“And your job?” I probe, arching a brow.
“For me,” he says with an impish grin, “it’s a little of both.”
We continue to chat about my education and future. He actually listens without judgment. Both my parents are doctors, so anything less than that is taking the easy way out in their eyes. But I don’t want to be a doctor. I’ve seen the toll it takes on their lives. I actually want a family and free time.
“We dulled Penny to sleep,” Owen says when he glances over at her. “What a cutie.”
My baby sister is completely passed out, rice stuck to her pudgy cheeks. I smirk as I grab a wet paper towel to clean her off. She fusses a bit when I pull her out of her chair.
“I’ll get this cleared away while you put her to bed,” Owen murmurs. “Take your time. I know bedtime routine is important to you.”
A flash of pain cuts through my chest. I hug Penny to me, hissing her soft hair. How can a man who barely knows me know me more than my own mother? He’s absolutely right. I like making sure Penny is tucked in properly. If she’s awake and I want her to sleep, we have a whole routine that includes reading two short books and saying “goodnight” to every single one of her stuffies.
Tonight, she’s already conked out, so putting her to bed is a quick affair. I give her one last kiss before slipping out of her room. After changing into a thin pair of cozy pajama pants, I head back downstairs. Owen has already cleaned up our mess and is sprawled out on the sofa, legs kicked out on the coffee table, and pointing a remote at the television.
There’s literally anywhere else I could sit, but I boldly choose the place next to him on the couch. Since he’s heavier than me, I sort of sink against him. If he’s uncomfortable, he doesn’t let on. I try not to touch him with my hands, but our thighs definitely are pressed together. Heat burns hot through the material of my pants.
Owen flips absently through the apps on the television, but I can tell his mind is reeling, because he doesn’t settle on anything. I wonder if he’s still thinking about the kiss in the bathroom.
It was mutual.
We both let it happen.
“Can we talk about the other night?” he asks, voice gruff.
“I suppose we should.”
He leans forward to set the remote down and then angles his body toward me. As his navy-blue eyes drag over my face, my lower belly flutters with desire. So much for thinking the kiss was a mistake. I’d like to kiss him again.
What about Mom?
Even though their relationship is fake, there’s still just something decidedly wrong about pursuing her husband.
“I’m sorry for what I did,” he blurts out with a huff. “That was fucked up on my part.”
His words sting and I can’t help but flinch. “You didn’t do it alone, Owen.”
He doesn’t move away when I take hold of his hand. It’s easily the size of both of mine. I feel like a fairy princess beside this guardian angel of a man. Tiny, fragile, safe.
“I think I’ve just been lonely for a long time,” he admits in a whisper. “Leah, my ex-wife, was cold and often bordering on cruel. And what me and Jin have is transactional. With you…”
My heart catches in my throat.
With you.
Two words that sound so intimate and blazing with intensity.
I squeeze his hand to encourage him to continue.
“With you, I can feel parts of me waking up from a deep slumber. Or maybe it’s as if I’m finally being freed of the shackles I put on when I signed up for this life.” He swallows hard. “But it’s wrong to let myself get pulled into your orbit. Wrong for so many reasons.”
His words make sense, but I don’t like them. I’m beginning to realize that I like Owen as a human, but also more. He says he feels as if he’s been woken up when he’s around me. For me, it’s like I’m finally thawing after eighteen years of living in a cold, ice-covered world.
“Naturally the first guy I catch feelings for is someone unattainable,” I grumble, half playful, half not.
He reaches up with his other hand to stroke my cheek with his knuckle. “Just so you know, I feel the same way.”
We stare into each other’s eyes long enough that lava starts to flow through my veins, settling in my core. Owen breaks the silent, heated stare-off with a clear of his throat.
