After the moment we’d shared in the bathroom, Owen seemed ready to turn in for the night. His expression was troubled, and as much as I wanted to soothe his pain, it didn’t seem as if he would be willing to give me the chance. I could tell he was attracted to me, and while I was relatively sure it was only on a physical level, I was also sure that there would be no man I’d rather give my virginity to.

Even if I never saw him again, it was a moment I wanted us to share. I wouldn’t voice the thought, though we both knew it was well evident. If Owen truly didn’t want me, I wasn’t going to push the issue.

At least, not when I had so much else occupying my mind. I’d been making an effort to be as kind as I could manage, even after he’d rejected my request to go out for drinks altogether. There was an ulterior motive, as I’m sure he suspected.

No matter how suspicious he was, though, I wasn’t going to risk my plan by being cold towards him. After all, you could always capture more flies with honey than vinegar. Admittedly, I had been something of a tease in the shower. I was almost hoping he would be overcome with desire and simply have his way with me.

Being dominated was a thought I felt rather enamored with, especially considering how easily he could pin me down and do whatever he wanted. I’d have been foolish not to notice his impeccable musculature, not to mention the sizable bump in his jeans. He had been unable to hide his reaction in the bathroom, and I could almost sense that I was wearing down his defenses.

He was still determined to see me caged like some exotic bird, a part I was willing to play…as long as he was awake.

In that moment, we stood facing each other at the foot of the bed. His lips were pursed, and though I had my doubts, I hoped he would sleep on the couch or something that night. He crossed his arms, looking from the bed, to the door, to the couch and back to the bed again.

He wasn’t particularly good at disguising his growing irritation, though I wasn’t sure which of us he was more bothered by. He seemed to do a good enough job of getting sullen without my help.

“You can sleep on the couch. There aren’t any windows in here,” I pointed out.

He looked as if he wanted to entertain the notion, but then shook his head unhappily.

“There’s not a lock on the door, either. I can’t risk you trying to sneak off while I’m dead to the world,” he said firmly.

I resisted the desire to roll my eyes, determined to keep my pleasant facade up. I shrugged, gesturing towards the bed with a cheeky smile.

“Well, somehow, I have my doubts that you’d be willing to share the bed. I wouldn’t have any complaints, so if there are really no other options…” I drawled, stretching the words out in a sexy croon.

He flinched, and I took a moment to wonder if his arousal had abated altogether. There was almost a guilty look in his eyes, as if he wanted to do something unforgivable. At least, unforgivable in his own eyes. He could do to consider life from another perspective besides the one that had that stick so far up his ass.

“I’m not going to sleep with you,” he said, though I couldn’t be sure how much weight the words carried.

Did he just mean literal sleep, or was this his final rejection to my advances?

I shook my head disdainfully, moving to slide beneath the sheets. He watched me with his mouth slightly agape, and maybe he hadn’t been finished arguing, but I was definitely done.

“I don’t want to argue about this, Owen. You can sleep in the bed beside me, you can sleep on the sofa. Whatever you decide, I’d rather you try to do it soon. I’m exhausted and ready for some rest,” I said.

Sighing contently, I settled into the sheets, resting my head against the pillow. It wasn’t extravagant by any means, but it would do. I didn’t plan to do any sleeping, anyway. There was no reason Owen needed to know that, though.

Almost as if reading my thoughts, he frowned before shuffling to the closet, where there were some extra linens that had seen better days. He spread them out on the carpeted floor at the foot of the bed. I watched him with a sliver of disbelief for a moment before laughing outright.

He couldn’t be serious. There was no way he would be so bullheaded.

“If you try anything, I’ll wake up. I’m a light sleeper,” he announced coolly.

I considered him with a raised brow, crossing my arms behind my head and allowing my head to drop back down. In spite of his claims, I was still confident in my ability to sneak out of the place without him knowing. Buff macho man on the floor or not, I wasn’t going to let him scare me.

He seemed to realize I was no longer paying him any mind, so he turned off the light before dropping to the floor like a rock. He groaned softly in pain.

“Comfortable down there?” I asked, fighting off my giggles.

“Just great,” he replied bitterly, and I could hear him shuffling around in the little cocoon he’d made for himself.

I rolled my eyes, well aware that he couldn’t see me now. We lay in the darkness, the silence somewhat uncomfortable, though neither of us dared to break it. I closed my eyes, going through the motions of slowing down my breathing. He shifted at the foot of the bed, and I could feel his eyes on me.

“Good night, then, I guess. Sleep well, Emily,” he said softly.

My lips curled into an easy smile after he lay back down.

My good night had nothing to do with sleep, but whatever made him rest easy was good enough for me. If all went according to plan, I’d slip out of the bathroom window after he’d fallen into a restful slumber, coming back in the same way before he even realized what had happened.

Luckily, the apartment was on the first floor, and the bathroom window wasn’t ridiculously high on the wall. It was small, but then again, so was I.

Pretending to sleep was an easy task; it was one I had perfected years ago when I’d still lived with my father. My body seemed to think I was nearing sleep, but my mind was as alert as ever. I could hear every little sound, from the cars zooming past outside to the soft inhales and exhales as Owen breathed.

When Owen’s breathing began to slow, some might have jumped the gun. I was perfectly intent to bide my time, however. The man being just on the edge of sleep wasn’t good enough. I wanted him in a full and restful slumber, and knew just what to listen for.

I figured the military man would be a light sleeper, just like he’d suggested. When he began to loudly snore, I almost leapt for joy. Initially, the snoring was so loud and obnoxious that I thought he might have been faking. It was too easy; there was no fathomable way that he had fallen into such a deep sleep so quickly.

As I quietly sat up in bed, edging towards the foot of it to glance at him, his snoring didn’t ease off. He looked at peace for the first time since I’d met him, and the worried creases at the corners of his eyes were replaced with smooth and flawless skin.

Flawless, save for the one scar that trailed beside his eye. I couldn’t make out the faded injury in the dark of the room, but I had memorized every inch of his face.

Moving as silently as I could, I slid to the middle of the right edge of the bed, still able to keep Owen in sight. It was still far enough that I was confident that the sound of my feet hitting the floor would be muffled. The carpet did most of the work for me, and I had never been more thankful for tacky flooring choices in my life.

I resisted the desire to twist and turn in an excited dance, treading carefully to the door. Surprisingly, Owen had left it open, which made my job all the easier.

Looking warily at him, I almost expected him to be seated upright and staring angrily in my direction. He only groaned in his sleep, during which I remained completely still. He smacked his lips, turning over on his side before he began to saw logs in earnest again.

I exhaled a quiet, relieved sigh, keeping my feet light as I stepped through the door and crept through the apartment. The bathroom door was still ajar, and it was as if my prize had been presented on a silver platter.

Inside the bathroom, I made quick work of quietly working the window open, leaving enough of a gap to squeeze through. I had to suck all my breath in as I pushed out of the window, hitting the ground with a rather loud thump.

I winced at the sound, scrambling to my feet and peering through the window to see if he’d woken up. Thankfully, he hadn’t, and I could still faintly hear his snoring. God, how could he have expected me to sleep in the same room with all that racket? Shaking off the thought, I snuck away from the apartment building, towards the streets.

Though I hadn’t noticed on the way in, the apartment complex seemed to be on a pretty busy strip. I could see neon signs glimmering in the night, marking all the party spots on the road. I didn’t exactly know what part of California we were in, but the streets seemed crowded in spite of how late it was.

It was as if this city didn’t sleep. Well, neither did I.

Walking confidently away from the complex, I joined a crowd and began to seek out the best place to celebrate my birthday. It might be kind of depressing celebrating alone, but being alone was better than being trapped in a prison with no escape. I allowed myself a cheer as I darted into the night.

I was going to have a blast, and nothing would stop me!