Present Day…

When the Uber pulled into my driveway, the sun hovered just above the horizon. I waited in the car for a few seconds to gather my wits. Owen’s truck sat next to the garage. Yellow light spilled through the bay window and pooled on the lawn. Someone, probably Owen, had mowed the grass. New gray siding and dark blue shutters had transformed the pitiful exterior of the house to something of beauty. Pride spread through my chest. It looked like home. My home. Mine. No one had the power to kick me out or send me away. For the first time since I was twelve, I belonged somewhere.

“Thanks,” I told the driver, a young kid, and gave him a tip for helping with my bags. Owen, hearing the car, came out the front door to stand on the porch. Seeing his tall silhouette and broad shoulders made my heart stutter.

“Hey, let me get those for you.” In a few long strides, he reached my side and hauled the equipment to the house. He piled everything in the hallway. “How was your trip?”

“Good.” I tucked my hair behind my ears, suddenly feeling shy. “How did things go here?”

“Great.” The deep rumble of his voice stirred my nipples to life. I crossed my arms over my chest to hide the way they strained against my T-shirt. “Kitchen’s almost done. Appliances are in. The security alarm is installed. You’re good to go.”

After a quick tour of the updates and a tutorial on the alarm system, we stood facing each other in the living room. A week had passed, but it felt like a lifetime. He seemed uncomfortable, barely meeting my gaze. A cool breeze drifted in through the open door. I shivered and rubbed my hands over my arms.

“Well, I’m sure you’re exhausted. I should probably head home. Don’t forget to set the alarm like I showed you,” he said. One of his hands rested on the handle of the screen door. Any second now, he was going to leave.

The play of shadow and light from the dying sun gave his face a fierce sharpness. I felt the gap growing wider between us. “I went to see Michael today.”

He flinched, like he’d been stung. “Oh? Are you getting back together?”

“No.” I didn’t appreciate the cool unconcern of his tone. Had I imagined the chemistry between us? My lips still stung from the memory of his kisses. This couldn’t be a one-side attraction. “I told him everything.”

“You what?” Fire flashed in his eyes. A muscle ticked below his cheekbone. “Are you fucking insane?”

“I wanted to see if there was something I could do for you.” At his rare show of temper, I backed up a step. My hands began to tremble. “I asked him to look into it.”

He growled and shoved both hands through his hair like he was about to lose his mind. “What the fuck, Stella?”

“Don’t yell at me.” I lifted my chin and reclaimed the step I’d lost. Even though my nose barely reached the middle of his chest, I did my best to stare him down. “This is my fault. If I’d never have met you, then you wouldn’t have gone to prison. None of this would have happened. I have to make it right.”

“No, you don’t.” With a hand on each of my shoulders, he gave me a light shake. “I told you to leave it alone. Why can’t you just let it go?”

“You don’t deserve any of this.”

“Listen to me.” He bent down to my eye level, his nose an inch from mine. “I gave up ten years of my life to keep you safe. If you keep picking at this, everything I did will have been for nothing.”

“I never thought of it that way,” I said, biting my lower lip. “Michael said most of the evidence was lost. It would be hard to reopen the case, but I asked him to try.”

He took a step closer, crowding me toward the wall. The depths of his eyes sparkled with something unidentifiable, something that made my thighs clench. When my back hit the wall, I spread my palms against the plaster. He braced a hand on either side of the wall beside my head. “What am I going to do with you, Stella Valentine?”

My pulse accelerated. His breath burned my ear. Fear coursed through my body. I wasn’t afraid he would hurt me; I was afraid of the way I felt when he got so close. I wanted to wrap my legs around his waist and beg him to fuck me on the floor.

“Owen, I know we’re different people now, but what if—what if this is something special between us? What if this is our one chance at happiness?” I smoothed my fingertips over the rough stubble of his jaw. Some of the tension eased in his posture, but the light in his eyes grew more intense. “Is it possible to still love someone after so many years apart?”

The tip of his nose nuzzled along the bridge of mine. His eyes closed as his lips brushed my mouth in a butterfly kiss. I sighed, overcome by the tenderness in his touch. “I don’t know, Stella. It’s not going to matter if you’re in prison.” He kissed me again, deeper this time, teasing my tongue with his until my toes curled. One of his arms stole around my waist. He yanked me against his chest. The warm, hard length of his body pressed against mine. I melted into his strength. With his free hand, he spanked my bottom, one hard slap that made me gasp then giggle.

“What was that for?” I curled my fingers into the fabric of his T-shirt and drew in a lungful of his scent. He smelled manly and a little uncivilized, a combination of soap and shampoo and leather. “Are you mad at me?”

“I’m fucking furious,” he said. The soft fullness of his mouth found the tender spot beneath my ear and sucked. Tiny bubbles of desire fizzed in my veins. The hand on my bottom tightened its grip. I moaned and wiggled closer to his chest, molding every inch of my body to every inch of his.

“Maybe you should stay here one more night.” The fullness of my breasts flattened against his hard pectorals.

“Persuade me.” His mouth had found mine again. I gave into my lust and dug my fingers into his hair, tugging, enjoying his groans.