The Bond Between Us (Anastasia and Herman) novel Chapter 969

Anastasia’s eyes snapped open. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Herman, half laughing, 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 glared 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 blanket. “Come on, babe, let’s get started. The sooner we start, the sooner you can relax.”

Anastasia was laughing 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 out laughing, and soon their blanket was shifting and tumbling like a ship in a storm.

***

It was late morning when Anastasia finally rolled out of bed.

Herman was already at the office. Emmie and Nancy were off at their early learning class, Liana had taken Pattie out to paint, and Salma was with Cynthia. The house was quiet, almost too quiet.

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?”