Page 104 of Uniquely in Love

“Hi.” I let out a breath of relief. Just being in his arms had my body relaxing.

“What got you so flustered in there?”

I shook my head. Now wassonot the time. “Nothing,” I lied.

“Mmm.” His rumble in my ear shouldn’t have been so sexy. It certainly shouldn’t have made my panties damp. But there was just something abouthim,about the sexual appeal that practically dripped off of him these days.

Maybe it was all the time we’d spent apart. That in that time, he’d gone from a boy to aman.A man with a perfectly sculpted body, like he was chiseled to perfection. Either way, it was hopeless to resist him. It always had been. That was probably why me insisting we not sleep together was a stupid proclamation. We were uniquely made for each other, and everything else was just inevitable.

“I like this,” I murmured. “Being here with you.” Being his girl.

Owen pressed a kiss to my neck. “Good. Because I like you being here, too.”

Humming, I snuggled my back against his chest, savoring the moment.

We stayed like that for a while, enjoying the damp fall weather outside, though I wasn’t cold thanks to the heater on the patio. It was just… nice. Peaceful.

After everything we’d gone through, peace was something we needed.

I wasn’t taking a single moment for granted. Not with us.

We got home after midnight,and even though I had school in the morning—and Owen had a game—I was wide awake. I’d had a few drinks over the course of the evening, but I wasn’t drunk. I had a magical, happy buzz. That perfect level of tipsy when everything felt right in the world. I set my hat on the counter, running my fingers through my blonde strands of hair.

Twirling through the house on my tiptoes, I headed to the crate, freeing Zamboni from her tiny prison.

“Hi, baby,” I said, showering her little golden face with kisses. “Did you miss us? Because I missed you so much.” I held her head between my hands and she licked my nose. “Such a good girl, Zambi. Should we take you out for a walk?” I grabbed her leash, and when I turned around, I found Owen looking at me with an amused expression.

“What?” I furrowed my eyebrows.

His eyes dragged down my body with a heated expression. “You’re going out like that?”

I was still in my hot pink Barbie cowgirl outfit. Owen had taken his hat and shirt off after we’d gotten home—which wasa shame, because I loved the cowboy look on him—and was just wearing his undershirt and black jeans.

“Uh-huh.” I nodded. “What’s wrong with my outfit? I wore it to the party. Besides, we gotta take her out before bed, right?” I scrunched up my nose.

He chuckled, padding towards me, grabbing a sweatshirt off the chair and pulling it on over his head. “I’ll take her out. It’s cold outside. You can go change.”

“Oh.” He was right. Itwaschilly outside. And my costume didn’t exactly have sleeves. “Alright.”

Owen took our puppy from my arms, kissing me softly before clipping on her harness before heading out the door. I watched his ass as he walked, giggling to myself. God, it was a nice ass. I wanted to dig my fingers into it andsqueeze.

Heading back to Owen’s room, I pulled my boots off and collapsed on the bed, smiling at the ceiling. Running my fingers over my lips, I thought about how natural it was to kiss him again. How right it felt to be in his arms.

Maybe it was the alcohol in my system, the pleasant hum in my veins, but Idefinitelywasn’t ready for bed yet. No. I hadplans. We’d been making up for lost time this week, and I wanted to be on top this time. To show him just how much he meant to me. To make him feel good, like he always made me.

The front door opened and closed, and I heard Owen talking to Zambi out in the living room, telling her what a good girl she was.

Didn’t he knowIwas his good girl? I pulled my bandana off from around my neck, dropping it onto the bed. Standing up, I pulled my hair over one shoulder, unbuttoning the front of the vest and letting it drop down my shoulders.

I could practicallyfeelOwen’s presence at the doorframe as I continued to strip, dragging the zipper down the pants and shimmying them off, exposing my panties and bra to him. Hot pink, just like my outfit.

“Ellie,” he groaned. “You’re going to kill me.”

Running my tongue over my lips to moisten them, I undid the clasp of my bra, letting it fall to the floor before dragging my panties down my legs.

“You’re so goddamn beautiful, Eleanor.”

No one really called me my full name. And they certainly didn’t say it the way he did, filled with so much longing and desire that I wanted tomelt.

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