Without warning, my body exploded, and I pulled my lips away to gasp for air.

“That’s it. Ride it out,” he commanded as I gyrated my apex against my hand.

Just as quickly as it rose, my orgasm came down, and I was left feeling unfulfilled. Usually, I was good for weeks before I needed another release.

But this time, I wanted… more.

“That was,” I mumbled, unable to tell Owen what I needed, because I wasn’t sure what to ask for.

“Hot as fuck,” he supplied for me as he rolled his body over mine. His very large, very hard cock settled between my legs, and without a second thought, I rocked myself against him.

“Oh, hell,” he said, clenching his eyes shut. “Steady, baby.”

“I need more, Owen.”

His lips brushed against mine in the sweetest way, like the caress of a flower petal.

“I know you do. I won’t fuck you tonight, cricket, but I’ll make you come as many times as you need. My hand, my tongue, my leg. You can ride every part of me but my cock.”

“Geez. I don’t know what to say to that.”

“Say, ‘Yes, Owen, I want you to make me see stars.’”

“Yes, Owen, make me see stars.”

“Your wish is my command,” he replied as he dove between my legs again and showed me exactly how magical he could be.

His mouth did things I never imagined, and it felt like heaven. I couldn’t get enough of it. My hips rocked and swirled against his face as he fucked me with his tongue and fingers. By the time he added a second digit to my tight sheath and sucked on my clit, my second orgasm made itself known.

I cried out Owen’s name and arched my back, reaching down to grip his hair with one hand while the other fisted the bed covers.

“Oh my gosh, I feel like a limp noodle,” I told him after he went to the bathroom to clean his face, which glistened with my wetness, and to retrieve a warm washcloth to clean between my legs. Owen was surprisingly tender in his care. “I’m not sure how I’ll get dressed,” I cried as I tried to lift my body off the bed and failed.

Owen fell upon the bed with a flourish and tugged me against his semi-naked body. His erection was still hard and thick inside his boxer briefs, and it throbbed against my hip.

“Stay,” he told me against my hair as he draped one strong arm across me.

“Owen,” I scolded. “You know I need to—”

He quickly hushed me by pressing his lips against mine. His kisses purged my mind of every thought, question, and scenario until it became a blank canvas.

“Please,” he whispered as his mouth brushed back and forth.

I should’ve been leaving to get a good night's sleep. Work started bright and early on the farm, and I was already cutting it close. But as I gazed at Owen’s shimmering gray eyes, I couldn’t say no. Instead, I asked him to grab my phone for me and turn off the lights.

By the time he returned with my phone and blanketed the room in darkness aside from the moonlight coming from the window, I was tucked under the covers with a corner pulled back for him to slide into bed.

In the subtle blue glow, Owen tugged down his last remaining stitch of clothing and slipped in beside me. He trailed his fingers up my exposed arm until they reached my shoulder, then neck, the face. They combed through my hair as he leaned forward and pressed his mouth against my lips again.

I moaned in contentment until he pulled back and tucked me against him.

“This changes things,” he murmured.

And though I felt the same, I kept reminding myself this thing with Owen was temporary. He was leaving, probably sooner rather than later if his coach got his way.

And every once in a while, the nasty reminder that he was about to walk down the aisle just a few short weeks ago to marry another woman would make itself known. It was clear to me, and most people who knew him, that he hadn’t loved his ex-fiancée, but he had planned to make the commitment regardless of how he felt.

And that made it impossible for me to believe he was ready for something more than a quick fling. Even though my heart strangely decided she wanted a piece of Owen.

Chapter Fifteen – Owen

My days felt lighter since the night Aspen stayed over at my place. I’d woken at four in the morning, only a couple hours after we’d fallen asleep, with her delectable mouth on my cock.

It was the fucking best blowjob I’d ever had. And not because Aspen was skilled, but simply because it had been from her. I knew she was as innocent as they came. The moment I pushed a finger inside her slick pussy and found it tight beyond measure, all signs pointed to a virgin.

She’d hinted at it enough in the time we spent together, but it was different when I could feel it. I’d had many women claim to be virgins, or claimed I was their first time after the fact, but none were as believable as my cricket.

It still made me chuckle whenever her face hardened each time I said her nickname. But in the bedroom, she nearly purred. Which left me thinking she secretly liked it.

We hadn’t spent as much time together since that night. I knew she was busy with the farm, and I tried to give her the space she needed. Not because I wanted to, but because she was purposely ignoring me… again. I was growing addicted to her. Her taste, her smell, the way she made me laugh even when she wasn’t trying. It made me realize I’d been pretending with Vanessa. I guessed I wanted it to be real, but I never felt an iota for Vanessa what I did for Aspen.

Which caused a whole other problem.

Vanessa reached out to my lawyers. She wanted to fight me for the house and the ring. Which was ridiculous, because the house was in my name, and I had it prior to our engagement. The ring had been a hefty purchase that she selected, but there was no way a judge would rule in her favor. Especially since video of her indiscretions before the wedding started making their rounds. Mostly from guests, but a few of the hotel staff members posted their own takes, catching the couple in multiple areas of the resort.

I was certain her modeling agency and their lawyers were trying to get the videos taken down as fast as they could, but replicas continued to pop up with a flourish.

I no longer cared. My lawyers were certain it was going nowhere, though they suggested giving her money to keep her quiet. I wasn’t about to play that game with Vanessa. She graced enough covers and walked numerous catwalks for high-end designers. She didn’t need my money.

Or at least that’s what I’d been told by her and her “best friend.” I never expected something was going on between the two of them, but maybe I’d been blinded by my career. Baseball took over most of my life. If I wasn’t out on the field, I was training. There was very little personal time. Though, in hindsight, a lot of my teammates had families and looked forward to each day off they had. Many traveled with us when they could.

I’d never thought about having a family in the stands. Vanessa was only interested when the Coyotes were in the Championships and the game was on national television. Otherwise, she told me numerous times that baseball was boring and that there was no point in her sitting in the family section.

My coach tried to convince me to get my mom to come out, but I’d been hesitant and declined.

With our rocky relationship, I knew she would mess with my game. I’d find myself taken back to a time I’d rather not remember. To this day, I would never know how I held myself together all those years I played while living under my father’s thumb.

I was driving my sports car the back way to the bed-and-breakfast, where I was meeting my mother for lunch. Though most roads in Ashfield took a good while to travel, this route took me around one mountain that created a boundary around our town.

Our?

It had been years since I considered Ashfield my home. It was nothing more than a place I once lived. Whenever a fan or reporter asked where I was from, I always said California. But something recently changed how I felt about the picturesque town.

It was… different. Or more specifically, I was different while I was here. I’d made friends with owners in the shops. Chuck at the grocery store chatted with me about his grandchildren and their love of science. Garret, owner of the hardware store, emailed me a bunch of links about how to fix things around a home, since I kept coming in and asking questions when I decided I want to replace the back deck for Rory. The owners of the coffee shop knew my order the moment I walked inside their building. And Ronald McEntire now had a signed picture hung of me and him in his restaurant. With a standing reservation.

My teammates were still amazed at that feat.

Ashfield was different. So was I. And I knew exactly why the change happened.