Hidden Flames (11 page)

The longer Owen spoke, the more Prue clearly became heated at his assumptions…though accurate as they may be. She couldn’t argue with the point he made but she could decide not to talk about it. She didn’t have to open up to him or anyone else for that matter. He hoped that she would opt to take hold of the olive branch he was extending, because he’d known long before she did that they could have something good together if she would just give them a chance.

“Do you get pleasure out of knowing that my father couldn’t handle it when my mother got sick? That he left us?” Prue spoke with more emotion than he’d ever seen. Owen’s chest tightened at the pain that filled her tone and he wished he had the ability to take it away. “My mother worked two jobs, took care of two children, and did her best to make sure we had food on the table and clothes on our backs while fighting for her life. A battle that she lost. She died and I wasn’t old enough to take custody of my sister, so then she was gone too.”

Owen understood the system more than anyone, having been placed in more foster homes than he could count on two hands. Prue didn’t have to tell him that she’d worked her way through high school to help pay the bills. It was more than apparent that she would have done anything for her family, which was why he had such a hard time accepting that she was such a loner. She wanted no ties to anyone, no bonds that could be broken. There had to be more, but he didn’t want to push her any more now that she’d already revealed so much and opened up wounds that had never really healed.

Prue took the things she needed to clean up and walked toward the bedroom, essentially shutting down the conversation. Owen didn’t regret the way this had played out, though he was pretty certain she would put even more distance between them in the next couple of days. It was a good thing they were riding their bikes instead of being cooped up in a vehicle where silence would have just made things even more awkward. Then again, he would have had time to chip away at her defenses. She surprised him when she added on more to her story. He turned his head to see that she was standing in the doorway and holding her clothes tight to her chest, looking straight ahead as if she were watching a movie.

“I tried everything to keep Rosa. I’d been in a serious relationship throughout high school and he knew how much my family meant to me. He was a few years older, so I suggested we go to the courthouse since we’d talked about getting married after college. What’s a few years’ difference anyway? We would then have been able to petition the courts for custody, but he balked. He said he wasn’t ready for the whole wife and kids things, and he certainly didn’t want a three-year-old to take care of before he’d even graduated high school himself.”

“So when the going got tough, he left.”

“Yeah,” Prue said softly, finally turning her head to meet his gaze. There was a sadness within her brown eyes, but there was also acceptance. His chest tightened even more. “Two for two. So did the lawyer I hired the day I turned eighteen when I sold everything that my mother had just to cover the retainer. He took three days to look over the case and then said I had no chance to get custody of Rosa. He took the retainer for the time he’d spent researching my options and then dropped the case without ever going to court. You could lump his ass in as well and say three for three. I don’t like sports as you pointed out, but that’s an out as far as I know in any game.”

“So I have to pay for their mistakes?” Owen asked, watching her closely to gauge her reaction. It certainly wasn’t what she thought he’d say, but he wasn’t going to feel sorry for her. He and his teammates had all been through similar experiences and none of them appreciated pity. They’d worked hard to get where they were…he worked hard to get where he was…and they were proud of what they’d accomplished against the odds. Prue more than understood where he was going with his line of questioning and was already shaking her head. “You’re punishing me, even though you should know by now the kind of man I am, for their lack of moral fortitude.”

Prue surprised him by walking into the bedroom and shutting the door without saying the last word. It spoke volumes of the deep-seated resentment she still harbored over the actions of weak, morally questionable men. He would have given anything to have been the one with her when her mother died…giving her the support she needed along with the chance to keep her family together. Owen always had the outlook that every person was unique in their own way and the views or actions of one weren’t that of another. She’d lumped every man into the same category that she’d only ever had experience with and he hoped she understood where he was coming from. He shouldn’t be the one to carry their cross.

Owen couldn’t sit here and ruminate over something that he couldn’t change. Prue had to be the one willing to do that and he wasn’t so sure she was after hearing the reasons why she kept herself so guarded. He slipped his holster on, laced up his boots over clean socks, and decided some fresh air would do him some good. It wasn’t as if it would be around for long, so he might as well take advantage of it while he could still breathe it. Prue wasn’t the only person on his mind who was causing him stress. The fact that four men had gone out of their way to figure out which route that he and Prue had taken, and then to follow them, was a bit more than troublesome. There could be nothing good to come of this situation and he certainly wouldn’t underestimate them.

Firewood burning was the first thing Owen caught wind of when he stepped outside. He quietly closed the door and purposefully left the additional flashlight off. He’d packed a few of the hand-cranked lights, figuring they would come in handy at some point. The fire didn’t seem to be too close by, but he didn’t want to take any chances of someone catching a beam and then come to investigate. People were panicking and making impulsive decisions. He didn’t want to be on the wrong end of such an assessment.

Owen had been gifted with the ability to naturally track anything in all its various forms. The talent had come in handy multiple times during combat and it was a gift that never truly went away. He contemplated searching out whom the fire belonged to, but then decided against it. There was no need to search out trouble, and he made the decision not to set up the HF radio until tomorrow.

It took Owen close to fifteen minutes to secure the area, but no one had been here since they’d arrived. There were no sounds to indicate anyone was near the property either. It wasn’t as if he and Prue would be here for longer than two or three hours, but he still didn’t want to take any chances. There was still a crop in the field and cedars and terrain obscured the house. People would have to be virtually on top of them before they saw the place. Feeling somewhat better, he made his way to the front of the small house and opened the door. He certainly wasn’t expecting Prue to be standing just outside the bedroom doorway wearing nothing but a towel. Her long damp hair hung down her back and there was an intensity in her dark eyes that had him holding his breath and realizing he hadn’t really enjoyed the air outside like he should have.

“Prue?”

“I thought about what you said and you’re somewhat right.”

Owen wasn’t sure he should take that as a compliment. He slowly closed the door until he heard it latch behind him. He never took his eyes away from Prue, feeling like he’d just entered a circus cage with a temperamental lioness.

“Somewhat?” Owen proposed with a raised eyebrow, wanting clarification. He stayed where he was, the sensual image of her standing there in nothing but a towel hell on his restraint. He’d already accepted that she would be the death of him somehow, someway. He leaned against the door and crossed his arms. “Enlighten me.”

“Sex. Friends with benefits, as they say.” Prue raised a hand as if she’d just waved a magic wand. Owen was somewhat dumbfounded that she actually thought he would take her up on that offer. Again, she was lumping him in with another group of men while she stood there almost naked. A bit of ire made him grit his teeth. “We both get what we want and it would be idiotic to not take advantage of this situation. Don’t people resort to their most basic nature during times like these?”

“You want to have sex and then carry on to Washington as if we’re nothing more than casual friends?” Owen used his foot to push away from the door and slowly walked toward Prue, who of course stood her ground. She was fearless, confident, and poised in her thought process. He was about to show her that she didn’t always get her way. “How did you put it? Friends with benefits.”

“Exactly. I thought about what you said and you’re right,” Prue announced as if that was an anomaly. She just kept pushing his buttons without even realizing it. She shifted so that her back was up against the doorjamb. “You aren’t to blame for someone else’s actions and there’s no reason to put off the inevitable.”

“The inevitable?” Owen closed the remaining distance, placing his left hand above her head. Prue tilted her chin up with her lips parted. Damn, but she was beautiful. “What would that be, Prue?”

“We’ve been attracted to each other since the very beginning,” Prue said softly, lowering her gaze to his lips. Her hands currently hung down her sides, leaving an opening for him to remove her towel, but he wasn’t quite ready to do that yet. “Having sex was bound to happen sooner or later. Look at what happened the other day when we were drinking after work.”

“One drink equals one kiss?” Owen leaned down, now knowing exactly what he needed to do. “Friends with benefits? You offer a compelling case, sweetheart. Shall we put it to the test?”

A
rousal surged through
Prue’s body at the sight of Owen’s smoldering dark eyes. She breathed in the scent of fresh air with a hint of burnt wood. He smelled of fall, regardless that it was spring, and she wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him down for a passionate kiss. He didn’t give her the chance though because he leaned his body into hers and caught her arms between them so that her palms were resting against his chest.

Owen kept her waiting though and didn’t immediately kiss her the way she thought he would. Prue had spent the entire shower deliberating over his previous words.
So I have to pay for their mistakes?
He’d made her realize that she
was
punishing everyone else for the actions of her father, her high school boyfriend, and so many others that had disappointed her during her time of need. He hadn’t done any of that and had even gone out of his way over the last year to earn her trust. She still didn’t believe that she was cut out for anything more than something casual, so this was the best of both worlds and she was so glad that he saw it too.

He hadn’t shaved, so a five o’clock shadow had formed over his jawline. It somehow made him even more attractive, if that was even possible. The coarse hair sent shivers through her when his lips finally closed over hers. Warmth immediately invaded her, taking away the chill in the air that was catching the attention of the remaining water droplets on her skin. The softness of his lips was a contradiction to his whiskers and she tilted her head for more of the dueling sensations.

Prue parted her lips, allowing his tongue to slowly play with hers. The way he kissed reminded her of a slow waltz, leisurely seducing her with the graceful way he moved. It was another paradox, because her heartbeat had accelerated and arousal had crashed over her at an alarming rate. How was it that she reacted this way only with him?

Owen tore his lips from hers and trailed them down her neck to her shoulder, giving her enough room to slide her left arm up so that she could rest her palm on his shoulder. The leather of his holster reminded her that he was still dressed while she was in nothing but a towel. That needed to change. She had just started to remove his strap when the warm feel of his fingers touched her thigh.

“Open your legs,” Owen said in a low but hoarse, voice. Prue would have smiled, but his tone had awakened something inside of her that needed satiated. She did as he asked when she normally would have given him a hard time for the hell of it. Now wasn’t that time…not when she needed his touch so badly. “You are incredibly wet…”

Prue stopped breathing the moment his fingers brushed her pussy, gathering her juices before he caressed her clit. What had he expected? He’d even mentioned earlier that they’d been fighting this attraction for way too long. Her body had been ready long before her mind had accepted that this could really happen…on her terms. She gripped the shoulder strap of his holster when pleasure rippled through her.

“Bare…just the way I prefer,” Owen whispered. Oh my, but Prue could really get into the way he was talking to her. She tilted her head so that he kept his lips on her neck while pleasuring her with his fingers. She was more than willing to take this into the bedroom but she didn’t want the indulgence to stop. “And tight…can you imagine my cock inside of you?”

Prue moaned when he slid a finger through her folds, gradually pushing it inside of her and lifting her onto her toes. He withdrew and circled her clit once more, repeating the action far slower than she would have liked. He was prolonging her orgasm and the longer he continued, the more she wondered if she was going to faint here on the spot from such drawn out torture.