Chapter Thirty-one

Charlie

“I feel like such a lush,” I laugh, settling into Owen’s arms. We moved into his bed and he just brought me a glass of wine. “Sex, wine, and staying up past my bedtime.”

He brushes my hair back. “I’m turning you into a rebel.”

I take a sip of wine and set the glass on the nightstand. “You really are.”

“I should be punished.”

“Oh, you definitely should be.” I move on top of him, and tingles run down my spine. We’re both still naked, and I’m still floating high on adrenaline and sex. I don’t know why I resisted, why I waited until now to finally relent and do what I wanted to do since the moment I saw Owen again.

And admit that I’m still very much in love with him.

Owen’s hands land on my hips and his cock starts to get hard again. I lean over, breasts in his face, and rub myself against him, getting off before I reach down and guide him into me. My breath comes out in huffs as I ride him hard and fast. Owen presses me down onto him, then brings one hand down and gently rubs my clit with his thumb. It’s all I need to come, and the moment the orgasm rolls through me, Owen groans and comes as well, and we finish at the same time.

I fall down onto him, and Owen playfully slaps my ass and rolls us over so he can pull out. He gets me a towel from the bathroom to clean up with, and it hits me that he just came inside me twice and I’m not currently on birth control. I stopped taking my pills after Todd and I broke up.

Statistically, the odds are against us. And since I went off the pill, my cycle hasn’t been normal. At all. I push the thoughts out of my head, not wanting to ruin this moment. Because this moment is really damn perfect.

We get ready for bed and then slip back under the covers, snuggling close together.

“This feels almost as good as sex,” I mumble, feeling sleep start to pull me under.

“It does,” Owen agrees softly and kisses the top of my head. “Almost.”

*

Dad knocks on the office door. I look up from the file I’ve been going over and smile. I’m in another good mood today, pointed out by Amy.

“Hey, kiddo. We’re all heading out for lunch. Are you coming?”

By “we’re all” he means him, Timothy, and Amy. The farmer’s market is set up today, and the entire firm—all three of them—is going to get something from there.

“I’m meeting Quinn in about half an hour. Do you mind if I shift my break back a bit?”

“Not at all.” Dad smiles, and I know he’s happy I’m making friends here again. He and Mom of course want me to stay, but they also want me to be happy. “Enjoy lunch.”

“You too.”

Dad leaves the door open, and silence falls over the office. A few minutes later, the elevator dings. I set the file down and look out into the hall, not creeped out at all. Maybe it’s just going haywire? No one should be in here.

Then the floor creaks and I shoot up, grabbing the stapler off the desk. With my heart in my throat, I move around the desk and inch toward the door.

“Charlie?” Owen calls, appearing in the doorway.

“Owen!” I let out a breath. “You scared me! I thought some creeper got in here.”

He laughs and looks at the stapler in my hand. “Your plan was to staple them to death?”

“Not to death. But I did think one staple in the ball sack would be enough to get away.”

He winces. “It would be.”

“What are you doing?” I set the stapler down and go to him. He’s holding a bag of takeout that smells like cheeseburgers and fries.

“I came to see you.” He puts the bag on my desk and wraps me in his arms. “You’re alone in the office?”

“Yeah. I’m meeting your sisters for lunch.”

“I only have one sister.”

“Scarlet, Danielle, and Kara are your sister-in-laws.”

“True. When are you meeting them?”

I look at my watch. “Twenty minutes.”

Owen’s hands slide up and down my back. “And we’re alone.”

My lips part and I start to get wet just thinking about it. “In the office?”

His lips pull up into a grin. “On the desk. Or in the window.”

“The window? People will see us.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

“They’ll hear us, for sure.” The windows are open today, letting in the warm breeze. This building is old, and the third floor gets a little stuffy. The air conditioning isn’t very strong and having the window open is a must until it gets replaced.

“Sounds like a challenge.” His lips go to my neck.

“A challenge to be heard or not be?”

“Whichever one you want.”

“We shouldn’t.” I start to undo his pants.

He bunches up my skirt. “Right. We really shouldn’t.”

I use my foot to close the office door. “This is unprofessional.”

“Very.” He locks the door. “I should probably leave now.”

“Yes. You should.”

With that cocky grin still on his face, he spins me around, pulling my skirt up over my ass. My panties come down next, and he lowers his pants so his cock is exposed. Pressing it against me, he pushes me forward. My hands land on my desk, holding me upright as he slides his fingers between my legs and rubs my clit, not stopping until I’m just about to come.

Then he stops, spins me around, and drops to his knees. My eyes roll back as he pulls my panties the rest of the way down, tossing them on the floor. I perch on the edge of the desk, knocking over my coffee mug from this morning. It’s empty, thankfully.

Owen throws one leg over his shoulder and dives in, mouth over my core. A loud moan escapes my lips, and I clasp one hand over my mouth to muffle the others. It doesn’t take long before I come, body shuddering with pleasure. Panting, Owen stands and moves between my legs. My pussy is still spasming as he enters me. I hold on to him, and the desk rattles underneath us as he fucks me.

“Holy shit,” I gasp as he pushes in balls deep, coming just as hard as I did.

He lets out a deep breath and rests his forehead against mine. “Yeah, I’m good.”

My lips curve into a smile, and I cup his face with my hands. I want to tell him I love him, that I’ve loved him this whole time and no matter what I did—even getting engaged to another man—nothing made those feelings go away.

Reaching over me for a box of tissues on the desk, Owen grabs a few and hands them to me. I clean myself up enough to pull on my panties and then use the bathroom. Owen is in the lobby outside my office when I come out with the bag of takeout on the coffee table.

“When do you have to go in to work?” I ask him.

“Pretty much whenever I want. Benefit of being the boss. I’m not bartending until tonight.”

“I wish you could call off.”

“Don’t tempt me, Charlie. Because I would. Though I do have an office we can use at the bar.”

I laugh and take a burger out of the bag. “Maybe I’ll come in for a drink then.”

“I’ll have a stiff one waiting for you.”

Laughing again, I bite into my burger. We talk and laugh as we eat, and then I realize that I was supposed to meet Quinn five minutes ago. I wolf down the rest of my food, and Owen walks with me out of the office and into town. My hand is in his when we find Quinn and Scarlet. They’re each pushing a stroller, and Scarlet is wearing a tight dress with her hair up in a messy bun. She looks so effortlessly gorgeous, and I’ll forever be impressed with how thin and tight her body is after having a baby only a few months ago.

Quinn is just as gorgeous, and I can’t get over how grown up she is.

“Hey!” She brings her hand up and waves, then notices that Owen and I are holding hands. The biggest smile takes over her face, and she elbows Scarlet, who makes just as big of a deal over Owen’s fingers laced through mine.

“What are you, twelve?” Owen quips, rolling his eyes. “Are you going to tell her she needs a cootie shot next?”

“More like penicillin,” Quinn shoots back then looks at me and laughs. “I’m joking. He’s not diseased. Well, as far as I can tell.”

“It’s okay,” I tell her, leaving a lot unsaid, but I think she understands what I mean. Owen was a man-whore before. He’s not now.

Because we’re back together.

Jackson, who’s sitting on a little bench-like seat in the double stroller, gets out and runs to Owen, giving him a big hug. Emma is excited to see her uncle too, but she’s more interested in the melting popsicle in her hand than getting out to hug him.

“Can you stay with us?” Jackson asks Owen.

“I’m sorry, buddy, I have to get to work. I’ll see you on Sunday, though.”

He smiles. “Is that tomorrow?”

“Not quite, but it’ll be here before you know it.”

Owen gives Jackson a hug and sets him back down. Scarlet calls him to get back in the stroller and he protests, saying he’s too big to ride in a baby stroller and he should be walking or pushing the stroller himself.

“I’ll see you tonight then,” Owen says to me, hooking his fingers with mine. He steps in and kisses me, melting my heart all over again.

“Ewww!” Jackson cries, and I laugh. Owen smiles, says bye to Quinn and Scarlet, and then heads to his truck to go to the bar. I watch him leave, knowing I’m going to get a million questions as soon as I turn around.

The smile is still on my face when I do.

“Oh my God,” Quinn gasps. “Are you guys back together?”

I try to play it cool. I fail. My smile widens and a flush comes to my cheeks. Owen and I haven’t really talked about what we are, but there’s no doubt in my mind we want the same thing.

“Yes, we are.”

Quinn squeals with excitement. “Sorry. I promise I’m not this involved all the time. But I’ve tried so hard over the years to find the perfect match for Owen, and I never have. Because no one was you.”

I push my hair back, wishing I had a band to put it up. The sun is hot, and having my long, thick hair down my back isn’t much different than wearing a shawl in this heat.

“We’re going to take things slow,” I say only because it feels like the right thing to tell someone. “We didn’t work the first time because we didn’t want the same things in life. I don’t want him to do anything he doesn’t want to do, but I have a better feeling this time around.”

Quinn beams again. “I do too.”

Kara joins us a few minutes later, and then we go to the bakery to get Danielle. Even though I already ate, I order a spinach salad, needing the extra energy boost. Owen and I had sex three times in under twenty-four hours. I’m a little tired.

I had a really nice time hanging out with the women who could very possibly be my own sister-in-laws someday. I don’t want to go back in to the office, but the thought of being with Owen again tonight will get me through the rest of the day.

“Hey, lady,” Amy says when I go through the lobby. “Did I see you with Owen?”

Oh shit. I can’t deny it, but I don’t have to act guilty. “Yeah. I was with him.”

“I thought so. I was across the street and the market was busy.”

Good, she saw us together at the market. Not fucking on my desk upstairs. “It was really busy! Is it usually like that? I don’t remember it being so crowded before.”

“It’s gotten popular. People from Newport come now. It’s trendy or something.” She waves her hand in the air. “And I have to say I’m impressed to see Owen with you more than once.”

“You are?”

She laughs. “That man is the definition of love ‘em and leave ‘em. Not that I mind. I mean, we all know what we’re getting into with Owen Dawson, right?”

“Right.” He’s not that man anymore. Being with a different woman every night isn’t what he wants.

He was holding out for me…right? Suddenly, I feel insignificant, like I’m not enough to make Owen change his playboy ways. I blink rapidly and shake that thought from my head.

I’m a strong, smart, confident, and beautiful woman. Any man would be lucky to have me.

But then again, Todd cheated on me.

Motherfucker.

I hate how easily I can be shaken like this.

Owen is with me.

Things are different now…unless they’re not.