Anastasia''s eyes snapped open. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Herman, halfughing, half exasperated. "Are you kidding me, Herman? It''s June-not Qingming, not April Fool''s, not any holiday!"
Herman caught the pillow effortlessly, grinning. "Who cares? Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Halloween-any day can be a holiday if you want to go out and have fun. Pick a day, call it a celebration. Every day''s a holiday with you."
Fresh from her shower, Anastasia was glowing. Herman couldn''t help himself-he pressed a kiss to her cheek and inhaled. "You smell amazing."
"Gross, you got slobber on me," Anastasia teased, wiping her cheek with exaggerated disgust. She sat up and red at Herman, only to have her gaze fall on his abs. Smooth, solid, and perfectly defined. She swallowed and quickly
looked away.
"If you want a taste, just say so," Herman said, loosening his bathrobe as he slid under the covers.
That''s when Anastasia realized he wasn''t wearing anything underneath.
She snorted. "Couldn''t you at least wear some shorts?"
Herman just wiggled his eyebrows. "I''m thinking of your convenience." He tugged her under the nket. "Come on, babe, let''s get started. The sooner we start, the sooner you can rx."
Anastasia wasughing so hard she could barely breathe. Was this really the same cold, intimidating CEO who''d thrown Ashley out yesterday?
Men, she thought, were a mysterious species-warm in winter, cool in summer. Right now, Herman was still cool from his shower, his skin silky smooth. Anastasia snuggled against him and sighed. "Babe, you''re better than air conditioning."
He grinned. "AC can only keep you cool or warm. I can make you feel good- really good." He pulled her on top of him.
Anastasia''s eyes sparkled. "So I''m on top tonight?"
Herman bucked his hips, smirking. "Even with you on top, I''ll still make sure you enjoy it."
She burst outughing, and soon their nket was shifting and tumbling like a ship in a storm.
***
It waste morning when Anastasia finally rolled out of bed.
Herman was already at the office. Emmie and Nancy were off at their early learning ss, Liana had taken Pattie out to paint, and Salma was with Cynthia. The house was quiet, almost too quiet.
After washing up and pulling on somefy clothes, Anastasia grabbed her purse and headed out to check on Rowan.
Rowan was still recovering. She couldn''t do much to repay him, but she couldn''t just ignore him either.
Herman understood-heather.
supported her choices.
At the clinic''s backyard, she spotted Hanna walking with Rowan, helping him get some gentle exercise to aid his recovery.
Anastasia paused around the corner, not wanting to intrude. Rowan was as stubborn as ever, pushing through the pain just to circle the garden twice.
After the secondp, Hanna helped him to a stone bench. "Rest here for a bit. I''ll get you some fruit."
Hanna nced up and noticed
Anastasia. Anastasia nodded in
greeting, and Hanna gave her a
lookeWatch him for a sec, okay?—before heading inside.
Taking the cue, Anastasia walked over.
Rowan looked up at the sound of her footsteps. Even with his usual stoic
expression, his eyes softened when he saw her.
"You came," he said simply.
She sat down across from him. "How are you feeling? Any better?"
Rowan nodded. "Yeah, getting there."
"That''s good."
An awkward silence fell, until Anastasia broke it. "So... was it you who brought Daria back that time?"
"Yeah." Rowan never lied. "Asher wanted her home. He said the mess between grownups shouldn''t hurt the kids."
Anastasia hesitated. "So why were you at Crescent Bay that night?" She remembered Herman mentioning Rowan got hurt there, something about a fight with Dailey.
Rowan paused, then admitted quietly, "I was supposed to take you out."
Anastasia blinked. “Take me out as in... kidnap me, or something worse?"
Rowan didn''t answer right away, but his silence was answer enough.
Anastasia gave him a long, thoughtful look. "You really don''t pull any punches, do you?"