Touch Me

Chapter Six

The limo pulled up just as Owen dashed back into the building. Caitlyn didn’t feel right being plastered to Kellen’s side. Not that it was a bad thing. She just felt as if she were cheating. On a guy she’d just met, barely knew, and who had no long-term interest in her. Boy, was she all mixed up inside.

“You’re tense,” Kellen said near her ear. “You don’t have anything to worry about from me. I was just giving Owen a hard time.”

“You don’t find me attractive?”

“You’re gorgeous,” he said. “I just have a certain type.”

“Big blue eyes?” Like Owen’s…

“How’d you guess?”

“You and Owen need to have a talk.”

Kellen’s dark brows drew together. “About what? So Sara had blue eyes, what does that have to do with Owen?”

So maybe there wasn’t any attraction on Kellen’s end at all.

The driver opened the door, and Caitlyn hurried to climb inside. The relationship between Kellen and Owen wasn’t any of her business. She wasn’t sure why she was so fixated on it.

“Owen will be out in a couple minutes,” Kellen said to the driver. “Just wait here.”

“No problem, Mr. Jamison.”

Kellen slipped into the seat beside Caitlyn. She stared at her hands, which were folded in her lap. She probably shouldn’t have said anything to Kellen about Owen. They knew their feelings for each other far better than she did. She wasn’t even sure if they actually had feelings for each other.

“Why do I need to have a talk with Owen? He already knows what type of woman I’m most attracted to. In fact, he said I’d have better luck getting over Sara if I dated someone who doesn’t look anything like her. What do you think?”

“I couldn’t say,” Caitlyn said. “It must be hard to be reminded of someone you lost when you look at some other woman.”

“I see pieces of her in everyone,” he said. “In everything.”

“Even in me?”

He grinned crookedly and released a huff of a laugh. “Yeah, you have soft lips like Sara’s.” Kellen reached over and touched a finger under her chin. He rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip, sending sparks of pleasure down her nerve-endings. “I still remember how she tasted.”

“How did she die?” Caitlyn asked, hell-bent on sticking her foot in her mouth repeatedly tonight. “Was it sudden?”

“Owen told you just enough to encourage annoying questions, I see.” Kellen dropped his hand. “Not sudden. It took her several months to die once they found the tumors in her lungs. But a thousand years with her wouldn’t have been enough.” A distant look stole across his chiseled features. “One was definitely not enough.”

Caitlyn bit her lip and ducked her chin, swallowing around a lump in her throat. It didn’t seem fair that a dead girl had the unwavering devotion and love of someone as vibrantly alive as Kellen Jamison.

“I shouldn’t have asked. I apologize. And…” She looked up to find him staring off into space. Why did she hurt so badly for him? She didn’t even know him, but she could practically feel the devastation seeping from his pores. “I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

He nodded curtly, avoiding her eyes. She couldn’t possibly ask him if he had any feelings for Owen. Not with him so obviously hurting over a woman. She sat awkwardly beside him trying to think of something, anything, to say.

“I lost my sister a couple of years ago.”

“Cancer?” he murmured.

“No. There was an accident at work. She was training to be an astronaut and…” She couldn’t continue. Morgan’s loss was like a fresh wound every time Caitlyn had to tell someone what had happened to her. “The safety harness failed. They say she didn’t suffer.” Which is more than could be said about anyone who battled cancer.

“It hurts most when you speak of them, doesn’t it?”

She nodded, drawing deep breaths through her nose to keep threatening tears at bay.

“So you find yourself avoiding talking about it,” he said. “To anyone. Because it reminds you that it happened. It wasn’t just a nightmare. It’s reality.”

She wasn’t sure if he was really talking to her. He wasn’t looking at her.

“Don’t break his heart, Caitlyn,” Kellen said unexpectedly. “He likes to pretend he’s a player, but he’s very sensitive when it comes to love. He’s nice. Too nice at times. He only sees the good in people. So when you shred his heart, be it tonight, tomorrow, or years from now, take it easy on him. He doesn’t take rejection well.”

Kellen turned to her then, and she couldn’t speak. Could only stare into his dark eyes. It was as if she were under some sort of spell. After a long moment, he looked away and she found her tongue.

“It’s a bit soon to be talking about love,” she said.

Kellen laughed softly. “I knew I would love Sara for the rest of my life the first time she smiled at me.”

And what in the hell was she supposed to say to that?

Before she could think of a response, Owen slipped into the car beside Kellen. Relief flooded her. She wasn’t sure why. Maybe it was because Owen was all light and wonder, while Kellen was all dark and practicality. Caitlyn needed Owen, because she was more like Kellen than she cared to admit. As soon as the door closed behind Owen, he climbed over his friend’s lap and wriggled until he slipped between Kellen and Caitlyn’s hips.

“You could have asked me to move,” Kellen said, scooting closer to the door to give Owen breathing room.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be sitting on top of her,” Owen said.

“I wasn’t.”

“Not that I blame you,” he said. “Are there any decent sandwich shops around here that are open this late?” he asked Caitlyn.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Don’t you live close by?”

She shook her head. “I’m from Houston. I’m just here visiting a friend.” She smirked. “And enjoying the nightlife San Antonio has to offer.”

“You know what?” Owen said. “Tony has a club in Houston. I’ll take you sometime. We can try out some of your other kinky fantasies.”

“As tempting as that sounds, I don’t think I’ll be visiting another of Tony’s clubs,” she said. “Not that I didn’t enjoy my time there tonight, I did, but my curiosity is sated now. Maybe I’ll try Internet dating next.” Or maybe she’d take for herself. To get over Charles. She hated him, yes, but she still wasn’t over him. She wasn’t ready to love again. Hot sex with Owen? Yeah, she’d been ready for that, had needed that. She was ready for hot sex with Owen again, truth be told. But if he was one of those guys who believed in love at first smile, like his excessively intense friend, then she should probably take her leave as soon as possible. Before she shredded his heart or something equally appalling.

“I’ll see if I can find a place that’s open,” Kellen said as he tugged a cellphone out of his pocket. “What are you hungry for? Wait, I get one guess. Pastrami on rye?”

Caitlyn chuckled. “How did he know that?”

Kellen grinned as he tapped a search into his phone with one finger. “Owen always craves pastrami after sex.”

“Not always,” Owen said.

“Owen usually craves pastrami after sex,” Kellen amended.

“Only when I sweat a lot,” Owen said. “And Caitlyn definitely made me sweat a lot.”

She stared up into his grinning face, fighting the urge to kiss him. Just looking at him made her feel good about herself. Made her happy. She didn’t understand why, but didn’t care overmuch at the moment. She wasn’t supposed to like him this much. The attraction was supposed to fade after their tumble in bed. She was supposed to have sated her lust and lost interest—that’s the way it worked. But she hadn’t lost interest. She was more intrigued than ever.

She still wanted him. For sex. Yes, she understood that attraction, but she wanted more than that too. She wanted to get to know him. Figure out what made him tick. Determine how a guy as good looking as Owen ended up being nice and sensitive. Damn it. Maybe she should have turned down their sandwich excursion and gone back to Jenna’s house. Every extra minute she spent with him made her like him a little more. This was definitely more than she bargained for.

Owen threaded his fingers through her hair, his eyes searching hers in the low light inside the back of the car. “I can’t get over how beautiful you are. Isn’t she beautiful, Kellen?”

Warmth spread across her face, and she ducked her chin to hide a pleased smile.

“Gorgeous,” Kellen said. “There’s a twenty-four-hour diner two blocks from here. No guarantees they serve pastrami.”

“Alert the driver,” Owen said.

Caitlyn looked up and found Owen still staring at her.

“Remember when I said that once we left the club, I wouldn’t have sex with you again,” he said.

She scowled. “How could I forget?” It was the only mean thing he’d said to her since they’d met, and she wasn’t sure he’d meant it the way she’d taken it.

He touched a fingertip to her lips. “Apparently, I am a liar.”

Caitlyn’s heart skipped a beat.

Kellen released a long sigh of annoyance and shook his head. “Can you at least drop me off at the hotel before you start round two?”

“Round three,” Owen corrected.

“Even worse.”

“We’ll drop you off after we eat,” Owen said.

“I’m not hungry,” Kellen said.

“If you’re not careful, I’m going to think you don’t want to hang out with me anymore.”

“I don’t want to hang around with you if you’re going to flaunt your hot woman in front of me all night.”

Was that what he was doing? Or was he trying to tempt Kellen into doing something he’d later regret? Caitlyn didn’t know either of them well enough to have a good handle on their dynamic, but she didn’t want to be involved in drawing out Kellen’s pain. The guy had been through enough already.

“It’s probably best if you tone it down a little in public,” she said, not because she actually wanted Owen to tone it down, but because she felt bad for Kellen.

“Tone it down? You don’t mean that. I haven’t taken a woman out in over six months and you expect me to tone it down.”

She nodded, even though she was incredibly flattered that he’d broken his rules for her. “I do mean it.”

“Damn, I knew we should have ordered room service.”

“I think you can keep your hands to yourself for an hour.” Because that’s about how long she thought she could keep her hands to herself.

Kellen chuckled. “If you knew him better, you wouldn’t think that.”

“I can be good,” Owen said. “If you reward me for it later.”

“I can probably handle that,” she said. “But not until we’re alone.” She peeked around Owen’s body to see if Kellen looked any less miserable. He was no longer staring into space. The slight smile on his lips led her to believe he was amused by her stipulation.

“I can be a perfect gentleman,” Owen said.

Kellen chuckled and shook his head.

Owen glanced at Kellen and then smiled at Caitlyn. He seemed to realize that she was setting boundaries for Kellen’s sake. She expected Owen to torment Kellen as he’d been doing all night, but instead he relaxed and folded his hands demurely in his lap.

“I’m going to be so well behaved, you’re going to have to reward me until dawn.”

She wasn’t sure she could keep up with him until dawn but, by God, she would try.

The limo pulled up to a diner that had probably never had a limo parked in front of it in all its years. But the open sign was glowing orange, and that was all the motivation Owen needed to tug Caitlyn out of the car by one wrist.

“I’ll just wait here,” Kellen said.

“What is wrong with you tonight?” Owen asked. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you’d been possessed by grumpy ol’ Adam.”

Kellen glared at him from the interior of the limo.

“Pod person!” Owen yelled and pointed into the open car door.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Kellen said, but Caitlyn caught his smile as he hefted himself out of the car. He eyed the No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service sign and after releasing a sigh of annoyance, pointed at the driver. “Trunk.”

The driver hurried to open the trunk, and Kellen searched the compartment for something. He donned a plain white T-shirt and moved to stand next to Owen. Pity really. Kellen didn’t look comfortable in a shirt and he’d have definitely been the most delicious-looking thing in the diner without it.

“Are you happy?” Kellen said.

“Getting there,” Owen said.

Kellen smiled to himself, ducking his head so Owen didn’t see it, but Caitlyn did. She wondered how much darker Kellen would be without Owen in his life.

Caitlyn felt a strange sense of pride as Owen walked her through the nearly deserted restaurant with his hand on her lower back. At this time of night, there weren't many people to witness that they were together, but she was pleasantly surprised that heads turned. Most of them were female heads checking out Owen and Kellen, but a few were men and she was pretty sure their eyes were on her. They were probably wondering what was good enough about her to gain Owen’s attention. She always wondered that when she saw an average guy with a really hot woman, so she assumed men wondered how an average woman ended up with a really hot guy too.

“Sit wherever you like,” a harried-looking waitress called from behind the counter. She seemed to be working the entire dining room alone.

They snagged a booth near the back, and Caitlyn found herself trapped against the wall beside Owen. Kellen sat wearily across from them. The menus were stuck behind the napkin holder, so Caitlyn took it upon herself to pass them around.

She was probably too anxious to eat. She really wanted to be alone with Owen now that she'd made it clear that she wasn't interested in being naughty in public and he’d made it clear that he was making a concession for her. Since he was breaking his own rules, she wouldn't mind it so much if he broke one of hers. Especially since he’d retracted his earlier statement about not sleeping with her outside of the sex club. She was ready for a little foreplay.

“Do they have anything that isn't swimming in grease?” Kellen asked as he perused the menu and wiped off the tell-tale grease spots.

The waitress chose that moment to arrive. “The water is low in fat,” she said and smiled at Kellen.

“I'll have one of those,” Kellen said. “Bottled.”

“Okay.”

“Do you have pastrami?” Owen asked hopefully.

“Sandwiches are on the back of the menu.”

Owen flipped his menu over and ran a finger down the plastic. “Score! I'll have a pastrami on rye.” He glanced at Caitlyn and winked. “Extra pastrami. Do you have waffle fries?”

“No, sorry. Just have the regular kind.”

“Side of chips then.”

“To drink?”

“Bottled water. What do you want, Caitlyn?”

“Is your pie any good?” Caitlyn asked.

Owen chuckled. “What do you think, Kellen? Is her pie any good?”

Caitlyn slapped Owen with her menu.

“Not in the mood for pie jokes, Owen,” Kellen said.

The waitress flushed and crossed her arms. “My pie is excellent,” she said, “but the diner's is mediocre. The cheesecake is good though.”

“I'll have a piece of cheesecake then,” Caitlyn said. After the workout she’d just had with Owen, a few extra calories wouldn’t hurt. “Kellen, you're going to get more than water, aren't you?”

“I'd like to try the pie,” Kellen said, grinning, “but I guess I'll go with cheesecake too.”

“You can try the pie,” the waitress said. She tossed her hair behind her shoulders. “You can try anything you see.”

Caitlyn's eyes were on Owen. And he watched Kellen's reaction carefully. He really was fascinated with his best friend's sex life.

“Cheesecake for now. Maybe I'll be hungry for pie later.”

Owen smiled. “Do you want something to drink, Caitlyn?” he said, turning his attention to her.

“Tea?”

“Sweet and iced?” the waitress asked.

“Yes, please,” she said.

The waitress gave Kellen one more look of longing and then headed toward the counter with their order.

“She's into you, man,” Owen said.

“Every woman in the room is into him,” Caitlyn said.

“Including you?” Owen asked.

She shook her head and slid a hand over his thigh. “Not when I'm sitting next to you. But if I wasn't already in lust with you, yeah, I'd be into him too.”

“This is why I make him hide when I try to pick up a girl,” Owen said. “If they see him first…” Owen shrugged.

“Not buying it,” Caitlyn said. “You're both gorgeous. Just depends on if you like your men dark and mysterious, or light and—”

“Annoying,” Kellen supplied.

“I was going to say sweet,” Caitlyn said.

“I’m not sweet.”

He totally was. In the limo, Kellen had only validated what she’d already suspected. “I mean excellent in bed.”

“Kellen’s excellent in bed too,” Owen said.

“I can only speak from personal experience.”

“I think I’m better in bed than he is now.” Owen’s thigh tightened beneath Caitlyn’s hand as he kicked Kellen under the table. “He’s out of practice.”

Kellen didn’t seem to mind the taunt, though he didn’t hesitate in returning Owen’s kick.

“You're also a troublemaker,” Caitlyn said.

“One of my most endearing qualities,” Owen said.

“You get used to it,” Kellen said. “He doesn't know how to stay out of trouble. It's like he was born for the sole purpose of getting into trouble.”

“Kellen's just jealous because he's forgotten how to have fun.”

“That's a shame,” Caitlyn said. “I spent the last ten years of my life forgetting how to have fun. It's starting to come back to me, thanks to Owen here. And you have him around all the time.”

“I think I’m all funned out,” Kellen said.

“Speaking of fun… Wanna dance?” Owen asked her.

She gawked at him. “Dance? Here? But…” She rummaged through her brain for an excuse. “There's no music.”

Owen pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and started his playlist. The tiny speaker sounded awful, but they had music. Very hard and heavy music. Caitlyn frowned. “Is that one of your songs?”

“Yeah,” he said, “do you like it?”

“Not especially,” she shouted. Even though the music wasn't loud, she felt compelled to yell when confronted by the sounds blaring from the speaker.

“What kind of music do you listen to?” he asked.

She hesitated, looking from one musician to the next. She couldn’t lie about it. It would be much too easy to catch her at it. “I… uh… I don't listen to music.”

Based on the look Owen gave her, she must have contracted a severe case of purple Chicken Pox.

“You're kidding,” he said.

“No. I mostly listen to podcasts. And, well, I'm a fan of silence.”

She reached over and muted the song blasting from the speaker. Much better.

“Have you ever even been to a concert?”

“Oh, sure. Charles took me to the symphony once.” She’d even bought a new dress for the occasion and had worn it exactly once.

“Symphony? That doesn’t count. What about a rock concert?”

She bit her lip. She was about to lose her cool-card. “Never been.”

Owen gaped at her. Her pox must have started seeping blueberry jelly.

“Inconceivable,” Owen said. “That needs to change.”

“I agree,” Kellen said.

“Tomorrow night we play in Houston. You're going.”

She might be able to handle a Journey or .38 Special concert, but Sole Regret? If the ten seconds of music from Owen’s smartphone had made her ears bleed, what would an entire show do to her? Make her head explode?

“I couldn't possibly,” she said.

“Do you have other plans?”

“Yes, actually. I came to San Antonio to visit Jenna, and I've hardly spent any time with her yet.” Nice save.

“She can come with you.”

“She has to work.”

“So you can come with us—”

“On the tour bus?” Kellen interrupted.

“Yes, on the tour bus.”

“I don't think that's a good idea.”

Caitlyn wondered why. Considering the kind of clubs these guys frequented, she could only imagine the kind of debauchery that occurred on that tour bus.

“I didn't ask for your opinion,” Owen said to Kellen. Then he turned his attention back to Caitlyn. “You can come with us, and I'll send you back to San Antonio—in a limo if you want—to return to visit your friend.”

“I honestly don't think I'd like it.”

“You have to try it at least once. I can't be seen in public with a woman who's never been to a rock concert before.”

She chuckled. “Well I wouldn't want to ruin your reputation.”

“It was ruined years ago,” Kellen assured her.

“So is that a yes?” Owen pressed.

“I could save your reputation by asking you to take me someplace private,” she said. “Then you wouldn’t have to be seen with me in public.”

“Damn, woman. You’re killing me.”

“Smart girls,” Kellen said. “They pay attention to what you actually say and use it against you.”

She hadn’t meant to use anything Owen said against him. She just enjoyed their easy banter. “I’ll go,” she said decisively. Kellen’s wink made her realize that she’d just been outsmarted by a rock star. Damn it!

“Awesome,” Owen said. “I was trying to think up an excuse to get her to have sex with me on the tour bus. This played out perfectly.” He glanced at Caitlyn when she gasped. “Did I just say that aloud?”

She laughed. “Unless I’m imagining things.”

“I think she's onto me,” he said to Kellen.

Kellen scratched his nose. “Since you tend to show all your cards, I'm not surprised.”

“I don't show all my cards. I still have an ace or two up my sleeve. Did you know dancing with a woman is a great method of seduction? If you move to their liking, they subconsciously think you’ll be compatible in bed.”

“You made that up,” Kellen said.

“Did I?” Owen took Caitlyn’s hand in his and caught her gaze. As she stared into his eyes, her heart thudded faster and faster. Her palm became increasingly damp. “Caitlyn, may I have this dance?”

Her first instinct was to accept, but then the rattling of dishes in the diner’s kitchen reminded her where she was.

“I'm not going to dance with you here,” Caitlyn said in a loud whisper.

“Why not? We have music. I'll even download your favorite song if you'd like.”

“This isn't the kind of place where you dance.”

Owen looked at Kellen. “Name three places where I would never dance.”

“Never?”

“Never.”

Kellen shrugged. “Can't think of one.”

“This is why he's my best friend. He always agrees with me.”

“I didn’t say it was normal.”

Owen blocked his screen from view as he downloaded something to his phone. The waitress set two bottles of water and a glass of ice tea on the table. She smiled first at Owen and then at Kellen before blushing and rushing back toward the kitchen.

“Do you think she knows who we are?” Kellen asked.

“Did she rip off her shirt and ask you to sign her tits? No, she doesn't know. She just thinks you’re hot.”

Caitlyn reached for her tea, but before she could take a sip, Owen took her by the hand and pulled her from the booth.

“What are you doing?”

“Dancing.”

From his phone, “The Chicken Dance Song” began to play. When Owen began to flap his arms and scratch and peck, Caitlyn gaped at him.

“Dance with me, Caitlyn.”

She laughed—half mortified, half amused. “Oh my God, you are so embarrassing!”

“Dance, Caitlyn, or I'm following this with ‘Play That Funky Music White Boy.’ ”

“You don't want him to go there, Caitlyn,” Kellen said, opening his water and sipping it nonchalantly.

Every person in the restaurant was gawking, pointing, or laughing. And if Owen hadn't been so fucking cute, they probably would have called the cops on him for disorderly conduct.

“Dance, Caitlyn.”

“I don't know how,” she lied. She'd danced to this song as a child. Back when she'd known how to have fun.

He whirled her around and stepped up behind her, one hand on her belly and his groin pressed against her ass. She wasn't sure how he made The Chicken Dance sexy, but by God, she was completely turned on the instant he began to move with her. Especially when he made her shake her hips and rub up against him just right.

Her face was flushed with something other than embarrassment as she let loose and started to move.

“I thought you didn't know this dance,” Owen said in her ear.

“I'm a fast learner.”

Two young women in a booth several tables away climbed to their feet and joined in. It appeared that they’d had a few too many as they stumbled around more than they danced. When one of the girls spotted Kellen in the booth, looking amused rather than annoyed, she grabbed his wrist and tried to pull him to his feet.

“Come and dance with us,” the tipsy girl said. “Come on. It’s fun!”

“No, thanks.” There was no room for argument in his tone, so with a scowl she released his wrist and settled for rubbing up against Owen from behind.

Owen laughed as he attempted to avoid hands not belonging to Caitlyn. “Three on one, no fair. Save me, Kellen.”

“There isn't enough tequila in Mexico to make me dance The Chicken Dance in a diner at one o’clock in the morning.”

Caitlyn turned to face Owen and wrapped both arms around his neck. She lifted an eyebrow at one of the eager young women behind him and the woman stepped back, tripping over her own feet. Her friend kept her from falling to the floor.

“Want to go party with us?” one of the girls asked Owen. “We love to party.”

“Caitlyn's all the party I can handle right now,” he said and kissed Caitlyn, as if to make his intentions clear.

She drew him closer, kissing him deeper, still sort of wiggling to the song. He squeezed her to stop her motion and tugged his mouth free. “Now that I have you loosened up,” he said, “how about a slow song?”

“How about you hurry up and eat your sandwich so we can go to your room and be alone?”

Owen glanced at Kellen and lifted his eyebrow to accompany the I-told-you-so lift of his head. “Now do you believe that dancing is a great method of seduction?”

“I have less obnoxious methods,” Kellen said.

“Yeah, sitting there looking cranky actually works well for you,” Owen said.

Kellen gave him the finger.

“There's a bar that's open for another couple hours just down the street,” one of the young women said, “if you want to have some fun. Come on, you don’t want to hang around with her all night, do you?”

Caitlyn hoped it was the alcohol making the girl so impolite.

The girl tugged on Owen's arm, and he pulled his gaze from Caitlyn's to look at her. “I’m not interested. But my friend might be.” He nodded toward Kellen and grinned at the look of horror on Kellen’s face when both girls squeezed into the booth with him.

“If you don't stop torturing him, he's going to wind up hating you,” Caitlyn said.

“Not possible.”

But based on the look on Kellen's face as he tried to put some space between himself and the tipsy women now crowding into his booth, Caitlyn wasn't so sure.

“Are you ready for that slow song?” Owen whispered. “I need a good excuse to hold you close in public until my sandwich arrives.”

“You really do show your cards,” Caitlyn said.

“Did you think Kellen was joking?”

“I didn't think Kellen was joking, I've just never met anyone who throws it all out there in the open.”

“Do you like it? I hope so, because I’m not sure if I can keep a lid on it now that I’ve let loose.”

Caitlyn leaned back so she could look him in the eye. He scared the hell out of her, to be honest. She had no idea what to expect out of him next, and he had no problem alerting her to the fact that it would be something she was not expecting, but yeah, she did like it. “I like it when you’re being yourself. Don’t put a lid on it. Just be you. That’s what I like.”

His brilliant smile did things to her heart, and she definitely wanted to be pressed against him, swaying to a slow song in the middle of diner at one o’clock in the morning.

“Can I pick the song this time?” she said. “I wouldn't want to end up doing the chicken dance again or worse, dancing disco to some song better left in the past.”

“Promise you’ll pick something slow and sexy.”

“I promise.” Caitlyn found the song she wanted on his phone while Owen tried to talk the young ladies into leaving Kellen alone since Kellen was having no luck convincing them that he didn't want to get drunk with them. Even though they kept yelling, “Party!” intermittently, Kellen was obviously not the least bit interested in joining their brand of fun. The young ladies had no business drinking any more than they already had, anyway.

When Caitlyn found the song she had in mind, she had to hand the phone to Owen so he could enter his password and purchase it.

“Don't peek,” she said. “I want it to be a surprise.”

“I won't peek,” he said.

“Strange as it sounds, Owen loves surprises,” Kellen said.

“I do.”

“He can't keep a secret though.”

Caitlyn chuckled. “Why does that not surprise me?”

When the song began, Owen tugged Caitlyn against his chest and stole her breath by singing along in a low sultry voice. She wasn't sure how he knew “Unchained Melody,” but he sang it as if he were a long lost Righteous brother. He had a pitch-perfect tone. He should be a lead singer. She’d pay to hear him sing.

Her body was entirely in tune with his. Her skin tingled in want of his touch. Her ears strained for more of the sensual words pouring from his lips. She’d never felt a song before, but she felt every word of this one. They swayed slowly as he led her into a leisurely turn around the floor between their booth and a small table. Caitlyn clung to him and let him lead. Allowed herself to enjoy their dance and not worry about what everyone else was thinking or whispering. She didn't much care at the moment. Owen gave her an odd measure of courage. Even though he was several years younger than she was, he was teaching her something she hadn't realized she'd been missing—how to have fun and not worry about what people thought. She tugged him closer and nuzzled her face into his neck.

“Most women don't make it past The Chicken Dance,” he said as the music played without accompanying vocals.

“So you dance in diners on a regular basis, I take it,” she said. She wished she could say that she had something special with him. And not the things she'd done to him back at the sex club. She hoped he didn't hold that against her. She'd been really hating on men when he'd approached her. And she should have never taken out her frustration on his ass. Even if he had seemed to like it.

“Not regularly,” he said. “I’ve danced in a few. But it’s been years.”

Caitlyn caught sight of the waitress, standing with a large tray beside the table. She was watching them with a smile of longing on her face, waiting for their song to finish. Maybe all women wanted a man like Owen, a man who didn't care if the world thought he was a little crazy for making his own dance floor, just so long as he got to hold his woman close.

When the song came to an end, several people clapped. Owen released her. “There's only one thing I want right now more than you,” he whispered to Caitlyn.

“Pastrami on rye.”

He chuckled. “You're getting to know me already.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. Of all the intimate things he’d done to her that night, that chaste gesture was the only one to make her belly quiver.

Owen helped her find her seat again. Across from them, both drunks smiled a greeting, but he ignored them, still giving Caitlyn his full attention. “You’re still planning on rewarding me for good behavior, aren’t you?” he asked. His hand found her leg beneath the table and slid from the inside of her knee to her upper thigh.

“We did agree on no public displays of affection.” She caught his hand before it found its target.

“Dancing doesn’t count.”

“What about kissing?” she challenged.

“No?” It wasn’t a statement. More a hopeful question.

As if she could tell this man no when he was looking at her like that. But she refused to let him off easily; teasing him was too much fun.

“I have to be honest: that public display felt rather affectionate.”

“Can you please go back to your own table now?” Kellen said to the pair of young women who were still harassing him about going to a bar that would close in less than an hour.

The waitress looked apologetic as she set their food before them. “Should I get the manager to remove them from the premises?” she said quietly, as if the young women wouldn’t be able to hear her.

“That won’t be necessary,” Owen said. “I’ll take care of it.”

The waitress nodded and took her leave again.

“So how are you ladies getting home tonight?” Owen asked them, selecting a potato chip from his plate and munching it.

“Lisa’s car is parked across the street.”

Owen nodded. “I see. How would you like to go for a ride in a limo?”

“What?” the one who wasn’t Lisa said.

“We have a limo parked outside. Want to go for a ride?”

Caitlyn was too busy trying to figure out what Owen was thinking to touch her cheesecake.

“Owen, I don’t think…” Kellen gave the girls pointed looks.

Owen ignored him. “You don’t believe we have a limo, do you?”

“I’d have to see it to believe it.”

“All right, I’ll show you.” Owen slid out of the booth and helped the two wobbly ladies to their feet. He leaned across the table and whispered, “I’ll be right back,” to Caitlyn.

Befuddled, she watched him escort the two women out of the diner.

She exchanged a confused look with Kellen. And then Kellen’s scowl softened. “Wish I’d have thought of that,” he said.

“Thought of what?”

“Hey, hey, hands off the merchandise,” Owen shouted just before the diner door shut behind them.

“Is he leaving with them?”

“When he has you?”

“Then what?”

Before he could answer, Owen was headed back in their direction.

“What was that all about?” Caitlyn asked.

“Neither one of them had any business driving,” Owen said, “so I had the driver take them home. They were too excited about riding in a limo to be upset that they weren’t getting into Kelly’s pants tonight.”

“And how are we supposed to get back to the hotel?” Kellen asked.

“The driver will be back before I finish my sandwich. Their place is only a couple of miles from here. They told me so when they were trying to get me to go with them.”

Caitlyn squeezed his knee under the table. “That was a really nice thing you did.”

“What? Rescuing Kellen from two drunk girls?”

“Making sure they got home safely.”

“Everyone is happy,” he said, and took a huge bite of his sandwich. “Especially me,” he added, talking with his mouth full. “Good stuff.”

Kellen grinned as he used the edge of his fork to cut into his cheesecake and took a bite.

“Better than pie?” Owen asked.

Kellen shook his head. “Too sweet.”

Owen devoured his sandwich while Kellen decided he’d rather steal the chips off Owen’s plate than finish his cheesecake. It was indeed decadent—moist and creamy with cherries in thick, sweet syrup. After only three bites, Caitlyn was full, but there was no way she was going to let something that delicious go to waste.

“How far is it from Houston to Beaumont?” Kellen asked.

“That’s a weird question,” Owen said.

“Less than two hours,” Caitlyn said, “depending on traffic.”

“Why do you care?” Owen asked.

“I was thinking of spending tomorrow night in Galveston and meeting up with the rest of you in Beaumont later.”

“If you take the ferry from Galveston Island to Bolivar Peninsula, you can miss the Houston traffic,” Caitlyn said.

“Thanks for the tip.”

Owen shifted uneasily. “Don’t go. It never makes you feel better.”

Kellen shrugged. “I don’t go there looking to feel better. I just like the ocean.”

Caitlyn was missing something, but she didn’t want to pry. Kellen’s trip to Galveston probably had something to do with the lover Kellen had lost. Everything that caused tension between the two men seemed to have something to do with her.

Both men stared at the table in silence for several long, uncomfortable minutes. Caitlyn tried to think of something that would lighten the mood again.

“So you’re in Owen’s band too, right?” she finally asked.

“Owen’s band?” Kellen lifted an eyebrow at his friend. “Did he tell you it was his band?”

“Where would the band be without me?” Owen said.

“Bassists are a dime a dozen.”

Ouch! Caitlyn glanced at Owen, expecting him to look hurt or offended. He was grinning.

“You’re over-paying, Kelly. I can easily get you a dozen bassists for a nickel.”

“Bargain basement bassist.”

“What instrument do you play?” Caitlyn asked Kellen. And because she’d learned her lesson with Owen, she added, “Or are you the singer?”

“I play guitar,” Kellen said, still not out of his funk.

“You’re so matter-of-fact about it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kellen said. “It’s a fact.”

“It seems so foreign to someone like me, that you can make a living playing music.”

“Do you work?” Kellen asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Too much. But I’m doing what I love, so I don’t mind the long hours.”

“She has her own company,” Owen said. “She’s the boss.”

He sounded proud of her.

She snorted on a laugh. “Yep, I’m the boss.”

“What kind of company?” Kellen asked, sipping from his water as he waited for Owen to finish his sandwich.

“Alternative fuel sources. We started with solar panels and wind turbines, but recently started branching out into fuel cells. R and D is finally over, next is production and marketing. My two business partners are in charge of that stuff. I’m the main geek of the triad. So things have slowed down a bit for me while I wait for the next big idea to smack me upside the head. You can have a very fulfilling career discovering new technologies, but it sure won’t make you rich. It’s a good thing I have Peter and Lillian to find my markets.”

Owen paused with his nearly finished sandwich halfway to his mouth. “So you’re not only brilliant, good in bed, and hot, you’re also rich?”

She flushed. “I’m sure I’m not as rich as you are.”

“Your husband must be a complete tool,” Owen said.

“You’re married?” Kellen asked, looking scandalized for the first time that night.

“Divorced.”

“Her husband—”

“Ex-husband,” Caitlyn interrupted.

“Her ex-husband cheated on her.”

“Maybe he was lonely,” Kellen said.

“Kelly,” Owen admonished.

“I’m sure he was,” Caitlyn said. “I’ve been working eighty-hour weeks for several years now. Sometimes we didn’t see each other for days.”

“He could have made an effort,” Owen said.

She leaned against him and squeezed his arm. “Then I wouldn’t have had a reason to hook up with you.”

“Thank God he’s a thoughtless idiot.”

She smiled and couldn’t resist stealing a kiss. His lips tasted salty. They went well with the sweetness still on her tongue. When he licked her upper lip slowly, she moaned and curled her fingers into his shirt to tug him closer.

Kellen cleared his throat uncomfortably. She could have sworn he grunted, “P-D-A.”

Caitlyn drew away regretfully. “We need to get to the hotel,” she said.

Owen tossed the rest of his sandwich on his plate and signaled the waitress for their check.

The car was waiting for them when they left the diner. Kellen made Owen check the back seat for stowaways before he agreed to get in. Caitlyn did nothing to hide her laughter.

“Geez, Kelly, those girls weren’t that bad.”

Caitlyn and Kellen exchanged a look of agreement. Those girls had been pretty bad. Caitlyn wondered if Owen and Kellen had to deal with women like that on a regular basis. She supposed some guys would like that kind of girl; she suspected Owen might be one of them. If she hadn’t been with him, she wondered if he would have gone off to join their party.

This time when they sat in the back of the limo, Kellen made sure to sit between them. “I’m in no mood to watch you two make out,” he explained. “You can attack each other back at the hotel.”

“Whose fault is it that you’re in such a mood?” Owen said. “It’s not our fault you didn’t get laid. Again.”

“I’m sure you could have picked up someone at the club,” Caitlyn said.

Kellen ran a finger under his wrist cuff. “I went in there knowing I wasn’t going to participate.”

“So why do you go to sex clubs if you aren't planning to have sex?” Caitlyn asked. Seemed like a strange place to hang out just for the hell of it.

Kellen stared at her for a solid minute before answering. He had the most hypnotizing eyes she'd ever encountered.

“Because Owen needed someone to accompany him.”

“Whatever, dude,” Owen said. “You don't have to torture yourself for my benefit.”

“Next time you can go alone.”

Owen shifted in his seat. “Yeah, fine, whatever. You’re a drag anyway.” When Kellen didn’t respond to his insult, Owen said, “Gabe will go with me.”

“Gabe has a relationship thing he’s trying right now. He won't go with you.”

“Then Shade…” Owen scowled. “Why did he have to hook up with Amanda anyway?”

“You really wouldn't go by yourself?” Caitlyn asked.

“I could,” Owen said. “But then I wouldn't be able to prove that I scored the hottest woman in the place.”

She chuckled. “You have a competitive streak unlike any I've ever encountered. Why do you care who knows who hooks up with you?”

Owen's smile faded, and he stared at his knees. After a moment, he shrugged. “No reason.”

There had to be a reason. Maybe he didn't want Kellen to know. Or more likely, maybe he didn't want her to know.

“You might as well tell her,” Kellen said. “Why you are the way you are.”

“What way am I, Kelly? You're twice as fucked up as I am.”

“I'm not going to argue that point.”

“You can tell me,” Caitlyn said. “If you want to.”

Owen glanced at her. “I had hoped that we could hook up again at the hotel.”

“Yeah, me too,” she said, still not accustomed to his bluntness.

“He's afraid you'll tell him to take a hike, because he still doesn't get that he's not the same man he used to be on the outside, though he's always been a bit strange on the inside.”

“Don’t tell her, Kelly.”

“You’re the one who brought her out of the club. That means you’re interested in her, right?”

“Maybe, but don’t tell her.”

“Why? Are you afraid she’s as shallow as you are?”

Owen shoved him. “I’m not shallow.”

“You sure pretend to be,” Kellen said. He caught Owen’s wrist just before it connected with his shoulder. “He used to be fat,” Kellen said to Caitlyn.

“I told you not to tell her.”

“In high school they called him Piggie.”

Owen flushed such a bright scarlet, the color was noticeable even in the dim interior of the limo. “You fucking asshole, why’d you tell her?”

Kellen didn’t try to block Owen’s next blow. Maybe because he felt he deserved it.

“That’s cruel,” Caitlyn said. She grabbed Owen’s hand before he used it to punch Kellen again. Kellen pushed back against the seat, looking decidedly uncomfortable to be wedged between them. “Is that why you keep telling me I'm beautiful? Because no one ever made you feel that way?”

Owen scowled. “How the fuck should I know? I just like to make people happy.”

“What about making yourself happy, Owen?” Caitlyn asked. He’d had her fooled into thinking all was right in his world, but now she wasn’t so sure. “Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I have glitter shooting out of my ass, I'm so fucking happy,” he yelled.

“I'm sorry,” Kellen said, “You’re right. I shouldn't have told her.”

“Thank God you did so I can dump him before I start to like him too much,” Caitlyn said. “I would never be interested in a guy who was called Piggie in high school due to a weight problem.” She was joking, but Owen didn't laugh. He seemed to expect her rejection.

“Should we take you back to your friend’s house then?” Owen asked quietly.

Kellen huffed out a breath and shook his head. “Still clueless. She’s kidding, fucktard.”

“Shut up,” Owen said, but some of the tension had eased from his body, and he glanced at her from under his lashes.

This really was his issue. Kellen understood his friend well. So why had he felt the need to share something so personal about Owen? She was missing something here. Something major. Either Kellen was trying to scare her away—which didn’t seem likely—or entice her into staying so he didn’t have to accompany Owen to sex clubs any more. Of course it was possible he had no motivation at all and was just striking up conversation, but she took Kellen for the kind of person who calculated his every move. Why had Kellen risked Owen’s obvious animosity by sharing something that personal about Owen’s past?

At least she understood why Owen was so adamant about making her feel beautiful and why he was so nice to everyone even though he was easily the best-looking man she'd met in person. Though he had to own a mirror, he didn't see himself as mind-bogglingly gorgeous. Did he go to sex clubs because he thought he required a sure bet? She was just speculating, of course, because she didn't live in his skin. She didn't know what the world looked like through his eyes. But she wanted to. She wanted him to feel as good about himself as he made her feel about herself. And lord she was thankful that he was as attractive on the inside as he was on the outside. His personality sparkled even more than the twinkle in his pretty blue eyes.

“I don't want to go back to Jenna's house,” Caitlyn said. “I do wish I'd met you somewhere other than a sex club. I guess I should be glad I met someone like you at all.”

“Someone like me? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Guys like you don't usually talk to girls like me. Girls like me don't get invited to prom. Guys don’t make fools of themselves for girls like me. Girls like me are ignored. Invisible. But I'm not a girl anymore. I'm a woman. Thanks for reminding me.”

“You are definitely a woman. I like women so much more than I like girls.”

“Uhhh…” Caitlyn wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

“He prefers older women,” Kellen said. “When he first saw you in the club, I thought he was going to eject himself out of his pants and directly onto your lap.”

Caitlyn laughed. “Well, that definitely would have gotten my attention, but I doubt my reaction would have been positive.” She wished Kellen wasn’t sitting between them, because she suddenly wanted to draw Owen into her arms. “So I take it you were hurt by a younger woman.”

“Young women, but they were the same age as I was.”

Kellen released a deep sigh. “Most of it happened in high school and the year following graduation. This really hot girl broke his heart. He asked her out and she agreed. When she stood him up, her excuse was that she liked him as a friend.”

“They all liked me as a friend.”

“What's wrong with that?” Caitlyn asked.

“I didn't want her to like me as a friend. I wanted her to like me as a man. And so after high school, I lost a lot of weight. Got in good shape.”

“I'll say,” Caitlyn said appreciatively.

“And then he became a man whore,” Kellen said with a laugh.

“I'm not a man whore. I don't get paid. Even though Caitlyn seems to think I'd be good at it,” he said under his breath.

“You know I was kidding, right?” she said. “I value you as a person, not just for the hot body under those clothes.”

“It's okay, Caitlyn. He likes to be treated like a piece of meat,” Kellen said. “That's why I'm so surprised he invited you out after getting what he wanted. It’s not his usual pattern. He won’t let anyone get close because he’s so afraid of getting hurt.”

“I figured everyone else is breaking the band's no-relationships-while-we're-on-tour rule, so I might as well give it a shot. And I’m not afraid of getting hurt.”

“You are,” Kellen insisted.

Caitlyn's head was swimming. “Relationship?”

“Are you against that?” Owen asked.

“I don’t think I'm ready for a relationship. The ink is barely dry on my divorce papers.”

Owen laughed. “Good, because as soon as I said it, I got cold feet.”

“So what ever happened to that girl in high school?” Caitlyn said.

Kellen rolled his eyes. “You wouldn't believe it if he told you.”

“Try me.”

“I went out with several of her friends,” Owen said, “slept with them all and made sure I got the job done properly. And then when the girl who broke my heart asked me out, I turned her down. I said I only liked her as a friend.”

“Sweet revenge?” she asked.

He shook his head. “I regret it now. It was an asshole move. The stupid things kids do.”

“Twenty-year-old kids,” Kellen said.

“Yeah, well, I'm immature. Get over it.”

“So now you prowl sex clubs,” Caitlyn said. “What are you looking for, Owen?”

“Nothing but a good time.”

“He's still afraid to open up, so he seeks connections that aren't real,” Kellen said. “He was hurt too many times when he was young. Becca was the first who ripped his heart out, but she wasn’t the last.”

“Yeah, see, I learned my lesson. It's better this way, isn't it? Avoid heartache, but still get your rocks off?”

Kellen touched his wristband and shook his head. “No.”

Owen watched him for a moment and then turned his attention to Caitlyn. “So does it bother you? Knowing I used to be someone you wouldn't have even considered sleeping with?”

“How do you know that? Not everyone is superficial. Though I must admit that I was first attracted to you because you're so easy on the eyes and I thought having you would make my ex-husband seethe with envy.”

“Shit,” Owen said. “You want him back, don’t you?”

“What? Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Why else would you want to make him jealous?”

Caitlyn absorbed his words. Why did she want to make Charles jealous? It wasn’t because she wanted him back. Maybe she wanted the life they’d once had, but after his betrayal of her trust, even if they’d made amends, their relationship would have never been the same.

“At first I thought I did, but I don’t love him anymore. Not the way I once did. And I wasn’t trying to make him jealous. I wanted him to see that the guy I was banging was better looking than his nineteen-year-old co-ed. Save face, you know?”

Owen laughed. “Well I don't mind being your trophy lover, baby.”

Kellen groaned and sighed, sounding exasperated. “Bullshit, Owen. Will you just stop? Stop acting like this is all a game. Stop pretending you ooze self-confidence. Just stop. She knows, okay? You can drop the pretense and just be yourself, not the guy you present to women, to strangers, to get laid. Be the guy who still sees a miserable fat kid when he looks in the mirror.” Kellen whacked him on the side of the head for good measure. “Be yourself. The person I’m lucky enough to know. She deserves to get to know him too.”

Owen crossed his arms over his chest and glanced at the window. “I have no idea what you're talking about.”

“Of course not.” The car pulled to a stop. Both men silently fumed while they waited for the driver to open the door.

“She’s not the kind of woman who would hurt you for being who you really are,” Kellen said. “She might even love you for it. I’m sick of you always shortchanging yourself and thinking it’s for the best. If I have to look at you for another minute, I’m going to strangle the life out of you.”

Apparently too annoyed to wait for the driver, Kellen flung the door open and climbed out of the car. Caitlyn and Owen sat there in uncomfortable silence, avoiding each other’s gazes.

Had Kellen really just said she might love Owen? And how could Caitlyn possibly hurt a guy she’d only known for a few hours? She glanced at Owen and caught the flash of panic in his eyes. Way to turn an evening of fun into something awkward and frightening, Mr. Kellen Whatever-Your-Last-Name-Is Guitarist Guy.

“I think he’s a little freaked out because I brought you home,” Owen said.

“Oh, is that all?”

Owen shook his head. “Don’t worry about what he said. I just want to enjoy your company for the evening. I’m not going to let you hurt my feelings. I’m not as sensitive as I used to be.”

She wasn’t buying his denial for a minute, but she had no intention of hurting his feelings. So what if he was sensitive? She liked that about him. She scooted up against him and slid a hand over his hard-muscled thigh. He flexed beneath her palm. At least she understood why he did that now. He was still self-conscious about his body.

“Are we allowed to make out in the back of the limo now that Kellen is gone?” she asked.

“I’d say yes,” he said with a grin.

His lips had barely brushed hers when her cellphone began to bleat in her purse.

“Who’s calling you at two in the morning?” he murmured against her lips.

Caitlyn didn’t know who’d call her this late, but it had better be an emergency. She finally had Owen alone again, and she wanted to exploit every second they had together. She fished her phone out of her handbag and saw Jenna’s name on the caller ID.

“Hey, Jenna,” Caitlyn said as she answered the phone. “What’s up?”

“Where are you? You were supposed to call me to pick you up and the club is closed now. I’ve been worried sick.”

“I’m fine. I decided to leave with someone.”

Owen lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips one at a time. Her belly began to quiver on cue.

“You met someone?” Jenna asked. “Is he nice?”

“Naughty and nice.”

Owen apparently liked that description. He was grinning ear to ear.

“So I won’t be home tonight,” she told Jenna.

Owen made a victory fist and Caitlyn smiled at him. She liked the feeling she got when she made him happy.

“Tell me all about him,” Jenna insisted.

“I will when I see you tomorrow,” Caitlyn said. “We were about to get busy when you so rudely interrupted.”

Jenna laughed. “About time you had some fun.”

“How irresponsible of me. But don’t worry, okay? I’m perfectly fine.”

“Okay.”

“She’s safe with me,” Owen said near the phone. “Well, relatively speaking.”

“Oh,” Jenna said, “he sounds cute.”

“On a scale of one to ten, he’s an eleven.” She winked at Owen. “We’ll talk later.”

“Okay, have a good time. Just be careful.”

“Did you forget that you’re talking to Ms. Responsibility?” Caitlyn said.

Jenna laughed. “Yeah, for a second I did forget.”

Caitlyn ended the call and tucked her phone back into her purse.

“Who was that?” Owen asked. “Or is that not any of my business?”

“That was my friend Jenna. I was supposed to call her for a ride. She was worried.”

“I thought maybe it was your ex-husband. He heard you were getting it on with an eleven in the back of a limo and decided he wanted you back.”

“Screw him,” Caitlyn said and wrapped her arms around Owen’s neck.

“No, screw me.”

“An even better idea.”