I couldn’t stop stroking his back. Owen was solid in the best possible way. It wasn’t a gym-bro, calorie-restricting physique that was hard and unyielding. His arms were strong, no doubt from the hours and hours of pickleball every day, and his chest felt like the perfect place to have a nap.
“I guess Cedar’s not balloon-proof,” I murmured.
I felt a rumble of laughter from Owen’s chest. “Prey animal mentality. That balloon could be a serial killer, you never know.”
I didn’t want to pull away from him even though the air was blisteringly hot. I caught a hint of Owen’s sun-warmed skin, combined with what was probably a deodorant called Major Sage or Midnight Summer. Clean, bracing, with plenty of him mixed in.
Our hug was extending well beyond “I’m concerned for your welfare” and into “I like how your body feels pressed up to mine.” One of us needed to pull away.
Icouldn’t. The buzz blazing a trail through my body was powerful enough to make me adjust my grip a little tighter around him, to reassure him that this was exactly where I wanted to be.
Cedar shifted and whinnied like he was our chaperone, which caused Owen to finally loosen his grip.
He leaned back to look at me. “Should we walk him to the barn, or do you want to ride?”
Owen still had his arms draped around my lower back. Somehow mine had ended up clasped behind his neck, middle school dance–style.
Holyshit, I was touch starved. Being pressed against him was enough to wake up a heat I hadn’t felt in months.
The corner of his mouth curved into a smile as he studied my face. “You’re getting back up there, aren’t you? I can tell just by looking at you. That’s your determined expression.”
Instead of answering him, I ignored logic and just listened to what my body was telling me.
I went up on my toes and pressed my lips to his.
Chapter Eighteen
The car ride home had started off with a brief conversation about the air-conditioning being slow and then settled into a painful silence.
Not at all surprising, seeing as Owen had backed away from the kiss.
No, the truth was he’d actuallypushedme away.
Sure, he’d been caught off guard by me flinging myself at him at first because I’d given him zero warning.Iwas even a little surprised by it. But within a heartbeat, Owen was matching my intensity, claiming my mouth like the kiss had been his idea.
Then he’d abruptly stepped away from me and pulled the back of his hand across his mouth, like he wanted to get rid of any traces of me. He’d mumbled an apology as he gathered Cedar’s reins when I was the one who owed it to him.
I tried to make sense of what I’d done as I stared out the car window, watching the countryside speed past. I was horny, sure, but the roiling confusion inside of me pointed to other motivations. I hadn’t just wantedit; I needed to admit to myself that I’d wantedhim.
Based on his reaction, it was totally one-sided. I was mortified. If there was any moment to address my sloppy come-on, it was now.
I took a deep breath. “That wasn’t cool of me, Owen. What I did out on the trail. I’m sorry.”
I wasn’t sure if I actuallywassorry, because at the time I’d been sort of desperate to see what kissing him was like.
Owen’s jaw flexed, and his expression shifted to a frown. “It’s fine. No big deal.”
“I overstepped. I got caught up in the fake dating of it all.”
A shrug in response. “It happens.”
He was right; kissing was definitely a part of fake dating, but usually it led to a deeper connection, not mortification.
“Do you hate me?” I asked in a quiet voice.
He made a frustrated noise and glanced over at me. “No, of course not. Not at all.”
I wasn’t sure what to say next since “Was it good for you?” didn’t feel appropriate.
