Page 38 of Fastlander Fealty

“That was all my f—”

He couldn’t listen to it. Didn’t want to hear her take on the blame. He leaned into her and pressed his lips against hers. Under his touch, she froze like a statue, and he thought of disengaging, but he couldn’t. She tasted so good, and her lips were soft, and she wasn’t apologizing for things she didn’t do wrong when his lips were pressed onto hers like this. Should he have asked if it was okay? Maybe. Should he have read her body language and given her the option? Probably. But until she pushed him away, the devil inside of him didn’t want to back off her.

He slid his hand to her neck and stayed frozen for a moment more as he kissed her. One more moment, and then she slid her arms around him and melted straight into him. A low rumbling sound escaped him as she pulled him close and parted her lips for him to push his tongue against hers.

And he did. He really tasted her. He tasted her and then pulled her hips to the very edge of the mattress so he could hug her against his chest. Owen angled his face the other way and kissed her deeper, and fuck, he wanted more. He wanted everything.

She was so warm, and so soft, and she moved so perfectly against him.

A honk from outside sounded, and Owen ended the kiss, rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes against his frustration. He stayed like that for three breaths before he eased back and stood, fully expecting to sway with the effort.

He was surprised at how good he felt standing though. The wooziness had disappeared completely, and the burn under his skin lessened by the second. Shocked, he looked down at his torso, and already the redness was fading.

Baffled, he looked to Silver, and she was staring at him wide-eyed. “What did you just do?” she whispered.

“I don’t…” He ran his hand down the healing slash-marks from Captain that now looked a week old. The redness was fading more and more, and the pain was seeping from him like a fog.

Owen reached down and pushed the blanket off her shoulder, and studied the fading red splotches across her collar bone.

“I don’t know,” he finished.

Another honk sounded, and Owen gritted his teeth and glanced at the door. “I need to get you food. I’m going with Gunner.”

“Oh.” Her pretty soft brown eyes searched his with an unspoken question.

“Do you feel up to coming with me?” he asked, not wanting to be separated after whatever had just happened between them.

She nodded. “Can I have a couple minutes to get dressed?”

“Of course.” He made his way to the door, but she stopped him with his name whispered on her lips. He turned. “Yeah?”

“I told you not to do that again until you meant it.”

“I listened to you.”

His nostrils flared with her sharp inhalation of breath, and she nodded. “Okay then.”

“Okay then,” he repeated. “Gunner’s got his panties in a twist. Be quick, yeah?”

She stood and made her way to the dresser in a rush.

“Owen!” Gunner roared from outside.

Owen wanted to punch his stupid Alpha right in the throat. He strode down the hallway and past the bathroom through the living room and out the front door. He parted his lips to yell at Gunner, but something came flying at his face from the side, and he caught it on reflex. It was a phone.

Confused, he held it up to Captain. “This isn’t mine.”

“It’s your girlfriend’s.” Captain’s eyes were glowing even brighter now. “Scroll the messages on the lock screen.”

Anger boiled in Owen’s blood. “Fuck off, Captain.” He strode for the truck, his glare on him. He yanked open the driver’s side door and slid in, told Gunner, “Two more minutes. Silver is coming with is.”

“The hell she is.”

Owen reached into the bag he kept in the back seat and found a T-shirt, pulled it over his head.

“I said the hell she is!” Gunner barked out.

“My truck, my rules.”

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