Lullaby 222

Rowan’s phone blared so suddenly that Elissa nearly jumped out of her skin. She scrambled to silence it, glanced at the caller ID, and, seeing it was lan Murphy, decided to answer.

lan dove right in. “Boss, the Meridia Country deal just closed.”

“lan,” Elissa said quietly, “it’s Elissa. Rowan’s asleep. I’ll have him call you back when he wakes up.”

“Asleep?” lan sounded genuinely shocked. “No way. Boss never sleeps this early–it’s always the middle of the night for him. This has to be a first.”

Elissa hesitated. “Really?”

“Yeah,” lan chuckled. “Maybe it’s because you’re there. Guess you help him relax.”

He hung up in a flash, no further explanation, as if his job was done.

Elissa stared at the phone, momentarily lost in thought. She looked down at Rowan’s peaceful face. The lines of his features were almost too perfect, softened now in sleep. Her feelings churned.

Once, she and Rowan had been each other’s safe haven, the only place to let down their guard.

Now… she wasn’t so sure.

She let herself sink into the plush leather sofa, watching the childhood friends on the TV screen tease and laugh. Her eyelids grew heavy, and before she knew it, she drifted off as well.

The vast house quieted, leaving only the movie’s soundtrack echoing through the rooms.

When Rowan woke, the first thing he saw was her–sound asleep, her head tilted gently, a waterfall of dark hair spilling over half her face.

His eyes softened. Moving carefully, he slipped his arms beneath her and picked her up, just as he’d done countless times before.

She hadn’t changed at all–her weight familiar in his arms.

“Mmm…” Elissa stirred, uneasy for a moment, catching the subtle scent of his cologne, then relaxed again, her breathing deepening.

As she shifted, her softness pressed against his chest. Rowan’s jaw tensed; he nearly lost control.

Her weight hadn’t changed, but she’d certainly filled out in all the right places.

–

The next day, Elissa hurried into the clinic, bag in hand, and made a beeline for her third–floor office.

She’d overslept, nearly running late for her shift.

Even after she arrived, she found herself distracted–a rarity at work. She’d woken that morning cradled in Rowan’s arms, the two of them tangled together like lovers.

It wasn’t the first time they’d shared a bed. But it was the first time since everything had changed

between them.

18:03

Elissa set her things down, checked the clock, and breathed a sigh of relief–she still had five minutes. She used them to collect herself. A doctor couldn’t afford to be distracted.

Once she’d composed herself, she began calling for patients.

It was Valentine’s Day, so the waiting room was mercifully quiet, and she finished on time for once. She’d just finished packing up when a nurse tapped on the door.

“Elissa, there’s a walk–in asking if you can squeeze her in.”

“Is it a returning patient or someone new?” Elissa asked.

“New,” the nurse said, then hesitated. “But she says she knows you.”

Elissa frowned. “Knows me?”

She didn’t have to wait long. A tall woman appeared in the doorway, dressed in a crisp white coat and ankle boots, a rare Hermès bag on her arm. Lorraine Lynn–poised and elegant as ever.

“Elissa, it’s me. Can you see me?”

Elissa blinked in surprise. “Have a seat.”

Once Lorraine sat down, Elissa reached for her wrist, checking her pulse.

She let go after a moment. “Nothing serious. Sleeping badly lately? Bit of tension.”

Lorraine nodded. “Yes.”

Then, looking directly at Elissa, she said with a pointed edge, “Ever since I saw you and Rowan leaving that private room together, I haven’t slept a wink.”