“I’ll have to hit the nursery soon, I guess. You could help me plant, and I’ll cook for you again.”
She gave him a sweet smile, but didn’t quite commit. “Like I said, it’s a pretty spot back here.”
“Not as pretty as you.” He loved it when she giggled like that. “I’ll get the plates and silverware. How do you like your steak?”
“Medium rare.”
“A girl after my own heart.”
Her gaze met his and she said, “I believe I am,” surprising him with her candor.
He waited for the nerves, the shackles of commitment clamping down, but nothing happened. Well, nothing but an easing in his chest he hadn’t really been aware of until she confirmed she wanted something more. With her, he wanted more. But how much more? A relationship, yes. But did he want the whole deal, a wife and family? He wanted that, and hoped Claire wanted it, too. He’d have to wait and see if they could build it together.
Chapter Twenty-Four
* * *
CLAIRE PUSHED HER empty plate away, leaned down, and pulled off her boots, dropping them on the deck. If Owen went barefoot, no reason she couldn’t make herself comfortable, too. She leaned back and rested her hand on her belly.
“That was a great steak.”
“Can’t go wrong with a thick filet and a beautiful woman for dinner.”
She smiled, settling in and relaxing, her glass of wine in hand. She scooted her chair to face Owen and raised her feet and rested them on his chair between his spread legs. His warm hands settled over her toes and he rubbed, avoiding her wounds, his eyes locked on her face.
“I like that.”
He scooted his chair closer, drawing her foot up to rest on his stomach and he continued to rub her toes and ankle, making the soreness dissipate. She straightened her other leg and rested it across his thigh.
“See, that wasn’t so hard.”
“What?” she asked.
“Getting comfortable with me.”
“Tell me a funny story about you and your wicked past.”
“You just want to see how many ways to Sunday I screwed up in my younger, wilder days.”
“Well, you can leave off the stories about you and whatever girl you wanted that day.”
“Then I’ve got nothing.”
She laughed and nearly choked on her wine. He rose up and forward to pat her on the back as she coughed.
“Stop being funny.”
“You said you wanted funny.”
“Come on. This is the part where we get to know each other better.”
“I thought we did that over dinner when we played Twenty Questions with each other. I still can’t believe you’ve never gotten less than an A on a report card and only dated three guys your whole life.”
“Well, if you think about it, how many girls did you actually date versus just sleeping with them?”
“Point taken, I’ll shut up.”
She smiled again at his easy way and the self-deprecation that didn’t really bother him. He’d been honest with her about who he used to be and up front about how hard he’d worked to change his life. She’d learned a lot about him over dinner and simple conversation, least of which was that he didn’t want to be the guy he was before, but didn’t necessarily feel he had to apologize for living his life that way.
“Okay, there was this one time. Hot summer day, too much beer and time on my hands. I snuck onto Ms. Firths’s property to fish in her pond.”
“The trespassing incident.”
“That was the time before, this happened later.”
“Didn’t learn your lesson.”
“Not the first time, but the second time changed things.”
“How so?”
“Let me tell the story,” he teased.
She laughed. Because he made her laugh or because of the wine warming her belly—or maybe that was him, too. She tipped her nearly empty glass at him to continue.
“Okay, so drunk, hot . . .”
“Yes, you are.”
He chuckled. “No more wine for you, you’re tipsy. On second thought, definitely more wine.”
He reached for the bottle, but she held up her hand to stop him. “I’m good.”
“I’m counting on it,” he teased, provocatively.
“Hot,” she prompted.
“Burning.” His deep voice made her conclude he meant for her. “So drunk as I am, I figure why not strip down and take a dip while I’m waiting on supper to take the bait. I take my swim, floating on my back in the pond, soaking up the sun, and riding my buzz unaware of anything around me. Next thing I know, I’m walking out of the pond to check my line, thinking I’ve probably got nothing, what with all my splashing and making noise, scaring all the fishes. So, I walk into the shallows buck naked and finally look up and see Ms. Firth standing right in front of me with her shotgun leveled at my gut.”
“Uh oh.”
“That’s what I’m thinking, but then she smiles and her eyes glide down my bare-ass body. Now, I’m drunk and thinking this old woman can’t possibly be thinking what I think she’s thinking, so I make a smartass remark about her calling the cops and having me arrested for trespassing and indecent exposure. She shocks the drunk right out of me by saying, ‘Nothing indecent about you, boy.’”
Claire gasped and giggle. “No, she didn’t.”
“Swear to God. I recover, figure I’ve got a way out of trouble, and laugh my ass off. Damn if I don’t catch a fish at that moment. The pole starts bending and wiggling. She points to the pole with the shotgun and tells me to go ahead and grab it. I reel the catfish in and say, ‘He’s a big sucker.’ She smiles, her gaze slides down to my dick, and she says, ‘Yes, it is.’”
Claire busted up laughing. “You’re lying. She did not.”
“I’m telling you, she did. She must have been in her eighties and here she is flirting with me. I don’t know what to do at that point, but she makes it easy and says if I want to fish in her pond I’ll have to do it naked from now on, or she’ll call the cops.”
“What did you say?”
“‘Yes, ma’am.’”
Claire laughed so hard she grabbed her stomach. “You are incorrigible.”
“Maybe so,” he laughed with her.
“So, you never trespassed or fished in her pond again.”
“Hell no, she had the biggest catfish in the county in that pond. I fished there at least once a week.”
“Did she call the cops on you again?”
“She kept her word and I kept mine.”
“You fished naked.” She gasped.
“Every time. Drunk or not.”
“Did she come back to see you?”
“No idea. I never saw her, but I imagine she did come for a look now and again. She left me the acre of land the pond sits on that borders this property.”
Claire shook her head, but couldn’t help the smile. “I believe the widow Firth was sweet on you.”
“Oh, she wanted me,” Owen confirmed with a wicked grin.
“Yep, not a redeemable bone in your body.”
“Hey, I’m faithful. I never fished naked at anyone else’s pond.”
That made her smile even more. “I like your stories. You’ve had a lot of fun in your life, but never at someone else’s expense.”
“Yes, and now I’m a boring lawyer, walking the straight and narrow. I only fish naked once or twice a month.”
“Are you serious?”
“It’s become a tradition of sorts for me.” He chuckled and took a sip of wine, his eyes on her, his other hand and thumb rubbing circles on the bottom of her foot, hypnotizing her.
They settled into the quiet night together. After dinner and nearly two hours of talking, the stars and the candles burning on the table were the only light left. The flicker of candlelight played over his ruggedly handsome face. She wondered what it would feel like to have those strong hands move over her body. She wanted to feel his weight on her, to anchor her
in this moment and to him.
Decision made, she pulled her feet off his lap and grabbed her shoes.
“Where are you going?” he asked, a look of reluctance and disappointment in his eyes.
“It’s late. I’m heading up to bed.” He frowned, but stood to see her out, missing the meaning of what she’d said. She clarified by asking, “Do I make a right or left at the top of the stairs?”
His gaze locked on hers, and he stood rigid and stunned three feet away. He closed the distance. All at once she found herself picked up off the ground, his arms banded around her and his mouth locked on hers in a fierce and passionate kiss that stole her breath. Her feet bounced against his shins as he walked into the house. She dropped her shoes with a thud on the kitchen floor in favor of sliding her fingers through his hair and pulling him close. Too awkward to be hanging down the front of him, she wrapped her legs around his waist and locked her feet to hold on. His big hands slid over her hips and cupped her bottom, pulling her snug against his thick erection.
He tore his mouth from hers, allowing her to take a ragged breath. The house was pitch black, but he kept walking toward the stairs. At the bottom of them, he halted and met her gaze despite the fact she could barely see him.
“Yes or no. Are you sure you want to do this now?”
“Yes. Now. Hurry up,” she added to get him moving again.
He took her mouth again and the stairs two at a time. At the top, he turned left and entered a room several feet down the hallway. The light was only slightly better here, thanks to the windows facing the backyard and the three-quarter moon.
Owen’s mouth left hers to trail kisses down her throat. He lifted her higher with his hands firmly planted on her ass, so he could kiss the swell of her breast. Hungry for her, he grunted out something incoherent and used one hand to pull the sweater over her head. Once gone, he unhooked her bra and pulled that barrier away. He didn’t waste time or make her wait for what she really wanted: his mouth on her breast. He took possession. His lips clamped on to her hard nipple and he sucked hard. Heat pooled between her legs and she tightened her hold on his waist, increasing the friction between her leggings and the fly of his jeans. He clamped his hands on her hips and moved her up and down against his hard cock. His teeth raked across her nipple and his tongue swept over it. She sighed and let her head fall back as he sucked hard, grinded his cock against her clit, and she exploded in a white-hot orgasm.
She went lax in his arms, but he held her close, softly kissing his way up her throat to her ear and licking the lobe with his hot tongue.
“I’m not done with you, sweetheart.”
“Ah, fuck me.”
Something in him shifted and the hungry look in his eyes matched the way he urgently reached for her again. “I’m going to. Soon.”
That soon turned her on and made her want. More. That became her mantra over the next several minutes as he laid her out on the bed and pulled her leggings and panties off in one long sweep of his hands down the side of her hips and legs. He pulled off one sock and kissed the inside of her ankle. Then he did the same with her other foot. Her gaze stayed locked on his and they communicated without words everything they wanted from each other in this way with a look and a touch.
Unwilling to simply lay docile waiting for him, she rose up on her knees at the edge of the bed and fisted his shirt in her hands, pulling him to her for a kiss. Owen came willingly and gave her what she wanted. He’d give her anything at this point. Responsive, open, no reservation in her moves or her kiss, he fell under her spell and let himself go. He didn’t think, but acted on every desire she brought out in him.
Her hands slid up and under his shirt, pulling it high. Desperate to be skin-to-skin with her, he pulled the damn thing off himself and tossed it away. Her mouth roamed over his chest and he buried his hands in her long hair and slid his fingers through the silky strands, enjoying the play of her hands over his skin and the soft, wet kisses she trailed down to his belly, making the muscles go tight and his cock twitch and ache even more.
“I love all these hard muscles,” she said, leaning back in his arms, her hands going to the button on his jeans.
“I have something else hard for . . .” You died on his lips when she slipped her hand down his pants and boxers and clamped her fingers around his dick. “Ah, God, sweetheart.”
Her hand stroked up and down and back again. He lost himself in the rhythm and her lovely mouth. His hands found the bounty of her breasts and molded and shaped them at his whim. He caught her hard nipples between his fingers and squeezed. He loved the sighs and moans, telling him what she liked, how much she liked it, and eliciting his unwavering need to make her do it again.
Her hand dipped low again, fingers caressing him, nearly bringing him to his knees and to the point of no return. About to make her stop before he disgraced himself, she wrapped her fingers around his balls and squeezed. His cock jerked.
Beyond reason, he pulled her hand free and tore off the rest of his clothes. He pushed her back onto the bed and followed her down. She laughed and welcomed him with open arms. He lay between her thighs and she spread her legs wide to accommodate his much larger frame. He pressed her into the bed with his weight and her gaze met his. She must have seen the frenzy inside him reflected in his eyes. Her hands came up to his neck, her thumbs rubbed across his rough jaw with a scrape.
“We have all the time in the world.”
Her being right didn’t necessarily slow him down, but it did give him a moment to take a breath and tame his baser needs. Her hands sliding down his back and over his ass and gripping it tight only fueled his desire to bury himself deep inside her. Right now.
He leaned on his right arm and fumbled with the bedside drawer to grab a condom. Victory. He snagged one, despite the woman below him, kissing her way around his shoulder and down his side, while her hands roamed free over his chest and back.
He shifted and she moved, somehow, making him land on his back to avoid hitting her in the face. She settled on top of him with a bright smile, her legs straddling his thighs. She looked down at his hard cock and back at his face.
“You’re a bit behind me. I owe you a little something extra for before.”
“Honey . . .” He lost all thought when her lips pressed to his lower belly, her fingers locked around his dick, and she licked the tip of his penis, sending a shiver of need straight down his spine. He didn’t know where this woman came from, how he’d gotten so lucky to have her in his bed, and he didn’t care. When her mouth closed over his aching cock, he sank into the bed and savored every lick and stroke of her mouth over him. He tried to hold on, fisting his hands in the bedding, but that didn’t stop the need from rising. He reached for her, sliding his hands over her shoulders and through her hair to drape it over one side so he could watch her mouth move up and down over him. That only made him hungrier for her. Unable to bear any more, he hooked his hands under her arms and dragged her up his body and kissed her hard and deep.
The tip of his penis pushed at her entrance, but she kept her head and broke the fierce kiss to sit atop him again. She pulled out the condom and sheathed him in it. She fell forward on her hands and dipped her head to kiss him. He grabbed her hips and brought her down on his hard cock in one long, fluid motion that stretched her and filled her. Taking care not to rush her, he let her settle atop him again. He exhaled, feeling her body wrapped around his. She looked down at him, and their gazes met. They shared the moment of connection with a soft exhale. They settled into each other, and then she moved and took him to heaven with one rock of her body over his. He let her set the pace, because where she went, he needed to follow.
He held on to her, because he didn’t want to let her go—ever.
She leaned down and slid her tongue over his and softly bit his lower lip before she sat back up and moved over him to a rhythm all their own making. She pressed her knees into the bed and rolled her hips, then grinded against him. She loved the fee
l of his big hands wrapped around her waist, urging her on. She raked her fingers over the hard muscles in his chest. He moaned, liking the rough grab of her fingers over his heated skin and the wild way she made love.
His hands skimmed up her side to cup her breasts. She arched her back and offered them up to his attention. He slid his hands around her back and pulled her down. She leaned on her hands beside his head and his mouth clamped on to her taut nipple and he sucked hard, sending a shaft of heat straight to the place they were joined. He thrust deep and she grinded against him, sighing out her pleasure, her body tightening around his. His hot tongue swept over her breast, and he took her other breast into his mouth and licked and laved while their bodies pumped and grinded together.
His strength always surprised her in the nicest ways. She loved how he used it to maneuver her, but never hurt her. One large arm snaked around her, while he used his hand to push on her thigh to move her leg down his before he rolled and landed on top of her. She welcomed his weight and slid her hands up his back and around his neck, pulling him down for another hot kiss.
He leaned up on his arms, pulling out of her in a long, slow retreat that made her want to pull him back immediately to fill the emptiness he left behind.
“My turn,” he said with a smile that was anything but nice and all about repaying her for the sweet torture she’d inflicted.
He pushed back into her in another of those long, slow strokes of his body into hers. She sighed.
“Spread your thighs wide. Make room for me.”
She did as he asked without reservation, and Owen sank into her all the way to the hilt. He moved his hips in a slow circle, creating friction against her entrance without moving in or out. She shifted, tilting her hips to his and finding just the spot she wanted. He slowly went crazy inside, desperately trying to hold on and wait for her to join him in oblivion.
He pulled out and drove back into her, circling, riding her hard and deep, her breasts bouncing with the force of his thrust before he circled his hips again and she joined him, moving her hips to prolong the sweet friction that made her moan and tighten around him. Lost in this new dance, he kept the pace until both of them needed more. He gave it to her, hard and fast until she tightened around him. With one last deep thrust, he followed her over the edge.
Falling for Owen Page 17