Owen watched while Summer lobbed gentle questions at Joule. Observing Summer in action, Owen reflected she would make a great attorney, able to get witnesses to open up and be at ease. They hadn’t learned anything new about the case from this meeting, but she knew Joule would be ready to face anything the defense attorney might throw his way during trial after Summer’s deft handling.
When they were done talking to Joule, Owen asked him to wait outside.
“I’ll run him home,” Kira said, glancing at her phone. “It’s six now. Are we meeting back here later?”
“I’m going to have to bail,” Mary said, patting her stomach. “I haven’t seen Jack all week and I promised him I’d make an extended appearance tonight so he can check the baby bump and I can get a good night’s sleep. Doctor’s orders. I’ll work on prep for the pretrial motions that are still pending, but I can do that from home.”
Owen considered her options and quickly settled on the only one that appealed to her—spending time with Summer. Alone. “That settles it. I’m going to work on my opening. Kira, if you have all the information you need to get the rest of the witness subpoenas served, then there’s no need for you to come in this weekend. Oh, but try the mayor’s office again. I’d like at least a few minutes with him before he testifies, but it can be the day of. If anything else comes up, we’ll call you.”
“Yeah, sure. You know me. Always available when you need something at the last minute and there’s no one else to help out.” Kira left the room in a huff, letting the door slam against the frame again in a way that could plausibly be called an accident, but which Owen knew was a clear message Kira was angry and tired of acting like things were fine between them.
Mary jerked her chin toward the door. “You’re going to take care of that, right?”
“Yes. Definitely,” Owen said, wanting to shut down the conversation before Mary got into more detail. She didn’t want to have this conversation at all and definitely not in front of Summer. She watched Mary gather her things. “You want me to help you carry some of that?”
“And ruin my practice for carrying around a toddler? Not even.” She tucked a large folder under her arm and balanced another against her chest. “Summer, it was nice to see you again. Have a good weekend. O, stay out of trouble. I’ll talk to you on Sunday.”
Owen watched her clear the door while she tried to think of a way to keep Summer from leaving too.
“You didn’t have to send Kira away on my account,” Summer said. “I saw the way you reacted when she was coming after me. I can handle myself with Kira. I’ve dealt with plenty of people like her over the years.”
“She overstepped.”
“She asked hard questions. With an attitude, yes, but there’s nothing wrong with asking questions when you’re skeptical.”
“True, but this was about more than that.”
“I know. It’s fairly obvious she has a thing for you,” Summer said.
“There’s nothing going on between us. Not anymore.” Owen immediately had mixed feelings about the overshare.
“Some people take longer to get past things than others.” Summer pointed at the door. “She may take a while, but she’ll get there eventually.” She bit her bottom lip like she was considering what to say next, and Owen found the move adorable. “If you want to keep working or…whatever, I can stay.”
Could “whatever” be more suggestive? Owen’s body flushed with warmth as her mind wandered to many different kinds of “whatever,” all involving Summer Byrne.
“I do want you to stick around, but I need to get out of here. I need a night away from the whiteboard and the witness files. Besides, I’m hungry and the cafeteria’s closed and I’m kind of over French fries for now. Your home-cooked food has spoiled my junk food self.”
Summer beamed. “I’m sure I could whip something up for you.”
“I would love that, but I was thinking maybe we could do something different. I can’t cook, but I do have some of the best restaurants in Dallas on speed dial. If you don’t think it’s weird, we could go to my place and order in.”
She waited with trepidation for Summer’s response, praying she hadn’t overstepped. What had she been thinking, inviting Summer into her home? Her intentions were a mixed bag. Yes, she had a large, well-appointed kitchen worthy of any gourmet, but she had no intention of cooking. And yes, she had a streamlined office setup at home that was much more efficient and comfortable than her county office, but her mind was no longer focused on work. All she wanted, all she could think about, was getting a few hours alone with Summer, but what exactly those few hours would consist of was completely up in the air. Was she being inappropriate here? Was her attraction to Summer causing her to make poor choices? “Or we could go out to eat if you’d rather not come to my place.” She waved a hand in an effort to signal it didn’t matter either way.
Summer caught her hand mid-wave. “I’d love to have dinner with you. And I’d rather stay in than go out if that’s okay.”
Owen looked at their clasped hands for a second before reluctantly letting go. “It’s perfect.”
Twenty minutes later, Owen pulled into the circle drive in front of her building and checked her rearview mirror where she saw Summer in the car directly behind her. She handed her keys to the valet and slipped him some cash and pointed at Summer’s vehicle. “Vincent, she’s my guest. Take good care of her, will you?”
Vincent tipped his hat. “You got it, Ms. Lassiter.”
Owen stepped under the large awning and waited for Summer to join her.
“You have to warn a girl when there’s going to be a valet,” Summer said, “I don’t have any cash on me.”
“Already handled.” Owen pointed to the door. “Ready?”
“Very.”
The one word was full of portent. Owen nodded at the doorman and motioned for Summer to go first, placing her hand on Summer’s back as she followed her into the building. Summer leaned into her light touch, and it felt perfectly natural to ease her hand around and encircle Summer’s waist as they walked through the lobby to the elevator. Inside the elevator, Owen inserted a keycard, punched the button for the top floor, and braced for a reaction. The first time she’d brought Kira home with her, she’d spent the entire ride to the penthouse musing how much it cost to live in a place like this, and she’d heard the accusation mixed with curiosity about how she could afford to live here on her county salary.
“I bet you have an amazing view,” Summer said, her face beaming.
The simple observation was genuine and earnest and sounded nothing at all like Kira’s attempt to dig past her privacy. Owen let down her guard and returned the smile. “I do.” Now that she’d owned it, she decided to go all in and her voice cracked as she spoke. “I can’t wait to show it to you.”
Owen’s hand shook slightly as she led the way from the elevator into her apartment. Aside from Kira and a few other women she barely remembered, she rarely had guests and never ones who made her heart beat as fast as Summer did. The motion-activated lights turned on as they entered, and she watched Summer as she took in the room.
“What a beautiful space,” Summer said, walking farther into the room. “I love the decor. It’s very you.”
“That sounds like a compliment, but I’m not entirely sure.”
Summer stepped closer to her and grasped her lapel. “Sharp, tailored, tasteful. Perfect.”
“I’m far from perfect,” Owen whispered.
Summer leaned closer. “That’s for me to say. Eye of the beholder and all.”
They were inches apart, and Owen’s breath went shallow as she stared into Summer’s eyes, barely able to remember what they’d been talking about. Her gaze dropped to Summer’s lips, full and kissable, and she was consumed with wondering how they would taste. The heat between them was undeniable, a force she couldn’t and didn’t want to resist. But she should. Shouldn’t she? “Summer…” It was all she could manage to say. Would it be enough to break the spell?
“Owen.”
“Yes?”
“If you don’t kiss me soon, I’m going to lose my mind.”
Owen reached up and placed a hand on either side of Summer’s face and leaned down, letting her lips graze Summer’s. After a few gentle presses, she ran her tongue along Summer’s lips, nudging them open and she eased her way inside, melting in the heat of their touch. Summer ran her hands along the inside of her jacket and tugged her shirt from her waistband and began stroking her skin. Owen wanted to burst out of her clothes like the Hulk, transforming into the person Summer wanted her to be, the person she wanted to be. Open to sharing her feelings, her hopes, her dreams with another person, and overcoming the fear that came with being vulnerable.
The idea of it was overwhelming, and Owen stepped back, still in Summer’s embrace, but their connection was now more tenuous.
“Are you okay?” Summer asked, her gaze intent and infused with caring.
“I don’t know.” Owen straightened her jacket, needing the protection her armor afforded her. “I’m sorry. I know we’re supposed to be working. I shouldn’t have kissed you like that.” She grimaced. “Or at all, really.”
Summer kept her hands in place under Owen’s jacket and she didn’t move. “Are you really sorry?” She stepped closer. “Because I’m not. I’m glad to be here. With you.” She licked her lips. “And that kiss? It was smoking hot and I want to do it again.” She eased her hands from Owen’s side. “When you’re ready.”
She was ready. She was barely able to continue standing ready, but practicality told her to wait. She could almost hear Mary’s voice, telling her not to get involved with someone at work, but she didn’t care. Every nerve ending in her body was telling her not to care. Summer wasn’t just someone she worked with. Their attraction was an undeniable force. She could try to ignore the overwhelming urge to take Summer to bed. They could order food and eat and work and pretend the connection between them didn’t exist, but Owen knew she’d be worthless without exploring these feelings, without satisfying the ache between her legs, the ache that thrummed through her entire body.
“I’m ready now.” She let out a pent-up breath. “Right now.”
Summer pulled her close and whispered in her ear, the heat of Summer’s breath taking her desire to new heights.
“Take me to your bedroom, please.”
✥ ✥ ✥
From the moment Owen had shown up on Nan’s doorstep a couple of weeks ago, she’d been full of surprises, but Summer had been completely unprepared for Owen to invite her into what she could tell was her most private of places. Every element of energy in this gorgeous apartment screamed Owen. Expensive, impeccably appointed—all the trappings of someone who had almost everything. Guarded and quiet, the atmosphere simmered with loneliness brewing below the surface.
And then Owen kissed her. Hot, hard, wet kisses. Lush and lingering, eager and insistent. The kind of kisses that shatter resistance. Not that she’d come here ready to resist. She reached for Owen’s hand and followed her down the hall, excited and ready for whatever happened next.
Owen stopped at an open door and turned and stood in the threshold. Her eyes were dark and smoldering and when she ducked her head and caught Summer’s lips in her own, Summer’s knees buckled against the weight of her arousal.
“Are you okay?” Owen asked, wrapping Summer in her arms and holding her close.
Summer smiled. “Okay is not the word I would use. Excited, aroused.” She slid her hands under Owen’s jacket again and eased them up into the sleeves. “I love your clothes. They are perfectly tailored, and you look amazing in them.” She pushed up over Owen’s shoulders, and the jacket dropped to the floor. “But I think I’m going to love touching your naked skin more.”
She didn’t wait for a reply before beginning to unbutton Owen’s crisp white shirt. Owen kissed her neck as she fiddled with the buttons. It was hard to keep up with what she was doing when Owen was setting her body on fire with alternating light and hard touches from her lips and her tongue. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this way—desired, aroused, utterly on fire—and she wanted to speed up and slow down all at once. The last button gave her fits until Owen’s hands closed over hers and deftly slipped it free. Summer leaned back and sucked in a breath while Owen shed her shirt and bra. She was heart-stompingly gorgeous. “Wow.”
Owen’s smile was tentative. “Is that a good wow?”
Summer wiped a hand across her forehead. “It’s a ‘hey, it’s getting hot in here’ wow.” She stepped closer and traced Owen’s naked breasts with her fingers. “You. Are. Beautiful.” She pointed to the king-sized bed across the room with its perfectly made up spread. “Is that bed just for show or can we use it?”
“Oh, we can use it.” Owen arched into her touch and moaned. “Please, let’s use it.”
Summer dropped her other hand to the zipper on Owen’s pants and tugged it open. She slipped her hand in, and while she continued the breast play, she gently ran a finger along the fabric covering Owen’s sex. Owen thrust against her finger and Summer followed the encouragement by easing her finger underneath the cloth, her moans joining Owen’s as she touched the slick folds of Owen’s sex. “You’re so wet.”
“I want you.” Owen pulled at her blouse. “I want to feel your skin against mine. Please.”
Summer stilled her fingers and led them toward the bed. She motioned for Owen to sit on the edge and she pulled off her pants and underwear before easing her back against the pillows. While Owen watched, she slowly undressed, trepidatiously at first, but with growing confidence as Owen signaled her pleasure by urging her to hurry. When she was completely naked, she crawled into the bed and eased her body along the length of Owen’s, enjoying the delicious delight of setting off sparks between them. She kissed Owen again, a deeper kiss this time, a signal of the way she wanted to touch the rest of her body, slowly, deeply, with ever increasing passion.
“You are the best kisser ever,” Owen said, her breath ragged.
“It’s been a while. I was worried I’d be rusty, but I think you inspire the best in me.”
Owen ran her fingers through Summer’s hair. “If this is rusty, you should always be rusty. Never not be rusty.” She smiled, a slow, hot, delicious smile.
Summer nipped her lips in a move designed to tease and Owen moaned again. She was loving having this kind of power, to pleasure Owen, to draw her out of her buttoned-up shell. “I love how expressive you are. It inspires me.”
“Is that so? What are you inspired to do right now?”
Summer answered by inching lower and circling her tongue around Owen’s nipple, enjoying the way it hardened in her mouth. She tugged and teased it to a fine point, and then closed her mouth over it completely, losing herself to the sensation of experiencing Owen in such an intimate way. She nipped and teased and lavished Owen with her tongue and then moved to her other breast and repeated each move, determined to keep it slow, but straining against the desire to bring Owen to orgasm right now.
She was lost in the feel of her when she felt a long, slow stroke through the wetness between her own legs. Once, twice, a long pause, then there it was again, and her body bucked against Owen’s hand. She propped up on her elbows and rolled to her side, keeping her hand on Owen’s chest and her eyes on Owen’s, pleased to find them dark and hazy with desire. While Owen watched her, she reached down and stroked her way down Owen’s abdomen, trailing her fingers along the tense muscles and eagerly anticipating the moment they would be able to relax when Owen cried out with release. Every ounce of her being was focused on Owen’s pleasure, and Owen touching her only intensified her mission. She dipped a finger in Owen’s sex and groaned when Owen ground against her hand. “You feel incredible. So wet.”
“Yes.” Owen breathed deep. “Ready.”
Summer slid another finger in, only slightly, before easing back out and in again while she traced circles around Owen’s clit with her thumb. “So ready.” She kept her hand in place and eased her way down along Owen’s side, missing her touch but so excited about what would happen next she embraced the sacrifice. Back between Owen’s legs, she dipped her fingers lower and replaced them with her tongue, slowly teasing her way to Owen’s wet, hot center.
“Oh my God, you are amazing.”
Taking her confidence from Owen’s cries, Summer flattened her tongue and increased the speed and pressure of each pass, taking Owen to the brink and then backing away. Owen’s body came off the bed and into her mouth, arching, grinding, seeking release, and finally Summer could deny her no more. She entered Owen with her fingers and brought her to orgasm with strong strokes of her tongue, reveling in her cries of pleasure and ecstatic to be able to give her this release.
When Owen lay spent in her arms, she held her tight. She didn’t need to read Owen’s mind to know she was sated. They’d been in perfect sync since they’d fallen into bed, and Summer marveled at the strength of their connection. “You were incredible.”
Owen looked up from where she lay on her shoulder and kissed her cheek. “Um, you. You were the incredible one. I’m just the lucky person who got to experience the most amazing sex I’ve ever had.”
“The ‘most amazing’?” Summer raised an eyebrow. “That’s a pretty big statement.”
“And totally true.” Owen drew her finger down Summer’s chest and traced the nipple closer to her. “I can only think of one thing that could be better.”
Summer’s breath caught as Owen’s touch grew more intense. “Tell me.”
Owen rolled onto her side and dipped her head toward Summer’s breast. “How about I show you?”
Thinking there could be no better way to communicate, Summer arched into Owen’s mouth and surrendered to her touch.
✥ ✥ ✥
Owen woke to a dark room with Summer tucked in the crook of her arm and a sense of peace she hadn’t felt in a very long time. Besides Kira, only a few other women had been here, in her sanctuary, but their encounters had been carefully choreographed and she’d remained in complete control for the duration, never inviting them to linger and never inviting them to more intimate acts like the cuddling that was taking place right now. Now that she’d experienced this closeness, this level of affection, how could she go back to impersonal encounters?
But impersonal encounters were low risk. Much lower risk than intimacy with someone like Summer who could somehow see inside her soul. Was her gift real? What other explanation could there be for her prescient warning about the attack on Joule? Or how she knew a simple chili dinner would be the perfect touch? She shook her head. There had to be another explanation, but right now she didn’t care about anything other than the pleasure of having Summer in her bed.
She stroked Summer’s blond tresses, causing her to stir and move even closer, the friction of skin against skin awakening the slow burn of arousal that was still smoldering from her last orgasm. Another difference between Summer and everyone else—she’d lost count of how many times they both had come, the destination taking a back seat to the journey. Before, all she’d cared about was release, hers and theirs, and, once achieved, she was done and ready for them to go. Looking back, she’d been selfish where her sexual partners were concerned, but she’d also denied herself the pleasure of total immersion in all the sensations of making love to a beautiful woman, a woman who knew how to give and receive pleasure with complete abandon.
Summer stirred at her side and looked up into her eyes. She was breathtaking, but for a moment Owen wished she were still asleep for fear the spell might break.
“What are you thinking?” Summer asked, her voice muddled with sleep.
“I’m guessing that’s not a question you have to ask very much.” Owen smiled. “Seriously, don’t you want to take a stab at guessing?”
Summer propped up on her elbow. “You know what’s funny?”
“That is a very open-ended question. Care to narrow it down?”
“Not once tonight have I accidentally read your mind.”
“That’s comforting. Are you usually reading my mind, accidentally or otherwise?”
“I would never do it on purpose, but occasionally, when I’m trying hard to figure out what someone really wants or needs, I tune in and get a strong signal. Not like they are telling me on purpose, but it’s there, in the air, like a message they would say out loud if only something wasn’t blocking their words.”
Owen fluffed the pillow behind her head and scooted into an upright position, motioning for Summer to curl back into her arms. “Tell me more.”
“That’s the thing. There’s nothing to tell. No voices in my head, no blocked messages trying to escape. But…”
Owen waited a few beats, but when Summer didn’t say anything, she prompted her “But?”
Summer traced a finger up her chest and along her neckline, and then looked up into her eyes. “But it felt like we were in perfect sync. That has never happened to me. Never.”
“Me either.” Owen held her gaze for a few more moments, not wanting to break the connection. “I’m not big on letting people in.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” Summer said with an exaggerated roll of her eyes.
She waved a hand. “This place is my sanctuary. I won’t say no one else has ever been in my bed, but not to stay, never to sleep, cuddle, whatever.” The admission felt silly, and she looked away, wishing she could reel it back in.
“Hey, don’t shut me out now.”
Owen turned slowly and saw Summer’s eyes were brimming with compassion. “Your sanctuary is beautiful. It suits you.”
“It’s opulent, but it’s a reminder of…family. It’s comforting.”
“Do you want to tell me about it?”
Did she? If nothing else, she appreciated Summer asking instead of trying to intuit what she was thinking. If Summer wanted to know her background, it was a simple matter of connecting a few Google searches to get there. She didn’t share her personal life with most people because she didn’t want them to view her differently, but right now, in this moment, she wanted Summer to know everything about her, and she trusted the knowledge wouldn’t sway Summer’s opinion either way.
“My parents were killed when I was fourteen.” She blurted out the words and paused. Summer grasped her hand and held tight, giving her the strength to press on. “They were mugged, walking to their car after their anniversary dinner at Dakota’s downtown. It was where they celebrated every year. Dad wasn’t a fan of the valet stand. His car was a custom Corvette and he figured the valets were probably joyriding the whole time he and Mom had dinner, so he insisted on parking it himself. Downtown Dallas isn’t as busy at night as other cities. Not a lot of foot traffic, and they were alone on a dimly lit street when a guy pulled a gun and asked for his wallet. According to my mother, Dad forked it over.”
She drummed her fingers on the bed. “The money meant nothing to him. They were rich. Crazy rich. He inherited a small fortune from my grandparents and put it toward an oil stake that struck big before I was born. I grew up in a mansion, with servants, and a garage that housed my dad’s car collection. I went to the best private schools and never knew what it was to want for anything until the day they died.” Summer was staring intently, and Owen felt the compassion roll off her in waves. It spurred her to keep talking.
“The guy wasn’t satisfied with the wallet. He wanted my mother’s wedding ring. It wasn’t expensive—it was a simple gold band, but it had been my grandmother’s and her mother’s before that. Passed down through generations. Dad offered the guy anything he wanted. His car, large sums of money, anything, and when he refused, Dad tried to fight him off. The guy shot him in the chest and then turned and shot my mother. Dad bled out in her arms while she waited for an ambulance. She died alone at the hospital.”
“How did you find out?”
“When the police showed up at our door. I was home, watching TV and sulking because my best friend, who I had a not so secret crush on, was hanging out with her boyfriend that night. The day after the funeral, the family assets were placed in a trust and I was shipped off to live with my aunt in San Antonio, who I’d met exactly once before, until I graduated from high school.”
Summer grasped her hand and squeezed. “I can’t even imagine how devastating it must have been for you to lose both your parents at once and then to be completely uprooted from your school, your friends.”
Owen looked down at their clasped hands and found strength from Summer’s comfort. “Looking back, the transition was probably the best thing that could’ve happened to me at that point in my life. I learned that not everyone had the same opportunities I had had, and at the end of the day, the person you should learn to count on the most is yourself.”
“That’s why you became a prosecutor.”
“Yes. Pretty on the nose, right?”
“Only if people know your backstory, which I’m guessing you keep pretty private.”
“I’ve only told a few people. Everyone treats me differently when they find out. I don’t know if it’s the money…” She paused. “It’s probably the money.”
“Or the fact the tragedy made you not want to get close to people for fear of losing them.”
Owen smiled. “Look who’s back to reading minds.”
“Not even. That was Psychology 101 at its finest.”
“Is that so? Then perhaps you can tell me what it means that I shared all this with you.”
Summer reached up and kissed her lightly. “I’d like to think it means you trust me. And that this,” she gestured at their entwined and naked bodies, “meant as much to you as it did to me.”
“It was incredible,” Owen replied, slightly side-stepping the question. The intimacy they’d shared meant more than she was willing to say out loud just yet, but she craved more. She reached for Summer’s hand and brought it to her lips, slowly kissing her fingertips, one by one, her heart pounding as arousal pounded through her once again. “Can you stay a bit longer?”
Summer wrapped a leg between hers. “I want to, very much. I need to be home before Faith wakes up. Do you think it’s dawn yet?”
Owen reached for her phone on the nightstand and checked the time. “Two a.m. You know, I never fed you dinner. Are you hungry?”
“Starving.” Summer pressed her thigh between Owen’s legs. “But food is overrated. Maybe you could find another way to satisfy my hunger?”
Owen slid her hand between Summer’s legs and took Summer’s lips between her own, murmuring softly against them. “I’ll spend the rest of the night trying.”