“You think I care about that?” he arches a challenging brow.
“Owen, seriously—we arenotgoing there right now,” I say, laughing nervously and trying to force the blood rushing to my cheeks back down.
I draw in a breath, circling back to the reason I started this conversation.
“I just…” I trail off, glancing down at my hands. “I’ve been spiraling all morning. I didn’t know if I ruined things between us, and I… I need to make sure we’re okay.”
My words come out quieter than I intended. Full of raw emotion.
Owen’s stare could burn a hole through me as he shifts closer on the bed. The mattress dips beneath his weight until the spacebetween us disappears, and his legs brush mine through the comforter.
My skin prickles with awareness when his hand comes up and cups my jaw, guiding my gaze back to his.
Gently, so gently, he brushes his thumb along my cheek.
“Meadow,” he says softly, almost a whisper.
His eyes move between mine, like he’s making sure I really hear him.
“Things aremorethan okay.”
My heart reaches for him.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about last night,” he admits, voice low and gravelly. “Every second of it.”
His thumb stills against my skin.
“You want to know what I think?” he adds. “Everything feels right in my life right now. After four long years, I finally woke up not having to hide the way I feel about you.”
Jesus Christ.
This man is breaking my heart and putting it back together all at once.
“I don’t know,” I exhale, still feeling the need to apologize. “I had a lot to drink and I just… I don’t normally act like that.”
“Like what?” he retorts. “Confident? Free-spirited?”
His lips curve up in an easy smile.
“You were having fun, Meadow. You let yourself relax for once in your life. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Yeah, but…” My voice falters as I stare up at him through thick lashes. “You pulled away.”
He leans in closer, cupping my face with both his hands now.
“I didn’t pull away,” he defends, eyes searching mine. “Meadow, I kissed you until we almost got kicked out. We shut the place down.”
My breath hitches.
“I kept kissing you at the club, and only there, because I knew it was safe. But you have no idea how hard it was for me to stop.”
His jaw clenches like he’s still trying to hold himself back.
Yes, I do,I think to myself.
I do understand because it almost killed me when he stopped.
“It wasn’t because I didn’t want you,” he continues
