Page 110 of Owned (Office Intrigue Duet 8)
After I’d had Auberon and Ari come in, perform for her in an effort to show her how willing to please me they were, I’d given some thought to her questions about being owned. Truth was, I’d never considered what it would mean to find someone I didn’t want to own like that. And as much as I wanted to deny that wasn’t the case, with Braelyn, it was true. She was the first person to come into my life and wreak havoc with very little effort. She rattled me, drew out emotions I purposely ignored.
Did I want to own her?
Also-fucking-lutely.
Body and soul.
But I didn’t want to strip her of choices, didn’t want to make decisions for her. I didn’t want to bark commands at her or watch her parade around naked. I liked that we could converse, that she felt comfortable with me. I wanted to explore things with her, to see the world through her eyes. There was an innocence about her I’d been blinded to because of my lifestyle. But she was open-minded, and I wanted to see where that took us.
I couldn’t do that if I pushed her away. Especially when the only thing I found I wanted was to keep her close.
I joined Braelyn in Ransom’s small kitchen, where she had a death grip on a mug of coffee she clearly wasn’t drinking. Her eyes were pinned on me, unnamed emotions swirling in the beautiful amber color.
Neither of us said anything as I approached. I couldn’t seem to gather my thoughts, although I had a purpose for being here. I’d scoured the entire house looking for her, only to learn she’d slipped out early. According to Sim’s notes and his mysterious disappearance, I had learned that she’d come to see her brother. I shouldn’t have been surprised. She’d likely needed someone to talk to, and admittedly, it pained me that she didn’t feel safe enough to come to me to hash this out.
Braelyn’s eyes widened as I neared, her head tilting back.
As was my true nature, I didn’t ask permission when I curled my hand around her wrist, drew her to her feet, never looking away from her. She stood, the pulse in her neck beating faster.
Cupping her face, I leaned in. “I’m sorry.”
Yes. Perhaps the first time in my existence when I had apologized to anyone with such genuineness. More importantly, the first time in my life when I felt it was warranted.
I willed her to see my sincerity, to hear it in my voice when I continued. “You didn’t deserve that last night. I was … defensive.”
She swallowed hard, nodded.
“Forgive me, Braelyn.” I leaned in so my lips hovered over hers, lowered my voice. “I need you to forgive me.”
Her hands curled around my biceps, gripping tightly as she nodded, a sheen of tears in her eyes.
I found her lack of response ratcheted up something that felt a hell of a lot like fear.
“What I said, what I did… You deserve better,” I rambled.
“I don’t know what I did,” she said softly.
“Nothing.” I pulled back, stared into her eyes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was all me. I was upset … and I took it out on you.”
Her eyes caressed my face and I wondered what she was looking for.
I brushed my thumbs over her cheeks. “Please say you’ll forgive me.”
It took several heart-thumping beats before she finally nodded. “I do, Talon.”
I released a breath, and I instantly felt lighter, as though an anvil had been removed from my chest.
“I’d like to tell you it’ll never happen again…” I shook my head. “I can’t, because what I feel for you … I’ve never experienced it before. I was defensive because I need you to see me for who I am.” My hands tightened infinitesimally on her face, my voice lowering to barely a whisper when I admitted the one thing that terrified me most. “And I need you to accept me.”
She breathed in as though surprised by my admission, then did the one thing I didn’t expect. Braelyn shifted up on her toes, her lips finding mine. The kiss was soft and sweet, and it sent warmth straight to my chest, replacing the coldness I’d felt since I’d gone to bed last night.
Tilting my head, I aligned my mouth with hers, kissed her softly. I fought the heat that churned when she was near, not wanting to ruin whatever progress I might’ve made.
When she kissed me back, I settled into the kiss, sliding my arm around her, pulling her near so that I could feel the warmth of her body against mine. I wanted to stay just like this for the rest of the day, my lips fused to hers, all those soft curves in my hands. I wanted to ignore the rest of the world so I could spend the rest of the day holding her, keeping her near.
