“Woah, that’s huge, Kaitlyn! Congratulations.” Smiling broadly, I pull my knees up to my chest as it grows warm and light. “I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks, yeah! So, what about you, Owen? How’d your meeting go?” Rubbing my lips with the pads of my fingers, I roll my jaw in distaste.

  “It’s not going well. I’m gonna be a few more hours, at least. This is why I wanted nothing to do with Rowlan’s company before, and why I’m glad I’m not gonna have anything to do with it after. I just wanted to hear your voice after listening to droning bullshit for the past hour and a half,” I lie uncomfortably, but I couldn’t tell Kaitlyn I’d just fucking hijacked a whole ass ship. She hums softly in understanding, and I clear my throat of its tightness before continuing. “I thought your boss wasn’t announcing the project until tomorrow?”

  “O-oh, yeah, that’s a . . . it’s a bit of a story, actually.” Giggling nervously, Kaitlyn is quiet for a few seconds. My interest intensifies, and I hold my breath as anticipation races through my veins. “Um, the basic gist of it is that Aleesha made some really inappropriate comments the moment I got in this morning, and I blew up on her. She tried to go to HR, but they sided with me when my team threatened to quit collectively, and then she was escorted out by security. That’s when the HR guy told me I was lucky with my timing, because my team is slated to do a global campaign.”

  “They threatened to quit? Were you in danger of being fired or something? What the hell?” I ask in alarm, but the line rustles loudly when Kaitlyn shakes her head.

  “It’s a story, like I said, I’ll tell you about it another time. I was hoping to see you tonight, but if you’re not available, I think I’ll just make the rounds calling my family to let them know.” Kaitlyn’s disappointment is evident, and I wince as guilt claws at my throat.

  “Sorry, Kaitlyn. Trust me, I wish I could just walk outta here, but I can’t. But tomorrow’s the formal announcement, right? If you want, you and your team could come to the bar and Michael can make a bunch of food. Or I could take you on a date if you wanted to do something more private.” My offer earns me yet a second hum of acknowledgment, and I smile at how happy she sounds. Inhaling deeply, I hold my breath, and Kaitlyn gasps lightly before speaking up.

  “Oh, this is my mom. Yeah. I mean, I suggested it to Dan earlier, and he said we’d talk about it tomorrow after the announcement. I’ll call you in the morning, okay, Owen?” Muttering a reply, I hang up quickly before throwing myself back and sighing a blustering gust. Staring at the ceiling of the car, I listen to the whirring machine that loads and unloads cargo off ships. I don’t know what it’s called, but I don’t care.

  What I care about hadn’t even happened yet, although I knew it would. Soon.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Kaitlyn

  “Kaitlyn, hey!” I’m hit with an invisible brick wall of the smell of food, and Michael’s joyous shout draws my gaze. He hangs out an open door behind the bar, waving his arm in gesture. “I heard about your project. Congratulations! How great for you to be involved in something like that so early in your career.”

  “Thanks. I didn’t know there’s a kitchen here?” I blurt out the question, and Michael chuckles lightly as he glances back through the door. “Are you allowed to serve food?”

  “Are you gonna tell on me? If not, I can do whatever the hell I want today. None of your coworkers have allergies, right?” I shake my head, and Michael waves his hand dismissively. “Then it’s fine. Besides, it’s just steaks, chicken, potatoes, salad—that kinda stuff. Nothing crazy. It’s your day! Be happy! It’s all on the house!”

  “But—”

  “Leave him alone, Kaitlyn.” Twisting as Owen emerges from the stairwell at the back of the bar, I frown disapprovingly. His steps are noticeably light and smooth, his shirt seemingly brand new as he holds his arms out to cock a brow. “Whatcha think? I bought it from Kohl’s.”

  “Big spender today, huh?” I muse scanning the plain, white shirt that honestly doesn’t look any different than the ones at Walmart. Owen chuckles on his way over to me, and surprise prickles my face when he leans to kiss my cheek lingeringly. His eyes sparkle when he pulls back, and he smiles warmly as flames lick up my neck and into my face.

  “Today, yeah. It finally happened. Rowlan signed over the company this morning, and everything went so smooth it was hard to believe I didn’t dream it.” A muted glee rises in my chest, but I don’t really understand why this is important. Owen’s smile widens as he reaches to caress my cheek tenderly. “That means he has nothing worth stealing anymore, so I’ve got no good reason to deal with him. I have a feeling he’ll be pissed I quote-unquote abandoned him, though.”

  He curls his fingers dramatically, and my lips part as I nod firmly at his explanation. Wandering over to the bar, I set down my purse and hop onto a stool as he rounds the back to bring out the good wine. Troubled thoughts worm behind my eyes, and I lick my lips heavily before opening my mouth. “Um, so, about that deal . . . did you know the guy that bought it, Ryan Harmon . . . he owns my promotional firm?”

  “I know, yeah.” Pausing to capture my gaze sternly, he leans his forearms on the bar to set down the wine bottle. “Well, I know what he owns. You never said what company you worked for. He’s a pretty powerful guy here, in Seattle, but he’s definitely not untouchable.”

  “Oh, okay, good.” Relief slumps my shoulders, and I sigh softly as Owen works the screw into the cork of the wine bottle. The smell wafting from the kitchen makes my stomach rumble. “Is it legal for him to serve food here?”

  “He’s got a food license, just never a reason to cook or stock food, because we usually don’t have any customers, and when we do, they just wanna drink and eat popcorn. It really means a lot to him that you and your team like this place enough to celebrate such a huge milestone here. Plus . . .” Pausing to lean over the bar, Owen’s eyes twinkle conspiratorially, and I hold my breath in anticipation. “The meeting last night sucked, but Michael found out during it that his son, Joshua, got fired by my brother. He’s asleep upstairs. I’m pretty sure I heard them yelling at each other through the floor last night.”

  “Aw, that’s amazing. I’m really happy for him. Why’d Joshua get fired?” Just the thought of it pricks my eyes with tears and I blink them away hastily as ice lodges in my chest. “Does that mean he’s gonna live upstairs, too?”

  “Rowlan exploded on him, because he couldn’t make the meeting and fired him in a fit of rage. Even though he only owned the company a few hours more. It seems like everyone’s got a reason to be excited today. And no, I don’t think so. I know Mike offered, but I don’t think they’re at that stage, you know?” I gulp down the tightness in my throat as the intense waves of emotions from Owen’s declaration subside. He leans away, and I nod before he pops the cork out of the wine bottle to grab a glass and fill it almost to the top. “Here you go. It’s supposed to go well with steak, but I honestly don’t know. Mike won’t let me in the kitchen.”

  Humming softly as I wiggle my brows, I take the glass to take a sip of the dry, fruity beverage. “It’s good. Thank you.”

  “Owen.” Twisting at the bright, loud call that echoes through the bar, surprise widens my eyes as Ryan holds up a gift basket with a big, sparkly bow slapped on the front. “Congratulations! You actually pulled it off! I’m impressed!”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Owen blushes, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, and I smile warmly over the rim of my glass. “I’m impressed with myself, too.”

  “What’d you do? I wanna be impressed.” His gaze shifts to me nervously as Ryan takes up the stool next to me, and I arch a brow quizzically. Curiosity rampages between my ribs, and Owen straightens to clear his throat roughly.

  “I stole Ryan’s ship last night. But it’s okay, he gave me permission.” Holding up his hands in surrender, Owen smiles cockily before quickly wiping it off his face. My jaw drops, brows rising sky high as the wind gets knocked out of me in shock. “He just wanted to see if I could do it, and I did, too. And I did! Uh, so, yeah.”

  “I have it all on video, you wanna watch?” Whipping out his phone without waiting for an answer—not that I have one—Ryan holds out the screen towards me and pointedly ignores Owen’s scowl. Glancing between them, I gulp down my wine, the alcohol already buzzing in my veins and behind my eyelids. Owen snatches the phone away, grimacing at Ryan, and now that they are side by side, my jaw hits my sternum in surprise.

  “You are cousins, aren’t you?” The atmosphere in the bar descends to frigid levels instantly at my outburst. Owen turns to grab the gift basket and retreat to the other side of the bar quietly. Oh, I did it again? Clamping my mouth shut, I cast a questioning look at Ryan while he grimaces himself; it’s nearly identical to Owen’s. “I-I shouldn’t have asked, right?”

  “We’re not cousins. We share a father.” Gravel harshens Ryan’s revelation, and I frown under tightly knit brows as he leans in to mutter lowly. “If a man like his father treats a boy like he treated Owen, how do you think he treated women? It’s not your fault, but some situational awareness would be nice. There’s a reason I didn’t answer that question the other day when we saw each other at the office, Kaitlyn.”

  “O-oh, no.” Covering my eyes, I duck my head as shame sloshes up my throat and churns my stomach. Gently patting my arm, Ryan sighs as my face burns in regret.

  “It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean anything by it,” Owen says softly, almost a whisper. I glance up quickly to open my mouth, but nothing comes out. Biting my bottom lip, I silently admonish myself for asking such a stupid question. If Owen had wanted me to know about it, he’d bring it up himself, and his life . . . in what world did he want to revisit his past. Shoving my wine glass at me, he produces two beers and cracks the tops expertly. “Drink.”

  “It’s endearing, if you ask me, that you’re someone that can be so empathetic about things you really don’t understand. You just gotta figure out how to weigh questions versus all their potential answers, Kaitlyn.” I nod dumbly at Ryan’s advice even though part of me feels like he’s scolding me. “You’re young, there’s plenty of time to balance out that angel perched on your shoulder.”

  “It’s a good thing no one asked you, Ryan. I like it just fine.” Draining my wine glass steadily, I set it down to close my eyes and curl over it to sigh hotly as Owen snipes a reply. Blinking back the sting in my eyes, I shake my head viciously and straighten to inhale a deep, deep, deep breath that cracks my sternum.

  “I told myself I wasn’t gonna ask, okay . . . that’s how I got in trouble yesterday, you know that? I sat down at my desk and said to myself ‘I’m not gonna ask’ and this, this, this.” Sputtering as residual anger rises up in my chest, I clench my hand into a tight fist on the bar. Amusement twinkles in Owen’s eye, and I bang my fist lightly on the wood with a huff. “That bitch . . . I called her that! She asked me if I was mad, because we had sex and you didn’t call me back? What? Like, what? Who sneaks up on me while I’m turning on my computer, had just walked into work . . . and she just asks that!”

  I am steaming mad even now, and Owen’s brows raise in surprise at my outburst. Lifting my glass to my lips, I wonder if I could ever tell the story without being angry. How humiliating! The nerve! “And then she had th-the-the balls to go to HR since I hit her!”

  “You did what?” His tone heightens in shock, and I nod furiously as the alcohol in my blood simmers. “How’d you manage to save your job after physically assaulting another employee?”

  “Because . . . I . . . am . . . awesome! That’s why!” Blustering hotly, I blink hard and glance at the wine glass now empty in my hand. Owen throws back his head and belly laughs, and I gently push back the wine glass towards him. “This, this stuff is dangerous.”

  “I’ll get you some water, Kaitlyn. And for what it’s worth, sometimes, people just deserve it,” Owen chuckles heartily as he takes the glass. I rub my palms together and flex my face hard against the persistent tingling above my nose and through my cheeks. “Speaking of coworkers, when are yours showing up? Are Mark and Ethan coming? I know Joshua’s coming down whenever he feels up to it, but Mike really went all out with the food for tonight.”

  “They should be here in a couple minutes, I think. I’m usually a little early. So, I want to see you steal a ship. Gimme that phone.” He hesitates, but eventually complies to my outstretched hand, and I nod firmly as Ryan takes the device to navigate to the video. So, Owen’s a real thief. A thief like in the movies. But he’s stolen from people other than his brother? This time, I am going to keep my mouth shut.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Kaitlyn

  “Dance with me,” The party surrounding us dulls in my narrowing scope of comprehension, and I grab Owen’s wrists to drag him off his bar stool. He smiles broadly, the heat of mild intoxication reddening his cheeks and brightening his eyes. Music pumps from speakers that’d never played at such a volume, and I guide his hands around my waist before slinging my arms around his neck. “You sure you wanna date me?”

  The alcohol in my system makes me bold and Owen stiffens against me as I stare directly into his eyes. Swaying back and forth despite the fast, hot tempo of the music wrapping us up, I hold my breath in anticipation as fire engulfs my lungs. “Because you have all this stuff you went through that I just . . . I don’t know if I can ever truly understand it, and I wanna relate to you, but, like . . . you know?”

  “That’s exactly how I feel about you, Kaitlyn,” Exhaling a hot sigh at Owen’s confession, I lick my dry lips as his cheeks darken. His eyelashes seem so long, and I savor the heat crawling up my sides from his palms. “The same way you can’t imagine what I’ve gone through in life, I can’t really get what you’ve gone through. Having parents that love you? Siblings you like to be around, and a house that you feel safe in . . . those are as foreign to me as my experience is to you.”

  “So, we’re, like, even, right? I wanna be with you, but then I make you upset, and I wonder if it’s worth it for all the good times I have with you.” Owen’s expression turns to mush as he nods, palming up my sides firmly. His eyes blaze with happiness, amplified by the drinking we were doing, and I inhale deeply through my nose. Tugging his head down, I push myself up to crash my lips on his, and he freezes as his hands suddenly leave my sides. Pushing against him insistently, I tighten my grip on his head to stop him pulling back.

  Tentatively, Owen’s hands settle on my hips, and a triumphant thrill rampages violently through my system. His tongue sneaks out along the seam of my mouth as goosebumps blanket my arms and across my chest. Our kiss ends naturally, and I roll my lips between my teeth as he rests his forehead against mine.

  “I’m glad we’re on the same page, Kaitlyn.” Shivering at Owen’s sultry declaration, flames lick up my neck and engulf my cheeks. My heart hammers powerfully, and I sigh heavily through flared nostrils. “You were right, you know. You are awesome. I’m lucky we met, and I’m gonna try not to make you regret this.”

  “You’re awesome. How come you act like you never do anything to impress me . . . no, like you can’t do anything to impress me? I’m not the one doing all the work here by trying to accept you. You make it pretty easy, and that takes a lot of effort,” I mumble sluggishly as we sway back and forth, and I crack open my eyes to look up at him. So close, his features are distorted, but I can clearly see his relief and tumultuous emotions my words brought up in him. “I’m not used to working hard.”

  “That’s alright. I’m plenty strong enough to carry the weight on my own. Especially if these hands will massage my shoulders afterwards.” His voice lilts with something that makes me tremble, and my abdomen tenses as Owen’s breath rolls under my shirt. My mouth dries as the fire in my chest spreads downward, engulfing my torso and slithering down my legs. I press my cheek against Owen’s hard chest, and he tightens his arms around my waist. “Tonight’s a special night for everyone, but I’m really glad I was able to do this for you. You’ve worked so hard, and it’s paying off. I might not have been around for it, but I’m so proud of you, Kaitlyn.”

  “I’m amazed at you, too. I can barely believe you managed to pull off stealing an entire ship and everything on it. That blows my mind, it’s like something from a movie,” I marvel quietly, and Owen grins against my crown. “I think you try too hard to be . . . personable, Owen. I think you’d be a lot happier and less uneasy if you are just who you are. You’re not gonna scare me off. I think it’s obvious by now that I’m really dense when it comes to this kinda stuff.”

  “I wouldn’t put it like that, myself. In that case, you wanna go upstairs?” Excitement trills in my ears at the offer and I nod eagerly before Owen pulls away to take my hand. Heading up to his apartment, the music pumps against my feet, barely breaking through the thick floorboards. He pushes his way into his apartment to cross the living room, and I sit on the sofa before he looks back at me with a heat in his gaze that grips me in a vice. Sliding onto the couch next to me, Owen wraps his arm around my shoulders.

  Nervous anxiety buzzes in my belly, and my heart thunders hard when Owen leans into me. The darkness around us grows darker, and I close my eyes before his lips brush mine tenderly. My breath catches, the taste of him tingling my lips as he kisses me firmly, and my hands hug his chest as if they have a mind of their own. Slipping between the gaps of his fine button down, my fingers work to pop them open before his tongue sneaks out to caress the seam of my lips. Music reverberating from below numbs my feet, and I cup his head to pull him closer as his arm tightens around me.

  A soft moan builds in my chest, and my skin twitches in elicited excitement when Owen’s free hand slips under my shirt. The heat of him scorches me as his touch trails fire along my waist and I gasp when he grabs my outer thigh to draw me on top of him. Straddling his waist, I pull back to heave a hot, shuddering sigh. My abdomen quivers as I settle in his lap, and desire swirls between us when I crack open my eyes.

 

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