Текст книги "Touch Me"

Автор книги: Olivia Cunning

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

Chapter Nine

Owen’s favorite older brother—his only one—smiled a greeting on the phone’s screen. Chad looked a little dirty and a lot weary. Owen would never get used to him with a buzz cut. When he pictured Chad in his head, he was still the seventeen-year-old in his letterman jacket. The same blue eyes, but lots more thick, curly hair.

“Let me guess,” Chad said. “You’re bored, stuck in a cushy hotel room until tonight when you have to put up with thousands of girls—who all think you’re hot for some unfathomable reason—screaming your name at the top of their lungs.”

“Wrong,” Owen said.

“Don’t have a show tonight?”

“We perform in Houston tonight.”

“Hotel not cushy enough?”

“No, it’s one of the cushiest.”

“Then why am I wrong? I know how predictable you are.”

“I’m not bored.”

“Is Kellen there with you?” Chad tilted his head as if he could see more of the room surrounding Owen.

“Nope. I brought a woman home last night. Well, not home exactly. Back to my room. She’s in the shower now.” He could hear the water running.

“You spent the night with a woman? What happened to your lame rule about not sleeping with the women you sleep with?”

“I made a concession for Josie. She’s just so lonely with you overseas.”

Chad’s nostrils flared and his blue eyes narrowed dangerously. “Not funny, assmunch. First, I know Josie would never cheat on me, especially not with a twerp like you. Second, I talked to her ten minutes ago. And third, you can’t keep a straight face when you lie. But I’m still going to hit you really hard the next time I see you, so consider wearing a mouth guard.”

“Any idea when that will be?”

“Can you keep a secret?” he asked.

“Probably not.”

“Well then, I’ll just say sooner than we thought.” Chad smiled.

“How soon?”

“I’m not telling you because you’ll ruin the surprise for everyone.”

“Six weeks?” Owen said hopefully.

“I’m not telling you.”

“I can keep a secret.”

“Yeah, like the time I told you not to tell Josephine Tulane that I had a crush on her.”

“And now she wants to marry you, so that worked out horribly, didn’t it?”

Chad grinned. “I told you because you’re predictable and I knew you couldn’t keep a secret.”

Owen had always wondered if Chad had told him about his feeling for Josie so he would break the ice. Josie had been the new girl in Owen’s senior class and Chad had already graduated, so Mr. Love-at-First-Sight didn’t have the opportunity to interact with Josie much. “You suck.”

“So who’s the woman in your shower?”

“Some hot chick I picked up at a sex club.”

“You’re still going to those things?”

“Maybe I’ll stop. If Caitlyn turns out to be someone special to me.”

“For your sake, I hope she does. Sex with a woman you love is amazing.”

“Better than sex with two women who take turns blowing you?”

Chad closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and laughed. “You’ll have to tell me, little brother. I’ve never had two women take turns blowing me.”

“It pretty much rocks.”

“So are you going to get me a backstage pass to one of your shows when I come home?”

“That depends,” Owen said.

“On what?”

“Our current tour ends in September. Should I reserve a pass for you before then?” Owen hoped his brother would fall for his attempt to milk him for information.

“Yeah, you probably should.”

“A couple of months before then?”

“Probably.”

“Yes! Are you just returning on leave or—”

“Don’t you watch the news? They’re starting to pull troops out of here.”

“No, I don’t watch the news. It’s too depressing.”

“Still living in your insular world. I’d think with as much as you travel around, you’d be a more well-rounded individual.”

“Screw you.”

Chad chuckled.

“I had dinner with Mom and Dad night before last and neither of them said anything about the possibility of you coming home soon.”

“I don’t want anyone to know. I want to show up unannounced and surprise them. So you keep your big mouth shut, got it?”

“Yeah. But I am going to tell Kelly.”

Chad rolled his eyes. “That’s a given. At least he can keep a secret. Unlike you.”

The bathroom door opened and a puff of steam preceded the sexiest woman ever to wear a hotel towel.

“What are you looking at?” Chad asked. “Pick your jaw up off the floor, bro.”

Owen switched cameras to the one on the back of his phone to give Chad a glimpse of what he was looking at and then switched back.

“Well, I see why you’re not bored.” Chad laughed. “I’ve got to go. I’m over my time limit already. Promise you won’t say anything to the folks back home.”

“I promise.”

“Take care of yourself, Owen.”

“Stay safe, Sergeant Mitchell.”

Chad saluted with two fingers. The screen went dark. Damn, those calls always went fast.

Caitlyn crossed the room to sit on the arm of the sofa next to him. She propped one foot on the coffee table, and her towel shifted enough that the delights between her legs were barely concealed.

“Is your brother well?”

Owen grinned. “I’m not supposed to tell anyone, but they’re sending him home soon.” He really couldn’t keep a secret.

“That’s great,” she said. A smile widened across her face and her eyes lit up. “You must be excited. And relieved.”

“I won’t be completely relieved until he’s home safe in his own bed, but yeah, it’s the best news I’ve heard in months.”

“I came out here with the intention of showing you my underdeveloped gag reflex, but I know for sure I can’t top your brother’s good news, so I guess…”

She started to rise from the sofa arm, but he grabbed her and tugged her onto his lap before she could get away.

“How come you haven’t mentioned this limited gag reflex before? And please, God, is it what I think it is?”

She smiled coyly. “A lady can’t reveal all her secrets in a single night.”

“Which is why you’ll be staying with me tonight as well.”

“I will?”

“But just in case I do something to fuck this up before tonight, you’d better show me what you mean.”

“On one condition,” she said.

He was pretty sure that no matter what condition she made, he’d agree to it.

“Name it.”

“Take out the barbell in your piercing. I wouldn’t want it to get stuck in my throat.”

He chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll happen, but if you’re concerned, I’ll take it out.”

She squirmed off his lap, pushed the coffee table away from the sofa, and knelt on the floor before him. Her hands gripped his thighs just above his knees and tugged his legs apart. Then Caitlyn blessed him with the most devious smile he’d ever seen. His heart suddenly thudded a rapid beat Heat and lust flooded his groin. Oh God, he was about to have the treat of his life.

Her hands slid up his thighs to his hips and then moved to unfasten the button of his jeans. She didn’t take her eyes off his while she unbuttoned his pants and slowly lowered the zipper.

He’d gone for a workout in the hotel’s gym while she’d been sleeping that morning, so his muscles were still tight. He appreciated every crunch he’d forced himself to do when her hands slid up his belly, bumping up over the six-pack he worked so hard to maintain. His chest, shoulders, and arms were treated to the same exploratory touch of her warm, soft hands.

“You’re the most beautiful man I’ve ever touched,” she said.

“Thanks,” he said lamely.

“But what is really amazing about you is that your soul is even more beautiful than all these tight muscles and bronze skin.” She grinned. “And that’s saying something.”

She lowered her head and kissed his belly. His muscles clenched involuntarily, and his cock began to rise with interest.

“You’re beau—”

Her hand shot up and covered his mouth. “No talking. It’s your turn to be flattered.”

It made him uncomfortable to accept praise without reciprocating, but he nodded slightly and allowed her to continue.

“Even your belly button is sexy,” she said.

She traced his navel with her tongue and then nipped the skin just beneath. His breath came out in an excited rush.

“I never really liked tattoos until I saw yours.” Her hands slid up his ribs to his chest. She traced the lines of a tattoo. “I would have thought the ink would detract from your gorgeous body, but it actually adds something. They make you even more alluring.” She crawled a bit closer and extended her tongue to lick his nipple.

He sucked a breath through his teeth. His cock throbbed with need.

“Are your nipples sensitive?” she asked, tracing the tiny bud with her tongue.

He nodded slightly. “They’re both pierced, but I can’t stand to wear jewelry in them very often.” He did wish he had his barbells in at the moment, however.

She latched on to his right nipple, alternately sucking and rubbing it with the flat of her tongue. He clung to the sofa cushion beneath him so he didn’t grab her head and direct her to give the same treatment to his fully engorged cock.

When she bit his chest, he gasped in surprise at how sexy he found the act. She moved to his other nipple and looked up at him as she traced it with the tip of her tongue.

“I love touching you,” she whispered. Her hands slid down his torso. “I’m really going to love sucking you. I want to watch you erupt.”

He gaped at her, his breath now coming in excited gasps. Occasionally she said something that he never expected her to say, and he wondered what went on in her head. Were these naughty thoughts of hers infrequent or just infrequently voiced?

“Will you come for me, Owen?” she whispered. “Let me see how much pleasure I give you.”

Hell to the yeah. His mouth had gone dry, so speaking wasn’t an option. He nodded instead.

Caitlyn gripped the top of his jeans and tugged them down his thighs. When he lifted his foot to help her remove them completely, she shook her head.

“I like them around your ankles,” she said.

Fuck, who was he to upset her fantasy? She grabbed his cock in both hands and tilted her head back so he could watch her trace his rim with the tip of her tongue. He was already seeping pre-cum, and she avoided the little bead of moisture glistening at the tip. Did she not like the taste? When her tongue did flick over the opening to collect his small offering, it took every shred of his willpower not to grab the back of her head and shove his cock down her throat. Could she possibly realize how sexy she looked kneeling on the floor between his thighs, her thick lashes fanned over her porcelain-white cheeks as she sampled his cum? He could see his fluids glistening on the tip of her tongue before she flicked it into her mouth and then licked her lips. Lord, he wished he’d been born with more self-discipline. He was seconds from losing all control.

“Caitlyn,” he groaned.

“I do prefer your taste over strawberries,” she said, and she opened her brown eyes to gift him with another look of deviousness.

“Do you want me to take the stud out now?” he asked, because there was nothing he wanted more than to watch Caitlyn’s mouth stretch around his thick shaft.

“I think I can figure it out. I do have master’s degrees in physics and engineering.”

“The balls unscrew,” he said. A little assistance never hurt anyone. Not even a brainiac like Caitlyn.

“So I don’t just yank it out?”

Even though her tone was teasing, Owen flinched. “God, woman. No, you don’t just yank it out.”

“I’d never hurt you,” she said. “Unless you asked me to.”

She bent to suckle the head of his cock. Her tongue flicked over the sensitive skin trapped inside her warm, moist mouth until his back arched involuntarily. She began to bob her head slightly—just enough for her plump lips to bump against one ball of his piercing each time she went down.

“God, you give good head,” he thought. Or maybe he said it. He wasn’t thinking clearly. All he could concentrate on was the pleasure she gave him with her brilliant mouth.

She paused, her tongue flicking the underside of his cock while her fingers unscrewed the ball to remove his barbell. When she pulled the piece of jewelry out of its hole, he almost yelled in triumph. The sound caught in his throat as a moan when she took him deep into her mouth. She pulled back and then took him even deeper. Pulled back and went deeper again. She sucked as her mouth retreated, and he groaned. She let him fall from her mouth, took a deep breath, and descended on him again. This time his cock head lodged in the back of her throat. Dear God, she hadn’t been kidding about her suppressed gag reflex. She grabbed his hips and forced him an inch deeper into her throat. She swallowed, which tightened her throat around him, massaging him in a way he’d never experienced.

“Fuck,” he growled.

His eyes widened when he felt her tongue slide down the last inch of his cock and brush against his balls. Dear God! His head dropped back onto the back of the sofa. It felt amazing. There was no way he could watch her do those things to him without blowing his load. And he wasn’t ready to come yet. He wanted more. He’d like to remain buried in her throat, or sucked by her amazing mouth, for an eternity. Caitlyn pulled back. She licked the head of his cock as she caught her breath and then after a moment, she took him deep again.

“Caitlyn, Caitlyn,” he chanted. Even with his eyes squeezed shut, he wasn’t going to last much longer.

She found a rhythm of suck and swallow as she rose and fell over him. His pleasure quickly built to uncontainable levels.

“Gonna come,” he warned.

She pulled back and wrapped both hands around his shaft, pumping him hard as he came.

“Come hard for me, Owen. I want to watch you explode.”

Her thumbs stroked the ridge on the underside of his cock as she jerked him harder and faster. Harder and faster. Until he didn’t have a choice but to let go.

“Oh God, Caitlyn,” he groaned as hard spasms gripped the base of his cock and his fluids erupted—hot cum splattering over his belly.

He tried to open his eyes, to catch her reaction as he spent himself, but his entire body was locked in the throes of ecstasy, and he’d lost voluntary control of his eyelids.

“That’s what I wanted,” she whispered.

He shuddered as his orgasm subsided, and he panted, floating on pleasure. Eventually he was able to open his eyes again.

“You are the sexiest thing I’ve ever seen when you come,” Caitlyn said. She dipped her fingers into the mess he’d made on his belly. “And you didn’t call someone else’s name that time.”

So that was still on her mind? Hadn’t he proven to her that he was interested in only her?

She lifted her hand to her mouth and licked his cum from her fingertips.

“I think it’s time I make you come so hard you scream my name,” he said. Just as soon as he could find the strength to move.

Chapter Ten

Caitlyn gasped in surprise when Owen moved suddenly. She’d thought he was completely spent, but apparently she’d underestimated his stamina. He yanked her towel free and tossed it aside. He knelt behind her and shoved her face into the sofa cushions before lifting her hips so that she was on her knees in front of him, her ass in the air. She raised her head to look at him, and a smack on her butt cheek caused her to gasp in surprise.

“Keep your face in that cushion,” Owen commanded.

Normally she didn’t like to be told what to do, but she was pretty sure she was going to like what he had in store for her if she obeyed. She dropped her face into the sofa cushion and allowed him to arrange her body as he wanted. He spread her legs a bit more and then drew his fingers through the wetness between her parted pussy lips. Sucking him off had really turned her on. She’d never done that to anyone but Charles, and her ex had never shown his appreciation for her skills the way Owen had. She’d never seen a guy come so much. Just thinking about how his milky fluids had erupted from his body in arching spurts made her twitch her hips to try to alleviate the throbbing between her thighs.

“Your pussy looks incredibly inviting, Caitlyn,” Owen said. “It’s so swollen, I know it’ll grip my cock just right if I slide into you.”

He was staring at it? She flushed and pressed her face more securely into the cushion.

“While I wait for my libido to catch up with my dirty thoughts, I’m going to teach you a lesson.”

“A lesson?” she gasped, her words muffled by the cushion. Was he going to spank her? Yes, please.

“There are three exceptional characteristics that distinguish the fingers of a guitarist,” he said.

She lifted her head to ask what, and he shoved her face back into the cushion.

“Keep your face in that cushion, Caitlyn, and just listen.”

She nodded, rubbing her nose against the thick fabric.

“The first exceptional characteristic is the calluses that develop on their fingertips. They’re thick and a little rough.”

He rubbed his fingertips over her clit, and her body jerked.

“Do you feel them?”

He rubbed her repeatedly and yes, she felt them. They were so much more stimulating than the soft fingers of an academic. She groaned and opened her legs an inch wider, hoping to encourage him to continue.

“The second exceptional characteristic is the speed at which a guitarist can move his fingers.”

The motion of his fingers against her clit became mind-bogglingly swift. Within seconds her pussy clenched and the spasms of a hard orgasm gripped her core. “Oh,” she gasped. “Oh, oh, oh.”

“Oh-wen,” he supplied, still stroking her with maddening speed and precision.

“Owen,” she echoed. “Owen, Owen. What’s the third thing?” The anticipation was killing her.

“I’m glad you asked. A good guitarist often has exceptionally long fingers. It gives him a better range, especially when playing solos.”

He did have long fingers, but did bass guitarists play solos?

Owen slid two fingers of his free hand deep inside her slick, clenching pussy. Her body gripped them tightly, drawing them deeper. And yes, they were long, but not quite as thick as she wanted them to be.

“Oh God,” she sputtered, rocking back to fuck his hand.

Still stroking her clit with one hand, he rotated his fingers inside her, stretching her inner walls in wide circular motions. Pleasure continued to throb through her body even after her orgasm began to fade.

His warm breath teased her back entrance just before he drew his tongue over the tightly clenched hole. Shocked to the depths of her soul, Caitlyn bolted upright.

Owen chuckled. “Too much?” he asked. “Sorry. It just looked so clean and inviting, I felt compelled to lick it.”

“I’ve never,” she gasped.

“Well, maybe you should. And I thought I told you to keep your face in the sofa cushion.”

He removed his hand from her clit and pushed the center of her back until she bent over again. “I do love to scandalize you, baby,” he said. “Now stay where I put you.”

He swatted her ass, and her pussy clenched around the fingers buried deep inside her.

This time when his tongue flicked over her ass, she was expecting it, but that still didn’t prepare her for how intensely erotic she found the light caress. His free hand located her clit again and though she honestly didn’t think it was possible to come more than once in the span of five minutes, Owen had a way of making the impossible inevitable.

She called out to him as her pleasure continued to spiral upward, taking her to heights she never knew existed. Her clit tingled from over-stimulation. Her pussy ached from clenching so hard around his rotating fingers. Her ass twitched in delighted spasms. God, she loved his tongue there. How could she love that? It was so dirty. So perverse. But it felt so fucking good. She wanted him to show her more kinky things. She wanted him to show her all kinky things.

When he backed away, she released a sob that was a mix of relief and remorse. He slowly slipped his fingers free of her body, and damn if she couldn’t hear how sopping wet he’d made her.

His teeth sank into one ass cheek, and she shuddered. She’d never had anyone bite her ass before. It made her feel naughty. Made her think about him borrowing her strap-on and plunging it into her ass while his thick, pierced wonder claimed her greedy pussy. She wanted him to spank her ass raw while he fucked both holes. Maybe he could pull her hair while he was at it. She could feel the heat rise up her neck as the thoughts and images consumed her and made her crave more of the man behind her. Damn, she’d never been this interested in sex before. Not even on her honeymoon. She sure as hell had never craved hot, dirty pain with her pleasure.

“Are you about ready to meet up with the bus?” he asked. “We’ll need to leave soon.”

Did he really expect her to think rationally about anything after what she’d just experienced due to his exceptional, guitarist hands and naughty tongue?

“Huh?”

“Did you need to stop by your friend’s house to pick up a change of clothes?”

Would she need clothes? She somehow hoped not, but the rest of the world might not agree.

“I think so,” she said, her thoughts still thick from her release and overwhelmed with fantasy. “Maybe? I dunno.”

Owen tugged her against his body, her breasts pressed into his bare chest. His hands moved to cup her ass. “Do you know how sexy you are when you’re too delirious to think? You’re making me all hard again.”

He kissed her slowly, gently, and for the first time since they’d been together, she not only felt something for him in her body, she felt something for him in her heart.

Shit, that would never do.

Shaken by the direction of her emotions, she pushed him away and climbed to her feet.

“Yeah, I’d better pick up some clothes. My sweet little sheep panties are pretty dirty thanks to you.”

He laughed and rose to stand beside her. “And I love that about them.”

Riding in a limo was still novel, and Caitlyn checked out every nook and cranny in the back seat. She wondered if traveling in a limo ever became routine. Even Owen enjoyed playing with the stereo.

“You need to get used to loud music for tonight,” he told her as he cranked up the tunes and then tugged her into his arms.

That was probably true, but she wasn’t sure how deep, passionate kisses—the ones they were sharing—were necessary to acclimate her to metal. They did have her horny, however, and feeling brave. Brave enough to whisper her newest fantasy in Owen’s ear. He groaned.

“You should have told me in the hotel, where I was in the position to do something about it.”

“Next time,” she murmured.

He grinned. “Next time,” he agreed. And he sank his hands into her mass of hair so he could pull it, as she’d fantasized, while he suckled and kissed her neck.

The car pulled into Jenna’s driveway, and Caitlyn jerked away from Owen to try to compose herself before she faced the limo driver. She was incredibly grateful that her tweed jacket concealed her aroused nipples, though it did nothing to hide her kiss-swollen lips or the tousled condition of her hair. But the driver didn’t even spare her a glance as he opened the door. She decided he was used to averting his gaze when couples rode in his car.

Caitlyn left Owen to wait in the back seat while she hurried to collect a few things. He’d insisted that if they wanted to ride on the bus, she’d have to hurry. She was a bit nervous about that, actually. She’d prefer to take the limo to Houston, but assumed the expense would be astronomical. The car and driver had been leased for the band’s use, but only for their stay in San Antonio.

Caitlyn let herself into the house using the key Jenna had given her.

“There you are,” Jenna said. “Out all night getting laid. I’m surprised you can still walk.”

Caitlyn whirled around, her hand over chest, her heart thudding against her palm. She took a deep breath. “You scared the shit out of me. I thought you would have left for work by now.”

“I called in sick. I thought we could go to the salon and have a mani-pedi, grab some margaritas with a side of lunch while you tell me all about the cute guy you spent the night with, then we’ll pick up some dumb romantic comedy that will make Daniel flee from the house in horror and have the place and a gallon of chocolate ice cream all to ourselves.”

Caitlyn’s face fell. “Oh, I sort of told…”

She glanced out at the driveway and at the limo waiting for her. As much as she liked Owen and wanted to spend the day and evening with him, her loyalties had to lie with Jenna. The woman had put up with her during her early college years and all the crazy angst she’d suffered while having an affair with one of her professors. One of her married professors. After trying to talk her out of marrying Charles, Jenna had served as her maid of honor because she’d said she would always be loyal to her friend, even if she didn’t agree with the choices she made.

Caitlyn felt terrible that she even considered spending time with Owen over Jenna.

“I’ll just tell him to go on without me,” Caitlyn said. She couldn’t very well turn down her friend when she’d taken a day off work and made plans to spend it with her.

“Wait,” Jenna said. “He’s here?”

“He’s out waiting in the car. He wanted me to go to Houston with him. But I’d rather spend the day with you.” Caitlyn almost believed her own lie. She would love to spend the day with Jenna, but Owen was new and exciting and as much as she loved Jenna, Jenna was… comfortable.

And suddenly Caitlyn was looking for anything but comfortable.

Jenna ran to the window beside the front door and peered out. “That’s not a car, Caitlyn. It’s a fucking limousine.”

“Yeah, well…” Caitlyn shrugged.

“Who is this guy? Is he rich?”

“I don’t know. He’s some musician.”

“Like a rapper or something?”

Caitlyn snorted on a laugh. “Not quite. He’s in some metal band. They’re called Sole Regret. He had convinced me to ride the tour bus and hang out with him backstage until his concert tonight, but I’d much rather have great nails and watch a dumb romantic comedy with you.”

“I call bullshit, Caitlyn Marie. You’re going.” She smoothed her light brown hair that always looked sleek and salon-styled. “And while you’re collecting your things, I’m going to introduce myself to your rock star. Is he really cute?”

“If you weren’t madly in love with Daniel, I wouldn’t let you within ten feet of Owen.”

Jenna laughed. “It’s not like I’m going to hump his leg or something.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you did. Do you work tomorrow?”

“Nope.”

“Can we do the girl thing then?”

“Of course.” Jenna gave her a quick squeeze. “I’m just so glad to see you smiling again.”

“Am I smiling?”

“Like you’ve been hitting the Prozac a little too hard, honey. Good for you. Why don’t you borrow something from my closet?” Jenna suggested. “You dress like my grandmother.”

“Owen likes the way I dress.”

“I highly doubt that. Now I’m going out to meet the man who put that smile on your face, while you change into something a little less you. ”

“Don’t tell him any embarrassing stories about me!” Caitlyn called after her.

Jenna closed the door securely behind herself on her way out. She was totally going to tell Owen all sorts of embarrassing stories about her, Caitlyn just knew she would. Caitlyn rushed to collect her things.

In the guest room, she upended her overnight bag in the center of her borrowed bed and looked for something to wear to a rock concert. Jenna was totally right—she couldn’t be seen someplace cool dressed in any of her clothes. She shoved a pair of twill weave slacks and a matching emerald-green sweater into the bottom of her bag and then helped herself to Jenna’s closet. Most of Jenna’s clothes would be too small for Caitlyn’s rounder backside, but one of her flirty dresses should fit. Was she daring enough to wear red? Yesterday Caitlyn would have said no, but today she was feeling particularly daring. And sexy. All thanks to Owen.

She wasn’t quite daring enough to wear the dress during the day, so she added it to her bag to change into later. Then she filched a pair of red heels from Jenna’s massive shoe collection, but she refused to borrow Jenna’s underwear. Caitlyn’s cartoon cow panties would have to do. Why had she bought those novelty panties in the first place? Owen had seemed to like the fuchsia pair with the sheep; how would he feel about turquoise with a cross-eyed cow?

Would he insist on making her saturate them with her arousal?

Oh lord, she was going to embarrass herself for sure.

Next time she saw Owen, she promised herself that she’d wear sexy underwear for him.

If there was a next time. She was starting to believe there might be a lot of next times.

After tossing her toiletries and make-up into her overnight bag, Caitlyn yanked the zipper shut and went to rescue Owen—and her own reputation—from Jenna’s clutches.

As expected, Jenna had Owen in stitches. They were standing next to the car, Owen leaning against the door so he didn’t collapse in hysterics and Jenna talking in her typical animated fashion. Caitlyn could only guess what her friend had been telling him. Probably about the time she’d forced Caitlyn to go zip-lining and she’d gotten stuck over a canyon. Caitlyn had been fascinated by the physics of the exercise and had determined the effectiveness of hand-braking via experimentation. Her experiment had been a marvelous success—she’d stopped dead in the center of the line—and it had taken her nearly an hour to pull herself, hand over hand, to the nearest station, much to the displeasure of everyone waiting a turn to zoom across the canyon.

“When she fell, she grabbed the nearest guy—by the pants, unfortunately—and we all soon discovered that he was a man who went commando.”

Owen sniggered and rubbed his forehead.

Oh, this was her rollerblading fiasco story. What was next, the “stuck upside-down between two rocks in a kayak” story? Jenna had never gotten it into her head that Caitlyn had the athletic prowess of a common sea slug. While their exploits were adventures for Jenna, those excursions had been exercises in injury and humiliation for Caitlyn. But she went because she knew how much Jenna enjoyed the not-so-great outdoors. And Jenna sometimes accompanied Caitlyn to science fiction conventions because she knew how much Caitlyn enjoyed pretending she was from space. Caitlyn pinked at her thoughts. She hoped Jenna hadn’t told Owen that she liked to dress up as Princess Leia on occasion. She kept the fake-braid earmuffs in the top drawer of her dresser at home.

Though she should be mortified, she wasn’t really. It was stranger to see Owen laughing with Jenna than knowing he was laughing because Jenna was embarrassing her. Seeing him with her best friend made it seem possible that Owen could become a part of Caitlyn’s regular life and not just be the guy who’d given her one night of thought-shattering sex.