Page 46 of Wish You Were Mine (Kings of Eden Falls #3)

OWEN

Lucy and I were pressed together, her back against the wall, my hands firm on her waist. The faint light from the kitchen spilled in behind me, casting her in a soft silhouette. And still, I couldn’t catch my breath.

This girl.

I’d spent so many nights imagining what it would feel like to have her in my arms again. But my memory hadn’t done her justice. Not even close.

Because kissing Lucy wasn’t just electric or intoxicating—it was otherworldly. Like time slowed down just to give me this moment. Like everything else in my life had been in grayscale until she touched me.

After weeks of pretending we were just friends—of stuffing down every glance, every brush of her hand that made my heart beat faster—she was finally here. With me. Her lips swollen from our kiss, her body molding to mine like it was the only place she was ever meant to be.

And I was coming apart at the seams.

I didn’t just want her. I needed her. Not in a fleeting way. Not like a fix to take the edge off. I needed her in a way that made it hard to think straight. Hard to remember why we ever told ourselves this was off-limits.

I’d convinced myself a moment ago that this would be enough. That I’d come out on the other side with the craving dulled.

But being this close? Wrapped around her in the dark?

It was doing the exact opposite.

Instead of satiating my need for this girl, it only made me want more. More of her sighs. More of her skin beneath my hands and lips. More of the way she looked at me, like I was something she’d been aching for, too.

I shifted, turning us slowly until my back met the wall. My knees were about to give out, and the last thing I wanted was to drop her. So I slid down, bringing her with me, my hands steady at her waist.

She didn’t say a word. Just settled onto my lap like she belonged there—her knees on either side of my hips, her weight warm and perfect against me.

“We probably should’ve found a less cramped place to do this,” I murmured, voice rough as I looked up at her.

“Probably.” Her lips curved, the softest whisper of a smile.

But then, as if she didn’t actually mind the cramped quarters, she was kissing me again.

Soft at first—testing, teasing—and then deeper. Her tongue tangled with mine, igniting instant heat between us, like a match struck in the dark.

I groaned into her mouth, my hands roaming, sliding up her sides, tracing the elegant line of her spine through the thin fabric of her dress. Every brush of her body against mine made my pulse stutter, made the air in my lungs disappear.

She made a soft, involuntary sound, and I swear, it nearly undid me .

Because that noise?

It wasn’t just desire. It was trust.

Surrender.

Like she was as wrecked by this moment as I was.

Like maybe I wasn’t the only one who’d fallen so hard.

I curled my fingers into the fabric at her hips. Anchoring her…or maybe anchoring myself. I couldn’t tell anymore.

But one thing was clear: I didn’t want to stop. I didn’t want to go back to keeping our distance. Ever.

She exhaled softly, her breath mixing with mine as her fingers slipped beneath my shirt, slow and searching—as if she was looking for something solid in all this heat and wanting.

“I can’t even think when you kiss me like this,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, like it had been pulled straight from the center of her.

And that wrecked me.

Because maybe I wasn’t the only one losing control.

Maybe she was right there with me.

“I’m having a hard time thinking, too,” I admitted.

She leaned forward, her chest pressing flush against mine, and I swear I felt it all the way to my toes.

My hands slid lower, finding her thighs, bare and warm beneath the hem of her dress.

I curled my fingers there, grounding myself in the feel of her, in this impossibly perfect moment I never wanted to end.

And then?—

Footsteps.

Coming down the stairs.

We froze in unison, like someone had yanked the emergency brake on the universe, causing every cell in my body to go on high alert.

Because we were in a dark pantry. Alone. Tangled up. And this was not a moment we could explain away.

Not to Theo .

Not to anyone.

Not without ruining everything.

From outside the pantry, I heard Theo muttering to himself, something that sounded like “She must be reverting.” And it took me a second to realize he was probably talking about Charlotte.

Lucy’s eyes widened. When Theo’s footsteps got closer, I worried he was coming down for a midnight snack. But his footsteps continued on, and a moment later, the front door creaked.

“I better get out there,” Lucy whispered, already straightening her dress, her voice breathless. “If he doesn’t see me, he might come looking.”

I nodded, still trying to catch my own breath, and she slipped out the door.

I got myself to my feet and leaned back against the shelves, dragging a hand through my hair.

That was so close.

Way too close.

Seconds later, I heard the door open again—Theo returning.

“Where’d you come from?” His voice came from the other room. “Were you in here when I walked by a second ago?”

“I was just putting some tablecloths in the laundry room,” she said, her tone light, easy. “Is Charlotte already asleep?”

“Not yet.” Theo grunted. “Had another accident, so she’s just getting dressed after her bath.”

“Oh, I’m sorry about that.”

“Yeah,” Theo said. “I don’t know what’s going on. She’s having so many accidents. Has a harder time going to daycare lately, too. I wonder if anything happened that’s making her revert.”

“I hope not,” Lucy said, concern in her voice.

“Me too. I’ll have to ask her teachers if they’ve noticed anything.” There was a brief pause and then he asked, “Hey, is Owen still here?”

“Owen?” Lucy asked, her voice raising a notch.

“Uh, I guess you know him better as Professor Park,” Theo said. “I’m pretty sure I saw his car out front just now.”

Oh crap.

That wasn’t good.

Should I just come out now?

Formulating a quick plan in my head, I stepped out of the pantry, doing my best to look casual and not like a man who had just been making out with his friend’s sister.

“Hey—sorry,” I said, rubbing the back of my neck. “I, uh…realized I left my phone somewhere. Lucy let me back in to look.”

“You left it in the pantry?” Theo’s brow arched.

I shrugged casually as I could manage. “Must’ve set it down while I was grabbing something from up high during the party.”

Theo studied me for a second, his eyes narrowing just slightly…then he nodded. “Well…glad you found it.”

Crisis mostly averted.

“Actually,” he added, “while you’re still here, I was wondering if you wanted to come to Lucy’s gymnastics meet with me tomorrow. It was fun last time. And since we’re up against your alma mater…”

My eyes flicked to Lucy, who was working hard to keep her face calm, and back to Theo.

“Sure,” I said, mustering a small smile. “That sounds fun.”

Yep…yay for sitting beside Theo while watching his sister flip across the mat in spandex, pretending I hadn’t kissed her senseless the night before.