked on the door but Steve didn't look up. He just sat at his desk with his head in his hands.
"Did uh… did you two have an argument or something?" he asked, figuring he'd forgo the polite small talk and just get it all out in the open right away.
Steve lifted his head up. "No, no we did not get into an argument," Steve snapped, he didn't even bother to ask for clarification he knew who Danny was arguing about. "Not… not really…"
"I can't help but notice you're not at home… like you said you would be," Danny said.
"Yes Danny, Rowan decided that she didn't want to get in between me and Jerry bonding time…" Danny couldn't help but laugh at that one despite the scowl that was on Steve's face. "And thanks to you she's not coming to my birthday."
"Uh… excuse me… because of me?"
"Yes, Danny. You needed a babysitter, I guess cause you don't trust your mom, and now Rowan's not coming. So thank you… thank you for that cock-block."
Rowan must have told him that her not going was Danny's fault. Uh… no, Danny was not going to take that kind of secret on again. Not after last time.
"No, no I did not ask her to babysit, she voluntold me that she was babysitting… this morning after you dropped her off at Chin's," Danny said. "Rowan is not coming to your party because Catherine asked her not to."
Steve sat up straighter. "What?" he asked in a soft growl that sent chills up Danny's spine. Oh dear… yeah… the over reacting… that was why they were keeping secrets from Steve. Fuck he forgot about that.
Steve fished out his phone quickly. Before Danny could stop him he had dialed Rowan and put it on speaker phone. Rowan answered not knowing what was going to hit her.
"Hey Steve, what's up?"
"Catherine told you not to come to my party?"
Rowan paused, Danny almost felt bad for her, poor girl had been blind sided. Instead of an answer they heard her call out: "Chin did you tell Danny about that… that thing I told you in confidence and you swore you wouldn't tell anyone, least of all Danny?" off in the distance came a soft answer of yes. Wow, Chin wasn't even going to flat out lie about, straight up just told her the truth, just like Rowan should have done this morning when she and Steve talked about the situation. Rowan swore. "Goddamn it, you swore you wouldn't!"
We have enough secrets thank you very much!
DAMN CHIN! Why the hell had he said that. The crease in Steve's eyebrows furrowed deeper. "Secrets, you have more secrets?"
Rowan said nothing and then suddenly erupted: "Danny, you couldn't have kept your mouth shut?"
"No. We did that once, I'm not doing it again," he snapped to her.
"Thanks a lot Danny!"
"Okay, don't blame him," Steve cut in seemingly ignoring Chin's previous comment. "Why did you agree to that, Rowan? Don't you want to come to my birthday party?"
"Well of course I do, Steven…" "—Goddamn it, don't do that." "Steven McGarrett… Steven McGarrett… Steven…. McGarrett."
The last utterance of his full name had been done in this husky tone that actually made Steve make a strange face, his spine had almost arched like the sound of his own name from her voice was setting him off. Danny felt dirty just listening to it.
"Rowan," Steve growled, his tone one of warning and from the phone came a defeated sigh.
"Look… of course I wanted to come. Danny and I worked hard on this party, but… Steve… Catherine started crying… and I felt bad and I unno. I really meant it… the whole me and you, private party, anything you want. That wouldn't be so bad? Would it?"
Steve was melting, Danny could see it. He winced up at Danny. "She really cried?"
"Well yeah. She feels lonely, and like the others don't like her and I mean… things didn't really end well so she's kinda got a point and I just thought… you know… maybe if I was nicer…"
"So why lie to me then?"
"Well… because… I knew if I told you that was why you'd get mad, and then you'd keep asking me and I'd say yes…"
"So if I keep asking you'll cave?" Steve asked a grin forming on his lips.
"Steven James McGarrett, don't you dare!" Rowan cried, her tone exasperated and yet teasing at the same time. Steve was immediately grinning from ear to ear.
Steve mock sighed. "Alright fine, fine, I'll let you have this one, but next time just tell me the truth."
"Okay."
"And I'm picking you up for dinner tonight, don't argue," he said and Rowan just said okay again and then Steve hung up.
Danny stared at him. "Do uh… do you feel better now?" Steve nodded and Danny smiled at him.
"Glad to help. Wanna help me with my paperwork?"
Steve did not.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Letting Jerry move in had been a bad idea. Steve was a light sleeper. Every move sounded like a herd of elephants in his mind, not that Jerry was being loud purposely. At this point he'd rather have Danny and his stupid TV going at all hours. But the other issue was that Rowan hadn't wanted to come over with Jerry sleeping on the couch. She didn't flat out say that it was because of Jerry but Steve knew… he knew it was because she wasn't comfortable sleeping over and having Jerry there. So she dressed it up as not wanting to get in between their guy time. Like Steve and Jerry were going to bro it out or something.
That night, the sun setting into the ocean outside his lanai, Steve had gotten home to get ready for the party. A party that Rowan would not be coming to, all so that Catherine could feel comfortable again. So that was another birthday he would be ringing in without Rowan. And she couldn't even use the old: "Wo Fat abducted me" excuse this year. Yes they had had a nice little dinner last night, she had dressed up and then presented him with a nicely wrapped gift that he hadn't been expecting. She had gotten him a single picture frame. His favourite picture of them together, her in a Kevlar jacket using his hand to twirl around.
He immediately put that picture by his bedside for safe keeping, as soon as he could it would be going on his desk so he could look at it on the bad days and remember that there was good in his life and that he did his job so this island would be safer for people… and for Rowan.
But it didn't change that he wanted her there for his birthday. He wanted to be going to this party with her on his arm and it upset him that he'd be going without her. And then he heard it. The sound of someone else in the house. But not Jerry. Jerry was with the others helping to prepare for his birthday out at that fancy ass restaurant Danny had picked. Besides, the person in his house was too light to be Jerry. And he had left his gun at the front door. Fuck. Steve carefully made his way down the stairs as quietly as he could. His house was dark, the front foyer was covered in shadows, but he could still hear something moving, could see a dim light in his kitchen. Flickering like a flame.
Steve was in stuck in Super SEAL mode now. He didn't have time to go for the gun, he would just have to hope they weren't armed or that he could over power them before they got a shot off. So he silently and slowly made his way to the kitchen.
He got the doorway and something jumped out. He heard the beginning of the word, he half recognized the person, but all he saw was something flaming in their hands, heard that some sort of loud cry and his automatic response was to punch them. Right in the face.
The person crashed to the floor, the thing in their hands, splattering against the tiles and all over them, the light going out immediately. Their hands came to their face, pressed to their nose as they cried out in pain.
Steve froze. Holy shit. Rowan. He had just punched Rowan in the face. Oh. Fucking… balls.
"Bloody… fucking… hell!" she groaned in between wheezes of pain.
Steve knelt down beside her in the remnants of the cake that had smashed when she fell and tried to put a hand out to her to assess her injuries, but she smacked him away.
Steve's concern was replaced with anger. "Why didn't you tell me you were here, Rowan?" he cried.
"Because I wanted to surprise you. That's the whole point of a surprise party you twat!" she cried right back, she was sitting up now, only one hand to her nose. He passed her a cloth to stop the bleeding. He looked around and saw that no one else was with her. Okay so what was this… a party of two? Actually, he certainly blow off his Morimoto party if he could have party of two with her. Which didn't look likely now that he had punched her in the face.
He got up to go to the freezer. He needed to get her ice. "Why the hell would you surprise a trained Navy SEAL, Rowan? You had to realize that was a bad idea."
He could feel Rowan's glare on him even before he turned around. He grabbed the cloth from her, used it to wrap up the ice and then handed it back to her.
"For your birthday you Neanderthal. I baked you a black forest cake and got you sparklers," she snapped. She took the ice away from her face and put a few fingers to her nose prodding it softly causing her to wince. "I can't believe you punch me in the face!"
"I thought you were a burglar, Rowan," he growled.
"Who the hell would willingly break into your house," she growled. "You're clearly insane. And besides… you gave me a key! You told me to stop by whenever, even when you're not home!"
Steve helped her up, despite her trying to swat his hands away. He pulled her out of the kitchen and pushed her down to the couch. "Yes, but I didn't tell you to hide in the shadows to surprise me. Just stay here, I'm going to go clean up that mess."
He turned away before she could say anything else to him. He moved to the kitchen where the cake lay in splattered clumps on his floor. He couldn't resist himself. He found himself trying a piece, a top piece that hadn't touched the floor. It was pretty good. It kinda sucked that he had knocked the thing out of her hands.
When things were clean and he had made her a tea he returned to the couch where he found that Rowan's nose had stopped bleeding but she was lounging back with the ice firmly placed on her nose.
"How are you feeling?" Steve asked as he came towards her. He put the tea in front of her just as Rowan opened up her eyes and glared at him.
He could already see swelling and the spread of purple bruising under eyes. Holy fuck had he broken her nose? "Like I got punched in the face, you dick."
"Let me see it," he whispered and she moved the cloth filled with ice away from her face.
Her nose looked aligned, so maybe it wasn't broken. Maybe she just bruised really, really easily. "You may have to go to a clinic, see if it's broken."
"If you've broken my nose I will never forgive you," Rowan snarled dropping her head back to the back of the couch. "Punching people. What is the matter with you?"
"For the last time I thought you were a burglar. Let's talk about you… hmmm? You attempted to surprise a Navy SEAL. A trained Navy SEAL who has had issues with people breaking into his house and attacking him. You tried to surprise someone with extensive hand to hand combat training. What did you think would happen?" he reminded her.
"Uh, how about you just being happy I baked you a cake, you animal," she cried. "I mean, who else would break into someone's house to bring them a cake, how many home invasions start with cake and sparklers?"
Okay, he hadn't thought of that, but he had been stuck on Super SEAL mode. "I'm sorry Rowan, but throwing a surprise party for a Navy SEAL trained in hand to hand combat is the stupidest thing you could have done. However, I tasted a bit of the cake, by the way, it was pretty good."
"Oh good. I had left over batter and made cupcakes. They're in the fridge if you want some," she said. Steve immediately got up. Cupcakes? There were fucking cupcakes? Hell yes. From the couch he heard Rowan call out: "You're still not forgiven, though!"
Yes, he rather assumed he wouldn't be. But he could work on that. He quickly got one of his cupcakes out, put a single candle on it and lit it before returning to the couch. Rowan looked at the cupcake in his hands whispered: "Happy birthday, Steven. Make a wish."
That whisper came with an echo. His mother used to say that. Happy birthday, make a wish. Every birthday, it was the exact same. He hadn't had a birthday like that in a long while. That is was Rowan who gave that back to him made his heart swell with both happiness and pride.
Which was why, when Steve blew out his candle, he made the wish that was on his mind and in his heart.
"Don't tell me what you wished for," she said. "It won't come true if you do."
Superstition he was sure. He looked at Rowan who had moved the ice away from her face and was gingerly feeling at her nose. She looked so cute, so comfortable there on his couch. What he wouldn't give to have her there always. For this to be what he came home to every night, minus the punching of course.
"You know…" he said after a long pause. "You could help me with my birthday wish. Would you be willing to help me?"
Rowan turned those big blue eyes on him and his heart leapt into his throat. If she said yes to this proposal, he could die a happy man. "Sure," she said. "What do you want me to do?"
Steve was leaning in before he could stop himself. He had framed her face with his hands and kissed her. He wanted to be gentle, with an injured nose he should have been gentle, but he couldn't help himself. It was filled with all the passion and desire he felt, all those stolen side glances and secret smiles. Everything had brought him to this moment, where emotion was sweeping through him like a tsunami.
Rowan's arms had wrapped around his neck, she had pulled him down to the couch where he found himself on top of her. His hands left her face to wrap around her, to press her closer to him. He wanted to taste everything, feel everything, have everything. That wasn't too much to ask was it?
Until she pushed him away.
They came apart, breathless. Steve's mind had gone into hazy fog but even he knew to stop now that she wanted him to. Especially with the redness of her nose and the forming bruises under her eyes.
"Did I hurt you?" he asked. It was his main concern.
"No… it's not… I'm fine. It's just that… I'm not sure… you have a party to go to and I don't know if I…"
Steve didn't let her finish. He pressed the softest of kisses to her lips before saying: "I know. I do. And that's not what I'm asking you for. Do you think… that just for a few more minutes, I can pretend that you're truly and properly mine?"
Rowan's hand came to his cheek, her blue eyes were shining so bright as he searched hers. Good God let her say yes, please god let her say yes.
"Ten more minutes," she whispered and then they were kissing again. Steve shook in her embrace, he shivered and shuddered, molded into each touch, practically moaned into every kiss she landed on him. This was what he gave up when he didn't fight for her, this was what he was missing, this was what he was desperate for.
He didn't know how to get back to this. He didn't know how to make this a thing for them. Not with the way things were, with Catherine, with Wo Fat, and their lack of trust with one another. But for the next ten minutes he wasn't going to worry. For the next ten minutes he could pretend that things had worked out and that his birthday wish had come true.
For the next ten minutes. Rowan was his.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Rowan returned to Danny's place, a goofy smile on her face. She couldn't help it, couldn't hide it. She had literally just had the best sex of her life. When she went over she had no intention of sleeping with him, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't thoroughly tempted. Steve knew just where to nibble, just what spots of hers to caress to get that fire in her burning wildly out of control. She had been having a hard time saying no to him just in general, but once he punched her, accidentally or not, she definitely wasn't going to sleep with him then. But on that couch, in his arms, knowing that his birthday wish was just to pretend she was all his, feeling warm, safe, secure, like she was home for the first time. Rowan stopped holding out and gave them both what they so desperately had craved from each other.
Clara, who had probably started the whole girl's night that Rowan had planned for them, called out: "When you were late we assumed you had gone to the party."
"Nope, just got slightly delayed," Rowan said kicking off her shoes. "Did you guys start the movie without me?"
"Yep and we ate all the cupcakes," Grace called from her spot on the couch. Rowan leant in and ruffled her hair.
"You're gonna have a hard time falling asleep tonight," she warned her but Grace only giggled.
Clara turned, however, and whatever she was going to stay dropped right off her lips. She gasped at her no longer smiling. "Oh god, what happened!"
Grace turned too and frowned. "Auntie Ro… your nose!"
Rowan put a hand to her nose which still hurt, was it that bad? She rushed off to the washroom, with Grace and Clara following her. Rowan gasped when she got to the mirror. She had two bruises forming under her nose, and the bridge of her nose had gone from red to purple. She looked like a boxer who just lost a fight. It looked like her nose might actually be broken.
"Holy shit I think he really did break my nose," Rowan breathed out.
"He… do you mean Steven?" Clara asked.
"Uncle Steve hit you?" Grace cried.
"Well… kinda… yeah… but it was my fault…"
"That is just not true, he may make you feel like that but there is no reason for him to hit you… ever," Clara complained and Rowan shook her head.
"No, no, I mean really, it was my fault. I let myself into his place and tried to surprise him. He thought I was an intruder and punched me. He was very apologetic."
"Did he hurt your neck too?" Grace asked.
Rowan's hand immediately flew to cover the marks she knew littered her neck, there were even more on her collarbone and her chest that were luckily covered. Steve really… really… liked covering her in soft suckling kisses, but in the throes of passion he had forgotten to let her go before the marks set in. Though Rowan had got him back with her nails, she'd have to cut them for next time, if there was a next time, they looked nice but they were deadly to his back.
"Uh… no… that one didn't hurt," Rowan told her. Clara had a knowing smile on her face as Rowan pushed past them.
"So uh… do you want to tell us how it went?"
"I mean… it went great, after we got over the whole thinking I was an intruder. He had one of the cupcakes and we uh…"
"Maybe shared a birthday kiss or two?" Clara offered.
"Yeah something like that."
"Ohh… does that mean you're Uncle Steve's girlfriend now?" Grace asked skipping out behind Clara. "Danno says you two are taking a long time to do that but both of you really want to and you're just being stubborn."
Rowan shot her a soft scowl, she was going to have to talk to Danny about how he needed to stop sharing info like that with his daughter. "No, that does not mean that Uncle Steve is my boyfriend, but it's a step in the right direction."
Both Grace and Clara shot a frown at one another before following Rowan into the living room where Rowan began to dig through her purse for her health card.
"Honey, why are you fighting this?" Clara asked.
"Yeah!" Grace cried.
"You clearly like Steven very much…" "Yeah!" "And he obviously really likes you…" "YEAH!" "It doesn't make sense that you two haven't figured things out with him by now!"
"YEAH!" Grace practically hollered.
"Alright, take it down a notch," Clara told her and Grace giggled again. Yeah she had eaten way too many cupcakes.
Rowan sighed and threw herself down on the couch. "Guys, it's not this easy. You don't know what he did to me when he was mad. He did some pretty shhhh… terrible things. He feels like he can't trust me and I'm worried that he's going to be twice as controlling if we start an actual relationship…"
"Rowan, that man stayed by your bedside until you woke up. I don't think I've seen a man so distraught to see someone in the hospital. The nurses kept telling him he wasn't allowed to sleep in the bed with you and he just threw immunity and means straight back into their faces. Said that you asked him to stay with you and that the Governor could come in himself and tell him to move and he wouldn't," Clara said. "He's obviously trying to be better, and so are you, but you should be working on it together."
Rowan seemed to think this over. She really did. Clara had a point, maybe part of their problem was that they were keeping themselves separate. And the sex… wow… sex with Steve was like nothing she had ever experience before in her life and that was just a quickie. What would it be like if he actually took his time with her?
"Okay, I can't think about this right now. We have to take me to the doctor, cause I'm certain he's broken my nose."
Clara clapped her hand. "Ohh… let's take the GTO I've always wanted to drive a GTO."
Rowan sighed. "Sure, but if you so much as even put a chip in my car's paint I'm taking over."
"Sing Along!" Grace cried and Rowan groaned, she was in too much pain to argue. She reached for her iPod and followed the women out of the door.
Seriously, if Steve broke her nose she'd never forgive him.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
Steve showed up at Morimoto, Masaharu Morimoto's flagship restaurant dressed to what Rowan called the nines. He was in his light grey suit with a freshly pressed black buttoned shirt, that she had helped him pick out before heading over to Danny's for a girl's night. Danny had gone all out, she had said, but that wasn't why he picked black.
Rowan had practically lacerated his back with her finger nails. He hadn't been expecting to go that far with her, least of all on his couch when Jerry could walk in at any minute, but one thing had led to another and suddenly he was gloriously inside her and those finger nails were digging into his back and her teeth with sunk into the tattoo on his shoulder spurring him faster, deeper and harder.
So despite the burning on his back, despite not wanting to spend his birthday in a fancy restaurant, Steve was grinning ear to ear.
Danny had picked him up and hadn't complained when Steve drove. And even though he wanted Rowan by his side he was happy to have the time he had with her that evening, he was even happier to have his friends all around him and was already planning what he would be doing with Rowan for his birthday.
They were all engaging in idle chit chat when Catherine dropped her hand to his knee. Steve turned to her, he couldn't help whatever look crossed his face that caused her to wince. He was so upset with her for what she had done.
"I was hoping, that you and I could talk. Would you be okay with that? Could we maybe go somewhere more…"
Steve took a hold of Catherine's hand and put it back on the table where it belonged. "It's really shitty that you guilted Rowan into not coming."
And he left it at that. Catherine kept her hand off of him and she didn't try to pin him down for that private talk she was interested in either.
Instead of sushi, Masaharu, along with Kamekona came out with all of Steve's favourites. Burgers, garlic shrimp, cold beers and Steve laughed. They had definitely surprised him.
And to top it all of there was an ice cream bar and a slice of black forest cake with his name on it. Turned out Rowan had baked a second cake for him for the party.
He opened presents, he joked with his friends, who were all nice enough not to mention Rowan or ask him why she wasn't there.
He got more than he bargained for, or even thought he'd get for his birthday. But there was one thing he didn't expect.
Danny getting piss drunk.
It was the end of the night, Steve's mind was still stuck on Rowan and what they had done on his couch. He had Danny draped against him, telling him over and over how much he loved him, while Steve just smiled down at him.
All he could think was that he'd get to see Rowan again. He'd have to drop Danny off and then ask Rowan to drop him off at his place… which meant he could convince her to stay over. He could convince her to try the whole couch situation out on a bed.
It would be better. Ten times better. Not that their quickie hadn't been amazing, it had been, but he could do so much better then that hurried impassioned coupling on the couch. He just had to think of a way to get her to agree without badgering her or begging her.
They were out on the curb waiting for the valet when Catherine came up to him again.
"So there are officially twenty minutes left in your birthday, so I was wondering if you'd be okay to talk now?" Catherine asked.
20 minutes left. That was it.
"I'm gonna drop Danny off, uh… so maybe a different time?" he asked.
Catherine nodded, Steve got Danny into his car and then drove him home. In his mind he said the same thing over and over again: 20 minutes left.
H5O-H5O-H5O-H5O
*This has smut, to avoid the smut skip to the next chapter*
Rowan opened the door, Danny was hanging off of Steve, partially unconscious. Well that was her staying here, because if Steve offered to take her home she'd have to admit that she wasn't living with Alex anymore that she was crashing in Chin's spare bedroom. And then he'd ask how long she had been doing that, and when she left Alex and why and her pride couldn't handle that at that moment.
"How was your birthday?" she asked lightly as they worked on getting Danny to his bedroom where he could collapse.
"It was good, how's your nose?" he asked.
"Doctor says it's not broken," she answered and he mumbled a: good at her. Once Danny was in the bed, all nice and tucked in Steve looked at her, his eyes heated like they were that evening when he fucked her on his couch. The best fucking sex of her goddamn life.
"Can I talk to you?" he asked.
Talk. Right. He just wanted to talk. Probably wanted to tell her that he wasn't interested in anything solid, cause him and Catherine were on the road to getting back together, but can they keep having that amazing sex until that happened? Cause she wanted to… whether or not she'd fall deeper into the emotion for Steve was something completely different and something she would have to deal with.
Still she said sure, and followed him out to the back where he shut the door behind him and dragged her down to the beach. Moonlit stroll on the beach with Steve? Was he trying to be romantic?
"I have ten minutes left of my birthday," he said softly to her. Rowan reached out for Steve's hand. She took it and turned it so she could see the watch on his wrist. 11:50pm, yeah he had 10 minutes left.
"Yeah?" she asked dropping her grip on his hand which momentarily caused him to falter.
"Yes," he confirmed. "And… well… I want to spend that time with you."
Rowan bit her lip, the way his eyes were moving up and down her body was more than inviting it also told her all she needed to know about the time he wanted to spend with her. She crossed the space between them, and that was all she had to do. His hands grabbed her sides and pulled her to him. His lips came down on hers as she hopped up on tippy toes to kiss him first. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she let him drop her down to the sand. She opened up his button up shirt, not fully open but partially so she could press kisses to his chest.
He groaned at the contact, throwing his suit jacked down behind her, lowering her slightly so he could smooth out his shirt for her to lie on. He brushed the strap of her tank top aside so he could dust her collarbones with his own liquid fire kisses and Rowan felt herself melt for him even before his fingers found their way down her shorts and into her panties.
He groaned with appreciation when he found her. "So wet," he murmured to her just as she found his hardened member.
She shot him a wicked grin, nibbled at his jaw line and whispered: "So hard," right back at him. The chuckle that she had wrung out of him was soft and airy. His chuckle devolved into some kind of mix of a groan and a gasp as her hand jerked upwards.
"Fuck," he hissed, before his body came down on hers. His hand left her pants, his lips sought hers, his tongue delving into her mouth to search her. Rowan echoed every moan, every groan, mirrored every movement. She clung to him as his hands struggled to free them of their close, her nails bit into the skin of his sides causing him to pitch in that way she found sheerly delightful. Her teeth nipped at the skin of his neck, while his own teeth dug into her shoulder, in that way that made her cry out his name.
It didn't take him long to find her sweet spots, just like it didn't take long to find his. His hands skimmed her bared flesh, hot and heavy his fingers moved to brand her, to feel every inch of her and claim it as his own.
Words were lost to them. Rowan's fingers made quick work out of unbuttoning his dress shirt. She seemed to enjoy stripping him off it, just as much as Steve enjoyed peeling that strapless black bra off of her. It was when she was removing his dress pants, that she found his fingers tracing the tattoos on her side, before his hands moved to the ones on her hip bones. It was hard to concentrate but she managed to get him out of his boxers and then he was suddenly back on top of her and in between her thighs.
His eyes were on fire, burning in the night sky like the stars above her. The need that drove them onward, that had them writhing in the sand, tasting one another, demanding more, had completely consumed any rational part of their brains.
His fingers primed her. Unnecessary but a welcome feeling. She breathed out his name. It was all he needed. That one syllable against his neck and he knew she needed him just as much as he needed her. And then he was inside her again.
Their romp on the couch had been quick. Speed had been a necessity. They didn't know if Jerry would be coming back or if he was already at the party. But this. This was not their quickie on the couch. Here, Steve could take his time with her. And oh did he.
His pace was slow, slow but deep. With each thrust he shuddered, with each thrust she raised her hips. He shook. He shook like this was breaking him, like he might come apart at the seams. Rowan clung to him, clung to him so that passion swirling around their edges wouldn't sweep her out to sea. His mouth by her ear, her lips on his collarbone covering him in marks blending into his tattoos. Her fingernails digging into his lower back, that one hand he had pressed to her lower back to push her closer to him.
She took him in, all she could have and then ground her hips against him causing him to buck and cry out. When he came back down to her, his mouth against her neck, his back slick with sweat she heard his shaking voice calling out to her.
Don't. God. Fuck. I'll come apart Rowan.
But that's what she wanted. She wanted faster, harder, deeper. She wanted to watch him break into a million pieces in her arms so she could put him back together again. She nibbled his ear lobe and his back stiffened. Her fingernails found his side again, her legs wrapped around his waist to keep him delightful stuck in her.
They came to a standstill as he kissed her. Deep. Leisurely. Amazingly. How easily he had seared himself onto her very soul. How easily she found herself desperate to keep him. To stay here, in that moment for the rest of her life.
I'll put you back together again. I promise.
His eyes burned into her. As if asking for permission. So she answered him. I want you.
And those three words undid him. His thrusts sped up, faster, deeper, hard, just like she wanted. She arched her back in sheer delight, relishing in the contact, in the feel of him. Each stroke built up a well of emotions in her, desire, ecstasy, lust, and something she could only describe as intense liking.
Her legs wrapped around his waist, her nails bit into his sides again causing him to cry out once more. She wanted him as dangerously on the edge as she was, but Steve had other ideas. He grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head with one hand, he then took his other hands and pressed it to her lower back. He pushed them both up the angle meaning that he slipped even deeper into her and once that was achieved that was it.
Rowan lost all semblance of reality.
The world vanished, all that existed was her and Steve. And that amazing feeling he had built up inside her. His mouth found her neck and that was her tipping point, that soft nip to that sensitive spot just below her ear and just like that the star burst inside her, dazzling in front of her eyes, taking her breath away leaving her nothing but a panting squirming mess as she screamed out his name.
She felt her body constrict around him, but she was too far gone in the throes of passion to notice that it had been the tipping point for Steve too. His body went taunt above her, her jerked and grunted out a reverent whisper of her name and then the two collapsed into each other.
He breathlessly lay above her. The two laid entangled in one another, desperately panting to catch their breath. After a bit of silence, Steve propped himself up. He pressed kisses to her cheeks, her forehead, and the edge of her lips until she turned into him fully to kiss him again.
He lay his forehead against hers, the emotion in his eyes, foreign to her but completely breath-taking. It sent shivers down her spine.
"Cold?" he whispered. He pulled his shirt out from under her, helping her tug it on, before he found his boxers to put on. He flopped down to the sand and pulled her half onto his chest.
Above them the stars twinkle and Rowan tried to hide her sleepy smile but couldn't.
"Happy Birthday, Steve," she whispered to him feeling him smile into her hair. His arms came around her and held her close.
Minutes later the two were asleep.