I shook my head, not wanting to come across as overly desperate.
“Tell me,” he demanded. “If there’s one thing we’ve learned, it’s that none of this works if we’re not open with each other. Why’d you freeze up on me?”
“I can’t get attached and watch you leave again,” I admitted.
Owen cradled my hair, coaxing my head to his shoulder. I buried my nose against his neck, inhaling the sharp scent of sweat and cologne. It was different from when we were younger, but the same, too.
“There’s nothing to say Sunday night is the end this time,” he promised. But could he make those sorts of declarations? “Let’s take things one day at a time, and if we’re not sick of each other by the end of the weekend, we’ll discuss what happens after. I meant it when I said I don’t want to let you go again. Even if I was the sort for casual hook-ups, you could never be that to me. Trust me?”
“Okay.” We needed to get out of the park before the cops made their first circle through to make sure no one was doing exactly what we were minutes away from doing if I let my little head do the thinking for me. “I need to run by Michael’s for clothes, but then I’ll meet you at the B&B.”
“They gave me the room with an exterior entrance because they knew I’d be getting in late,” he explained. “Park around the back and come up the stairs. I need a shower, but I’ll leave the door cracked open for you.”
Great. Now I couldn’t get the image of Owen in the shower out of my head. I wondered if I was brave enough to strip and join him if he was still in there when I got to the room.
He walked me to the truck, swiping the keys out of my hand to unlock the door. Holding it open, he ushered me in. “I’m not sure anyone’s ever held a door open for me.”
“That’s a damn shame.” Owen shook his head and let out a disgruntled sigh. “You deserve someone who’s going to take care of you, Tyler. Your life shouldn’t always be about what you’re doing for other people.”
“You applying for the job?” I teased. It wasn’t until his expression softened and my insides went all gooey that I realized how badly I wanted that to be his place in my life.
He cupped my face, tracing his thumb across my cheekbone. I shivered as each exhale ghosted across my skin. I was desperate to feel his lips against mine again, but I wasn’t going to beg. He’d promised to give me what I needed, as long as I was patient.
“Maybe I am,” he whispered. “If you let me audition, I’ll show you why I’m the perfect candidate.”
Owen was the perfect everything. Sure, he’d made mistakes when we were kids, but all of us had. And his weren’t completely his fault. It was unfair of me to begrudge him for doing the best he could when his entire life had been upended. The remaining question was whether or not I was right for him.
* * *
The house wasdark when I pulled into the driveway. I opened the door slowly to keep it from creaking and alerting Michael that I was home. I felt like a teenager sneaking around so I wouldn’t get grounded, but honestly, part of me worried less about what my parents would have done than what my cousin would do if he caught me being this impulsive.
To keep him from worrying, I scribbled out a note and tacked it to the front of the fridge after I grabbed a change of clothes and my shaving kit. Taking my entire duffel bag felt too much like admitting I hoped to spend the rest of the weekend with Owen. It was easier to lie to myself this way.
My legs shook when I jumped out of the truck. There was only one flickering light at the corner of the gravel lot behind the B&B. Seeing that Owen’s was the only other vehicle back here settled my nerves a bit. My truck wasn’t overly flashy, but it was also the only one like it in town. I didn’t need to give any fuel to the gossip mongers.
As promised, the door at the top of the stairs was cracked open. I paused on the landing, listening to the muffled sound of Owen singing. Over the noise of the shower. Where he was. Naked.
Before I realized what I was doing, I stepped inside and started peeling off my shirt as I kicked the door closed. It wasn’t until my fingers were curled around my belt buckle that I noticed a piece of paper with my name sitting at the foot of the bed.
As unlikely as it was, my stomach soured at the thought he might have had a change of heart in the twenty minutes we were apart. I approached the note as if it might have been coated in poison, not wanting to pick it up.
“You’re an idiot, Tyler,” I scolded myself. Great, now I was talking to myself, too. I snatched the note off the bed and unfolded it, flopping onto the mattress to read.
Are you up for a game?
I don’t mean tag or dodge ball like we played when we were kids. This will be MUCH more fun. But you’ll have to trust me.
If you’re up for it, I want you to turn down the bed, strip to your underwear, and climb in. Turn off the lights and roll onto your side facing the door.
The blood rushing to below my waist left me light-headed. My dick throbbed, begging me to strip like I’d been told, even as my brain cursed me for even considering his proposal.
I’d come too far to stop now. The water was still running in the bathroom, but who knew how long that would last. I quickly stripped, folding my clothes and stacking them on an overstuffed chair in the corner that looked uncomfortable as hell.
And why was I critiquing the furniture when Owen might come out of the bathroom at any moment?
I did as he’d instructed but didn’t turn out the light just yet. There were more instructions after that. I chuckled, imagining Owen scribbling down his thoughts as they came to him without thinking about the order of operations. He’d never been good at that sort of thing.
If the game gets to be too much for you, say red and I’ll stop.
