The Second Chance Hero (13 page)

“No. Owen and I have to figure this out on our own terms. We can’t be a project, Harper. No matter how much you want us to happen, you have to let it grow on its own.”

“Okay. For you. But don’t take his crap.”

“I won’t.” She gave Anna’s foot a squeeze, glad she and Harper had averted any real misunderstandings. “I’m going to throw a load of laundry in, do you need me to do anything for you?”

“No. You know you don’t have to do the laundry. We can hire someone to do that.”

“I don’t mind doing the baby’s laundry.” She started to move toward the laundry room. “Will I definitely be done by seven tonight?”

“It’s probably going to be six thirty, but seven is safe. Why?”

“Because I have a date.”

Harper nodded. “Well, your date won’t be here before me. He’s running the meeting.”

“Ah. That makes it easy, then.”

“He’s a good guy. I’m happy for you. Is he making you happy?”

“So far, yes. I’m keeping my eyes open, but so far, it’s good . . . it’s just happening very fast.”

“Sometimes fast is good,” Harper said as she bounced the baby on her knee. “It keeps you from thinking too much. But I’ll shut up now.”

Kim grinned. Harper was going to pay a lot of lip service to her request, but the truth was, she was going to talk about Owen to Kim whenever she felt like it. “We’re going to be the topic of conversation at every family dinner. Nothing will be safe, will it?”

Harper smiled back. “That’s the risk you took with Owen, my dear. Get used to it.”

Owen thought about his night with Kim all day. He wondered if he’d moved too fast with her, if what was going through his head wasn’t just him just feeling overly connected to her because they’d had a shared experience.

He stopped himself. Yeah, he was thinking too fucking much.

He liked her. He wanted to be with her. End of story.

Owen was never one to overthink. He made up his mind quickly, had good instincts, and made decisions based on facts. Now, granted, Kim was messing with his head, his heart, and his libido, but still, he liked being with her. He liked everything about her and he had to concentrate on not messing this up.

That night, he called her and picked up Chinese at a little place everyone at work recommended. She sounded tired—he knew he was. Considering they’d both gotten little sleep the night before, it was a wonder either of them were still standing.

At this point, he’d be happy to have dinner with her in front of the TV and let her curl up against him while he watched the game. Miraculously, there was no sign of Harper on the deck, and as he walked down the path, he could see Kim outside her cottage.

He had to give Harper and Kevin credit. They spared no expense on the place. It was beautiful. There was a stone patio on the side of the cottage, complete with a pergola and a built-in barbecue. It was obvious that every design decision, every material choice, had been done with care. And it paid off. It was positively serene. Kim, who was enjoying that serenity, sat on a double chaise with a book in her lap.

But as he got closer, Owen noticed his pretty Kim wasn’t reading, but was really fast asleep. He’d spent at least an hour watching her sleep when she was tucked in his bed the night before. He decided then that he didn’t think he’d ever get tired of looking at her. He knew her father was Portuguese and her mother was Italian, and the combination gave her the creamiest skin, the most beautiful hair. Owen let one finger brush down her cheek and she stirred ever so slightly. He did it again, and she turned her face in such a way that he could place a soft kiss on her lips. Nothing hot. Nothing dirty.

He did it again and this time, Kim’s eyes fluttered open and she smiled under his mouth and stretched. “Mmmm.” Her arms came down around his neck and Owen sat on the chaise, facing her, his hip touching hers. He leaned in, loving how close he could get, and kissed her; caught her scent, which was a mix of baby and fresh air, and felt like he’d come home. He could spend all day close to her.

“How long have you been here?”

“Only a couple of minutes. I was tempted to let you sleep so you had some energy for later, but the food’s going to get cold.”

“Ah, we can’t let the food get cold.” She grabbed his tie and gave it a tug. “You look so handsome in your suit.”

“Yeah? You like the executive look?”

“I. Like. You.”

“A very good thing.”

He kissed her again and this one lit them both up. It was deep, wet, and all Owen could think about was being inside her.

“Owen, do you know what my kitchen is equipped with?”

“What would that be?” He kept kissing her as she talked. He couldn’t get enough of her.

“A microwave. An appliance known to be excellent at reheating food.”

Yeah, he could love her. Without another word, Owen swooped in, grabbed Kim while she squealed and threw her over his shoulder.

“Oh, my God! Ahhhh!”

“Quiet, woman. Grab the bag,” he growled, as they passed the table where he’d left the Chinese food.

He walked into her house, Kim still giggling as she deposited the food on the kitchen counter, all while Owen kept a firm hold on her delicious ass. Kim may have been tiny, but she wasn’t skinny. She had gorgeous curves and soft hollows everywhere. He intended to explore them all.

He found her room and tossed her on the bed with a nice big launch. She bounced and laughed and he loved how playful she was, loved how much she liked sex.

He leveraged himself over her and she reached up and gently stroked a scar that ran from behind his ear and across his chin. It was the tiniest gesture.

“What happened?”

He hesitated because they were supposed to be leaving the war out of their relationship. “Are you sure you want to know?”

She nodded.

“I was in a knife fight with insurgents we found hiding in a house in Fallujah. It was, I don’t know, ten years ago.”

She was examining every inch of it, her gentle touch calming his burn, but not his desire. He still wanted her, maybe even more, but it was different. Her fingers moved, shifting and settling on the back of his shoulders, where she began to knead and stroke the tension from the muscles.

“You had a tough day,” she whispered. “Come on. Off with that shirt and lay on your stomach.”

“What?”

“You need to relax. There’s plenty of time for fun.”

Owen pushed off the bed, skeptical, but took off his tie and shirt, tossing both on the chair in the corner. The break forced him to take in her space. It was predictably feminine, but not so much so that he felt like he would be swallowed by flowers or anything. All the colors were neutral, soft. “You know I’ll relax if I have a screaming orgasm with you.”

“It’s not the same thing. Come on.” Kim sighed, smiling as he stood there.

“What?” he asked.

“I could look at you all day, you’re so beautiful.”

“You’re just trying to make me forget about the sex,” he grumbled.

“Why would I do that?” She was kneeling on the bed, patting the space next to her. He laid on his stomach and Kim ran her hands over the skin of his back. Stopping in different spots where he guessed she was examining more scars.

She started working his muscles, starting at his neck, where she kneaded and pressed the tension away. He may have wanted to do other things with her, but he couldn’t deny how relaxed he was starting to feel. The woman had great hands. It was warm where she touched, easy, and Owen let himself get lost in the feel of her hands on his body.

“You let this one get infected.” Her voice was small as she stroked a scar on his side. He knew that one well. “How did this happen?”

“You’re going to be disappointed.”

Kim leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Tell me.”

“I was fourteen. Jason, Nate, and I were trying to get pictures of a woman who swam naked at the beach every night.”

“You little pervs. Go on . . .”

“Well, we got the shots, but she saw us. She and her boyfriend, Vito. He was a big guy who wore a straw hat and smoked a short, stumpy cigar. Well, the man could run. He chased us and we went under a chain-link fence, except I misjudged and something tore open my side.”

He felt a charge when she touched it. “It was a mess. I didn’t tell my mom and before you knew it, it was infected.”

“I bet it hurt when it was taken care of.”

“Oh, God, yes. I thought I was going to die. For about six months I told my mother if I got a hangnail.”

Kim dug into his back with her fist, and after a few more minutes he started to sink into what she was doing. He only felt her hands, the soft comforter beneath him, and the occasional brush of her hair. She was administering long, lingering strokes to his muscles, and he wished he could just feel like this with her forever.

***

The low, sleepy rumble that vibrated under her hands told Kim her patient had definitely relaxed. “Oh, no. You weren’t tired.”

Rising from the bed, she kissed his cheek and he shifted position, but there was no doubt Owen was out cold. The air-conditioning made the room a little chilly, so she draped a soft throw over him, and again he moved, settling even more into sleep.

“Oh, I can go days without sleep, he says.” Glancing over her shoulder as she left her bedroom, Kim giggled. “Big, bad marine.” But then, without any warning, Kim’s heart lurched as she looked at him. “I think I might love you, Owen,” she whispered. “Please go easy on me.”

***

Owen rolled and stretched, feeling something very soft float across his shoulders, and when he sat up and got his bearings, he realized he was in Kim’s bedroom. The sad part about that revelation was that she wasn’t with him. The thorough massage she’d done on his back and neck had put him right out, and his best guess is she’d known that’s exactly what would happen.

He didn’t know what to make of it. She’d covered him up and left him alone, not worried if he was going to spend time with her. She just let him rest because it was good for him.

There were so many ways someone could be selfless. Sometimes it was to let a person sleep. There was light coming from the living room, so Owen threw on his shirt to see if he could coax a beautiful lady back to bed. He walked out of the bedroom, following the soft light to Kim. Once he got to the entrance of the living room, he saw her sitting on the sofa, reading. Her finger was twirling a lock of hair and everything about her was serene, peaceful. He had already gotten used to her.

Thump, thump.

He knew that sound.

Thump.

“What is it, girl?” Kim said. And then, on cue, Casey’s head popped up over the back of the couch. She saw Owen, her ears pinned back, and all he could hear was the furious thumping of her tail.

“What the . . .”

“Oh, look! Daddy’s awake.”

The dog vaulted over the back of the couch and made a beeline to Owen. He was stunned, to say the least. What the hell would Kim do next?

“You want to tell me about this? How long was I asleep?” He checked his watch. Three hours.

“You asked your sister to take care of her?”

He nodded. “She had a layover between her assignments and she crashed at my place.”

“Well, she called, and I told her you were sleeping.”

“You answered my phone?”

“Yes, sorry. Are you mad?”

“No.” He’d crouched down and was rubbing the dog’s belly. “Go on.”

“So, your sister got a call and she had to fly out at the last minute. I told her to bring Casey here. I didn’t want to wake you and the puppy couldn’t be alone too much longer. She’s so little.”

“My sister was here?”

Kim left her place on the couch and was walking toward him. “I like your sister.”

He stood, and the familiar warmth spread through him, his heart beat hard in his chest. Kim was truly amazing. How the hell had Owen gotten so lucky? “She’s good people. I’m sure I’m getting the third degree about you as soon as she gets back.”

“So, umm,” Kim said, stepping into his space. Her hand dropped to his belt buckle and she gave a little tug. He really liked it when she did that. “Casey has a leash, a bed, food, and I have bowls she can use. You wanna sleep over?”

Reaching out, Owen pulled her in. There were no words for the simple kindness she’d shown. She let him sleep. She took care of his dog. She took care of him. He liked it.

“I would love to sleep over. Harper won’t mind the dog?”

“I checked. She’s fine with it.”

Kim had thought of everything and Owen was counting himself mighty fortunate. “Did you eat?”

“I was waiting for you.” Taking his hand like they’d been together for years, she led him to the kitchen. If any other woman had tried a stunt like this, he’d swear she was looking for a ring. But Kim was doing what she felt was right. Taking care of people was just who she was.

The kitchen table was set for two and she’d transferred the food to dishes. Casey hopped up on a chair in the corner of the living room and curled up like she’d been there forever. He should have been twitchy, the scene was so damned domestic, but he wasn’t. He was relaxed. Comfortable.

He was crazy about her.

Owen had returned home from his deployment with a deep urge to settle down, a need to be with someone long term. He’d dated so many women, had so many failures, it was hard to believe that his instincts about Kim, from the very first second he saw her, had been right all along. Everything about her, everything he ever wanted, was right there with her.

“I’m taking you out on Friday night.”

“Out? Out where?”

“Dinner. Some place fancy and expensive.”

She blushed. God, he loved that. “You don’t have to . . .”

Owen took her face in his hands and focused his gaze on hers. Kim’s eyes were wide and had gone as dark as the sky outside. “We’re going out. I’m not keeping this quiet. I want to shout it from the rooftops that we’re together. Okay?”

“Okay.”

“Make sure you dress up.”

Kim was going on a first date.

A first date with a guy she’d already slept with, which would probably cause her mother to stroke out. But Owen wasn’t content to keep their relationship under the radar, and Kim was enjoying the fact that she had a new boyfriend. That was kind of a miracle.

A bigger one was that she was already in love with him.

He was taking her to a really fancy restaurant and, unfortunately, it was well after he’d told her that that Kim realized she had no idea what she was going to wear.

But she had sisters and a cry for help worked. Not two hours after sending out an SOS, her mother and two younger sisters showed up at her doorstep. None of them had seen where she was living, so the visit was just as much about opening the door on her new life to her family as it was about getting ready for her date.

A date she was so nervous about she thought she might get sick. Kevin was off most of the day so he claimed a daddy day with Anna, and that left Kim hours to think about seeing Owen. And really, it wasn’t about Owen. It was about going on a date. The first real date she’d been on in years.

There were two really important things going on here. First was the fact that she was going out on a real, honest-to-goodness date, but the bigger part was that she was going out with someone other than Tom. Something she thought would never happen.

Her bedroom looked like a department store dressing room on sale day. Clothes were thrown everywhere. Unfortunately, nothing was right. In the past year, Kim had spent most of her time in jeans or yoga pants. Before that, she was in scrubs or a uniform. The time she and Tom had together wasn’t spent going out to fancy restaurants—they didn’t go out anywhere. They were simply trying to keep up with each other.

Owen not only represented a new chance at love, but a whole new life.

Her mother walked into the bedroom and put her hands on her hips. Lucia Torres took no crap from anyone, especially her six children, but her heart was as big as the ocean, and Kim was in need of her mother’s help.

“You have a problem,” she said.

Kim nodded. “He told me I should dress up. I was so dazed I just said okay, not even thinking that I didn’t have a thing to wear.”

“Not a problem.” Her sister Joelle walked into the room and dropped a garment bag that looked to be stuffed to bursting on her bed. She made a slow turn around the room and nodded. “This is very nice,” she said. “I love the open living area out there. I wish my apartment had this much space.”

Joelle, whom they called “Joey” for short, was twenty-six and a rising star on Wall Street. She looked just like Kim, with long, dark wavy hair and gray-green eyes, and unlike their other siblings, who were all tall, Joey was petite like her. Coupling that with her exceptional and expensive taste in clothes, she was a one-woman styling team. And a lone miracle. That was until her seventeen-year-old baby sister Olivia walked in the room. Olivia was going to Yale in the fall and personified the term beauty and brains. Between them, Kim started to feel a smaller glimmer of hope that her outfit wouldn’t be a complete disaster.

Her mother was leaning against Kim’s dresser with her arms folded. “You said there was no one else. That was barely two weeks ago. What changed?”

What had changed? “He was persistent.”
And perfect
. “I’ve never been a believer in chemistry, but it seems we have it. In spades.”

Olivia sat on the bed next to Kim and grinned. “Tell us about him.”

“His name is Owen Kent. He’s the chief information officer of the software company Harper works for and he’s a marine officer. Reserves. He just got home a few weeks ago.”

“He’s a marine?” Joey pursed her lips and unzipped the garment bag. “Honey, you really want to go there again?”

“I didn’t think so, but he’s not a lifer, like Tom. He has a career outside the corps. Did I mention he’s a billionaire?”

That got their attention. First, there was silence. Then seeing all their faces wash with shock was worth their meddling. “Whoa,” Olivia said. “A billionaire? With a
B
?”

“That would be a yes. He founded and built Reliance Software with his two high school friends.”

“Reliance? They’re one of the biggest players in the field of financial security software. He’s a billionaire a few times over is my guess.” Joey pulled a blue dress out of the bag, flashing a thousand- watt smile as she held it up for inspection. “A billionaire, huh? Let’s knock his socks off.”

Her mother sat in the chair in the corner of the room and watched as her daughters found Kim the right dress and shoes and helped her with hair and makeup. It was like they hadn’t been apart all these months. It made Kim vow she wouldn’t separate herself from her family again. As she stood in front of the mirror and adjusted the skirt of the navy-blue jersey dress, she smiled. It was perfect. Modern, feminine, sexy, the dress had a softly draped cowl top that let her show a hint of cleavage and an asymmetrical skirt that showed off her legs without being too short. Olivia had brought a pair of strappy high-heeled sandals and some chunky jewelry, and when Kim caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, her nerves ebbed. She had to admit it. She looked good. She didn’t look overdone, but she didn’t look like her normal nannying self either. Kim looked pulled together, sophisticated. Definitely hotter.

She hoped Owen would think so too.

“Helllloooo?” Harper’s voice came drifting through the house.

“We’re in the bedroom,” Kim called.

“Hey, are you all ready?” Harper entered the room, looking every bit the executive with her slim skirt and silk top. Well, you couldn’t count the bunny slippers on her feet. Harper always kicked off the five-inch heels as soon as she walked through the door and put on the bunny slippers Kevin gave her when they moved into the house. “Hey there, everyone. I’m Harper.”

Her friend shook hands with her family and then, when the introductions were done, stood back, hands on her hips, and gave Kim a good once over. She held up her index finger and indicated that Kim should turn around. Once the fashion show was over, Harper nodded. “Very nice. Owen’s gonna die.” Harper shot a smile at Mom. “I can’t wait.”

“So, I look okay?”

“You look better than okay. That dress is perfect for you. You’re gorgeous.”

Kim nodded and breathed out. “What time is it?”

Olivia looked at her phone. “Seven fifteen.”

“Owen is always early,” Harper said. “But we do have enough time for a glass of wine. Kevin just put the chicken on the barbecue.”

Harper left the room, and grabbed a bottle of Cabernet and some glasses. “I just opened this and thought I should bring it by. A little liquid courage never hurt, right?”

Kim would take whatever she could get, but she had to remember not to have more than one glass when she was out with Owen. She got silly when she was drunk. She didn’t need to be silly. But who knew? Things were escalating so fast, maybe that’s exactly what she needed.

“So, Harper. What can you tell us about this man? You work with him?” Her mom went right to the point. She didn’t know what she was going to do with the information, but it warmed Kim’s heart to feel her mother’s protectiveness.

Taking a long drink from the glass in her hand, Harper smiled. “Owen is one of the best people I know. Strong, honest, smart. He’s an excellent businessman and a better friend. He’ll take good care of her. And if it makes you feel any better, he’s not taking this date lightly. I heard him on the phone with the restaurant making sure they had the best table.”

“
A great guy
. We’ve heard that before,” Joey said under her breath.

Kim let her sister’s words, the tone of them, sink in. “What do you mean?”

“I’m sorry, Kimmy, I shouldn’t have said anything. I mean, Tom may have loved you, but he didn’t know how lucky he was to have you. I just get the feeling things weren’t as perfect as you wanted everyone to believe.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” All those years she was with Tom, her family never said a word about him.

“I don’t want to talk badly about him now, I mean, the man’s gone, but I will say this—don’t sell yourself short, Kim. Don’t. I don’t care if Owen is a billionaire. If he doesn’t treat you like a princess, like he’s the luckiest man in the world because you’re with him, drop him.”

“You deserve the best, my girl,” her mother said. “I wish I could stay and see him. I could tell a lot by the way he looks at you.”

“You can stay,” Harper said. “Come have dinner with me and Kevin. There’s plenty. You three can get a look at Owen, and he’ll never know.”

“Harper . . .” That’s the last thing she needed. Kim was nervous enough. Although the thought of showing him off to her family was really appealing.

“Oh, I don’t know,” her mom replied. “That’s so sneaky.”

“It’s perfect,” Olivia said. “I want to see the guy. Is he hot?”

“Smoldering. Tall, dark, built. He’s taken to sporting a lovely scruff.”

Joey nodded. “I wanna get a look at that.”

“Wonderful. I’ll go set some extra places at the table. He’ll never know.”

“You aren’t going to fool him, Harper.” Kim had only known Owen a few weeks, but he had a first- class bullshit detector. He’d figure out something was going on.

“Don’t you spoil our fun,” Harper drawled. Every once in a while, Harper channeled her mother, who came from the Deep South. It usually happened when she was trying to be charming. “Come on ladies, let’s get this place set right, and I will introduce you to my delicious baby and her daddy.”

Joey leaned in and whispered in Kim’s ear. “She’s hot stuff and I cannot wait to see this guy. But I mean it—be the princess.”

Hugging her sister, Kim was happy. For the first time in a long time, she was really happy.

“Okay, Kevin just texted me. As I suspected, he’s early.”

Kim walked everyone to the door and giggled as they scurried up the path, past the pool to the deck at the back of the house. It left her with a few minutes to gather her thoughts.

***

Owen pulled alongside the house and parked his new Aston Martin next to Harper’s SUV. He’d gotten hell a few weeks ago from his sister when he took delivery of two cars both with price tags that could feed a couple of third-world countries. The Rover was practical. It would get him to and from work in any weather, and with the dog, he needed something practical. This car, though. This was his toy and it was one of the completely outrageous luxuries he’d allowed himself since coming back. Sure, he had his house and a sailboat, but compared to how he could
afford
to live, Owen was happy with his relatively modest lifestyle.

Kevin stepped out of the backyard and shook his head at the car. “A Vanquish? You bought a Vanquish?”

“Why do people have a problem with this?” Owen reached in and grabbed the bouquet of flowers from the backseat before he closed the door.

“I don’t, I’m jealous. It’s fucking hot.” Kevin circled the car and shook his head. “Wow.”

Owen smiled. “It’s unbelievable. I’ve never driven anything like it.”

“Taking Kim out?” Kevin had now assumed the big brother posture and Owen was impressed with how loyal people had become to Kim in such a short amount of time. He knew she was special, and that was playing out in the way people tried to protect her.

“Yeah, just dinner. I thought we’d head to Huntington.”

“Harper’s worried.”

Owen took a few steps toward the path that led to the backyard and thought about what he should say. He stopped. Turned. On one hand, he wanted to ease Kevin’s mind so that he would, in turn, ease Harper’s. Thinking about the past couple of weeks unnerved Owen because, deep down, he didn’t understand why or how he’d come to feel so strongly about a woman he was still getting to know. But, truthfully, he did know her. And whether or not this whole situation made sense wasn’t for him to decide. It was for her. Owen was going to give Kim everything he had, and hope she’d feel the same.

He couldn’t explain what happened to him in that hospital a year ago. He was a guy who led with his brain and made decisions based on facts that had been carefully analyzed. Sure he liked his fun—the car he’d just pulled up in was proof of how much he liked fun—but his heart was never involved. Now it was.

“I’m not going to hurt her. I care about her. A lot.”

“She’s like family. So just be careful.”

“Count on it.” He knew there was something else he needed to say, and it was the kind of leap Owen never thought he’d make in his life. “I think she could be the one.”

That shocked the hell out of Kevin Rossi. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. There’s a lot we still have to work out, but I’ve never been more serious in my life.”

He’d start tonight by telling her that he’d been Tom’s commanding officer. He couldn’t avoid it, and while some may have called the collision of their worlds coincidence, he believed it was fate. And since he’d never believed in fate before, that was something worth paying attention to.

As Owen walked down the path to the cottage, he spied Harper with three other women on the back deck. She waved and smiled a little too big. “Hey there, Owen. Have a good time tonight.”

He waved back and wondered why the older woman who was sitting with her was scowling at him. He glanced at the two younger women, and one of them made him do a double take.
Interesting
.

***

Kim just finished putting the last of her clothes away, in record time no less, when she heard a knock on the door. Making one last check in the mirror, she took a deep breath and applied a quick coat of lip gloss. This was going to be a wonderful evening. She was spending time with a gorgeous, romantic guy who seemed to really care for her. It didn’t get better than that. There was nothing to be nervous about.

Then Kim opened the door, got one look at him, and wondered how long it would take to get him into her bed. The hell with going out.

“Damn,” he said. “You look beautiful.”

“Thank you.” He handed her the flowers, and she felt heat rush to her cheeks. The gesture was so sweet and innocent, and there was nothing sweet or innocent about what Kim wanted to do to him. “You brought me flowers. No one’s ever done that for me.”