Page 51 of The Reality of Us
His mouth was so close to hers that Alice didn’t just hear his words, she felt them. Was it possible to want to shiver and burst into flames at the same time?
“I don’t want to stop,” she whispered, and he grinned—a real Owen smile that stretched across his face—guiding her backwards, his warm hands sliding under the back of her top. He kicked the door shut behind him and peppered kisses along her collarbone and neck. She thought she heard him flick the lock, but maybe it was her lady parts reporting for duty.
His stubble scraped against her skin, and she whimpered, her hips rolling forward. It was going to be so good between them. She could taste it. She’d spent weeks watching him move with purpose and practised ease, his commanding presence drawing the eye of everyone he passed.
Owen covered her mouth with his. This kiss was messier than before, fuelled by their lust for each other. His passion overwhelmed her, like water breaking through a dam wall, unable to be contained.
She felt his chest expand as he pulled away, his fingers grasping her hips, sliding beneath the elastic of her shorts. He nipped at her ear, biting gently before his tongue chased away the sting.
Gone was the urge to shiver; Alice was on fire.
She looped her arms around his neck, rose onto her tippy-toes and pressed her mouth against his, wanting more of his kisses, more of him. Owen moved her backwards again, the carpet disappearing under her feet, replaced with the kitchen linoleum, until her butt hit the edge of the countertop. He hoisted her up, her legs automatically wrapping around his waist, pushing himself against where she needed him most. It had never been like this with Phoenix, not even in the beginning when she’d thought he was the answer to all her problems.
Owen’s kisses morphed from fast and frantic to long, slow ones that stole her breath and sent her pulse to the aching place between her thighs. Her fingers tangled in his hair as she slanted her mouth over his, taking what she wanted … what she needed.
He slid his hands up her back, pulling away when he realised she wasn’t wearing a bra.
“Are you trying to kill me?” he whispered against her skin, that authoritative inflection back in his voice. The one that always made her press her legs together and squirm.
He groaned, planting his hands on either side of her thighs, his fingers brushing against her bare skin. “You are. Aren’t you?”
Alice bit her lip, trying to stop herself from smiling too big. Who knew Owen could be so fun? Or maybe she’d underestimated how much fun she’d have teasing him.
“Jesus,” he said. “Don’t look at me like that. Not when we’re getting started. I’m going to bust out early like a chump.”
Alice knew what to do—she figured it was how any self-respecting woman with the hottest man she’d ever seen between her legs would respond. She pitched her hips forward, pressing herself right against the hardness in his pants. Then she quirked an eyebrow at him, pulled her top off and leant back until she was on her elbows. If she laid all the way down, her head would be hanging over the other side of the island bench.
Owen dragged a hand across his face, his gaze roaming all over her body, lingering on her chest.
“The first time’s going to be fast,” he said, reaching up to cup her breasts, pushing them together, using just the right amount of pressure.
She arched her back, not missing the way he’d said “first time”.
“But I’ll make it worth your while.” He winked, dropping his head to her chest, and she had to close her eyes, give herself over to the sensations he was stoking within her. He moved from one nipple to the other, and she hooked her ankles behind his butt, pulling him closer, grinding against him. His hand trailed down her side, a line of goosebumps following it.
She clenched involuntarily when his finger slipped inside her shorts.
The sound he made when he realised she wasn’t wearing panties had her pushing upwards, off her elbows, until she was sitting up on the bench again, her fingers fumbling, pulling, snatching at the bottom of his shirt as she yanked it over his head.
He had the perfect amount of chest hair because, of course, and the tanned, golden skin of someone who loved to be outdoors. How had she never realised how sexy well-defined pectorals were? Because, hello, sign her up for a support group.
Owen dropped another slow, toe-curling kiss on her as she ran her hands through the soft, springy hair on his chest.
“Do you want to go to the bedroom?” His eyes were dark, hands gripping the waist of her shorts.
No way was she getting cock-blocked by a puppy, regardless of how cute Murphy was. “I’m good here.” She lifted her hips so he could pull her shorts away.
“You’re damn right, you are.” Owen sank to his knees, pulling her to the very edge of the countertop. His ragged breath left a trail of fire across her thighs.
“Christ, what do you smell like?” he muttered, pressing his face against her sensitive skin, breathing deeply.
His words cut through the fog of her arousal. What did she smell like? Worse, did she smell bad? Down there? Was this why Phoenix had always refused to go to Taco Town?
She tilted her hips away, a shy reflex hitting her like a bucket of cold water. Here it was. She’d been waiting for the awkwardness that was inevitable the first time she was naked with someone new. But Owen didn’t miss a beat, the flush from her embarrassment barely hitting her skin before he pulled her close again.
“No,” he growled, pressing his nose against her. “You smell like heaven.”
He started slowly. A few sweeping licks, a small kiss before he began to suck. The fire inside her body started to burn again. When he pushed a finger inside, Alice moaned, long and loud.
