Page 53 of His Secret Wish

Chapter 12

The air was cold outside of the tent, and it prickled against Isabella’s bare arms. She pulled in a deep breath, the air pluming in front of her on the exhale. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked over to stand under the big tree. It was far enough away that she could drown out the noise of the party.

“Is everything okay?”

She spun. Owen was walking toward her, his hands stuffed in his pants pockets. “Yeah, I was just getting some air.”

He gave her one of his patented grunts. Which told her he was feeling out of sorts or on edge. She didn’t think he’d grunted at her since they’d left Redding.

He stopped next to her, far enough away to give her space, but close enough she could feel the heat radiating off of him. She stepped closer, wanting to share his body heat.

They stood there for a moment, the air thickening around them with a bit of awkward tension. A cold wind whipped through. She shivered and stepped even closer to him.

“I’m sorry.”

She glanced up at the apology, meeting his gaze. It was shadowed under the tree, and she couldn’t quite see his expression. Which was incredibly frustrating. “For what?”

He chuckled, the sound low and containing no humor, just a hint of scorn. “That’s a loaded question.”

She snorted, even though a heavy weight slammed into her stomach. He was not wrong in that regard. And he also wasn’t the only one with regrets. “Since we promised one another this weekend was insular, what are you sorry for right now?”

“For being an ass in there.” He pointed toward the tent. “I saw you and him laughing and dancing, and I just... I don’t know, got stupid.”

She leaned against him, partly because of the cold, and partly because she wanted to. He slid his arms around her, holding her close. “I guess we’re even then, since the same thing happened to me the other night when you were being flirted with.” She pressed her cheek to his chest.

His chest vibrated with his chuckle. “I wasn’t flirting with either Angela or her friend.”

“I know.” And she did. It just hadn’t stopped the jealousy from seeping in anyway.

They stood there, holding each other for a few more minutes. She’d forgotten how much she liked just being in his presence. They didn’t have to be doing anything. Or talking. Just being. Somehow, it soothed her soul, although she didn’t really understand how or why.

He seemed to be in agreement, because he wasn’t trying to force a conversation or get her to go back to the tent. Then again, he wasn’t much of a gabber. He’d probably said more words so far this weekend than he had in the last few months.

“What the…?”

She looked up at him. He was staring toward the house. Her heart thumped against her ribs, and she glanced over. Nothing seemed out of place or weird. “What?”

“Come on.” He grabbed her hand and led her out from under the shelter of the tree branches.

A couple of little white flakes fell from the sky. One of them landed on the end of her nose, melting on contact. Her lips turned up at the corners. “It’s snowing.”

His eyebrows were arrowed down, his lips on a matching trajectory. “I see that. But it’s May. How is this possible?”

She laughed. “Snow actually happens here quite often, well into June. It’s one of the coldest places in the US.”

The flakes started coming faster. It was beautiful and glorious. She tilted her head toward the sky and started to twirl in circles. Something she hadn’t done since she was a kid. The snow hit her skin and melted, making her tingle. She felt light and airy, much like the snowflakes.

Owen pulled her against him. She squeaked, but didn’t put up a fuss. Being in his arms felt too good. She was breathing hard, the cold air making her lungs burn. He was smiling, the corners of his eyes crinkled. A real smile, the kind she hadn’t seen in forever. The kind she missed so much, sometimes it hurt.

She held him tight. His body heat soaked through her dress, making her warm. She sighed, rested her cheek against his chest again.

The song inside the tent changed, back to something slow, but with a good bit of bass. It was less a recognizable song, but more of a feeling, and she started to sway to the beat. He moved with her, the two of them lost in the moment. And each other.

She kissed his chest, right above his heart. A rumble rolled through him, making her lips vibrate. He used his finger to tilt her head up. Before she could even blink, his lips crashed into hers.

The kiss started sweet, just a brush, but it turned hot, quickly. He swept his tongue against her lips, and she opened for him, let him in. Not that she’d ever deny him.

He slid his hand down her side, moved it over to cup her ass. Pulled her tight against him. Her pussy fluttered, need and want making her ache. She slid her fingers into the belt loops on the back of his pants, toyed with the waistband. Slipped her hand down to grab his ass, gave a squeeze.