The Second Chance Hero (11 page)

“It barely took any time,” Kim said. “Let me get Anna so I can get her down for her nap.”

“You’re too late.” She folded her arms and shrugged. “Kevin came by. He finished his workout early, so he took her to the park. You, my friend, have the afternoon off.”

“Off?”

“Yup. Go get some lunch. Get a pedicure. Go shopping. Do something fun.”

Owen didn’t miss the hint Harper had just dropped right in front of him. “You know,” he said, “if you’re hungry, I’d love to take you to lunch. To say thank you and to get your take on the problem in general.”

Harper poked Kim in the shoulder and Owen really wished she’d stop pushing so hard. “I don’t know . . .”

“Just lunch,” he said. “I really do appreciate what you did for us. It’s the least I can do.”

“Okay. Lunch.” Kim may have been happy. He couldn’t tell, but she’d said yes, and that was a start. “Harper, may I use your bathroom to change and freshen up?”

“Of course. Take your time.”

She looked back at them suspiciously as she made her way into Harper’s office, and once the bathroom door closed, he looked at his friend and raised an eyebrow. “How often does Kevin come and take Anna to the park?”

“If I ask him he does.” She reached out and patted his shoulder. “You’re welcome. Try not to scare her off. Okay?”

“I’ll do my best.” He had to take a deep breath. “She was really something on the phone today. Confident, quick, and had the people on the other end eating out of her hand. She was you. Only nicer.”

“I’m going to ignore that.” Harper’s scowl quickly dissolved into a grin.

When Kim came back into the room, wearing jeans and a pretty pink top which scooped low in the front, Owen realized he had no idea where he should take her to lunch. And the dog
. Shit.
“Let’s walk back to my office, I have to check on a couple of things before we eat.”

“No problem. But if you’re busy, we don’t have to go.”

“Oh, no. No backing out. I want to take you out.”

“You know, I think we’re even.” They picked up a good pace on the way to his office. “You did keep me from dying in the gym. I mean, there’s that.”

“You weren’t going to die.” Owen snorted.

“It’s possible,” she continued sweetly. “I saw a white light. It was coming for me.”

“I think you might be getting a little dramatic.”

“No, it was terrifying.” She put her hand on his arm and they stopped walking. “You saved me.” The words were like a song. Sweet, musical.

“I like saving you.” He meant it, as his hand captured hers.

Kim probably could have used that as an excuse to take off, but she didn’t. Instead, she went up on her tiptoes and for a second he thought he might get that kiss she’d mentioned, but the woman went one better—she got close to his ear and whispered two little words.

“My hero.”

And that pretty much brought Owen to his knees. He stopped in his tracks and turned to her, knowing he might have kissed her right in front of everyone if they hadn’t been pounced on by a very energetic black dog.

“Oh! Oh, she’s so cute!”

“This is Casey.”

“Oh, my gosh. Who does she belong to?”

“She’s mine,” he said.

“When did you get a dog?”

“Last week. There was an adoption fair in Northport on Memorial Day and she and I hit it off. She’s really pretty good. But this is my problem, I invited you to lunch and I don’t know what to do with her. I feel funny just leaving her. Everything is still new.”

“You are one of a kind, aren’t you?” Kim bit her lip and then squatted down to pet the dog. “There’s a really cute little lunch shop about a five-minute walk from here. They have outdoor tables and I’ve seen people there with their dogs. It’s not fancy, but it would solve the problem. We could eat and you wouldn’t have to leave her.”

“Are you sure? I wanted to take you someplace nicer.”

“It’ll be fun. And it will be good for the puppy to socialize.”

If he hadn’t started falling for her already, he would have right then. He was standing on a very slippery slope, looking down at the most beautiful girl petting his dog and solving his problems without a second thought. Yeah, he was in deep trouble. “Okay. Sounds good.”

She extended a hand to him this time so he could help her up, and once he had her hand in his, he didn’t let go. “I need to get her leash.”

“Okay.”

“It’s in my office.” His voice had gone low, throaty.

“Okay.” Kim didn’t resist when he pulled her through the reception area and into his office, closing the door behind them. Owen was used to making split-second decisions, and he wasn’t about to second- guess his instincts now. As soon as the door clicked shut, he pulled Kim in, and his lips came down on hers.

***

Thank God he kissed her.

Kim had been hoping, but she never thought it would happen here, or now, or ever for that matter. She only hoped. And once he did, she didn’t care if he’d gone out with anyone else, all she cared about was that he was kissing her now.

But it was a bad, bad thing, because getting involved with a man like Owen was dangerous. A man who could make her feel, could make her believe, and could break her heart.

But he felt so good and his mouth . . . his mouth was perfect.

She was so messed up.

Owen’s fingers threaded through her hair and he held her head steady as he took gentle sips. Testing, tasting, and teasing her into more. Everything in her went soft, warm, and her hands reached up and wrapped around his neck, partly because she wanted him closer, but also because she had to hold on. She had to keep from slipping into a fog brought on by his scent, his body, his hands, and his wonderful mouth.

The kiss was sweet, sensual, and full of promise, but Owen was careful not to take advantage. He moved his mouth over hers, lingered over her cheek, behind her ear, but he didn’t go too far.

Feeling his hands cradling her face, Kim opened her eyes and looked at the man who could mean everything. One kiss. One perfect kiss and she knew he was what her heart had been missing. It was strange. A year ago she felt like her life was ending. Now, with Owen, she felt like it could begin again.

“Owen,” she whispered. “You aren’t seeing anyone else?”

“I was supposed to go out with one woman, but I canceled. Why?” His voice hummed as he nuzzled her hair.

“Just wondering.”

“I’m not seeing anyone.” He tilted his head back and considered her, his eyes narrowed, but a smile teased the corner of his mouth. “Is that why you’ve been acting like I had the plague? You thought I was dating?”

Plague was a pretty accurate assessment. She’d overheard someone in the gym a few days before talking about his date, so when she’d seen him, she hadn’t said more than hello. “You do have a bit of a reputation.”

“I do?”

“Yes. Kind of love ’em and leave ’em.” God, she had to shut up before she said something stupid. “I mean, um . . .”

Owen pressed his forehead against hers. “Listen, I’m not seeing anyone else. The only woman I’m interested in seeing is you.” His words could not have been more perfect. Or more terrifying. “So whatever’s running around in your head, forget it.”

“Okay,” she said. “Still want to go?”

“Yeah. I have to change.” His voice was husky, warm, and Kim almost went back and kissed him again. Boy, did she want to.

So she did.

Grabbing hold and letting her fingers travel to the back of his head, Kim pulled him in. This time, when their lips connected, there was nothing sweet except the taste of him. She caught his tongue in her mouth, his breath, his essence, as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed her into him. She could feel every muscle of his body, every bone, and the hard length of him pressing into her belly. The heat was so intense, so raw, that if he suggested skipping lunch and staying there to make love, she might have said yes. Everything about him made her want to throw all the promises she’d made to herself right out the window. There was passion here. She’d say it was lust, a need for mutual release that drove them, but the way he touched her, the way his fingers threaded through her hair, told her there was more. More than she ever dreamed.

Finally, taking a deep breath, Owen stepped back and dropped his hands to her shoulders, resting his forehead against hers. “We shouldn’t have done that.”

“Probably not, but, um, it was pretty great. Don’t you think?”

He let out a big breath and smiled, lighting him up from the inside out. “Oh, yeah. But now you’re all I’m going to think about.”

What kind of miracle was that? Kim hadn’t felt like anyone was thinking about her for the longest time. For the first time in a year, Kim felt lighter, happier. Sexy. Free.

She never wanted to pin her happiness on a man again, but being with Owen felt right. And since Tom had died, nothing had felt that way. But now? Now there were nothing but possibilities.

Kim picked up her cell phone and checked the time. Just after eleven. Did she take the chance? Opening a text, she found Owen’s number and typed.

“Hi.”

She already wanted to take it back. Even after their really hot kiss, and their lunch, she still didn’t know if this was the right thing to do.

“Hey, is everything okay?”
he responded.

“Yeah. My brain just won’t turn off. And I’m hungry. Contemplating a diner run.”

Oh, please take the hint. Please.

“Want company?”

Yes!

“I’d love some.”

After they worked out which diner and what time, the texts ended. Kim sat up in her bed and wondered if this is what Jenna meant about really living, and figured she’d find out the next time she saw her friend. In the meantime, she had a date. Kind of.

There was something coming alive inside her because of Owen Kent. She hadn’t known him long. Just a few days, but the effect on her life had been nothing short of amazing. He made her look inside herself, he made her laugh. For the first time in a year, she felt things.

Sometimes Kim wished she had the nerve to just be a booty call; it would be so much easier than being the girl who needed a relationship, who needed love. Still, she didn’t think anything would ever be that simple with Owen . . . they passed having that kind of relationship the first day they’d met.

She’d had that with Tom. He’d loved her and he’d told her over and over, almost to the point of it not meaning anything. He always said it when they made love—even during those early fumbling times on the beach, and later when their lovemaking was frenzied because they hadn’t seen each other in months, he always told her he loved her.

Except the last time.

And now she knew why.

Pulling fresh jeans and a sweatshirt from her drawer, Kim wondered what the hell she was doing meeting a man at a diner at midnight.

She didn’t know. But she was happy. And that had to mean something.

***

Owen never realized how much he missed certain things while he was away. Diners were one of them. So many of them dotted the island. They all had similar elements, the endless menus, the dessert cases filled with impossible-looking pies, cakes, and sweets, the bottomless coffee cups, but each one had its own personality, too.

Now, sitting in one that had been retrofitted with a fifties-style mirror finish on the outside, he waited for Kim and wondered what he’d done right for her to have texted him and casually mentioned her plan for a diner run.

The woman had him tied up in knots. He’d been wondering for a year what would happen if he saw her again. If he was able to get to know her. And now he knew. He was distracted, horny, and wondering if he could possibly be falling for a woman he only knew for a couple of weeks.

“Hey there, marine. You come here often?”

He looked up to see the woman in question looking cuter than should be legal. She was in a pair of jeans and a green college sweatshirt from one of the big state universities. Her hair was loosely pulled away from her face and he didn’t think she had even a stitch of makeup on, which made her even more beautiful because her delicate bone structure was highlighted by her clear, smooth skin. Owen had noticed her eyes changed depending on her mood. The first few times he’d met her, they were grayish-green, stormy. Today, they were more olive with flecks of amber. They were bright, happy. They were her.

“Does that line ever work for you?” he joked.

“Never.” Kim tossed her purse onto the seat and slid into the booth across from him. “I should not be hungry because I ate what feels like a pound of pasta earlier, but I am. I can’t decide if I want breakfast or a burger.”

He laughed. The woman was funny and had a hell of a lot of spirit. And apparently a hell of an appetite. “Where do you put it?”

“I’ve always been a big eater. I could eat my brothers under the table.”

“How many brothers?”

“Three, and two sisters. All younger.”

“Six of you?” There were families with six kids? That was like something out of the fifties.

“In a four-bedroom house with two bathrooms.”

Owen tried to think about the logistical nightmare of eight people using two bathrooms. Then he thought about his own upbringing, which he always saw as comfortably middle class. Now he realized he grew up more than comfortable.

“You said you have a sister, right?”

He wondered where Kim’s energy was coming from. At first she seemed really happy, but watching her movements, her eyes, she seemed nervous, and he was wondering if there was something wrong.

“Yeah, Melinda. She’s younger than me.”

The waitress came by and Kim ordered a huge breakfast special that would have fed a couple of hungry infantrymen. Owen settled on a nice, hearty omelet.

“So, what had you craving diner food in the middle of the night?”

Kim’s face froze and dropped. “Nothing in particular. Why?”

“I’m not sure. I’m just getting the sense something is eating at you.” She looked away and Owen hoped he hadn’t shut the door before she’d even said anything.

“My friend Jenna, who you met last week, is my fiancé’s sister. I methodically cut people out of my life after I got back. It was dumb. I don’t know why I did it. But seeing her last week and telling her about everything that happened was hard. It’s been eating at me. I guess I just needed to talk to someone who would get it, you know?”

“I’m glad you texted me. First, because you don’t have to deal with shit like this on your own, and second, I was just about to make something to eat and you kept me from messing up my kitchen.”

Kim was squeezing lemon into her tea when she absently said something that just about put Owen into the ground. “You can always come to my house. I love to cook, we can mess up my kitchen.”

It took a couple of seconds for her to realize what she’d said. “I mean, um. Well.”

“That’s a nice invitation. Thanks. And if it means I’d be cooking for you, I’d consider that a good reason to mess up my kitchen.”

“I’d love to help mess up your kitchen.” She did just say that. Shit.

Yeah, that did it. He was as hard as a rock. He’d said something perfectly normal, and the next thing he knew, he was imagining doing her against the kitchen table. Hot, sweaty, dirty sex against his kitchen table.

Kim looked up, having realized what she said. “I’m so sorry. I do that all the time. I say things and they come out all wrong, and not that I . . . oh . . . I should stop talking.”

She was embarrassed and he didn’t want her to be. “You do have a way with words,” he laughed. “It’s not a secret that I like you. A lot. It’s also been a while for me. I’m not one of those guys who finds a willing body on base.”

As soon as he said it, he regretted it, because he could see she thought about her own situation. He was still keeping a lot of information from her and he wondered if this would be the time to tell her about his connection to Tom. He didn’t know what it would do to them, if it was still too soon, so he kept it quiet.

Their food was served and quite literally what was placed in front of Kim was enough for three people. The woman might have weighed a hundred and ten pounds, but she really did pack it in. He liked it. Generally women ate like birds around him. He didn’t know how they survived.

They ate in silence, the minutes passing slowly, until he heard her clear her throat.

“Owen?”

He looked up and her eyes sparkled. “Yeah?”

“I like you, too. A lot. But I don’t know what to do here.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was with Tom since I was fifteen. He was my one and only boyfriend. I’m totally lost. What do I do? I’m not a kid. I’m a grown woman and I know what I want, but I don’t want to be too easy, either.”

“I’d never think you were easy. You can make whatever choice you want.”

Kim took another bite of her home fried potatoes, thinking while she ate. “I think I’d like it if we got to know each other better. But I want it to be a Harper-free and a war-free zone. I want us to get to know each other and not have interference from the outside. I love Harper, but she’ll look at this like it’s her project.”

“Okay.” He didn’t disagree with her on that, but he could handle Harper if he needed to. “So we keep it quiet. Anything else?”

“One more thing.”

“What?”

She looked up and made eye contact. Went deep. He felt the warmth of her eyes, glowing hot with flecks of gold. She was breathing deep, and when she bit down on her lower lip like a shy schoolgirl, he almost lost it.

“I want to mess up your kitchen.”

His brain skidded to a stop with sound effects worthy of a Saturday morning cartoon. Brakes were squealing, there were crashing noises. “Excuse me?”

Kim leaned in, and a strand of her hair escaped from the elastic that was keeping it back. It fell forward and curled around her face. “Take me home. Make love to me, Owen.”

He felt like he’d just been hit in the chest. “Jesus. Are you sure?”

At this point he could barely focus because Kim was gently stroking her fingers over his hand. Her touch was overwhelming him, and he quickly threaded his fingers through hers.

“I want you, Owen. I know it makes no sense and I don’t understand it, but ever since I met you, my body has been screaming for you.”

“I’m glad I’m not the only one. I thought I was going crazy. I’m analytical. I work problems for a living. How I was reacting to you made no sense.” It hadn’t made sense since Afghanistan, since the first day he held her.

“I can’t stop thinking about you, but I want this to stay between us for now. Okay?”

He nodded. “Are you finished?”

“Yes.”

He got the waitress’s attention, paid the check, and the two of them were out by their cars within minutes. “Should I follow . . .”

Owen didn’t listen to what Kim was asking, he simply hauled her in and covered her mouth with his. The contact was a flash point. Combustion. Heat. Owen hadn’t ever felt like this when he kissed a woman. He’d never fit like this, had never instinctively known what she would like and how she would like it. He pressed Kim back against his truck, grinding his hips into hers, and feeling her push back. Her mouth opened for him and he slipped his tongue inside, tasting tea and lemon and her. She was beyond anything he ever expected. Soft, willing, responsive.

“I want you inside me,” she whispered.

She was talking dirty. Owen felt like he’d just died and gone to heaven. “Anything you want. Anything.”

He felt her smile against his mouth. He was falling a little in love with her simply because she wasn’t a shrinking violet, and knew what she wanted. He wasn’t going to lie and say he wasn’t happy she wanted him—he was more than happy to bury himself in that tight little body, but her nerve was as big a turn-on as anything.

This woman was made of steel and wasn’t going to allow herself to be the victim to anyone.

They were still kissing when he heard a pounding. Looking up, Owen saw the diner’s manager banging on the glass, cursing at them in another language . . . Greek, maybe . . . telling them to get lost. That was fine by him. The sooner she was in his house, in his bed, the better.

“Get in your car and let’s get directions to my house in your GPS.”

He got the address in, kissed her good-bye, and left, driving way too fast because he had to get home first. He just hoped she didn’t change her mind, ignore the GPS, and go home.

***

Kim couldn’t believe she was on her way to Owen’s house with the sole purpose of going to bed with him. She thought about the timeline, about the actual days he’d been in her life, but that didn’t matter. Sometimes your heart just knew. And her heart knew this wasn’t just sex. Something special was going on between them.

She made the turns down the dark roads into the area known as Little Neck and came to a driveway with the right number. Her GPS indicated she’d arrived at her destination and she pulled in.

The house was illuminated by floodlights, as was the path that clearly led to the water. The house wasn’t large, but it was beautiful. A typical coastal home, two story, with cedar shakes and white trim. There were flowering shrubs and a rolling lawn that went right to the beach.

Once she parked, she saw Owen leaning against the rail on the porch. He stood there bathed in light from a fixture near the door, his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans, his dark hair mussed. He was so handsome, waiting there for her, she felt her heart start to race in her chest. The newness of all this, coupled with the easy comfort she felt when she was with him, was a little overwhelming. She always thought feelings like this took time. Her parents had known each other for years before anything developed between them. The same with so many couples she knew. For this to hit so hard and so fast was thrilling and a little scary, but as Jenna said, she was never one to back away from something scary.

She went to him, allowing him to gather her close as soon as she stepped onto the porch. Settling into his arms, Kim laid her head on his chest and let his scent, one that was woodsy and warm, surround her.

“I was worried you would change your mind.”

“No, but I’m nervous now that I’ve had time to think about this. It’s all happening so fast, and what I’m feeling is so intense.”

“I know.” He pulled his head back and looked down at her. His blue eyes were more gray in the dim light, but still danced with life. “If you don’t want to . . .”

Kim pressed a finger to his lips. “Stop. I want you. I may be nervous, but I have no doubts.”

He kissed her then. Sweet, lingering. First just a touch of his lips. Gentle nips, brushes of contact. She could taste mint—he’d brushed his teeth—then it was all heat as he pulled her in, willed her to wrap her arms around his neck and hang on. Tongues tangled, bodies meshed, and with that she felt her heart start beating steadily with his. This wasn’t the fiery kiss they’d shared in the parking lot, this was slow, tender, and far more dangerous.

This kiss was about their hearts, not just their bodies, and what was to follow could change everything.