CHAPTER THREE
The brothers headed back up to the ER and walked to the room where Lisa was talking to the scared looking woman. Deacon took a look into her stunning face, seeing watery light green eyes against dark skin with long dark lashes as he stopped at the foot of the bed. She was beautiful and she said something to Lisa before she looked into his eyes, essentially shutting his world down with the intensity of her gaze.
“These two were at the restaurant just after you passed out and decided to come along on the ambulance to see how you were doing.” Lisa smiled comfortingly at the patient before she looked up at the brothers. Deacon and James Cameron, this is Rowan Weathers.”
“How are you feeling?” James asked her easily as Deacon managed a low hello, getting a weird look from his brother.
“I’m going to be fine but all of this was a surprise.” She had a slight drawl as she spoke, making Deacon step a little closer. She’d obviously been crying and he stared into her face as she glanced at him. “Thank you for helping me back there.”
“It was the least that I could do,” Deacon told her sincerely, seeing a faint smile on her face before she stared down at her graceful hands. “I heard someone say that you were a teacher at one of the colleges?”
“Yes, I am. I teach art at American.” She replied as he saw some color return to her flawless skin. “I suppose I’ll be well enough to return tomorrow, Lisa?”
“Certainly. Just keep that appointment and take care of yourself. We’re going to hold you for a bit and keep an eye on some things though.” She looked into Deacon’s face. “You did good, D.”
The brothers said their goodbyes slowly before leaving, as James immediately brought up a real dinner. They caught a cab to the original choice and found it to be much less crowded, finding a table in the corner right away. They ordered a couple of beers while they waited for their plates as James took a close look at his brother. “You seemed a little stunned back there, Deacon. Everything okay?”
How did he tell his brother that she was the most gorgeous woman that he’d ever seen? How could he really make it clear how much it had thrown him off completely?
“She just looked so sad. Do you really think she’s going to be okay?” Deacon asked James, watching him shrug.
“Lisa seemed to think so.” He tore into the roll, buttering it before he took a huge bite. “That sandwich was a joke.”
“I think the big plate of meat that you ordered will take care of your poor starving tummy, James.” Deacon told him sarcastically as he sipped the cold beer thoughtfully. “What time is the job tomorrow?”
They moved onto work over the course of the late meal and headed home after as Deacon lost himself to thoughts of Rowan. His gut told him that something was wrong and hurting her from the look in her beautiful eyes, making him wonder what. It made him want to fix her, to rescue her. Old habits never die.
He tried to go to sleep early to be ready for the next day of set up but found himself to be too restless to sleep. Deacon made a pot of coffee before he showered, drinking two cups before he even left the house. Taking the Range Rover, Deacon met his brother at the new Sports Center that had just been built in the middle of downtown. When he passed Rowan’s college of employment, he looked over at the stoplight as he wondered again how she was doing. Deacon found a parking spot in the back and took the last sip of coffee that was in his travel cup with a sigh.
They did a walk-through of the large warehouse that featured basketball courts, a rock climbing wall, a racquetball court and a small gym area. The brothers decided to wire all of the eye level windows, including offices as well as all of the doors to the building. There was a lot of equipment to protect and in some cases, steal. They started at opposite sides as Deacon focused on the job and tuned out everything else except for the rock music playing over the speakers. It was a tedious job with his perfectionist tendencies and he leaned his head back after an hour to stretch the sore muscles before glancing around to see what James was up to. They’d been communicating via text with small questions and some clarification and he rolled his eyes when he saw his brother talking to one of the female staff members. His eyes wandered to the front desk, seeing a familiar face as Rowan leaned forward to talk to someone, deep in conversation. Deacon watched her for a moment, seeing her nod with relief as she took something back from the guy and headed towards him with a gym bag in her hand. She still looked a little distracted, dropping her gaze to the ground as she walked along the cement walkway with a deep frown on her face.
Rowan glanced up to see him a couple of feet away and recognition flashed in her eyes. “Oh…I met you last night, right?”
“Yes, you did. How are you feeling?” Deacon asked her, watching as she smiled nervously.
“Much better. I ended up with the day off and thought I’d try a small workout.” Rowan told him, tucking some of her soft curls behind her ear as he let his eyes roam over her body for a moment. She was curvy and bigger than some men preferred, but perfect to Deacon. In the sunlight shining through the windows, her skin was a softer tone than the night before, resembling a cup of black coffee with a hint of creamer swirled inside. Her eyes were a brighter green with hints of hazel and taking in his greedy gaze with a challenging look. “Do you like what you see?”
“I’m sorry, Rowan, but you’re beautiful. I can’t help it and I mean no disrespect.” He apologized to her sincerely as she nodded and let a smile cross over her full lips.
“I can tell that just from the look in your eyes. Some guys…” She let her voice drift off as she met his gaze again. “What are you doing here?”
“Installing their new alarm system with my brother.” Deacon nodded to James across the room, just ending his conversation as he looked over at them curiously. “That’s my job.”
“That’s it? You seem to be military or something to me. My dad was in the Army so I get used to seeing the signs.” She eyed his hair slowly as she laughed softly, watching him shrug.
“I was in the Navy. A Seal.” She frowned and nodded as he saw sympathy cross her face, assuring her that it wasn’t a serious injury. “I…hopefully I’ll be done in a few hours. Would you like to have dinner with me?”
Shock passed over her face as she seemed to think about it for few moments. “Really?” There was doubt in her eyes as he nodded and Rowan pressed her lips together. “Sure. Why not?”
“Oh. Okay.” He’d expected her to tell him no with a polite thank you added on and Deacon struggled to regain his composure as something surged through his veins. “Can I have your number just in case you leave before I see you here again? I’ll pick you up later.” She asked him for his phone shyly, making him dig in the pocket of his worn jeans to hand it to her. She searched the screen for a moment with furrowed brows before she smiled and entered something into it. “There you go…Deacon, was it? Deacon and James.” She recalled as he nodded, impressed. “You both seemed so concerned for me and you came all the way there with me when you could’ve stayed behind for supper.”
“It was nothing.” Deacon assured her again as she smiled and looked past him.
“I’m going to head in but I look forward to hearing from you later.” Rowan told him, her voice low as she gazed into his eyes. She walked on down towards the gym as he forced his gaze not to watch her ass as she moved away, getting back to work instead. James texted him to ask what that was all about, making Deacon shake his head.
They finished the job within three hours, an hour and a half after Rowan left with a nervous smile for him. James helped carry some bags to the cars, looking over at Deacon. “That was Rowan, wasn’t it? From the hospital?”
“It was. She seems to be doing better.” Deacon replied, following James to the van he used for work.
“And?” James pressed, making Deacon pause for a moment as his brother unlocked the doors with a press of a button.
“Damn it. You know me too well.” Deacon pulled the heavy door open, setting the bags down before he looked at James. “I asked her to have dinner with me tonight.”
“Really?” James looked at him in disbelief as Deacon frowned. “I thought you sounded nervous around her last night but wow…dinner?” Deacon nodded as James whistled softly. “She was beautiful, man. It looks like she’s going through something to me, so don’t make this a rescue project. Okay Deacon?”
“That’s not what this is, James. I just want to get to know her.” Deacon told him, grabbing his keys from his pocket.
“Have a good time tonight.” James told him, both of them smiling as they headed to their cars. Deacon called her from his driver seat, fascinated by the soft drawl in her voice as they agreed for him to pick her up at six’s clock. Rowan gave him her address and they hung up, Deacon starting the car with a trembling hand.