Chapter 27
OWEN
Liam tended the barbeque as I kept him company outside while the rest of our family hung out indoors.
“I still can’t believe you met the Ethan Harris,” he said. “That guy’s on his way to being a legend.”
“He’s an idiot… like me.”
Liam noted my downcast tone and arched a brow my way. “Trouble in paradise?”
I sighed. It had been over six months since Alexis and I shared our first date, and everything since then had felt like a fucking dream. The boys had since turned four, Phil’s recovery was tracking well, and best of all, I was a regular presence in Alexis’ life again.
However, the past week, I could sense her withdrawing, rebuilding that wall I had so meticulously removed one precious brick at a time.
Her pulling away was subtle. It had me all up in my head. Am I coming on too strong, too forceful?
I rehashed our previous date to Liam to see if he could pick up on anything I’d missed.
After a late-night movie, I drove her home, her palm firmly settled on my thigh—a regular occurrence when we were married. I had interlinked our fingers, giving an appreciative squeeze.
When I parked outside her parents’ place, I lifted the back of her hand to my lips, giving her a light peck.
Since our spontaneous dry humping session in the city apartment, we had pulled back and kept our desires in check. We shared chaste kisses, light caresses and I even got in some tight snuggles. It was relaxed, carefree, with a certain shyness. As if we were young, reliving those teenage years where we just enjoyed each other.
Although, on the flip side, the sexual tension didn’t abate. If anything, it festered and grew into an uncontrollable monster that I cultivated and fed every time I was in her vicinity, every time she touched my skin. I fucking lived for the charged anticipation. And I wasn’t the only one.
Sometimes, I would catch the blatant lust in Alexis’ eyes as her gaze lingered on my body. And the way her lids drooped in an attempt to hide her desire—fuck, I was a goner.
The waiting elevated our connection to the point where we were both on the verge of snapping.
When the engine cut off, we couldn’t resist any longer.
Alexis slowly leant over the centre console, her nose burying in the base of my neck before her tongue poked out to wet my skin. Goosebumps erupted from her touch, and my mind snapped into overdrive.
I caught her lips with mine, surrendering a groan, which she returned in kind. Hands roamed bodies, trying to pull each other ever closer in the cramped space.
As I buried my fingers in her hair, I took control by tilting her head to the side, giving me access to her smooth, exposed neck. I had the desperate urge to mark her, to make her squirm and writhe out of control.
I sucked and nibbled a trail down her throat, her sighs and gasps alleviating my ravenous hunger if only for a little bit.
My lips tracked up to her ear, my tongue tracing the lines as if her skin was made of candy. And fuck , she may as well have been.
I was addicted to the taste of her. Fucking delicious .
I was so far gone that my next words released of their own accord. “ I love you, Alexis. So fucking much it hurts.”
We had both frozen from the declaration. The exact same words I’d said to her the last time we were intimate, the last time we had made love.
I pulled back, gauging her expression, the urgent haze broken from the whispered statement. Alexis didn’t appear pissed. If anything, she seemed reserved, almost hesitant—the complete opposite to the sensual siren who was there a second before.
I shook my head, regret dripping from my very pores. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
Alexis gave me a sad smile and whispered back. “I’m sorry too.”
We detangled from each other, and she opened the car door. Before she could leave, Alexis turned and gave me one small glimpse of hope.
She pushed forward and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth before leaving me to overthink and wallow in my own self-pity.
Liam cleared his throat, breaking me out of my reverie. “You didn’t have to give me so much detail, bro. Damn. Believe it or not, I don’t want to know how Alexis tastes.”
I growled, my possessive side slamming to the forefront while Liam held up his hands with a raucous chuckle.
“Look, Owen, your past isn’t just going to disappear. You and Alexis have a lot of history, so there’s bound to be some hiccups along the way. But when the struggle is worth it, when you push through those hard times, the good times end up even better. You get me?”
“I just… I don’t want to lose her again, Liam. I can’t.”
“I know, bro. When was that date?”
“Last weekend.”
“No date this weekend then?”
“She’s visiting her sister,” I said, deflated. The more distance she put between us, the more paranoid I got. I had a full tank of gas at the ready, just in case she needed me for anything. I’d be ready to leave in a heartbeat.
“Give her some time. Let her have a breather away. I think it will be good… for both of you.”
I nodded in agreement. He was right; it wasn’t something that could be forced. And if I wanted what I hoped for most—our forever—we’d have to work towards that together .
Switching my phone off, I took a deep breath, knowing that if I kept it on, there was no way I wouldn’t be glued to it all night.
Give her a breather. Give her time. Give her space.
Alexis will come back to me , I repeated in my head. If only it numbed the strain in my heart from the gaping unknown.