Owen chuckled, and his cock swelled at her response. Though she could say anything in the right tone, and he’d likely get hard. God knew it had happened plenty of times when they were young and horny.
He deposited her things on his desk, partially smashing his keyboard, but he didn’t care. Then he sat in his leather rolling chair and pulled her into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed his face against her neck, breathing in her lemony sweetness. Her fingers threaded into his hair, and she gently scratched his scalp, further relaxing him.
This was just what he needed.
She was just what he needed.
“Did you whisk me away in here to have your wicked way with me?”
Owen smiled against her neck and felt her shiver in response. Her neck had always been so sensitive. He pressed a kiss on her skin and pulled away to look at her. She dropped her hands from his hair and laced them around the back of his neck, toying with the strands in his bun.
“Not exactly, but I’m not opposed.”
Ava gave him a smirk and ground down on his obviously hard cock pressing against his jeans. He groaned and held her still. “Don’t tease me, or you’ll find yourself in a different position.”
“Like on my knees?”
Owen threw his head back against the chair, stifling his groan at the image. That was not why he’d brought her back here, but he was only a man.
Ava laughed and unlaced her hands to run them down his chest instead. She stopped just above his jeans and gripped his belt buckle.
With an incredible amount of self-control, he grabbed her wrist to stop her. “Despite the growing evidence, I did not whisk you away for that.”
Ava stuck her bottom lip out in a pout. He leaned forward and bit it, causing her to squeal.
“Okay, okay. Can’t help it. We’ve barely gotten alone time like this since Avery came back from camp. I love the kid, but he’s a cockblock.”
Warmth exploded in Owen’s chest. It was likely hyperbole, saying she loved Avery, but his heart couldn’t help but want to make it a bigger deal. Ava didn’t backtrack on her words, so he let them hang in the air, not acknowledging them.
“Come to the gala with me.”
“Is that a question or a command?”
“Both. I don’t want to go without you. The bed-and-breakfast exists because of you. I want you by my side when I unveil it to the community.”
Her hazel eyes crinkled at the corners when she gave him a wide smile that reminded him of the Ava he fell in love with all those years ago. The Ava who was open and full of life and love for him in return.
She broke his grip on her wrists and placed one of her hands over his heart. “There’s no place I’d rather be.”
She kissed him and all the anxiety and uncertainty he felt about their future vanished, replaced with the surety of her in his arms now. Their kiss was slow and sweet, each pouring their unspoken words into it. The words they still felt but weren’t ready to give to each other again, not until they were permanent.
Then she bit his bottom lip in retaliation for earlier and pulled away, a mischievous smile on her face. “Now let me show you the other place I’d like to be.”
Owen’s breath came out in a hiss as she climbed off his lap and lowered herself to her knees in front of him.
When they finally emerged from his office, their cheeks flushed and hands intertwined, Owen didn’t know how he’d be able to look at his office chair the same.
Chapter 30
The Goodbye
Ava bent over the side of the canoe to dip her hand just under the surface. Her fingers glided through the cool lake water as her brothers paddled on either side of her. The box holding their dad’s ashes rested on her lap, the weight of it heavy against her thighs. She startled at a splash of water that soaked her arm. An intentional splash.
She turned to glare at Lucas behind her.
“My paddle must have slipped,” he said with a smirk.
She narrowed her eyes and reached into the water again, attempting to splash him back. Unfortunately, her hand wasn’t as effective as the flat surface of a canoe paddle, though she got a few droplets on him.
