Owen stood from the bed. “And why would he care to give you such a message? Don’t you think he’s just trying to scare you?” Still, he went to check the window, peering through the curtain into the darkness outside. I noticed for the first time he had his gun in his hand.
He also had no shirt on. How come I’d never appreciated just how sexy he was? My fingers twitched, wanting to run them along his chiselled abdomen.
“I don’t know why he would care to warn me, but I don’t think it’s a scare tactic.” Yet. it didn’t make any sense. He hadn’t squirmed when he gave Volkov the okay to kill me. If it hadn’t been for Gemma… Maybe Gemma was behind this too. Maybe she had convinced him to warn me of the danger I was in. Like she had gotten him to help Liam’s family. But what danger was it? Who was the Orion hunting me? Could it be Shaun Anderson that finally decided to crawl out of the woodwork? Maybe Volkov for getting him arrested?
Owen came back to the bed, lifted the covers and scooted in next to me. “If you’re really being hunted, A, I’m not leaving you alone for one second.” He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me into his chest.
A warmth spread through my belly, and I wrapped my arm around his abdomen, pulling him tightly to me. I could feel his mind going a mile a minute while he absentmindedly stroked his fingers over my shoulder, making me shudder.
After a few minutes of quiet, he said, “And you got all that from just five words?”
I nodded against his chest, not daring to mention that there had been more to those five words. Not wanting to speak the rest of the message into reality. I didn’t want to think of why Grayson would suddenly bring up an intimate memory of us to convey his message, when he had done everything in his power to get rid of me and ridiculed the memories like that.
Owen shifted beneath me. “I don’t like that you have this secret language with him that only the two of you can speak,” he grumbled, still tracing circles on my shoulder.
I looked up at his face. “Owen Becket. Are you jealous?”
He snorted, a grin spreading over his face. “No.”
I chuckled, and he took the opportunity to trace a finger across my bottom lip.
“I’m very much jealous,” he admitted quietly, making my breath hitch.
“Don’t you think it’s silly to be jealous when you’re the one touching me?” I whispered, closing my eyes to the sensation of his fingers trailing down my neck.
I didn’t want to question what the hell was happening. I was just relieved to find that I could want the touch of someone other than Grayson. So I grabbed on to it. I let the feeling of Owen’s touch on my bare skin reawaken my heart.
When I opened my eyes, I found Owen staring at me, his eyes soft as they roamed over my face. “Back in that room, did I imagine you kissing me back, before we were interrupted?”
“No,” I breathed.
A slight frown appeared between his brows. “Did you only kiss me back because you felt sorry for me?”
I lifted up onto my elbow to get closer to his lips, wishing he would just kiss me already. “Honestly? I didn’t know if I wanted the kiss. But I felt your lips, and…” I bit at my own, my cheeks heating at the confession. “I’ve wanted you to kiss me again ever since.”
He smiled, something like relief overtaking his features. He dipped his head down and nuzzled his nose to mine, sighing. “I’ve been dying to kiss you for months now,” he whispered, then pressed his lips to mine. The kiss was soft and sweet, but it sent a jolt of electricity through my body, leaving my fingers tingly.
Owen parted his lips as his hand came around my neck. His tongue slowly swept across my bottom lip, and I answered his silent plea, opening up for him. The moment our tongues touched, a fire swept through my body, settling between my thighs. I moaned into his mouth at my body’s reaction. It was a sort of awakening that overwhelmed my senses, and made my entire body break out in goosebumps.
I felt Owen’s own reaction to my moan, a shudder rippling through him. He slowly trailed a hand down my back, deepening the kiss. His hand curved around my ass and squeezed, pulling me against his thigh, putting pressure exactly where I needed it so badly.
I gave in to his touch, and the feelings it evoked, a burst of happiness spreading in my heart.
An image from my dream of Grayson kissing me, flickered behind my eyes, and icy fear slammed into my gut.
I gasped, and pushed away from Owen, breaking the kiss.
“I’m sorry. Was that too much?” Owen had pulled his hands back immediately, then reached for me again as if to console me, but decided against it, letting them hover in the air between us, uncertain.
I shook my head. “No. Yes. I don’t…” I huffed an embarrassed laugh. “I’m sorry.”
He brushed a finger across my cheek. “Don’t be. This can go as slow as you need it to. I’m a patient man, Ava. And you’re worth the wait.”
My heart squeezed and I settled back down onto Owen’s chest. My body was trembling, and I wasn’t sure of the reason.
You justhadto creep in and fuck everything up again, huh, Varon?
I hated how he’d stolen this moment from me. I hated how he’d made me fear giving in to my feelings and my body. Too afraid to give Owen that power over me. Too afraid that he would rip me apart with it.
