All the Way (Hot Jocks #2)(23)

Maybe it’s crazy, but it’s the absolute truth. I’m not sure there’s anything he could do that would freak me out.

His body relaxes a bit, but the storm in his eyes hasn’t calmed much. “That’s damn good to hear. But I’m still trying to be careful about this, you know? We’re in some uncharted territory here.”

My mouth quirks up. I love seeing this careful, gentle side of Owen. I’ve never seen him like this before, and if he weren’t sitting right in front of me, I might not recognize this version of him.

“Can we just feel it out and see what happens? I mean, sheesh, you haven’t even taken my dress off yet and you’re asking me about pinning me down,” I say lightly, joking to lighten the heaviness that has entered my bedroom.

A mischievous look flickers in his eyes. “That’s an excellent point.”

With careful fingers, he slowly lowers the zipper on the side of my dress all the way down, then goes for my straps and slides the whole thing off of me. And just like that, I’m lying in front of my best friend wearing nothing but a strappy black thong and a matching push-up bra.

“Jesus, Becca.” He wets his lower lip as his eyes take me in. “You’re stunning.”

My face goes hot, and I’m not sure whether to thank him or cover myself up. Luckily, I don’t have to give it much thought.

In an instant, Owen is lying beside me again, placing one of those big, calloused hands directly over my belly, letting it linger there. It’s disorienting in the best possible way to have his hands on my skin. He’s hot, but tender, with a simmering passion that bubbles just under the surface like it’s all waiting to erupt. And I am here for it.

His lips meet mine again, and I can’t resist rocking my hips against his thigh when he moves closer. The hard ridge tenting his dress pants presses against my hip, but he ignores it completely. My core heats with something hot and urgent. It’s not supposed to feel like this between us, but it does. It just does.

“Mmm.” I hum in pleasure, reaching for the belt of his pants. But the second I touch his buckle, his hand moves as if by instinct, snatching my wrist and pinning it to the bed above my head.

Apparently, I’m not the only one surprised by this. Owen’s eyes widen, and he yanks his hand away from my body so fast that I let out a little gasp.

“Owen?” I ask softly, still breathing heavily, but scrambling to understand what’s happened. But with one look into his eyes, I know that our night is over.

His entire muscular frame has gone rigid, and his hands are curled into fists at his sides. The fun-loving Owen with the gentle touch has fled, and in his place is a man who can barely look at me.

“I should get out of here. It’s late.”

As desperately as I want to make him stay, I know his mind is already made up. And once Owen knows what he wants, he doesn’t change his mind.

? ? ?

“So he just left?!”

The looks on Bailey and Sara’s faces as they try not to spit out their lattes is totally priceless. Nothing offers a fresh perspective on a situation like a shot of espresso and some advice from your best friends. Bailey is a med student and a total sweetheart. Sara is whip-smart and known for shooting people straight. I knew both would offer me sound advice.

After Owen scrambled out of my apartment and into an Uber last night, I texted Sara and Bailey immediately, telling them I had a boy problem to discuss. As always, they were there for me in a heartbeat, confirming a coffee date for the next day.

But when we met up this morning at our favorite coffee shop and they realized that Elise didn’t get the invite, it took them all of a microsecond to put the pieces together. This wasn’t just a boy problem. This was an Owen problem. And for the time being, I’d like to keep it off of his sister’s radar, even if she is one of my besties.

“So he left, as in he left the room?” Sara asks, her forehead creasing. “Or he left left, like he left altogether?”

“Left left.” I sigh. “I haven’t heard from him since.”

It took me a while to recount the story of last night on top of the details of the deal Owen and I agreed to, but Sara and Bailey listened intently through the whole thing, biting at their straws in suspense. Bailey, ever the drama queen, always has the best reactions, and Sara, forever our group’s voice of reason, offers top-notch practical advice.

“I cannot believe he did that.” Bailey slams her empty cup down on the table and folds her arms over her chest. “What an asshat. Do you want me to egg his car?”

“Whoa, whoa, slow your roll, Speedy Gonzales,” Sara says calmly. “Maybe she should try talking to him first.”

“You don’t think it’s too soon?” I fiddle nervously with my straw. “I don’t want to suddenly make this whole thing weird and ruin our friendship.”

“You’re not ruining your friendship. You’re just communicating,” Sara points out. “But if you don’t communicate with him, you can wave buh-bye to your friendship altogether. Because then you’re just leaving this weird thing that happened totally unacknowledged, and it will hang between you forever.”

Oh God, what if she’s right?

Bailey uncrosses her arms and nods along. “Yeah, that’s true. You’re gonna go crazy if you don’t get closure on the whole thing. Especially since it was your first sexual encounter since, well, you know. College.”