Free Off Chance by Sawyer Bennett

mine.”
    The anger deflates out of me and the tension leaves my shoulders. Standing from the chair, I clap a hand on his shoulder. “I know, man, and I love you for it. But this is a little different situation.”
    “How so?” Emily asks.
    “First... I’m not dating her and have no intentions of doing so. It was just a really interesting situation, and it’s a very temporary sort of help.”
    Picking my coffee cup back up, I take another sip and then proceed to tell them the entire story of how I met Rowan Page. I speak in impersonal tones, so they don’t even catch a whiff of the fact that my interest in Rowan isn’t completely professional. Those gray eyes don’t just haunt me anymore, they’ve perked an interest in me that has me looking at her as a woman, and not as a victim.
    But I’m not about to let them know that. I lay out the scenario, and assure them that I just want to help get her on her feet. I don’t hold back about the fact that she could be in danger so they understand that Rowan is truly in a bad situation and needs help.
    By the time I’m finished, there’s no doubt in my mind Emily would have taken her in had I not. She rushes upstairs to pull together a few outfits that Rowan can borrow until I can buy her some new clothes.
    Once she’s gone, Nix turns to me. “I’m really sorry for bringing Marney up.”
    “It’s okay. I’ve been told I have a hero complex on more than one occasion.”
    “With good reason, buddy. But just remember... you don’t have to fix everything. It’s not your responsibility to save the world.”
    Fuck if I don’t know the truth of that statement, but it doesn’t stop me from trying my damnedest anyway.

    I return back to my apartment with a very satisfied feeling that I’m making progress toward helping Rowan get back on her feet. I unlock the door and step in to silence. My first thought? It’s too quiet, and I’m immediately thinking that she’s left.
    When I shut the door, she immediately calls out, “Flynn... is that you?”
    “Yeah,” I answer and walk back toward her voice.
    When I get to the bathroom, I look in and find her bent over the tub, scrubbing it out. And, yeah... because I’m a man, the first thing I notice is how slammin’ her ass looks all perked up into the air. It’s not something I had noticed before because my clothes are so damn big on her, and there was never any opportunity to notice her shape.
    And what a shape it is, with my gym shorts pulled tight against her.
    “Whatcha doing?” I ask.
    She looks over her shoulder at me, her bangs hanging over her eyes. Blowing a puff of breath up to get them out of the way, she gives me a stern look. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m cleaning the scum out of your tub that clearly hasn’t been cleaned in years.”
    Grinning at her, I shrug my shoulders. “It’s a known fact... single men are slobs.”
    “You can say that again,” she says, and then turns around to continue scrubbing.
    “You really don’t have to do that though... you’re my guest.”
    She doesn’t even bother looking back at me. “Don’t even go there. We have an agreement. If I stay here, I need to earn my keep.”
    Keeping my eyes pinned on her ass, I tell her, “Fine. I won’t say another word.”
    She doesn’t respond and I lean up against the bathroom door, shamelessly ogling while I can.
    “Are you looking at my ass?” Her tone is still hard, a Rowan Page trait, but if I’m not mistaken, there is a miniscule amount of teasing in it. It catches me off guard for just a second. So far, Rowan has been closed off, moody, and distrustful. I would never have thought she’d have the ability to tease. It actually lightens my mood even more.
    “Yup. Busted me.”
    I can hear her snicker and then she says, “Well, do something more useful and go put away those weeks’ worth of dishes I washed for you in the kitchen.”
    “Sure thing. But when you’re done, I’ve got some clothes for