Page 47 of Deserving Lara
And then she’d kissed him. It was so close to what he’d been thinking that it was difficult to distinguish reality from fantasy in that moment. He’d lost the chance to do or say anything before they were interrupted.
But that brief kiss had all his hopes and dreams surging to the forefront. He never in a million years would’ve risked doing what Lara had done. She’d been through hell at the hands of another man, and he couldn’t forget all the times she’d panicked at the smallest stray sound, or the thought of being left alone and vulnerable.
The Lara who’d stood on that deck with him and their friends tonight wasn’t that same scared woman. She’d made giant strides with her mental health in such a short time.
Owl was under no illusion that she was completely healed. Just as he wasn’t. There would be triggers that would send her right back to that basement in Arizona. But she’d get through them, he had no doubt of that.
For her to let him know that she wanted more than friendship—in the only way he would’ve truly believed her—was more than he ever could’ve hoped for. And Owl had no doubt that her interest was genuine. He could see the way her heart beat hard in her neck. Felt the way she’d held on to him. Could practically taste the desire on her tongue.
She looked at him the way he’d always dreamed. And he wanted her. More than was comfortable.
Of course, Lara had no idea that he loved her already…but that could wait. The last thing Owl wanted to do was scare her away. A part of him still feared she was using him as a stepping stone to getting her life back. That she wanted a sexual relationship just to prove that shecouldhave one after the shit Grant had done to her, and then she’d realize she could do better.
But after that kiss in the forest, the one that curled his toes and had him harder than a fucking rock, Owl held out hope that she was as into him as he was her.
He wasn’t a manwhore, but he’d been with his fair share of women. And there was something about that kiss tonight that was different than any other kiss he’d experienced. It was more intense, and not just about lust. He and Lara had a connection that went deeper than merely scratching a sexual itch. He’d felt it in that kiss…and now he couldn’t wait to get her alone.
Owl hoped one day he could convince Lara that no one could ever love her as much as he would. That no one would make her feel as cherished and safe. He’d do whatever it took, whatever she needed to make the decision to stay with him. Now and forever.
He wanted what Pipe had. What all his friends had. And that was Lara as his wife, her belly round with their child. Laughing and smiling up at him from their couch as he stood over her.
“They look happy,” Tiny said as he pulled out a chair next to Owl.
Forcing his thoughts away from the woman he wanted in his bed more than he wanted to breathe, Owl turned to his friend. “Yeah.”
“I’m probably overstepping, but fuck it. I’m doing it because I give a shit. You sure starting a thing with Lara is a good idea?”
Owl looked at his friend and considered playing dumb, but discarded that idea in about two seconds.Tinywasn’t dumb, far from it. People might take one look and instantly label him as some muscle-bound moron, or even assume he was too pretty to be a critical thinker, but they’d be wrong. Tinywashandsome…but he’d been a Navy SEAL, one of the best of the best.
Unfortunately, out of all the guys who ran The Refuge, he was also the most suspicious and cynical. The one most likely to think the worst in any given situation. Owl suspected it had something to do with his past, and he couldn’t fault him if that was the case. They all had their baggage to deal with.
“Yes,” Owl said simply.
Tiny lifted a brow in response.
“For some reason, she seems to want me.Me. The guy who everyone looks at and sees a version of a popular musician. Or the man whose face was plastered all over the Internet, begging and crying while being tortured. They see me as soft or weak. But when Lara looks at me, she sees someone completely different. A man who can protect her. A man who’s capable of dealing with the trauma she went through, because he went through something similar. We have more in common than not.”
“I’m not sure that’s the best reason to get into a relationship with someone,” Tiny said quietly.
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I love her, Tiny.” Owl said the words almost defiantly. He was ready for his friend to tell him it was too soon. That he only felt protective toward her because of everything that had happened. And those weren’t things he hadn’t already thought about, but Owl didn’t give a shit. He knew how he felt, and that what he felt for Lara was so different than anything he’d experienced with other women, it wasn’t even in the same ballpark.
Tiny shocked the shit out of him by merely saying, “All right then.”
“All right?” Owl echoed.
“Yup. You’re a grown-ass man. If you say you love her, you love her. And I’ll tell you this, she won’t find a better man than you.”
Owl swallowed hard. Getting approval from the taciturn and somewhat stern Tiny felt good. “What about you?”
“What about me,what?” Tiny asked.
“Anyone you’re interested in?”
His friend snorted. “No.”
Owl tilted his head and studied the man next to him. It seemed to him that Tiny had protested a little too quickly. “Luna’s single.”
“Are you joking? She’s akid. Besides, Robert would cut my balls off if I even looked twice at his daughter.”
