“I don’t like torture,” I whispered, unable to look away from the heat in his eyes.
“I only like it when I know it’s going to eventually lead to something good.” He brushed a kiss over my cheek. “You know ... like if I were to suck your tits for a really long time, it would kind of be torture to both of us, but then when I slid my dick into you, all that torture would be worthwhile.”
“Um.” My mouth had gone so dry that I couldn’t form words.
“Jacey ...” He nibbled down my neck. “Can I kiss you so we can find out once and for all?”
My tongue darted out to run over my lips, and slowly I nodded. “Please.”
Last night, his kiss had been soft and inviting at first. Today, it wasn’t that way. Today, his lips demanded more of me, seeking parts of me I never shared. They forced mine open, and his tongue swept over me, exploring and daring. I answered him with a soft moan, meeting each thrust and touch. His hands, which had been loose on my hips, traveled to cage my ribs, his thumbs just barely teasing the underside of my boobs.
God, I wanted him to touch me everywhere. The fire that he’d kindled inside me last night roared back to life, and all I could think were single syllable words:More. Hard. Now.
I could feel his stiff erection under my ass, and I wanted to wriggle down to my knees on this hard porch, settle myself between his legs and take what felt like a cock of promising proportions into my mouth. I wanted to hear him groan my name, feel his fingers in my hair as he guided my head up and down—
“Jacey.” Owen murmured my name against my lips. “Honey, I think we have our answer.”
“Hmmmm?” I was too lost in pleasure to follow what he was saying.
“The spark. It’s still here, and if anything, it’s bigger and hotter.”
I ground my ass down on his dick, where it was outlined under his jeans. “Bigger and hotter were the exact words I was thinking.”
“Yeah.” He closed his eyes and hissed in a breath. “So ... what do we do about this?”
“I have some really good ideas that involve us, a room with a locked door and nudity. Lots and lots of nudity.” I nuzzled his neck, pressing light kisses to his jaw, enjoying the feel of his scruffy day-off beard against my lips.
“I’m on the same page, but I was thinking more of the Kade issue.”
And just like that, my bubble popped. My brother’s name turned out to be the perfect bucket of cold water tossed into my happy place.
“Ugh. You had to bring him up, didn’t you?” I dropped my forehead to his shoulder. “Here’s a hint for the future: when you’ve got a girl all hot and bothered on your lap, saying her brother’s name isn’t exactly sexy talk.”
Owen chuckled, but I didn’t miss the underlying strain. “I get that. And if all I wanted from you was a quick tumble that we could swear Kade could never know about, that we’d agree to keep it a secret, I’d be dragging you to the nearest no-tell motel. But the thing is, Jacey, I’m not sure that’s what I want.” He tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear. “We don’t know each other really well yet, but I’d like to change that. I want to take you to dinner and find out what you like to eat. I want to talk about the movies and books we both like or hate. I want to hear about your plans for the future, about where you see your life going, and tell you the same about my plans.”
Warmth filled me. I’d been afraid to even think about these things, but what Owen said was exactly what I wanted, too. “I’d like that. I mean, I want to bounce on you naked, too, but the getting to know each other outside the bouncing ... it’s what I want.”
“But how can I tell your brother that I want to date his little sister? And if I don’t tell him, how can I face him knowing that I’m lying to one of my best friends?”
I drew in a deep breath, considering. “It’s not really lying, unless Kade comes up to you and asks directly. In that case, you’d have to be truthful. No question. But you know, maybe it’s like the spark.”
When Owen frowned, I rushed to explain. “Hear me out. It’s like just now, when we had to test to see if we really did feel the same today as we did last night. What if we make a big deal about telling my brother, and then we go on a date and figure out that we have nothing in common? It would be a lot of fuss and upset over nothing.”
“Ah.” He nodded. “I see what you’re saying. You might have a point. We could go out and see how it works before we say anything to Kade.” Owen held up one finger. “But if we decide that we’re going to keep seeing each other, we have to face the music and tell him. I’m not going to hide from my friend, and I’m not going to put you in the position of lying to your brother.”
“Deal.” I stuck out my hand to shake on it, but Owen grinned and pulled me closer.
“An agreement like this needs more than a handshake.” He wrapped his arms around me and covered my lips in another all-consuming kiss.
I’d just twined my arms around his neck and opened my mouth to him when I heard a voice behind us.
“Oh, my God. No. Just no. Oh, my eyes ... they burn. I’m not really seeing this, right? This is a hallucination, right? Brought on by something I drank last night?”
We jerked apart, and I twisted to see Jake standing just outside the door to the kitchen, one hand covering his eyes and the other extended toward us, as though he was blocking us from his view. I slid off Owen’s lap, landing with a bump and a bounce on the webbed seat of the glider.
“Dude, you scared the shit out of me.” Owen ran his hand over his face, exhaling long. With his other hand, he reached for me. “You okay, Jacey?”
“Iscaredyou?” Jake was almost yelling, and I wanted to tell him to keep it down, but I was afraid that would only make him louder. “I’m the innocent party here, Owen. I wandered out here onto the deck, blissfully ignorant, looking for Jacey because Leah was wondering where she’d gone. And what do I get an eyeful of?This. The two of you ... groping each other. Making out. Lip-locked.”
