Lila
Hanging around Owen’s cabin was more fun than I’d expected. Willa and Magnolia had left the bar early with plans to go to Magnolia’s to watch movies and do face masks, so I didn’t feel guilty heading here and waiting for him.
When I entered the cabin, I noticed something strange on the kitchen island. It was a large rectangular appliance. On closer inspection, it was some kind of oven. I plugged the brand name, Breville, into Google and searched for the model.
Oh shit. It was a countertop pizza oven. And it cost almost a thousand dollars. Damn. I didn’t realize Owen liked pizza that much.
But then I turned around and saw the dozen bags of flour lining the small area between the sink and the range. I picked up a glossy bag of designer flour. The entire label was in Italian. But two words stuck out: senza glutine. Gluten free. Huh.
The other bags all read gluten free.
I picked up a stack of flour-crusted printouts. Each one was a recipe for gluten-free pizza dough. His messy handwriting was on each page. There were notes, highlights, and alternative measurements. Was he running some kind of test kitchen in here?
As I sealed each bag and wiped down the counters, my mind wandered. Was he doing this for me? He’d baked scones before. And those incredible blueberry muffins after he got one at the Caffeinated Moose and I said I was jealous. Was he really trying to crack the pizza code? For me?
My heart clenched. Some girls were about the flowers and jewelry. But this right here was my love language.
I took a photo of the pizza oven and the flour and texted it to the girls.
Magnolia
He’s not cooking meth, is he? Potential deal-breaker.
Willa
Potential? Absolute deal-breaker. But that’s not meth. It’s bread flour.
Lila
Imported Italian pizza flour, actually. I think he’s trying to make good gluten-free pizza for me…
Willa
SWOON
Magnolia
Wow, he really knows you. You complain endlessly about pizza.
Willa
He spends his nonexistent free time elbow-deep in flour so you don’t feel left out on pizza night? That’s husband material right there.
I gasped and almost dropped my phone. Husband material? Willa wasn’t wrong. Not that I was looking for a husband. Fuck no.
But I couldn’t help but daydream a little. Owen would be an incredible husband. God, I was insane. A few bags of flour, and I was practically writing vows. And we still hadn’t talked about what was going to happen when he had to leave Lovewell. Would he want to do long distance? Would I?
This was real, no matter how much I might like to deny it. And letting him go was unconscionable. So we’d have to figure it out. God, I was such a mess. I’d come over here to seduce him, and now I was spiraling into what-ifs.
Positive thinking, Lila. I’d come here to get laid, and clearly, I needed to take my mind off everything.
So, at his suggestion, I did take a bath. I couldn’t resist the claw-foot tub situated in front of a massive window that looked out at the moonlit mountains. I enjoyed a glass of wine and a spicy book in that bath, which only served to make me ravenous for him to get home.
Neediness was one of my worst traits. I’d promised myself I’d work on it, but it was virtually impossible where Owen was concerned.
Something about him made me ache. I never felt the need to keep up some cool girl facade with him.
No need to feign indifference. Nope, I was a full-on crazy woman, getting jealous and mounting him behind a dive bar.
He’d come so far, and I loved that he was making an effort to spend time with his brothers. I wanted him to cultivate those relationships. But I also wanted him here with me, preferably naked. God, I was so ridiculous.
So I entertained myself, first with a rom-com and a second glass of wine, and later by looking at the collection of brand-new, ultra-soft flannel shirts neatly hanging in the closet.
Huh. Between these, the cedarwood beard oil I found in the bathroom, and his new affinity for chopping wood with the boys after work, he had clearly taken to the mountain man lifestyle easily.
Which was good for me. It was hot as fuck.
But standing there, staring at those neatly hung shirts, I had an idea.
When I heard his car pull up, I rushed into position, giddy over the thought of surprising him.
I perched on the freshly cleaned countertop, shaking with excitement.
“Lila,” he said, toeing off his boots at the door.
“Holy shit,” he exclaimed when he saw me. “Are you wearing my shirt?”
With a feral growl, he stalked over to me and picked me up.
“And nothing else?” He ran a hand over my bare hip as I wrapped my arms around his neck.
He set me on my feet and took a step back. “Let me look at you.”
I put my hands on my hips, and the lapels of the shirt slid farther open, exposing my breasts.
Groaning, he bit his fist. “You are a masterpiece. God, you in that shirt.”
“Did you buy a pizza oven and attempt to make gluten-free pizza for me?” I asked.
His gaze never moved from my body. “Yes. I’m awful at it. Almost burned the place down one night. But I’m getting better.”
“You don’t have to do that.”
“Course I do. My woman wants pizza, I will provide her with the best damn pizza on planet earth. Even if I have to study hydration ratios and yeast fermentation rates to do it.”
“I love it when you talk dirty. I’ve been waiting ages for you. Take me to bed, Owen.”
He tapped his chin, still admiring the sight of me naked in his shirt. Owen looked at me like I mattered more than anything in his world. Whether I was naked or dressed up or in sweats, his eyes always lit up when they found me. And right now, they were on fire.
And so was I.
“Are you gonna look?” I asked, shrugging the collar of the shirt off my shoulders so it caught at my elbows, “or are you gonna touch?”
Grasping my upper arms, he pulled me in for a kiss.
I wound my arms around his neck, my fingers threading through his hair while our lips and tongues tangled. I was wild and frantic, desperate for him, but he was as controlled as ever.
“I wanted to do this at the bar,” he said, kissing along my jawline and hitting the spot that drove me wild. “Kiss you, hold you, and claim you in front of everyone.”
I threw my head back, savoring the feel of his lips on my skin.
“Instead, I had to keep my hands to myself. Do you have any idea how hard that is? With you sitting there, eye fucking me in your little skirt? Tempting me and driving me insane in public?”
I splayed my hands over his chest and pushed. “It was torture for me too. Watching you talk to other women. Witnessing the way they look at you.”
A slow smile spread across his face. “You jealous, baby?”
Yes. I was jealous. Also frustrated and angry at myself, but it was easier to blame jealousy at this moment than dive into the complicated feelings I was harboring about Owen and our current arrangement.
I nodded.
He ran his hands through his hair and shook his head. “I guess I’ve got to teach you a lesson, then.”
Before I knew it, he was leading me to the bedroom.
“On the bed,” he said gruffly, starting to unbutton his shirt. “On your knees.”
I hesitated, and that earned me a challenging look. Ooh, this was going to be fun.
Slowly, I kneeled on the mattress, facing away from him.
Then he was behind me—close enough that I could feel his heat—caressing my hips and running his fingertips over my bare skin.
A crack rent the air, the sound accompanied by a sharp sting as he spanked me.
I gasped.
He immediately leaned down and kissed my red skin. The tender move made me a little dizzy.
“This okay?” he asked softly, his fingers roaming all over my skin.
“Yes,” I said enthusiastically. “More than okay.” I’d never been spanked before, but already, I fucking loved it.
Crack. This time he spanked the other side.
“There is nothing to be jealous of.”
I threw my head back. God, this was so hot. The slaps were light enough to not be painful, but sharp enough to make my clit throb even harder.
Here he was, fully clothed, while I was bent over and naked, at his mercy.
“Other women don’t exist for me.” Another slap.
I squeezed my thighs together, trying to alleviate some of the tension.
“I don’t want anyone but you. Do you understand?”
Another slap. Oh fuck, I thought I might pass out.
“Yes.” I moaned. “Yes. I understand.”
“Good.” He angled over me and peppered kisses all over my tender skin. “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, but I need you to hear me. You’re it for me. Got that?”
I nodded, desperate to know what he’d do next and so turned on by the possibilities.
“Now I’m gonna kiss it and make it all better.”
Then his hot breath was on my skin, and he was lowering his mouth and licking straight up my seam, making my legs shake with anticipation.
A low groan rumbled out of him, and then he dove in, all pretense of going slow lost. He was licking and sucking my clit with abandon while his hands traveled everywhere, sending wild sensations through me.
The angle was dizzying and the pressure exquisite. I had no control, and I loved it. Owen knew how to touch me. The combination of his hands, fingers, and mouth was sending me higher and higher.
“It’s so good.” I cried out, gripping the sheets to keep from floating away.
Just as I felt about to break, he surprised me again, pushing his thumb against my back channel.
The moan that escaped me was throaty and loud as I dropped my head to the mattress and pushed back against him.
And then I detonated, fully and completely, as wave after wave crashed over me. As I shook and moaned, he continued working me over, prolonging every single second of delicious pleasure.
He lit up my nerve endings, and elation coursed through my veins. Owen was more than just a part of me now. He was mine and I was his and there wasn’t any way to fight it anymore.
I collapsed on the bed, panting and spent.
With my face in the sheets, I attempted to catch my breath and regain coherent thought.
But I was lost in the incredible sensations.
My legs were jelly and my stomach was flipping with glee.
Because this man had just delivered the world’s most intense orgasm on a goddamn silver platter.
And then the heat of his body was there again and his lips were on my skin. He kissed my neck and shoulders.
“You’re so fucking beautiful when you come.” He sighed into my skin. “But I’m not done with you yet.”
I picked my head up and smiled at him, my eyes still unfocused. “I’m not sure I can walk after that.”
I heard the tear of the foil, then he was lifting my hips.
He carefully placed each of my hands on the headboard, then ran his fingers down my spine. I arched up for him. I couldn’t help myself, because as spent and boneless as I was, I could always take a bit more.
“That’s a good girl.” He groaned, palming my ass cheeks as he lined himself up. “Always ready for me.”
He pushed inside me, the pressure making my eyes roll into the back of my head. I was still tingling and sensitive from whatever magic he had performed earlier, and as he filled me, it felt like I was already on the verge of coming again.
He didn’t move right away, instead running his hands all over my body, as if committing every inch of me to memory.
“Please,” I groaned, needing friction.
And then he pulled back and thrust into me slowly. Once. Then again. Deep and rhythmic, but with enough power that I had to clutch the headboard to keep steady.
It wasn’t long before he picked up his pace, that perfect control wavering as he slid one hand into my hair, gripping it and tugging with enough force to make me moan.
Fuck, I loved it when he got all possessive and feral over me.
“I can feel you,” he gasped, “squeezing and ready to explode. Keep going.”
Back fully arched, I relished the way he kept a firm hold on my hair and played with my nipples with his free hand.
My body trembled, and that was all it took for him to snap. Then he was fucking me with abandon and sending me hurtling over the edge. He cried out my name as he rode out my orgasm with me. I was still soaring when his groans filled the air and he succumbed to his own.
He collapsed on top of me, rolling to the side and pulling me close.
“You are incredible,” he said into my hair as I tucked myself into his chest. For such a dominant boss man in the sheets, Owen was quite the cuddler.
Eyes closed, I was just beginning to drift when he placed a kiss on my head. “I don’t know how I’m ever gonna let you go.”
My heart clenched painfully.
Because eventually, I’d have to let him go. And when I did, it would crush me.