Owen
Ignoringthe woman you’re desperate to be inside of is not the easiest task when she’s sitting in front of you looking ripe for eating.
Payton had changed into a strappy blue dress that was fitted around her chest and barely made mid-thigh. She looked pretty and happy and so damn fuckable I spent the evening with an erection that was damn right painful. I cursed myself for not going with her into her bedroom because all evening all my fucking head kept going back to was how it felt to be in her, to have her pussy wrapped around my cock. I wanted to pound her deep until she called my name again. She had deliberately annoyed me, riling both of us and I only hoped she was as on the edge as I was because there was no way I wasn’t going to her room when the house was quiet. Although that was possibly to apologise given I’d been nothing but friendly to her all evening, talking to her family and Simone, who was debating writing her own cookery book.
“Shall I get set up for poker?” Grant said. He’d already been told in no uncertain terms that if he wanted more wine, he wasn’t allowed any more food. The look he’d received from Marie reminded me of Payton: feisty and fierce. I’d glanced at her then and found her looking at me, lips slightly parted and I knew she was thinking of earlier, outside her room.
“Not for me tonight,” Jackson said. “We’re heading for an early night.” He leant over and kissed his wife who hadn’t stopped smiling since I’d been here.
Max picked up another beer. “I’ll have a couple of games. Owen?”
“Sure,” I said, ignoring the eyes boring into my head. “As long as you accept books as payment.”
“If they’re antique, Vic would be more than happy,” Max said, taking a seat round the small table in the corner that had been set up for the purpose of poker. Seph and Killian joined us, Grant staying next to his wife and shaking his head, muttering something about needing more alcohol in order to play. Callum had headed back early as an elephant was in labour and he’d been called back to the zoo, which he’d anticipated.
“I’ll play,” Simone said and I thought I saw Payton glare at her. Simone was classically beautiful. She reminded me of Amber to a certain extent, except she was less flighty and easier to talk to. We had spoken about using her restaurant as a venue for an author whose novel was based around food on a Monday evening when the restaurant was usually closed and that had led to a conversation around venues in general and how she was looking for a third premises. I’d caught Payton watching me then too, and figured that the whole being friends for her came with a large dolloping of being fucking jealous, which did my ego no harm.
“I’ll join in too,” Payton said, taking seat next to me.
* * *
She was terrible at poker; she didn’t have the patience for it or the skills to keep her excitement hidden. After the third game she’d given up and announced that she was heading to bed. I played till the end, somehow managing to win a couple of rounds even though my mind was preoccupied by what she might be doing in her room, whether or not she was waiting for me, or whether I had pissed her off enough with my friends only routine.
“I’m heading to bed,” Seph said, handing over the winnings to Killian, who’d had a successful night.
Killian stood up, grinning at Seph who he’d just creamed in the last round. “Thank you for your cash, Joseph,” he said. “I’ve no doubt it will be spent on diapers or formula or muslins.”
I laughed. “The joys of fatherhood.”
“Wouldn’t change it,” he muttered. “Best thing ever, especially since I’ve had the night off. Night, fellas.”
“Night,” Seph said, following him to the door. “Try and keep the noise down with my sister.”
“What?” I said, piling up the cards that had been left on the table. The rest of the place was immaculate. We’d been told to leave the cards and empty bottles till later. “I’m in a different room.”
Seph laughed. “She’s been giving you the eye all night. Even though you’ve been ignoring her. Thanks for that, by the way, best entertainment I’ve had for ages.”
“Fucking idiot,” I said to him. “Don’t say anything to her.”
“Why?”
“Because she wants to just be friends.”
“And you don’t?”
I stood up, headed towards the door. “No. I really like her. And not just as a friend.”
He nodded. “Good. Just keep the noise down.”
I hung on a few minutes so I wasn’t walking with Payton’s twin on the way to her room because that would’ve been just weird. The house was quiet, the open windows letting in some of the night time noises as foxes called and an owl screeched. I heard Killian talking to his baby daughter as I passed their room and became painfully aware of how quiet we’d have to be. If Payton wasn’t really mad with me.
I didn’t knock on her door, not wanting to wake anyone else up. If it was locked, she was pissed with me and I’d head back to the coach house. I twisted the handle and pushed slightly, opening the door to find my girl sitting at the window in her dress, reading. This time it was a romance, judging by the man on the cover.
“Took you long enough,” she said. “Thought you might have gone back to your room.”
I stayed near the doorway, hands in pockets and smiled at her. She was fiery and cross and absolutely fuckable. “You thought I’d forget about you?”
She shrugged. “You spent a lot of time talking to Simone.”
