His body hadn’t gotten the message. The featherlight touches through the thin fabric of my underwear had me feeling unhinged and desperate for him.
My head fell back as Owen finally slid his fingertips beneath the elastic, and he took advantage of my exposed neck, kissing me from my ear to my collarbone, then back to my mouth.
He wasn’t tentative. He was toying with me, teasing me in time with my jagged breathing.
“Owen...” I inhaled sharply, my lips pressed against his ear.
My heartbeat was a drumline, loud enough that he could probably hear it.
“Do you want me to stop?” He brushed against my warm heat, and I shook my head and tightened my thighs around his waist as an answer.
“Do you like it?” Owen murmured. He teased his fingers along the dampness between my legs, so gently that I quivered with need.
My head dropped back, and I made a noise that was the closest I could get to a yes.
“I’ve thought about this so many times . . .” he whispered in my ear, trailing off like he needed to fully focus on the little circles he was making with his fingertips.
Our mouths crashed together again, right as the front door swung open and the massive chandelier above us flicked on.
“Um,whoops,” Meredith said, eyes wide.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Meredith and a very drunk Colton tripped up the stairs without another word, leaving me and Owen to squint at each other in the bright light from a safe distance apart.
“Yeah, that was a mistake.” Owen sighed as he reached down to adjust his very obvious hard-on. “I’m sorry. Good night.”
He strode out the door, leaving me bewildered, horny, and struggling to keep my dress in place.
“Owen.” I chased after him once I’d managed to weave the thing back on. “Wait. Let’s talk.”
He spun around in the driveway, nostrils flaring. Angry Owen, once again.
“Why are you mad at me?” I demanded.
“I’m not mad at you; I’m mad atme. That was my mistake.” He jabbed his finger toward the house. “It absolutely will not happen again.”
“It wasn’t a mistake,” I countered softly.
He hung his head and stared at the ground. “Yeah, it was.” He lifted his eyes to meet mine and held my gaze for a long time before he spoke again.
“Why did you start lessons with me?” Owen asked in a hollow voice.
“To learn how to play pickleball,” I offered weakly, because I knew the answer he wanted.
“And?”
Awkwardness flooded through me given what we’d just been doing together.
“To meet Kai,” I replied in a tiny voice.
“And what happened with him tonight?” he demanded.
“We talked and—”
“He took your number,” Owen finished for me. “So you’re well on your way to capturing your precious muse. Your game is good enough that you can stand on your own, so I think my work here is done. You’re screwing with my head and I swore I’d never let that happen again—”
It was my turn to interrupt. “Hold on a sec—youkissedme!”
