Tabitha pulled her head back and looked into his eyes, “It scares me sometimes how much I want you.” She said, then kissed him.
With her body pressed against his Owen felt himself begin to grow hard again, but this time instead of feeling the driving need to possess Tabitha, he wanted to show her just how wonderful she made him feel. He took her hand and pulled her into the bedroom and sat her down on the bed. Standing in front of her, he pushed her down on the back, her legs hanging off the side of the bed.
He gently spread her legs, then knelt down between them and began to kiss his way from her knee up her leg. When he reached the top of her leg, he moved to the other leg and worked his way down to the other knee. When he gently pushed her legs apart farther, she resisted him at first, but when he pushed again she let her legs come open all the way. She felt anxious to be so completely exposed to Owen, but when his tongue slid across her swollen clit, all thought vanished as a wave of pleasure consumed her.
Owen worked his tongue back and forth, making Tabitha writhe with sensations she’d never felt before. The sounds of her pleasure driving him to give her even more, he slid one finger inside her and began to move it in and out of her until the tight coil of pleasure deep inside her began to flourish and grow. When it finally burst over her, she cried out Owen’s name, as wave after wave of pleasure washed over her.
But to her amazement, her body wasn’t satisfied and she suddenly understood what had driven Owen only minutes before. Pulling him up her body and taking his face in her hands, she looked deeply into his eyes and said, “I want you inside me Owen. I need you.”
Owen growled, then pushed her farther up on the bed, and drove himself into her. This time Tabitha was the one who drove their pace, bring her hips up to meet his with each thrust he made until they cried out their pleasure in unison. The world fading until all that they were aware of was each other and the way their bodies were singing with pleasure.
They came back to reality sprawled across the bed the wrong way, so Owen pulled the covers down and they crawled underneath them and snuggled together. Tabitha listened to his heart beating where her head lay on his chest and was happier than she’d ever been. They’d passed the first real test of their relationship and come out knowing each other better. As they drifted off to sleep, Owen rolled her onto her side and wrapped his arms around her and she felt more content than she’d ever felt before.
They were awoken early in the morning by a banging on the front door. Owen mumbled a few cuss words then stumbled out of bed, stopping to put his boxers on before he left the bedroom. When he opened the door, Flynn was standing there a silly grin on his face. “Never thought I’d have to knock on my own front door, but since Tabitha has my key….” He trailed off, a wicked grin on his face.
“The door wasn’t even locked, you idiot. What do you want this time of morning?” Owen had been annoyed but now he was just plain angry.
Flynn pulled out what was clearly a plane ticket. “Someone needs to go home and it’s your turn.” He said, slapping the ticket into his brother’s hand.
Owen groaned, “Was it really necessary to wake me up at the crack of dawn to tell me this?”
“Your flight leaves tonight, so yeah it was.” Flynn said, clearly enjoying himself.
“What’s the big emergency?” Owen asked, thinking that it better be something good.
Flynn’s amusement vanished at once, “Max Hershberger died yesterday.”
Owen took the news as hard as his brothers had the night before when they’d heard, Jack had insisted that they give Owen and Tabitha the night they needed, before breaking the news to him. Max had been the foreman at the ranch since they had been little, in fact none of them could remember the ranch without him. But their friend had been sick for a long time and it really was a blessing that his suffering was over, still he’d be missed more than anyone wanted to admit.
After he’d taken a minute to process the news, he suddenly realized that he’d have to see Sarah at the funeral and had a moments panic. “Shouldn’t Jack be the one to go? He’s the oldest.” Owen protested, realizing that he didn’t want to face the memories that going home would bring to the surface.
“It’s your turn to go, Jack was just there. You’re going to have to face Sarah sooner or later, might as well get it over with now.” Flynn said, knowing exactly what his brother was thinking.
Owen gave Flynn a dirty look but knew that he was right. He needed to go back and face his past. It was the only way to completely put it behind him and start a new life here in America. “Fine, I’ll go.” He said, and slammed the door in Flynn’s face.
When he got back in the house, Tabitha was waiting for him in the kitchen, she handed him a cup of coffee then waited for him to speak. After he’d taken a sip, he said, “I have to go back to Australia, a dear friend of the family had passed away and someone has to go represent the family.”
Tabitha crossed the room and gave Owen a hug, “I’m sorry to hear that. Were you close to him?”
Owen sat down at the table and told Tabitha all about Max and what he’d meant to them growing up. “It sounds like you’ve lost a member of the family.” She pondered.
“It feels that way.”
Tabitha hated herself for asking but she couldn’t help herself, “Are you going to see Sarah when you’re there?”
“I’m sure I’ll have to, at the funeral if nothing else.” Owen said, looking at Tabitha, surprised at the question.
“Oh, okay.” She said, getting up from the table, overcome by a mixture of dread and jealously.
Owen followed her across the room and pulled her into his arms, “I have to face her, I don’t want to but it needs to happen. I wish you could be with me, but I might be gone for as long as three weeks and I know you can’t leave for that long.”
“I’m sorry, I know I’m being silly and a little jealous but I have this terrible feeling that something bad is going to happen.” Tabitha said, the tears rolling down her cheeks. “We just made up and now you’re leaving.”
Owen tipped her chin up but she couldn’t meet his eyes, she knew she was being silly but her emotions had gotten the better of her. “Tabitha look at me.” He said, then waited until she raised her eyes to his. “You are the only one I want. You were right about Sarah, I didn’t love her, I loved the idea of her, if I’d loved her I would have married her a long time ago. I’m going to go home and put some of these old ghosts to rest, but I’ll be back. I promise.”
Chapter 10
By the time Owen’s flight landed, he was sure that the people who built airplanes had a sick sense of humor, and planned to introduce the idea that they get their own airplane. Commercial flights were okay if they were short but the trip to Australia was a long one, especially when you were as tall as he was. He was in no mood for games, so when he walked into the hotel he’d booked for the night to find Sarah waiting for him, he was tempted to walk right past her.
But she stepped right in front of him, giving him no chance to do that, instead he was forced to greet her. “Hello Sarah. What are you doing here?”
“I just thought that we should talk before you go home.” She said, putting on her sad face, one that Owen now saw for what it was, a trick.
“And you thought the perfect time would be after I’ve been traveling for nearly 36 hours, most of it on a small cramped airplane?” He shot back at her, surprising her when he didn’t fall for her sad face.
“Well, I…We need to talk.” She stammered.
“That’s true, we do need to talk. But not now, not here. I’ll decide when and where we talk, not you. Now if you’ll get out of my way, I need a shower and some sleep.” He said, and pushed past her.
When he got to the registration desk and discovered that Sarah had already checked in for him, it took everything he had not to scream at the clerk. “How many keys did she ask for?” He finally managed to ask.
The clerk looked
at him strangely, “Two of course.”
“I’d like you to issue me a new key card for my room. Only one, and the lady is not to have one.” He said, through clenched teeth.
When the clerk handed him the new key card, he took it and headed straight for the stairs, never even looking back at Sarah who was standing open mouthed in stunned silence too shocked to chase after him. When he got to his room, he double locked the door and called Tabitha, relieved when she picked up on the first ring. If she noticed anything strange in his voice, she didn’t comment on it, simply listened to him complain about the flight, happy that he’d made it safely.
When he got to the ranch, the place that used to feel most like home to him, he found that while he was happy to be there, it wasn’t home anymore. Much to his relief, Sarah wasn’t there as he feared, but then he realized that she wasn’t going to accost him in front of his family like she had in the hotel. He didn’t particularly want to talk to her yet, jet lag and the needs of the family had left him drained after just the first day.
As the week wore on, the impending meeting between he and Sarah began to weigh heavily on his mind. He’d been avoiding any place where he might run into her, but now that the initial grief of Max’s passing had been absorbed by everyone, he had more time on his hands. He wasn’t going to invite a meeting between them, but he was no longer going to avoid her, it was time to put the past where it belonged, in the past.
He did run into Sarah, although she didn’t know he was there. He and his cousin Lucy had been in town to see to the last arrangements for the funeral and had decided to get some lunch before they went home. Lucy was excited to take him to the new restaurant in town so he agreed to go with her, but when they walked in, Sarah was sitting at a table with all her friends. Mercifully, they were sat at a corner table behind a divider that blocked his view of Sarah, which helped, but all too soon he discovered that while he couldn’t see her, he could hear her.
“I just don’t understand why Mike won’t let me get the car. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a convertible, it’s not like I ever spend any time out at the ranch. He’s just being unreasonable.” She was saying to the table.
When one of her friends asked, “Didn’t he buy you a new car for a wedding present?” there was a long silence.
“What difference does that make, we’ll just trade it in, I never liked it and I told him so. He should just give me what I want, I deserve it after all, I’m at his beck and call. Last week he made me drive all the way out to the ranch just because he missed me.”
“I don’t understand why you don’t just stay out there. It’s a beautiful house.” Another friend piped up.
“Are you kidding, spend all my time out there in the middle of nowhere. I should have just waited for Owen, at least his ranch is close to town. Although, I have to admit it’s nice to have the house in town all to myself, I can have company any time I want, no bitching from Mike that he has to sleep.”
Lucy was staring at Owen in shock, but Owen discovered that he wasn’t as shocked as she was. Deep down he’d known all along that Sarah was only out to get what she wanted, a big fancy house, and all the money she could spend. People had been looking at him strangely the whole time he’d been home and now he understood why, he’d come so close to marrying the horrible woman he was listening to right now, that they were relieved for him.
“I think you better tell me what’s been going on since I’ve been gone.” He finally said to Lucy, who was happy to tell him all about Sarah’s spending spree and the rumors that she was already sleeping with someone else.
“But they’ve only been married for a few months.” Owen said, amazed at the turn events.
Lucy only shrugged her shoulders, then asked, “Do you want to get out of here?”
Owen considered her question then said, “I think that might be a good idea. I’ve heard all that I needed to. Did you do this on purpose?”
Lucy looked a little guilty, “I’m sorry Owen, it wasn’t a very nice thing to do, but I wanted to make sure you understood just how close you came to making a huge mistake. But I have to tell you, even I didn’t know how bad Sarah was.”
Owen only nodded his head, thankful that his cousin had done what she had. If he’d had any feelings left for Sarah they had just died in that restaurant. He signaled the waiter and had their food packed up to go and he and Lucy ate their lunch in the park, the silence between them one that spoke volumes. After they’d finished eating, he told her all about Tabitha and by the time they started home, he knew for certain that America was where he belonged.
Sarah looked up from her food and could have sworn that she saw Owen walk out of the door, but that was impossible she reassured herself, he was down at the courthouse. She’d been keeping tabs on him since their terrible meeting in the hotel that first night, paying informants to watch him. It hadn’t been hard to do, she was already keeping track of Mike’s movements as well, not wanting any surprises when she was entertaining in town.
The only reason she was in town today was that it seemed like a good time to get him alone, but then she learned that his cousin Michelle was with him and had to abandon her plans. It was beginning to look like the only way she was going to get Owen alone was to arrange it at the funeral, not the best place to talk to him, but it was quickly looking like her only option.
She’d made a huge mistake marrying Mike, he’d turned out to be nothing like Owen. Owen had always given her anything she wanted, all she’d had to do was bat her eyes at him, or give him just a little more in bed and he’d do her bidding willingly. Mike on the other hand, questioned every purchase she made, had thrown a fit about the house in town, even taken her credit cards away for a while. It was embarrassing and no way to live, she wanted her life with Owen back.
When the day of the funeral arrived, she dressed carefully. She hated to wear black, would have far preferred red which made her naturally blond hair and light complexion stand out. Still she had an expensive designer dress that would be just perfect, the sheath was cut low in both the front and the back, but it had a tight little jacket that would make it appropriate for the funeral. After the funeral, she’d remove the jacket and let the dress do some of the talking for her.
She’d been the only girl in their graduating class who’d been able to wear a size zero and she’d worked hard to maintain her runway model looks. Now all those early morning workouts would be worth it, Owen would melt when he saw her and the rest would be easy. All she had to do was figure out how to get him alone, which would be even more difficult with Mike around, but she was determined to have her way. Nothing had ever stopped her before, an annoying husband wasn’t going to stop her now.
The day of the funeral went just as she’d hoped. The church was packed to the rafters, but she managed to make her presence known by arriving just as the doors were closing, all eyes turning to her as she marched down the aisle to the pew they usually sat in. When Owen’s eyes met hers, she gave him a seductive smile before she took her seat, mistaking the look on his face for admiration when the truth was that he was as annoyed as everyone else that she’d chosen to make such an entrance.
At the dinner after the funeral, she kept her distance, but as soon as she spotted Owen walking away from the crowd she followed him. She’d known from long experience that he’d need to get away from the crush of people and the emotion, it was only a matter of time. She caught up with him where he was standing under the trees at the edge of the yard, and approached slowly, making sure to swing her hips as she walked, knowing that it used to drive him crazy when she did that.
Owen turned and leaned against the tree, feeling some relief to be away from everyone if only for a few minutes. When he saw Sarah headed straight toward him, he cursed, he should have known that she’d follow him, she’d been giving him looks since the moment she walked into the church with Mike. It made him physically sick to think that he’d almost married her, almost
committed his life to a woman who was only after what she could get.
But he’d known for days that this confrontation was bound to happen. Sarah had never been one to back down when she wanted something and he was pretty sure she wanted him. Pasting a smile on his face, he stood silently waiting for her to reach him, rehearsing in his head all that he wanted to say to her. It was time she knew that he was over her, would never have feelings for her again, and put an end to any ideas she might have of trying to fix things.
“Hi Owen, I thought you might need a friendly shoulder to cry on.” She said, her friendly tone immediately putting him on guard.
Owen didn’t have the patience for her games, “Well, if that was the case, I wouldn’t come looking for you.” He said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Sarah had expected him to be angry with her so she just pressed forward, stepping up as close as she could to him. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you about what happened.” She said, trying to look sad and depressed. “I made a huge mistake Owen.”
When he just continued to stare at her, she began to panic. “It really wasn’t my fault, I was missing you so much and Mike was there. Before I knew it, we were married and there was nothing I could do about it.”
Owen stared at her in disbelief, she was trying to blame her betrayal on him. “So, you missed me so much you ended up in my best friend’s arms.”
“Yes, don’t you see it was you I wanted but you weren’t here.” She said, with more confidence, this was going just as she’d planned. Before long she’d have Owen firmly back in her grasp.
When Owen burst out laughing she was confused, but his next words made things very clear to her. “You can believe whatever you want Sarah, but it’s clear to me that you never loved me. If you had, you would have come to America before you married my best friend.”
Sarah opened her mouth to protest, but he held up his hand. “I’m not done. It’s become quite clear to me that you never loved me and the sad truth is that I never loved you. I’ve moved on and so have you, Mike’s your husband now and you need to honor the promise you made.”
You're The One Page 10
