Page 51 of Resonance
The tension burst and collapsed in pinpoints of light and dark that speckled the edges of my vision and left me gasping in their wake.
Owen kept pumping me until a tremor racked me, and I stilled his fingers with a firm grip, then pried them away.
He slumped against the wall, and I slumped against him, heart pounding so hard I was sure he could feel its syncopations.
Wiping his hand on his shirt, Owen exhaled a long, slow breath. Then he laughed softly. “That… escalated quickly. I really wasn’t anticipating… I mean… yeah.”
I chuckled and pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck.
“Your laugh reminds me of sweet tea. Like on a really hot day, and the glass is sitting outside all beaded with condensation, and it’s the most goddamn refreshing thing.”
“Yeah? Guess I’ll take that over a murder of crows,” I replied, but inwardly filed that away as one of the most oddly genuine things anyone had ever said to me. I liked that Owen had visuals or scents or stories for almost everything that crossed his path, that he drew wild and weird and unexpected connections between one thing and another. I thought that was why I liked his songs so much, too. Like him, they moved in unexpected patterns and took surprising risks.
I didn’t have any inclination go anywhere, but after a moment, Owen nudged his hips back against mine.
“You gonna get that? That’s like the third time in a row.”
I blinked from my daze. My phone had been vibrating in my pocket intermittently for the last few minutes, but I hadn’t even connected the dots until Owen pointed it out. “I guess.” I had an idea who was calling, and I wasn’t in any particular hurry to answer.
I kept my eyes on Owen as I eased backward and tucked myself away, then swiped my hands over my shirt and pulled out my phone to accept the call, watching him as he straightened his clothes. He used the hem of his tee to clean himself up, then zipped up and raked strands of hair back from his forehead.
With his damp hair swept back from his face, the otherworldly architecture of his features was exposed, and it was easy to see he’d be one of those who grew more devastating with each passing year. And also that, Jesus, I needed to get a grip.
“What’s up, Byron?” Distracted and brusque, I lifted a finger to Owen to indicate he should wait.
My old manager chuckled into the receiver. “Like you don’t know.” Owen picked up his bag, mouthedgotta go, and then dragged his fingers across his lips like he was zipping them before flashing me a smile and a tiny wave as he ducked out the back door. “You ready to talk yet?”
Catching the door before it could close, I watched Owen hurry across the shop’s tiny parking lot to the larger tow lot next door where the owner let my employees park to save space. I rubbed a finger over my lips and jaw, the places that were still warm with him.
“Dan?”
I exhaled a long breath. “I reckon, yeah.”
Chapter 18
“Why are the three of you gathered like hens around feed?” Owen, Ivy, and Ru stood clustered at the front counter like a study in indie chic as I banged through the front door with my guitar case.
“Sunshine’s apartment flooded,” Ru supplied as I set my case behind the counter. I had a practice session later in the day with Ryder, same as every day that’d come before for the past three weeks. As promised, things had moved swiftly the second I agreed to Ryder’s offer, and I still hadn’t oriented myself in the whirlwind.
My gaze moved to Owen. “No shit?”
Owen nodded dejectedly as I found my own place to lean against the counter. “What’s the damage?”
“Tinsley doesn’t know yet. The sink pipe burst in the kitchen. She’s got someone coming out this afternoon to take a look. Said she’d need to hire some kind of professional cleaning service at least, though. The carpet’s toast, and the garage below got flooded, too.”
“I told him he could stay with me and Quinn for a few nights. Or maybe more it’s just—”
“You live in a loft and aren’t into exhibitionism?” Owen teased.
Ru flared his nostrils at Owen. “I mean, essentially. I’ve never experimented with it, though.”
“How about threesomes? I make a great third wheel.” Owen batted his lashes, and I clamped my lips together until it hurt in order to keep from interjecting. Three weeks later and that afternoon in the back of the shop was still running through my mind like something on fire, burning every sensible thought it touched. But we hadn’t repeated it.
“You can stay with me.” The words launched from my mouth abruptly, as if they were birds on a wire taking flight all at once. I knew Ru and Owen were just joking around like they always did, but that didn’t stop the irrational flare of jealousy in the pit of my stomach.
Three pairs of eyes treated me to varying renditions of shock, Owen’s being the biggest, wide-eyed display.
“Is it all that surprising of an offer?”