Page 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: TRUST ME

STACEY

I stare at Owen, my heart hammering as his question hangs in the air between us.

He wants another chance?

From what I’ve seen since he’s been in Denver, he’s a good man who has earned the respect of his team. If I put aside my hurt and heartbreak from when we were teenagers, I can see that he’s grown up so much since then. Maybe he’s right to ask for another chance. We were just kids back then, after all. He clearly regrets the past. But still…

I shake my head.

“Owen, I have to think about what’s right for Millie…”

“Millie is amazing!” he exclaims, smiling with a surprising level of understanding. Reaching across the table, he squeezes my hand. “Look, I don’t care who her father is. He’s clearly an idiot to have left you and such a wonderful little girl behind. And listen, I know you and Millie are a package deal. I want you both in my life. I’d consider myself lucky if Millie saw me as a friend or family, let alone a father figure.”

His words invoke a wave of emotion within me and I can’t help myself. Tears start sliding down my cheeks, and suddenly, I’m full-on sobbing. I don’t care that I’m in a public place and likely drawing attention to us. I’m so tired of putting up a brave front when I’m falling apart on the inside. I want to let someone else take care of things once and a while so I can just… just let myself feel what I need to feel.

Can I trust Owen to be the one to step up and be that person so I can let go of some of the stress constantly weighing down my shoulders?

God, there’s a part of me that wants to so, so badly. It aches with the desire to rely on him.

“Owen, you don’t understand…”

He’s suddenly up and out of his seat. He kneels next to me.

“Hey, hey, hey,” he says in a soothing tone. He wipes the tears from my cheeks. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.” Closing the distance between us, he tenderly kisses my lips. “Should I take you home? Give you space to think about everything?”

I shake my head.

“I don’t want to go home. Lilah is with Millie and is going to sleep over. I was planning on being home late anyway. My plan was to stick around the stadium after the game and get some paperwork done…”

I realize I’m rambling and press my lips together, my cheeks heating in embarrassment.

Owen gives me a soft smile.

“Do you want to go to my place, then?”

I blink at him and swallow the lump that rises in my throat before nodding. “Yes.”

My heart is pounding as we approach the door to his apartment. Owen unlocks it without a word, but gives me a small smile as he opens it. Walking inside, I’m immediately struck by how barebones and simplistic it is. He has nothing on the walls and very little furniture. There’s a leather couch in the living room, and a lamp. In the dining area are unpacked moving boxes.

“You’re still unpacking?” I ask, glancing toward him.

He shrugs. “Yeah, I don’t know how much is in those boxes that I’ll actually keep. I want no real trace of the life forced on me in Canada, so I’m keeping things pretty minimalistic for now.”

I nod and give him a small smile. “People might look at this place and think you’re boring.”

I was really just trying to tease him, but he looks self-conscious. “Sure,” he whispers.

“Owen?” I say. “What’s going through that head of yours?”

“I want to show you something.” He smiles. “Something I don’t show to anyone.”

“Um, okay.” My heart starts to hammer. I have no idea what he could be talking about.

Stepping closer to me, he takes my hand and raises it to his lips, kissing my knuckles.

“Will you let me take care of you tonight?” he asks. “I want to make you forget about everything for just a little while. Don’t think, just feel. Surrender to me totally and I’ll make you feel so good.”

I stare at him, baffled. “I… I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“I’m just asking you to trust me.”

He holds my gaze, waiting for my response, and I’m not entirely sure what to say. I don’t really know what he’s offering me, but there’s something deep inside me that wants to say yes. Throw caution to the wind and give myself to him. I’m curious to know what he has in mind for me.

Taking a deep breath, I slowly reply, “Okay, I trust you.”

His lips curl into a wide smile. Leaning down, he brushes his lips over mine and I shiver as my eyes flutter shut.

“I need you to come up with a safe word.”

My eyes fly back open. “What?”

His gaze flashes with amusement. “You’re trusting me, remember?”

I am. I am trusting him, and for some reason, the idea of a safe word and total surrender fills me with excitement.

“How about ‘offsides,’ then?” I finally say. “Is it okay that it’s two words?”

Owen nods. “That works. Only say ‘offsides’ if you really want what’s happening to stop, all right?”

“Okay…”

His eyes darken with desire as he looks me up and down, a jolt of arousal shooting through me.

“Come with me.” He leads me into his bedroom. We stop next to the bed. He looks at me with that burning gaze and orders, “Strip.”

I gulp. Just like that? He kneels down next to the bed and pulls a hidden drawer out from under it. My jaw drops when he opens it and reveals a collection of sex toys, paddles, cuffs, and more. Holy shit.

“I see you’ve picked up some new interests since high school,” I whisper.

He glances up at me with an arched brow. “You’re still dressed. I told you to strip.”

There’s an edge to his tone that makes me tense. He’s not kidding. With hands trembling with excitement, I pull my shirt off, then I take off my shoes and pants. I stop when I’m standing in nothing but my underwear and bra. My breath is coming out in quick pants as my heart races. I tap my fingers against my naked thighs in nervous anticipation.

Owen rises, a silky looking rope in one hand and a blindfold in the other. He drops both on the bed.

“Everything off,” he orders.

Oh my God. Why is this so hot? Owen being so commanding and confident is sexy as hell.

I obey, stripping out of my underwear and bra. Now I’m totally naked and he’s fully dressed. I’m definitely in the vulnerable position here, but I’m not scared. In fact, this is thrilling. Owen’s gaze rakes over me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful,” he says, his voice low and rumbling. “Lay on your back.”

I nod and move to obey. I can feel his eyes on me as I crawl onto the bed and settle in the middle of the mattress.

Owen loops the rope around my right hand, tying it to the headboard. He takes the other end of the rope and moves to the other side of the bed, capturing my other hand and binding it in the same way. When he’s done, he slips a blindfold over my eyes. I suck in a sharp breath as everything goes totally black.

“Owen?” I whisper, suddenly nervous.

“Relax,” he says in a soft tone. “I promise, I’m going to take care of you.”

I press my lips together, forcing myself to do as he says, and relax. I don’t want to say “offsides” at all. I’m loving every second of this.

The room goes quiet and I suddenly have no idea where Owen is. He’s still in the room because I haven’t heard the door open again, but he’s being totally silent. I strain to try and hear him, and just as I pick up on his soft breathing, he traces his fingers up one of my legs.

Gasping, I jerk against my bindings in surprise.

Owen chuckles. “Easy, beautiful.”

I swallow and he continues dragging his hand up my body, petting my skin with the lightest touches. It makes me shiver. Finally, he squeezes my breast before lightly pinching the nipple.

“Ah!” I moan. God, I’m already tingling between my legs, growing wet from pure anticipation. Not being able to see makes everything feel so much more… intense. I’m so much more aware of every part of my body. Everything is heightened by my helplessness and total surrender.

Owen’s hand slides down my belly, fingertips barely grazing my skin as he makes his way to my sensitive folds.

He runs his fingers along my pussy for several moments before removing his hand again.

“Wait… what?” I squirm, wanting his fingers back. “What are you doing?”

“That’s part of the fun,” he chuckles, his voice coming from somewhere above me. “Only I know the answer to that question.”

I hear him shuffling through that drawer again. The next second, he grabs my ankle, pulling my legs further apart. He presses something cool and rigid right up to my clit. When the item starts to buzz against me, pleasure explodes through my body and I cry out.

“Owen!”

“Relax,” he orders gently. “You’re so tense, baby.”

I realize that he’s right. My hands are clenched and I’m more focused on trying to figure out what he’s going to do next than simply enjoying the sensations pulsing through me. Sucking in a deep breath, I will my muscles to loosen and my mind to go blank.

This is what I want. To surrender completely to him. To let go and trust him to take control.

He chuckles, the sound barely discernible over the noise of the vibrator.

“Good girl. Now, should we see how many times I make you come before you can’t take it anymore?”

Who is this man? This sexy, dirty, merciless man? Owen holds the vibrator against me and I squirm as pleasure overwhelms me.

“You’re so sexy,” he growls. “Tell me, beautiful, are you on birth control?”

The question catches me off-guard for a second, but I murmur, “Yeah, I’m on the pill.”

“Good.”

He kisses me, and I whimper as he sinks his teeth into my bottom lip. He presses the vibrator tighter to my clit. I can’t take it anymore. My orgasm slams through me. I throw my head back and scream, flailing against the ropes holding me in place. He doesn’t remove the vibrator, keeping it pressed against me and forcing my orgasm to go on and on.

I hear the snap of his belt buckle and the rustle of his pants. The vibrator disappears, and then he’s thrusting his cock inside me. It’s like time stops and all of my attention is zeroed in on the point where we’re joined. I remember how it was when we were younger and inexperienced. The stretch always ached a bit, but I loved the feel of him inside me. Now, there’s no ache, but I still love the feel of him buried deep inside my pussy. He’s bigger than he used to be. His body, his cock… everything about him is larger and more overwhelming. We’ve both changed, yet we still fit perfectly together. He pumps in and out of me fast and hard. I want so badly to wrap my arms around him and hold him tight, but I can’t, so I hook my legs around him instead. I roll straight into a second orgasm.

“Owen!” I shriek.

He buries his face against my neck and moves faster. His pace is brutal but I don’t want him to stop. It’s too good!

When he buries his fingers in my hair and pulls it, I let out a long moan.

“I’m going to cum,” Owen moans. “You’re going to make me cum so damn hard.”

Slipping his hand between us, he rubs my clit as he continues to pound into me and another orgasm quickly slams through me. I squeeze my legs tighter around him and he lets out a choked roar as his body jerks and tenses around me. He pours himself deep inside me. He shudders with the aftershocks of his release.

Relaxing back against the pillows, we lay in silence for several moments as we fight to catch our breaths. Slowly, Owen moves off me, slipping his softening cock out of me.

“Are you okay?” he asks softly as he pulls the blindfold from my eyes. He’s being so careful now. So gentle. It’s like he’s flipped some switch and the dominant, merciless persona has given way to a loving caregiver.

He wasn’t always so careful when we were together before. Then again, he didn’t always have this desire to be in full control during sex either. I can’t help but wonder where this particular need came from. How did his desire for control develop over the years?

Blinking, I let my eyes readjust to the soft light of the bedroom. Owen is gazing down at me, his face flushed and hair messy. He’s naked. I take in the hard planes and ridges of his torso before dragging my eyes back up to his.

“I’m good. Really good.”

He grins. “I’m glad. Let me untie you and get you cleaned up.”

I feel so satisfied and exhausted, I’m not sure I could move if I wanted to. Once Owen unties my hands, he disappears into the bathroom and returns with a washcloth in his hand. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he carefully rubs the washcloth between my legs. I moan softly.

“That feels nice,” I murmur.

“Sore at all?”

I shake my head. “Not at all.”

Once he’s done cleaning me up, Owen climbs into bed next to me, wraps his arms around me and hugs me against me. I cuddle into him, savoring his warmth and strength.

“Get some sleep,” he says. “I’ll make sure you get up in time to go home.”

“All right,” I say, so tired I’m not sure I could move if I wanted to. “Thank you.”

As I let myself relax enough to fall asleep, I realize that I feel content and peaceful. I haven’t felt this way in a long time. Like someone will actually be there if I fall.

However, just before I slip completely into sleep, an unwelcome thought crosses my mind. How can I be falling… when he doesn't even know the full truth?