One Night with Sole Regret 04 Touch Me (15 page)

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.”

Owen held Caitlyn's hand as they rode the
elevator to the top floor. Kelly hadn’t stuck around after he’d
left the limo. Owen didn’t like that they’d ended the evening with
harsh words, but he never liked to be in disagreement with Kelly
because if Kelly had a beef with something, there was usually a
good reason.

Still, Owen wasn’t sure why Kelly was so
interested in his love life all of a sudden. It had never bothered
him that Owen kept all interactions with women on a cursory level.
He wasn’t sure what was going on in Kelly’s head, but it was a
relief that Caitlyn knew the thing Owen hated most about himself
and it hadn’t turned her away.

Caitlyn covered her mouth and stifled a yawn.
Owen wondered if they'd put some sort of sleeping powder in the
cheesecake. Or maybe she wasn’t used to being up so late.

“Are you tired?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Don’t think I’m going to let you sleep when
we get to my room.”

“I’m sure you’ll find a way to keep me
awake,” she said with a smile.

He loved her smile. It made her inquisitive
brown eyes crinkle at the corners.

“That sounds like a challenge.”

When the elevator stopped, Owen placed a hand
on Caitlyn's lower back and directed her toward his room. He
remembered a time when all five members of the band had to share
one seedy hotel room. It had been years ago, but they'd been closer
then somehow. Of course it was hard not to be close when five guys
shared one bathroom, one bottle of whiskey, and a few groupies
between them.

Owen opened the door and Caitlyn entered his
hotel room without hesitation. She was already comfortable in his
presence, trusted him. He wondered how far he could take her
tonight. Wondered if she'd stick around after the concert the next
night and get to know him even better.

Standing behind her, Owen wrapped his arms
around her and unbuttoned the three leather-covered buttons of her
tweed jacket. He pulled the garment free and tossed it onto the
sofa in the seating area just inside the door.

“Do you always wear suit jackets in the
summer?” he asked before planting a gentle kiss on the side of her
neck.

“I’m usually indoors, so yeah. Otherwise, I
freeze in the AC.”

He didn’t plan on letting her freeze
tonight.

She dropped her head to the side, allowing
him to explore the silky flesh of her throat with his lips.

“Owen?” His name was like a soft caress on
her lips.

“Yes?”

“I feel like I've known you for a long time.
Has it really only been a few hours?”

“I know what you mean.” He worked at the knot
of fabric at her throat, wanting to sample more of her flesh. “Tell
me about your business.”

She hesitated and then lifted her hands to
help him untie the bow at her neck. “Now? But what I do isn’t sexy.
I want to feel sexy when I’m with you.”

He kissed her ear and lowered his hands to
cup her breasts. He squeezed gently. “I always think you're sexy,”
he promised. “Especially when you’re telling me about
yourself.”

“Like I said, we work on alternative forms of
energy. I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m sort of a geek.” She
giggled.

“Are you sharing something you thought I
didn’t already know?”

She slapped his thigh. “You think I'm a
geek?”