Page 32 of Fragile Hearts (Hibiscus Hearts #3)

“You have me, always.”

“Yeah?” Sloane asks, a smile on her face.

“Uh huh.”

Her smile turns sly as she asks, “What about right now?”

Now it’s me smiling as I lean down, my lips against hers, I whisper, “Like I said, always, babe.”

She kisses me softly. “I was thinking of taking a shower,” she murmurs. “You wanna join me?”

Chuckling, I whisper, “Always.”

Sloane steps back, grabbing my hand. She leads me toward our bedroom and into the ensuite. Grinning, I lean in and turn the water on in the shower, turning back just as Sloane pulls her dress over her head.

“So fucking gorgeous,” I whisper, leaning back against the counter as I pull her into my arms, my hands smoothing up her back to her bra.

I undo the clasp, pulling it off and dropping it to the floor as Sloane slides her hands up and under my T-shirt, pushing it off.

Smiling, I lean in, pressing a kiss to her breast before sucking her nipple into my mouth.

Sloane moans, arching her body into mine as her hands move to my shorts, pushing them down as I lift off the counter and step out of them.

She pushes her panties off, and I pull her to me again, kissing her hard before taking her into the shower, the warm water cascading down on us.

I back her up against the tile as I crush my mouth to hers in a deep kiss, our teeth and tongues colliding as a raw hunger takes over. My hands grip her hips as I press my body against hers, want coursing through me.

Doesn’t matter how many times we do this; I can never get enough of her. I’ve never wanted anyone like I want Sloane, and sometimes I still can’t believe that she’s all mine.

Sloane grabs me, holding me tight as she moans my name, “Owen.”

“I’ve got you, baby,” I whisper, sliding my hands to her ass as I hoist her up, stepping between her legs as she wraps them around me.

Sloane loops an arm around my neck as she deepens the kiss, trailing her fingers down my stomach to my dick, which is pressed against her stomach.

Curling her grip around me, I open my eyes, watching as she angles me against her, and I push inside her in one long, slow thrust.

“Yes,” she groans.

“Fuck, Sloane,” I murmur, my grip on her hips tightening as I still for a moment, my dick buried deep inside her. “God, I want you so bad.”

“Fuck me, Owen,” she pleads, pulling my mouth back to hers.

I kiss her hard and deep as I now start to move, thrusting into her over and over again. My hands are on her ass, gripping so tightly, I’m probably going to leave marks, but I don’t stop.

“Owen,” she moans into my mouth. “Harder.”

I give her what she wants, pounding into her relentlessly as the water continues to fall around us, the stall now filled with steam and the sounds of us. Of Sloane’s moans every time I push into her, of my hips as they meet hers.

“Fuck, babe, I can feel you,” I whisper, my mouth against hers. “Can feel how close you are.”

“Yes,” she groans.

“I wanna feel you come,” I tell her, thrusting deep inside her, knowing she’s already so close. “Come on my dick as I fuck you.”

“Yes,” she groans again as her arms tighten around my neck, her legs squeezing my hips as I pound into her, over and over again until I can feel her pussy clenching me.

“Sloane,” I growl. “So good, so fucking good.”

“Owen,” she murmurs. “Owen, god, I’m gonna come,” she says, right as she does, her pussy gripping me so tight that I can’t hold back any longer, my body exploding as I come hard inside her.

“Shit,” I breathe out as my head falls to her shoulder. Turning my face into her neck, I press my lips to her skin, kissing a slow path up to her jaw and along to her mouth. “Fuck, I love you,” I whisper when I get there. “So fucking much.”

She kisses me back, slow and deep, her hand gripping the back of my neck. “I love you too.”

I smile against her mouth, my dick still twitching inside her. “I love having shower sex with you too.”

Sloane giggles, squeezing her legs once before I pull out, slowly lowering her until she’s standing. She wraps her arms around my waist now, pulling me to her. “I love all sex with you,” she says.

I grin. “Hmmm, me too,” I murmur against her lips. “So how about we clean up and go have more sex in bed?”

“I like the sound of that.”

The next morning, we’re having coffee on the back deck when the doorbell rings. “I’ll get it,” I say, dropping a kiss to the top of Sloane’s head as I head inside to answer it. Officer Pearson stands on the other side, following me out to the back deck where Sloane waits.

“Good morning,” he says as he takes a seat.

“Is she in jail?” Sloane immediately asks, sitting forward in her chair, Mochi at her feet.

“She is,” Officer Pearson confirms with a nod. “Her charges here likely won’t keep her behind bars, but if convicted on the mainland, that will.”

Sloane releases a breath, glancing up at me as I stand beside her chair. I drop a hand to her neck, squeezing gently. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” she breathes out. “I am,” she adds before turning back to the police officer. “So what happens next?”

He offers her a small smile. “She’s being held while awaiting extradition to California. She won’t be released before then, so you shouldn’t be seeing her anytime soon.”

“Do I still need to file a restraining order?” Sloane asks.

“Up to you, but given everything, I wouldn’t think you’re going to need it. The manslaughter charge will definitely carry jail time, Sloane.”

She nods, not saying anything now as his words sink in. I brush my thumb against the back of her neck, hating all of this even if it does mean Sloane’s mom is out of her life like she wants.

“We aren’t sure if we’re going to be able to get the rest of your things back,” Officer Pearson continues. “We got lucky with the laptops and headphones, so?—”

“The other stuff isn’t important,” I say. “Don’t worry about it.”

Officer Pearson nods, standing now as he offers us both a smile. “Well, I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Thanks,” I say, trailing my fingers along Sloane’s shoulders before I walk the officer to the front door.

When I come back outside, Sloane is standing at the edge of the deck, her back to me as she looks out at the water. I step up behind her, wrapping my arms around her shoulders as I pull her back against me.

“You okay?”

She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she leans back and looks up at me. “Yeah, I think so.”

“It’s okay if you’re not. You know that, right?”

She smiles, her hand coming up to cup my cheek. “I know, but I’m okay.”

I lean down and press a soft kiss to her lips. “Do you want to go and see her? It might be the last time you can for a while.” God knows how long she’s going to jail for if that’s what happens.

She sighs, her eyes closing as she turns her face to the sun. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she admits. “A part of me just wants her gone, but another part of me...” She trails off, not finishing her thought.

I kiss her again. “It’s okay to still have feelings about all this, babe. She’s still your mom, no matter what’s happened.”

“I know,” she whispers, her eyes still closed.

I press my lips to her temple before moving my mouth to her ear. “You don’t have to decide right away.”

“I know,” she says again, opening her eyes. “Thank you,” she adds, smiling up at me.

I return the smile, kissing her softly before I ask, “What do you want to do today?”

“I have class this afternoon,” she says. “But do you want to go surf?”

“With you, always,” I say, grinning. “Why don’t you see if the girls wanna come over tonight? Hang out and watch movies or whatever?”

Sloane turns in my arms, sliding hers around my waist. “Why don’t we have everyone over?” she suggests.

I rest my forehead against hers. “That sounds like a great idea.”

She smiles, tilting her head to kiss me. “Good, should we go catch some waves?”

Sloane and I spend a couple of hours catching waves before heading home to shower and get ready for the rest of our day. After she leaves for class, I head over to The Pipe Dream for my afternoon shift.

“Hey, man,” Nate calls as I walk in through the back door.

“Hey.”

“You guys okay? Flynn told me about the break-in at your place?” he now asks, a concerned look on his face.

“Yeah,” I say, blowing out a breath as I shove a hand through my hair. “Not much was taken, and we managed to get our laptops back, but...” I pause, leaning against the counter as I meet Nate’s gaze. “I’m more worried about the fact that it was her mom who did it.”

“Yeah, fuck,” Nate murmurs, shaking his head. “How’s Sloane taking that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know,” I say with a shrug. “She says she’s okay, but I’m still worried about her.”

“I get that,” Nate says. “It can’t be easy for her. And honestly, Owen, she’ll fucking hate that you’ve seen all of this.”

“I don’t care about it though,” I say.

“I know,” he says with a nod. “And deep down, Sloane will know that. But she’ll still be embarrassed, ashamed that this is a part of her.”

“Her mom’s been arrested,” I say, knowing it’s much more than what Nate thinks it is. “She has an outstanding warrant in California,” I add when he gives me a confused look.

“Shit, for what?”

“Manslaughter,” I say, exhaling.

“Ah, fuck,” Nate replies, scrubbing his hand down his face.

“Yeah,” I confirm. “She’s awaiting extradition, and I don’t know, a part of me thinks Sloane should go and see her before she leaves because maybe it’ll be her last chance to. But another part of me doesn’t want her to bother because of everything her mom has put her through.”

Nate walks over, putting a quick hand on my shoulder as he says, “All you can do is support whatever decision she makes,” he says, giving me a small smile. “Sloane will do whatever she thinks is right, and you just need to be there for that.”

“I will,” I tell him. “I’ll always be here for her.”

Nate nods, his smile widening as he says, “You’re good for her, you know.”

Chuckling, I raise a brow. “Yeah, like Sage is good for you, huh?”

Nate laughs. “Yeah, she is. Got real lucky there.”

I let out a laugh. “Even if you did try to pretend like you hated her when she first arrived.”

Nate gives me a light punch to the shoulder. “Fuck off, it was complicated, alright?”

“Sure, sure,” I say, laughing. “And hey, Sloane and I were thinking of having everyone over tonight. Just chill and hang out or whatever. You guys free?”

Nate pulls out his phone. “Yeah, pretty sure we are,” he says as he types a quick message. His phone pings almost immediately, and he looks up at me with a smile on his face. “Yep, we’re free.”

“Cool, tell Sage to ask the girls,” I say. “I’ll message everyone else.”

I pull my phone from my pocket, typing out a quick text to the group chat I have going with the guys.

Me: Chill at our place tonight...you guys free?

My phone beeps with confirmations from all the guys, and just as I’m about to put it back in my pocket and start my shift, a message from Sloane comes through.

Sloane: So I think I will go see her.

I blow out a breath, both relieved and worried about her decision.

Me: You want me to come with you?

Sloane: Yeah, but I think this is something I should do by myself.

Me: I get that. Let me know if you change your mind. I’ll be there. Promise.

Sloane: I know you will. Thank you.

Me: Always.

Sloane: Are we still on for tonight?

Me: You sure you want to do that after seeing her?

Sloane: Yes, I’m sure.

Me: Ok. I’ll get everything sorted. You let me know if you need me. I hope it goes ok.

Sloane: TY...Love you.

“Shit,” I say, putting my phone away.

“Everything okay?” Nate asks.

“I don’t know,” I say. “Sloane’s gonna go see her mom.”