Falling for Owen

by Jennifer Ryan

  CLAIRE TAPPED THE last nail and hanger into the wall and grabbed the picture from the floor at her feet. She caught the wire on the metal hook and stood back, adjusting the frame just so. Perfect. The four sea scenes in pastel blues, purples, greens, and tans lined one wall of her sky-blue-colored master bath. They added to the tranquil feel she’d tried so hard to achieve with the muted walls, potted ferns, thick towels and rugs, and pretty light blue glass jars on the sand-colored granite countertops. She’d spent a small fortune to have the old-fashioned claw-foot tub refinished with the pretty silver feet. Totally worth it.

  The rest of the house may have been old and in need of repairs, but she’d get to them in time. Right now, her priority had been the master bedroom and bath. She deserved the luxury here. She worked long hours, and since her finances had been in such a mess, the only luxury she had was a decent night’s sleep in a soft bed.

  Too bad last night she’d barely slept at all, thinking about Owen and all the things he’d done for her. All the things she wanted him to do to her in that bed.

  She shook off the thoughts and studied her bathroom again. A few more sleepless nights and predawn decorating sessions and she might get the house in order. Finally.

  She’d do the living room next. That way when Owen came over, they’d have someplace comfortable to sit.

  She stopped in her tracks in the middle of her bedroom and considered that last thought and how easy it was to picture spending an evening on the couch watching a movie with Owen, cuddling together, and kissing. Definitely more kissing. The man knew how to make her knees go weak and her heart melt.

  Still, another man had done the same, and he’d turned her life upside down. Not in a good way.

  Owen didn’t compare to her ex. Sure, they were both extremely handsome men, but Owen had a sincerity and charm that drew her in. Her ex pulled it off in the beginning, but then she’d seen right through him because he wasn’t real. Everything he did always had an ulterior motive. Owen had a genuine goodness about him. She’d spent the first hour of dinner last night looking for any kind of hidden agenda behind his words and actions. After a while, she stopped looking for what wasn’t there and settled into learning as much about him as possible.

  The thought made her anxious to get to work and lunch with him. She stood a few feet from the dresser and stared at her image in the wall mirror. She slid her hands over her sides and the satin-and-lace nightie she’d slipped on last night rather than grabbing one of her favored old T-shirts or tank tops. Last night, thinking of Owen and feeling more like a woman than she had in a long time, she’d dug out the sexy lingerie her ex had barely noticed on her shortly after their marriage. Another red flag she should have noticed sooner.

  She gave herself a critical look. Not bad. Her full breasts filled out the tight bodice that barely contained or covered her. Slim, her hips flared softly to fill out the skirt that ended at her thighs. For the first time in years, she felt sexy. Owen made her feel sexy. Just thinking about him made her breasts feel heavy, her nipples tighten, and she clamped her thighs tight as her mind wandered to images of him running his hands over her body and freeing her from the silky barrier so he could set his hands on a journey over her heated skin.

  She sucked in a deep breath and shook off the erotic images. She needed to get to work. The sooner she did, the sooner she’d get to see Owen again.

  Giddy and feeling an excitement she hadn’t felt since dating in high school and college, she showered quickly and dressed in her favorite dark purple slacks and a cream-and-violet flower-print blouse. She’d have to be extra careful not to spill anything on it while she baked this morning. She even dug out her pretty lingerie. A lavender bra-and-panty set she’d bought to make her feel pretty and feminine when she’d felt anything but desirable after her marriage fell apart. Wearing it today made her feel sexy and naughty and daring.

  She wished she could wear a pair of heels, but her feet still hurt and the stitches didn’t come out for several more days. The sandals didn’t exactly complete the outfit, but they’d do for now.

  She walked downstairs, grabbed her purse, and went to the front door. She hesitated, looking out the windows, studying the front yard and driveway, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Everything seemed fine, but still she hesitated. Not even six in the morning, the sun hadn’t quite cleared the hills, leaving most of her yard in dark gray shadows.

  “Come on, Claire. You can’t lock yourself away in the house forever.”

  She tapped in the code on the security panel, unlocked the door, stepped out onto the porch, and closed and locked the door again. She waited for the last beep on the alarm signaling it was armed and walked to her car, grateful to Owen for putting in the system and saving her sanity. She may not have slept well, but she hadn’t stood guard listening for every little sound because she knew if someone got into the house, the alarm would sound and someone would call Owen.

  She didn’t like this need to know he’d come if something happened, but on the other hand, it felt good to know he thought enough to take care of her and wanted to know if something happened to her. It may have started as some misguided obligation because of his client’s ex, but after last night, the kiss and evening they shared, she felt it had turned into a personal duty for him. Independent and able to stand on her own, that didn’t mean she couldn’t accept Owen’s help without losing her pride.

  She unlocked the car door and slid into the seat, rushing to relock the door. She put her hands on the steering wheel and tried to calm her racing heart with a few deep breaths. She hated feeling this way.

  The drive to town helped to calm her, until she arrived at her shop, parked, and walked to the back door. The dark windows and empty, creepy alleyway sent another chill up her spine. She raced to unlock the door, rush inside, and slam the door behind her. She twisted the bolt into place and flicked on the lights. She spun around to sweep her gaze across the kitchen and office area, searching for Dale.

  Alone and creeping herself out for no good reason, she tossed her purse on the desk in her small office and went to the ovens and turned them on. She pulled on her smock over her outfit, buttoned it, and pulled the ingredients from the cupboards and refrigerator to make muffins. By the time she finished the last batch of scones, brownies, and cookies, pulled the tray of triple-berry tarts from the oven, and took delivery of the bagels and breads, Gayle arrived just before seven to help her with the morning crowd. The shop smelled wonderful and her nerves dissipated. She fell into routine, busy with her customers and restocking the display case.

  Most of her customers came in the morning. Though the lunch crowd was steady most days, the diner down the street got most of the business. People in town tended to opt for burgers and other hot meals over her sandwich, wrap, panini, and salad selection. Several different groups of ladies met at her place each week on different days for book clubs, “mommy meetings,” and get-togethers with friends. She enjoyed watching the close-knit groups and envied their weekly lunches and the camaraderie they enjoyed.

  She and Gayle were the best of friends, but the difference in their ages kept a distance between them. They were at different places in their lives. Still, she relied on Gayle’s wisdom and motherly advice when she needed it.

  “It’s almost time for you to go. Don’t want to be late for your date.”

  “It’s not a date. I’m repaying him for a favor. That’s all.”

  “Everyone in town knows about your dinner date last night.”

  “We had a good time, but it wasn’t exactly a date. Brody and Rain joined us.”

  “Meeting his family already.” Gayle gave her a knowing smile.

  “Stop. It’s not like that.”

  “It’s not?”

  “He wanted to do something nice for me because of what happened.”

  “Stop kidding yourself and talking yourself out of knowing he likes you and wants to get to know you better. If he didn’t, why would he make a date wi
th you for lunch today when he saw you last night?”

  “I set myself up for that when I told him I needed to pay him back for the alarm system and lights he put up at my house.”

  “He’s the most eligible bachelor in town. He’s got a great job and makes better than decent money. He’s also known for being generous whenever there’s a need for a donation for one thing or another in this town. He probably could care less if you paid him back. He wants to see you. So go in the back, get yourself pretty, and I’ll finish packing up the meal you spent twenty minutes preparing.”

  “It’s too much,” she admitted, self-conscious she’d gone to so much trouble to make the perfect lunch and presentation.

  “It’s perfect. He’ll see you put a lot of effort into this date because it matters to you. You’ll see, he’ll appreciate it.”

  “I’m trying too hard. He’ll think I’m desperate.”

  “If I had a gorgeous, kind man like him waiting for me, I’d be desperate to see him, too.”

  “You don’t think this is moving too fast?”

  “What? Dinner one night and lunch the next day. That’s not fast, honey, that’s getting-to-know-you time. So go. Get to know him better and enjoy the afternoon. This place will be quiet for the next few hours, so don’t feel you have to rush back.”

  “It’s lunch, not a weekend getaway.”

  “Well, if it turns into a weekend getaway, don’t you worry about the store. I’ll lock up tonight.” Gayle smiled and tried to hold back a laugh when she scowled at her.

  She wanted to grab the lunch basket she’d made and make a clean getaway, but she took Gayle’s advice and went to the back bathroom and brushed out her long hair. She swiped on some tinted lip balm and pressed her lips together to even out the color. Nervous and giddy at the same time, she pressed both hands to her fluttering belly and studied her face in the mirror.

  “It’s just lunch. That’s all.”

  Still, she hesitated. She squared her shoulders, spun on her heel, walked back to the front counter, and grabbed the basket Gayle had just finished packing with the last of the items she’d put together.

  Without a word, she headed for the door.

  “Have fun,” Gayle called, and she sailed through the door.

  With her nerves in a tangle, easier said than done.

  Chapter Sixteen

  * * *

  OWEN CHECKED THE time on his laptop for the fifth time in two minutes. He should have asked to see her for breakfast. Or stayed at her place last night. Not that she’d asked him to, or indicated she wanted him to stay. She wasn’t the sleep-with-a-guy-on-the-first-date kind of woman anyway. It had been one hell of a date too, despite Brody’s interference. Still, Claire had a good time and made a friend in Rain, who’d called him this morning with some random question about whether he remembered the softball game this weekend. Of course he remembered, Rain just wanted to ask him about Claire. He told her the truth. He liked her. A lot.

  The morning dragged into afternoon slower than the courts doled out justice for many of his cases. He checked in with Dylan to see if he had any leads on Dale, but they had nothing, and other cases took priority at this point. For all they knew, Dale skipped town and wouldn’t be back. Owen didn’t think so. Dale had a thing for Shannon that went beyond reason, which is why he’d fixated on Owen’s involvement in what he believed was Owen taking away his wife.

  His fingers flew across the keys, but his mind wasn’t really on the notes he typed out for his upcoming court appearance. He needed to see her, to know she’d made it to work this morning and everything was fine. Hell, he just wanted to look at her again. Images of her kept him up half the night. Most of them had been sex-filled dreams of her tempting him into a passion he’d never felt and craved like nothing else. Tired beyond reason, he’d fallen into a deep sleep in the early morning hours and woken out of a nightmare where Dale had killed Claire and taunted him with mocking laughter that Owen would never have her.

  Owen shook off the nightmare even now, telling himself she was fine. He tapped out another sentence and tried to concentrate on each point he needed to make on his client’s behalf. All he wanted was for time to speed up and one thirty to arrive so he could spend time with Claire.

  When was the last time he felt this anxious to see a woman? Never. Oh, there’d been women in his life he enjoyed spending time with and even looked forward to seeing again and again, but nothing like this. She was different. Seeing her with Brody and Rain last night, the way she fit in with them, with him, showed him that it might be possible for him to have what Brody and Rain shared. He didn’t know if he’d have that same kind of deep love with Claire, but there was something there. Something he wanted to explore and build on until he knew for sure one way or the other. The thought of this turning into something lasting didn’t faze him in the least. Hell, he welcomed it if he got to spend time with her.

  “Hi.” Her soft voice broke into his concentration. He stared at the jumble of nonsense on his screen and sighed. He should be thinking about his client and winning his case, instead of daydreaming about a woman, but he couldn’t seem to help himself where she was concerned.

  He looked up and his insides knotted. She leaned against the door frame, trying to look casual, but ended up looking sexy as hell with her head tipped just so and her long golden hair hanging over one shoulder and down her chest.

  “Damn, you’re more beautiful today than yesterday.”

  She smiled shyly and her gaze fell to the floor before coming back up to meet his. “I brought lunch.”

  All I want is you.

  “I’m starved,” he said instead of giving in to his baser needs and leaping up from his desk and diving for her.

  “Shall we eat in here?”

  He hit SAVE on his laptop, though he should have probably deleted just about all the rubbish he’d written over the last hour. Maybe he’d salvage some of it after lunch when he’d had his Claire fix and could hopefully think clearly again.

  He stood and came around the desk. She smelled of flowers and baked goods. Musky and sweet and tempting. His mouth watered. He wanted to kiss her, but held back and tried to pull off “casual,” even if he felt nervous. He wanted this to go well, so he could see her again.

  “Let’s go down the hall to my library. It’s more comfortable in there.”

  “I hope you don’t mind my coming back. Janine wasn’t out front, so I let myself in.”

  “No problem. She took a late lunch, too.”

  “We’re alone?”

  “Yeah. Why? Does that bother you?”

  “No.” The word came too fast, but she smiled. “I just wondered if maybe you had an aunt or cousin joining us today.”

  He laughed. “It’s just you and me. Thank God. I really did want to have dinner alone with you last night. I had no idea Brody and Rain would join us.”

  They walked down the hall and entered the library.

  “It’s fine. I’m just teasing. I liked them a lot, and I really did have a great time last night.”

  “I’m glad. We’ll do it again soon.”

  “Double date with your brother?”

  “Well, I meant go to dinner, but yeah, I guess it would be fun to double date with them again.”

  “I’d like that.”

  She gave him another of those shy smiles he liked so much. They stood in the archway to the library. An awkward silence settled between them as he stared down at her.

  “All I want to do is kiss you.”

  “Maybe you should, so I can eat without thinking about it constantly.”

  He cupped her face and leaned in, though the basket she held in front of her kept him from getting too close. Probably better that way, or he’d have her sprawled beneath him on the floor.

  He brushed his thumbs over her soft cheeks and stared down into her beautiful green eyes. His lips hovered over hers. “I don’t think anything will stop me from thinking about you.”

  He reme
mbered the taste of her, the way she made his blood run hot, but he’d forgotten the sweetness of her that made his heart stop and everything inside him want to protect and keep her safe forever. She touched something deep inside of him and drew out all the feelings and emotions he’d never known he possessed. He fought to keep the kiss gentle and light, despite some great warrior inside of him demanding to strip her bare, sink his hard cock inside of her, and claim her as his prize.

  Maybe he’d do it anyway, because he liked feeling this way about her. Still, she probably didn’t come today to be mauled by the guy who got her attacked just the other night. Shifting his thinking to match the kiss, he pressed his lips to hers and held it for a moment, letting her settle into him before he brushed his lips to hers again and stood back and looked down at her upturned face and the pretty flush of pink on her cheeks.

  “See, it didn’t work. I’m still thinking about kissing you,” he teased.

  “Maybe we should try that again.”

  To his surprise, she shifted the basket to her side, reached up and grabbed his tie, pulled him down, and planted her lips over his. He’d kept things light, but she took him under with one sweep of her tongue against his lips. Every thought fled his mind but one: Closer. He needed to be closer to her. His hand slipped under her silky hair to the back of her neck, careful not to hit the lump on her head. He held her close, his tongue tangling with hers until the hand wrapped around his tie turned and, palm to his chest, she gently pushed him away, their mouths separating at the very last second when he could no longer reach her. She held him at arm’s length and inhaled deeply, letting it go on a sigh. Her heavy eyelids told him he’d affected her as much as she’d affected him.

  “Want to try that one more time?” he asked, holding back a smile when she stared up at him and shook her head no.

  “Not if we’re ever going to eat.”

  He took her cue and held out his hand, indicating she should enter the room. She shifted the basket again. He took it from her. “Let’s sit on the sofa.”