My Salvation

by Michelle Dare

  “Nope!” Cali exclaimed. “Holy shit, Owen. What you do is amazing! You must be thrilled with the success you’ve had. I can’t believe Rhea never told me.”

  “We didn’t talk too much.”

  “That’s great, Owen. So, you’re like some big shot CEO now?”

  Laughing, he said, “No, not at all. I own and run the company, but I consider the employees part of my family. We’re close and I make sure they are taken care of. We get tight deadlines and they have to miss time with their families. I make sure everyone gets rewarded. Missing family time is a big sacrifice to make.”

  “Every company should be run that way, but unfortunately they aren’t.”

  “Enough about me,” he said, obviously trying to change the subject. “I want to hear about you. What have you been doing?”

  Cali was a little embarrassed. She was having dinner with someone, whom she can only imagine is very wealthy, and there she sat, jobless.

  “Ummm … I’m currently in between jobs. I just quit before coming back to the lake.”

  “You didn’t like what you were doing?”

  “There was more to it. I didn’t like the people I worked with and the pay was crap. I don’t want to stay at a job that doesn’t make me happy. Plus, I’m all right if I don’t work for a bit.” The last sentence made Cali’s thoughts drift to Rhea and how she came to afford that particular luxury. She didn’t want the money or the cabin. What she wanted was her aunt back.

  * * * * * * * *

  Seeing the difference in Cali’s face, Owen decided to change the subject. Knowing Rhea had left her everything, he also knew she didn’t want to speak of the way she came by the money and suddenly stopped talking. A change of subject was in order.

  “No boyfriend?”

  Seeming to come back to reality, she turned her head toward him and said, “No, no boyfriend.”

  “I’m surprised. Last I heard you were dating someone, but that was years ago.”

  “Oh, probably Zach. He was an asshole and cheated on me. I haven’t been in a serious relationship since.”

  “I’m sorry you went through that. He was an idiot for not seeing what was right in front of him.”

  “It’s okay. Doesn’t bother me anymore. He isn’t even worth thinking about,” Cali said.

  They sat in silence for a bit, then packed everything and got back into the truck for the short drive to the cabins. Once on the road Cali broke the silence. “What’s going on with you? No hot chick rocking your world?”

  Owen almost said yeah, you, but chose not to. He didn’t want to scare her off. Instead he chose to say, “No one in my life. I work a lot and there aren’t many women who want to deal with someone so busy with work. Plus I’m not much of a bar guy, so it’s harder for me to meet someone.”

  Parking the truck in the gravel path between the cabins, Owen hopped out and opened the door for Cali. He reached for her hand to help her step out. She smiled and took his offered hand.

  Owen continued to hold her hand as they walked to the front door. He slowly ran his thumb across the back of her hand, caressingly the skin slowly. Cali tightened her grip. He felt like a teenager returning his date home for the night.

  Once the door was in front of them, they turned toward one another. Owen brought his hand to her face and slowly traced from her forehead to her jawline with his fingertips, finally resting his hand on the back of her neck. He slowly bent and kissed her gently on the lips.

  Cali brought both of her hands to either side of Owen’s face, pulling him closer, intensifying the kiss. She ran her tongue along the seam of his lips seeking permission. He didn’t hesitate opening. He had been waiting to kiss her for far too long. In that moment, he would have allowed her to do anything.

  Owen brought his other hand to her side, slowly moving it down and lightly brushing the outside of her breast. He felt her suck in a breath at the touch, then relaxed and leaned into him. He continued to move, brushing over her breast until he could feel her hard nipple through the bra.

  Moving his thumb over her nipple, teasing ever so slowly, she moaned into his mouth in response. Owen barely resisted dragging her inside and living out his fantasies, because now wasn’t the time. He didn’t want to rush and waited long enough, a little longer wasn’t going to kill him.

  After another few minutes of kissing and teasing, Owen placed his hands on Cali’s hips and slowly pulled away. They were both breathing heavily. He ran his thumb over her bottom lip and said, “Thank you for being my date tonight. Can we do this again?”

  Cali took his thumb into her mouth and ran her tongue along it. Owen groaned and pulled her closer. She released his thumb, a slow smile crept across her face, knowing damn well the affect she had.

  “Why don’t you come over tomorrow at six and I’ll have dinner ready for us?”

  “I would love to.”

  Leaning down, he kissed Cali lightly on the lips and moved his mouth over to kiss the sensitive spot under her ear. Whispering, he said, “I’ve waited ten years to kiss you again and I’m not going to let go so easily this time.”

  Cali said nothing, just stared into his eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Caliana.”

  Owen descended the steps and went over to his cabin. He unlocked the door, but before going inside, glanced over to see Cali still standing in the same spot he had left her in. Smiling, he stepped through the door.

  ~ 4 ~

  The next afternoon Cali went to the grocery store and bought everything needed to make her mom’s famous beef stew. Every man she had ever met loved that meal. Hopefully Owen would too.

  She wasn’t sure if they were officially dating or if casual was a better way of defining their status. If she were being honest with herself, dating Owen was something she has always wanted, but never thought would happen. His touch ignited a flame inside of her. One she never felt with anyone else. Cali decided to go with the flow and not over think everything. She’d been single for awhile now and the feeling of someone paying attention to her was welcome.

  Cali kept herself busy all afternoon with cooking and cleaning. She jumped into the shower at five and made sure to shave everything. She had hopes of continuing what was started on the porch the night before.

  Going to her closet, she needed to find something sexy, but casual to wear. She decided on an off the shoulder light pink top and a pair of khaki shorts. After applying light makeup and using a curling iron to make her long brown curls more defined, she was ready. By the time she looked at the clock, she noticed she only had ten minutes to spare.

  Going to the kitchen, she finished preparing dinner. At six o’clock on the dot, a knock broke the silence. Opening the heavy, wooden door she saw one very sexy man.

  Owen was dressed in dark denim jeans and a dark green polo shirt. He was holding a bouquet of pink roses. Handing them to her he said, “I hope you like roses.”

  “I do and they are beautiful.” She brought the soft, pink petals to her nose to breathe in the sweet scent.

  She stepped aside so Owen could come in and watched as he walked by. The jeans hugged his ass perfectly and the shirt formed over his arms and chest just enough so you could see how built he was.

  She didn’t have a formal dining room, rather an eat-in kitchen. She grabbed a vase out of one of the kitchen cabinets, filled the glass container with water and placed the roses inside. Setting them on the kitchen table, she asked Owen to have a seat and said she would bring a plate out for him.

  “I hope you like beef stew.”

  “I love it. Making dinner tonight was very kind of you.”

  “This was nothing, really. It’s nice to have someone to cook for other than myself.”

  Smiling, she set a plate in front of him, and one for herself as well. They ate and talked through dinner. She asked how work went and he asked what she did today. She liked how easily the conversation flowed.

  After dinner they decided to bring some of Cali’s Adirondack chair
s down to the lake and build a fire in the pit. The sky was clear and the stars twinkled overhead. The moon reflected beautifully off of the lake and the only noises to be heard were the gentle lapping of the water, crickets chirping, and the crackle of the fire.

  They sat in silence for a bit when she caught Owen smiling at her. “What are you smiling at?”

  “Come over here.”

  Getting up, Cali walked to him. He took her hand in his and pulled her into his lap. She reached up to gently rub the stubble on his face before leaning in and placing a feather-light kiss upon his lips.

  With a gruff voice he said, “Don’t tease me, Cali.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of teasing you.”

  He reached up to her neck and pulled her lips to his. The sound of him moaning fueled an internal fire. She reached up and grabbed the hair on the back of his head while she used her tongue to stroke his.

  Cali could feel him harden beneath her. She knew for sure of the affect she had on him. There were only two other cabins nearby and they were on the other side of Owen’s. Where they were seated in front of Cali’s cabin, no one could see, especially in the dark. He reached up and softly starting massaging her breasts. His fingertips found her nipples and pinched them causing her back to arch.

  Standing so she could straddle him, Owen grabbed her hips and placed her in the spot he wanted her most. He started to kiss along her jawline, toward her ear and back to her mouth. She ground her hips into him as he held her in place.

  She grabbed the shirt she was wearing and lifted it off. Owen brought the straps of the lacy, white bra low to expose her perfect breasts. He leaned forward and took one of her nipples into his mouth to suck and nip while she continued to rub against his hard length.

  Cali started undoing his jeans. She couldn’t take much more. She was getting close to climax from just the friction alone. Reaching in, she pulled his cock free and wrapped her hands around him. He thrust into her hand and she stroked him quickly.

  Owen kissed a trail from her chest to her collar bone and back to her neck until he found those sensual lips. He brought his hand to her shorts and opened the zipper. She felt him reach inside and brush her panties aside. His finger parted her lips and spread her wetness.

  Her hands went to his shoulders, her head tipped back and she started to moan. She was ready and knew she wasn’t going to last. He stroked her slowly before pushing one finger inside. She bucked against him as he added another finger. She was shameless, riding his hand.

  He made small circles over her clit, sending her soaring. Her body shook and her mouth found his as she starting coming back to earth. Cali’s heart was pounding and her breath was coming fast. It was her turn to take care of him now, but wasn’t sure she wanted their first time to be outside in a chair.

  His cock was rock hard when she took him in her hand. She pumped her fist as another hand gently caressed his balls. Cali’s thumb moved over the tip to collect the pre-cum. Owen gripped her hips as she continued rubbing him.

  Their lips met and the kiss was hungry, full of lust and need. She felt his legs stiffen and knew he was almost there. A few more strokes and his hips pushed skyward as he came. Owen’s arms were wrapped around her, chests touching, as he shot onto both of their stomachs and her hand.

  “Holy hell,” he said.

  “I know.”

  He lowered his gaze and pulled his shirt over his head to remove the mess from himself. Cali sucked in a breath at the sight of his solid chest. She took in his large, muscular arms, strong shoulders and neck, and washboard abs. Resisting the urge to drag her tongue over his entire body as he cleaned the result from his orgasm off of her.

  * * * * * * * *

  Owen saw headlights come into view as a car pulled into the gravel drive, stopping between their cabins. Cali moved to put her shirt back on quickly. A tall man got out of the car and he immediately knew who had stopped by.

  “Fuck,” he said while zipping his jeans.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Get inside. I’ll come over as soon as I can get him to leave.”

  “Who is it?”

  “My brother,” he growled.

  He didn’t want Ethan anywhere near Caliana. Owen sprinted up the small hill to meet him. He was trying to talk quietly so she didn’t hear them. “What do you want, Ethan?”

  “I need to talk to you. I went to your house and no lights were on. I checked the office thinking maybe you were working late, but no. I knew this was the only other place you could be. No clue why you would be here mid-week though.”

  “That’s none of your fucking business. The real question is why are you here?” He was trying not to raise his voice, but doubted how successful he was being.

  “I wanted to talk,” Ethan said, but something must have caught his eye. He was peering around Owen. “Who do you have by the fire?”

  Through clenched teeth he said, “That is none of your business. Get inside if you want to talk.” He tried ushering Ethan toward his porch, but to no avail.

  “No, no. I want to know who my brother was fucking.”

  Owen looked behind him and noticed Cali’s face was being lit by the porch light. He sighed and turned to Ethan, wondered what she thought of him. His brother used to hang out with them in the summer on occasion.

  Tall and built were qualities he shared with him. But Ethan’s hair was light brown whereas Owen’s was dark blonde. Ethan had brown eyes and Owen had green. Their facial structure was similar also.

  “Well, well, well, look who we have here. Why if it isn’t Miss Caliana Crawford. No wonder you’re at the cabin, Brother. Does she taste as good as you always thought she would?”

  Owen saw red. His brother crossed a line. Owen brought his fist back and slammed it into Ethan’s face, causing him to stumble. “Get the fuck off my property!”

  Ethan charged Owen, grabbing him by the waist and throwing him to the dirt. The two brothers wrestled, hitting one another repeatedly. Out of nowhere Owen felt another person’s hands on him, trying to pull them apart. He recognized the voice of the person from one of the cabins that were being rented next door.

  Cali’s voice broke through. “Stop! Both of you! I’m going to call the cops if you two can’t knock it the fuck off.”

  Her yelling combined with the neighbor trying to pry them apart finally got their attention and they separated. The brothers sat on the ground breathing heavily. Owen could feel that his lip was busted open. Ethan had blood running down his face from a cut above his eyebrow.

  “What the hell is wrong with you two? You’re acting like children!” Cali yelled. “Ethan, you need to go.”

  Ethan stood and spit blood from his mouth onto the ground, wiping more from his face with the shirt he was wearing. “We aren’t done talking, Owen.” With that, he turned and left.

  Owen heard Cali thank their neighbor for his help and also apologize for the disturbance. Owen stayed seated on the ground, but moved his hand over his lip to feel the damage. He could feel his lip already starting to swell.

  Cali stood in front of him with her hands on her hips. “C’mon. Let’s get inside and put some ice on your face.”

  Owen followed her into the cabin. He saw her go to the freezer to get some ice cubes. She came into the living room with the ice wrapped in a washcloth. Cali handed the washcloth to him and pointed to the couch for him to sit. Once he did, she sat next to him.

  After a few minutes of silence she said, “Want to tell me what the hell happened out there?”

  “Not really,” he mumbled.

  “Owen, your brother shows up, you say a few words to each other, then he sees me and all hell breaks loose! What the fuck?”

  He knew she was getting frustrated. He could only imagine what that must have looked like to her, but he didn’t want to talk about the fight. “Cali, can you please just drop it?”

  “I’ll drop it. For tonight. But tomorrow, you are going to tell me what happened that caused you and
your brother to beat the shit out of each other right in front of me.”

  If Owen was going to have a relationship with her he knew he would have to be honest and open. He knew how hard it was going to be to talk about. He also knew he wasn’t going to be able to put the discussion off for long.

  Cali reached over and pulled the ice from his lip. “The bleeding has stopped. That’s good at least. I don’t think you’re going to need stitches.” She reapplied the ice and motioned for Owen to hold the washcloth against his lip again.

  Mumbling under her breath she said, “Grown ass men fighting like little boys in a schoolyard.”

  “You know I can hear you, right?” Owen started to smile but the pain hit and his lip started to bleed again.

  “Would you be quiet? And keep the ice on your lip.” Cali shook her head and leaned against the couch. Owen reached over and took her hand into his.

  “I’m sorry, Cali. I ruined our night.”

  “Yes you did.” She sounded like she wanted to be serious, but he could hear her voice wavering. “You’ll have to make it up to me.”

  “You bet your ass I’m going to make it up to you. Now get over here.”

  Cali moved over and laid her head on his chest while his arm wrapped behind her back. Owen sat, rubbing her back until they both drifted off to sleep.

  A few hours later Owen woke confused as to where he was. Looking around, he noticed Cali was sound asleep next to him on the couch. Shaking her arm slightly he said, “Cali, you should go to bed and I should get home.”

  She blinked a few times. “You’re not going anywhere, but to bed with me. I want you sleeping beside me.”

  Owen was thrown off guard by her words, but nodded and followed her into the bedroom. Cali stripped him of his pants, leaving him standing in only his boxer briefs. She pulled off her clothes, tossing them to the floor. They both got into bed and she faced away from him as she reached for the alarm clock.

  “What time do you need to wake for work?”

  “Six-thirty,” he said.