Page 93 of Snowed In

“Fuck, I’m so sorry. I thought you just felt bad because I fell over.”

“I mean, yeah, I did feel sorry for you, but that’s not why I asked. I like you, Rory. Why else do you think I’ve stopped by every workday for a coffee and a muffin for the past eighteen months?”

“Umm…I just thought you liked to start your day with coffee, like all of our other customers.”

“No, Rory. Let me tell you a secret.” He dropped his voice to a stage whisper. “I don’t drink coffee.”

“What?!” My reply was the opposite of a whisper, echoing around the room. “You don’t drink coffee?”

“Nope.”

My lips twitched. “So you’ve been buying a coffee five times a week for a year and a half…just because you wanted to see me?”

“Yes.” His expression turned cagey “Unless you think that’s weird. In which case, no, I love coffee and can’t function without it.”

I cupped his face. “I think it’s sweet.”

He exhaled in relief. “Thank fuck for that.”

“All those coffees though.” I shook my head. “What did you do with them all?”

“Gave them to Paul. Figured he might appreciate a hot drink. Well except for today, that is. Thank fuck he found a place in that shelter for over Christmas.”

“Yeah, I’d hate to think of him outside in this weather.” I was still reeling over what he’d just revealed. “That’s…unbelievably fucking sweet. I still can’t believe you kept buying them though. We do have other drinks, you know.”

“I know, but some part of my brain thought if I changed my order, maybe you wouldn’t recognise me.”

I scooted closer, our lips only centimetres apart now. “I’d always recognise you, Owen. Seeing as we’re being honest, I should probably admit to timing my breaks around when you’d be in.”

“You did?”

“Yep. Seeing you was the highlight of my day. I might not have been able to manage a full sentence around you, but I never wanted to miss the opportunity to just…be in your orbit for a little while.”

“We really should’ve talked about this earlier.” His hot breath danced over my lips, but neither of us closed the gap. Not yet. “I can’t believe you thought I was straight all this time.”

“You seemed so embarrassed that day we first met,” I confessed. “I’d been staring at you, and I thought I was making you uncomfortable.”

He sighed, his hand flexing against my rear. “God, I was so in my head. Iwalked in that day and saw you, and it was like my world just…stopped. You were,are,so beautiful. I didn’t know what to say or how to act. I could barely speak. And when I did speak, I ordered coffee because it was the only thing I could think of. I wasn’t uncomfortable, Rory, I was nervous.”

My hand moved from his cheek into his hair. “Are you nervous now, Owen?”

“No. I’m many things, but nervous isn’t one of them.”

“Good.” I wouldn’t be nervous either. We’d danced around this long enough. Too long.

I tugged on his hair, pulling him forwards until our lips met. I groaned as his mouth opened, his tongue sweeping over mine. He kissed me just like I’d always fantasised he would. Confidently. Heatedly.

And oh so sweetly.

For a long time, nothing else existed except us. We didn’t stop kissing, not rushing to go any further, just taking the time to explore. In the cold darkness, something warm bloomed between us. Something precious. Something new.

Owen’s arm flexed under me, bringing our lower halves into direct contact again. It was like he’d flicked a switch, desire running rampant now. We groaned simultaneously. My fingers tightened in his hair as his hand slid under my pyjama bottoms.

Owen broke away on a gasp. “Is this going too fast?”

“Absolutely not,” I said. “I want you to fuck me, Owen.”

His intense eyes searched mine. “You sure?”

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