Page 31

TWENTY-SEVEN

Owen

NOW

I wasn’t lying when I’d told her how much I liked her here. In my apartment, in my bed. In my arms.

Waking up with Ellie nestled into me, scooting back until her ass pressed into my morning wood, wasn’t something I’d ever thought would happen for us. Not after everything. But I couldn’t complain when this was how it had ended up.

Make me yours, Owen. Only yours.

She was slowly slipping back into my heart, and that terrified me. Because I knew how easy it had been for her to leave before.

Damn, it would be easier if the chemistry between us wasn’t so strong. If I didn’t want to spend every day just like this. Buried inside of her. Seeing my number tattooed on her. Nothing would compare. I knew that now.

Thrusting inside of her, I savored the feel of her wrapped around me. Of being bare, nestled in her warmth.

“Ellie.” I kissed her neck as I slid to the hilt, her gasp filling the room. “ Fuuuck , I missed you.” I closed my eyes, trying to savor the feeling. She felt so good. So perfect. So mine .

How could I ever let her go? I couldn’t. I’d been lying to myself all these years. It was why I’d stayed away.

But she was here now. She’d moved here for me. I knew she had. What I couldn’t figure out was why.

“Owen,” she groaned, wiggling her hips beneath me. “I need you to move.”

“I know, baby.” I interlaced our fingers, resting my forehead against hers. “I know.” Pressing my lips against hers, I stroked my tongue into her mouth before pulling back, thrusting inside her with earnest.

She gasped as I bottomed out, fucking her harder with each stroke. Her nails dug into my back and I relished the feeling. Every sensation was heightened.

“Oh god,” she cried, tightening around me.

“Yes, that’s it,” I encouraged her, rocking my hips. “Don’t hold back. Let me hear you.” She whined as I pulled out before slamming back in, her hips rising in time to meet each thrust of mine. Each snap of my hips was met with a cry, and fuck me. I was going to come way too fast. There was no way I was lasting. “You feel so damn good, baby. Look how good you take all of me.”

Ellie squeezed her insides around my cock, and I let out a low groan. “Fuck. El.” I dropped my head against her chest as I held myself still. “That’s too good. You feel too good. I’m barely hanging on here.”

She ran her fingers through my hair, raking them over my scalp. “So let go, Owen. Give it to me.” Her pussy clamped down around my cock again. “I’m so close,” she moaned against my ear. “I can feel you so deep.” Her eyes shut, head thrown back in pleasure, and fuck me.

Ellie had already come on my fingers, but I wanted to feel her come on my cock, too. I was pretty sure nothing else would compare to the feeling of being inside of her bare, especially with the way her cunt gripped me tight. Each time I pulled out and surged back in, fucking her in a steady rhythm, her body clung to me like she didn’t want to let me go.

My fingers dug into her hips, holding her steady as I rutted into her like a beast. The room was filled with the sounds of skin against skin, of groans and labored breaths as we lost ourselves in each other. Her tight, wet heat was a paradise I’d never thought I would experience again, but fuck, if it wasn’t better each time.

“Touch your pretty little clit, baby. I need you to come one more time. Need to feel you clenching around my cock. Please.” A gasp left her lips as I dipped my head down, running my tongue over her hardened nipples. I nipped and sucked at her breasts, lavishing both with equal attention. “Give me one more. I want you to soak me in your juices. Make me a mess.”

Never mind that I wanted to make her a mess. That I wanted to see her painted in my cum, to be marked with my release in a way I could never take back.

Her cries deepened as she reached down, running her index finger over her clit and down to where we were connected. She gathered some of that wetness before rubbing a steady circle on that bundle of nerves.

“There you go,” I praised her. “Such a good girl for me.”

Ellie’s head fell back as her fingers rubbed over her clit, her eyes fluttering shut as her breathing deepened. “ Yes ,” she keened. “I’m so close. Don’t stop.”

“Never,” I promised.

I could feel the moment her orgasm hit her, wave after wave of pleasure wracking her frame as her pussy convulsed on my shaft. Slowing the snap of my hips to shallow, pointed strokes, I followed closely behind her, pulling out at the last possible second and spilling onto her thighs, painting her skin with my seed. Neither of us moved for a moment as we both caught our breath.

Ellie hummed as I swiped my fingers through it, rubbing it into her skin. Our eyes caught, and she giggled. “Well, we definitely made a mess.”

“That we did.” I heaved her up into my arms before climbing off the bed and heading towards my shower.

“Owen!” she protested, squirming in my hold. “Put me down.” Her lips formed an adorable pout, and I wanted to kiss it off of her.

“What?” I asked, innocently. “I got you all dirty. Now, I’m going to clean you up.” I winked, setting her down on the edge of the tub as I stepped in my walk-in shower to turn the hot water on.

Once I decided it was hot enough, I grabbed her hand, tugging her in behind me and guiding her under the warm spray. Letting the water fall down her body, admiring the look of her naked and wet. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. That had never changed.

She sunk her teeth into her lower lip as I stepped closer, running my fingers through my wet hair.

“Hi,” I whispered.

“Hey.” Ellie gave me a soft smile.

“I always wanted to do this with you,” I admitted.

Her eyes shut, and she leaned her forehead against my chest. “There were a lot of things we didn’t get to do, huh?” There were. And I intended to make up for our lost time. All five years of it. We might have missed out on college together, but there were still so many things ahead in our future.

But would she want to be by my side for all of it?

There was so much on the line. This was a distraction I knew I couldn’t afford, but I wanted it anyway. Wanted her. If she wanted to be here, by my side.

I ran my hands down her side before squeezing her hips.

“Owen,” she murmured, her gaze finding and holding mine.

Dipping my head down, I pressed a soft kiss to her lips before grabbing a bottle of my body wash and pouring a small amount into my palm. Kneeling in front of her, I rubbed up her legs, washing her thighs with care.

“I can do it myself,” she insisted.

“Let me,” I murmured, treating each inch of her reverently. She was so soft, and I wanted her to feel taken care of. We’d never gotten a moment like this before, and I sure as hell wasn’t passing up on the opportunity now. Even if I had to ignore my rapidly hardening cock. I couldn’t help it—just touching her like this made me want her.

Running my fingers over her slit, I cleaned her delicately. While I hated she was no longer covered in my scent, I wanted her to know how precious she was. Because maybe, just maybe, if she saw how good this would be, she would stay.

After our shower, I wrapped Ellie in a warm, fluffy towel and dried her off, feeling satisfied at taking care of her. Once I’d finished washing her hair, she’d dropped to her knees and surprised me by wrapping her lips around the head of my cock. I’d come embarrassingly fast, but it was impossible to hold back with her mouth on me and the sight of her naked in my shower.

She stretched out her arms on my bed, looking cozy but well-sated. The towel was wrapped around her breasts, giving me just the slightest peek at the swells as she laid back. “Well, I definitely didn’t expect that when I fell asleep last night.”

I chuckled, rummaging through my drawers. My duffel bag was still on the floor from where I left it last night, and I needed to unpack and do a load of laundry, but that would have to wait for later. “I didn’t expect to find you in my bed.” My voice was rough, and I cleared it, turning back to her to find her watching me.

She did her best to look bashful. “I don’t regret it. ”

“Neither do I,” I admitted. I could never regret her. Even if it ruined everything.

“Good.” Ellie hummed softly. “I missed you,” she said, her voice a low whisper.

Running my fingers through my still damp hair, I pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of boxers. “I wasn’t even gone a week.”

“No.” Ellie shook her head, like she knew I’d misunderstood her. “For the last few years, I missed you .”

Missing her was an understatement. Dropping my towel, I pulled on the boxers before padding over to where she still lay, dark blonde strands still wet as she rolled onto her side in bed to watch me. “Well, you’re here now.” I kissed her cheek. “What do you think? Should we eat some breakfast?”

She hummed, stretching out like a cat, the towel slipping off her body, freeing those tits I’d had my mouth all over earlier. “Probably would be good. I should put some clothes on. Let me go grab something from my room?—”

“Here. Just wear mine.” I handed her the old Seals t-shirt I grabbed, watching as she wiggled it on over her frame. “Come on.” I stood up, holding out a hand to her. “Let’s get some food in you.”

“Owen.” She blushed. “You don’t have to?—”

Take care of her? “I do,” I insisted. Some part of me—whatever feral, caveman part it was—needed to feed her. To make sure she was taken care of. It was the same part of me that got hard just from seeing her wearing my t-shirt and knowing she’d slept in my bed. “We never got to do this before. Waking up together. Bathing in the afterglow. Let’s just enjoy this.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

Yeah, I was an idiot. The guys would certainly think so. But I couldn’t deny the part of me that had wanted her here always. That had jumped at the opportunity to have Ellie under the same roof as me. Knowing she was in the city was bad enough, but in my apartment? In my bed ?

Maybe all along, I’d known this would happen. I hadn’t wanted to stop it. We were inevitable. This was inevitable.

Ellie nodded. “But we need to talk.”

“We do.” I sighed, dropping a kiss to her cheek. “Later.”

I didn’t want to ruin it. There were so many things we needed to clear up. But we’d been open and honest with each other about this, hadn’t we? Maybe we could keep it like that. Because part of me knew that once she told me whatever she’d been holding back, everything would change. And from the worry in her eyes, maybe it wouldn’t be for the better.

Could we survive one more thing that would break us?

I interlaced our fingers together as I tugged her towards the kitchen. Lifting her up so she could sit on the counter, I pulled out the ingredients to make eggs and bacon. Normally I tried to stick to a pretty healthy diet during the season, carefully monitoring my intake of food to make sure I followed the nutrition plan the team nutritionist gave us, which was the main reason I wasn’t making pancakes right now.

“Mmm.” Ellie swung her legs as she watched me. “I never thought I’d see you cooking shirtless in the kitchen.”

“Well, get used to it,” I said, leaning over to press a kiss to her forehead. “Because I can’t think of a better way to start my Sunday morning than with you.”

With my girl.

Words I held back, because I needed to figure out where her head was at.

If she would stay.