Summer Days

Chapter 15

We talked in the car on the way home. We kissed some... well, a lot.

He seemed to be very capable of curing my giggles the way Dr. Sean cured my giggles.

Owen was very, VERY capable at applying the method.

I rested a palm on his chest as the driver made the way the last few blocks to the house. I looked up at him through my eyelashes. "Thank you for another quite lovely evening, my love."

The millimeter smile quirked the edges of his lips up. "The pleasure was definitely all mine, darling." He reached out, tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear before letting his fingers trail down my cheek. "I had the best looking date on my arm."

"I have an excellent stylist." I teased and he chuckled.

"Yes, Mr. Coleman certainly does his job well."

The car came to a stop in the driveway and Owen got out first, holding his hand out for me to take as he escorted me clear of the car before tipping the driver. He wrapped his arm around me as we headed into the house. I waited for him to undo the alarm before walking into the house and turning to kiss him lightly, his coat slipping from my shoulders to the floor as he groaned against my lips and tugged me even closer into him.

His hand slid up into the hair at the base of my neck as he bent my head, tilting it so that he could have a different angle to kiss me, his tongue swiping teasingly at my lips until I parted my lips with a sigh and welcomed the way he was deepening the kiss. My arms snaked up his chest until I was able to wrap them around his neck, tugging him closer. "Owen..." I groaned softly against his lips before I bit lightly at his lower lip and took charge of the kiss myself, leaning into him more.

"Sang." His voice was deep, husky with emotion as we broke apart, our eyes meeting without blinking as our breathing leveled out. I could feel his heart racing just as I heard my heartbeat thumping in my ears. "Sweet, darling, beautiful one..." he murmured.

I sighed, moving my arms from around his neck, wrapping them instead around his shoulders as I cuddled in for a hug, easily resting my head on his chest, thanks to the heels I was wearing. My ear was pressed to his chest and I listened to his heart beating as well as the deep breaths he was taking. My breathing matched his. "I love you." I murmured. "I never thought it was possible..."

"What?"

I shook my head slightly, closing my eyes and squeezing him tighter.

"Sang..." He managed to get his hand between us and tilted my chin up with two fingers under my chin so that he could look into my eyes. "Miss Sorensen..."

A shiver rattled through me at the use of his formal greeting.

And the commanding tone of voice... that struck a chord deep within me.

I wanted to please this man.

With all my being, I loved him so much ... loved all of them so much ... that I couldn't fathom the idea of disappointing him.

His eyes searched mine until he seemed to find something in my gaze and his eyes eased in their intensity, melting slightly as he looked at me. "What did you mean?"

I stared up at him, my emotions swirling in confusion and chaos inside me. "No one loves me..." I blurted. "No one ever has." I swallowed, forcing the lump that appeared in my throat down. "Maybe my grandparents..." I said. "But that was before I was 9 and ... that's when everything started changing. I... I don't know what I did to draw this fate in life but somehow, we ended up here and well, most of the time I don't know what to say or do because I'm overwhelmed, stunned and surprised that every last one of you loves me. And I love all of you with every single tiny bit of my being."

He looked like he wanted to say something but held back when I gave him a slight smile.

"I don't know what to do in relationships." I said softly. "I've loved every moment of this weekend with you because we don't get much time, not like I get with the boys." I nibbled my lower lip for a moment until he swiped his thumb across it, interrupting me from worrying it as he frowned slightly. "I just get nervous about next steps." I admitted. His eyes softened again. "I just don't want to disappoint anyone or lead them on... I have heard stories about girls that do that." I babbled slightly.

He let go of my chin and leaned down to press a gentle kiss to my forehead. "Dear sweet Sang." He murmured. "Always worried about us." I nodded, looking up at him again. "We'll figure it out all together. None of us come from homes where we've seen relationships that work either." He reminded me. I tilted my head and waited for him to continue. "And while some of us have had a relationship or two, most have not. So we don't really know what to do with a long term relationship either." He said, kissing my forehead again. "So trust me, Sang, when I say we do have things to figure out together. A lot of that will depend on you and how you want to take this relationship along. We're going to follow your lead."

I wrinkled my nose at him and pouted slightly. "Really? Are we going to go back to that thing where I have to make the first move with someone before anyone will do anything again?"

He chuckled and bent his head down more to steal an actual kiss from my lips. "No darling, I just mean that we'll figure things out even if it takes us all summer to do so."

I relaxed then in the hug that I still had him wrapped up in as he let his hands go around my shoulders, resting them on top and giving me a gentle shoulder massage. "Okay. I can work with that." I sighed.

"Then we will too." He said, deciding to shift conversation and the end of their evening to something safer... since I was clearly not fully sure of what would come next. "Why don't you go take a bath and get ready for bed? We can read or talk more..." His eyes shifted to check the clock. "Morning will come soon enough and I know you are planning on making a few things in the morning before we actually eat. I don't think the boys will stay away until the time we set as they do know my door is always open especially when we are going to have food and a meeting." He chuckled.

"Okay." I nodded. "I do have things to do before we can eat." I smiled up at him. "Who's going to show up first?" I asked.

He chuckled. "Are we taking bets?" he asked.

I pursed my lips. "Not really bets so to speak." I said, thinking about it. "It could be like when we race in the pool." I said. "A favor or something you want if you win... Like Silas always asks for a hug... or Kota gets me to make lunch for a week."

He nodded slightly. "Might need to limber up for some races in the pool then..." He smiled. "That sounds like a plan... so if I win, you'll come make me dinner next week."

I narrowed my eyes at him slightly. "Okay. And if I win, then we get to watch another Audrey Hepburn movie one night next week, here." He nodded, accepting the terms. "So, who's going to be here first?"

He pursed his lips. "Sean... Dr. Green will definitely beat them all here."

I shook my head. "No, too many variables." I scoffed. "He might get held up at the hospital. I'm going to say Victor. Gabriel was going to be at Luke and North's tonight and come with them so he's the one that doesn't have to pick anyone up tomorrow."

"Oh, it's on, my darling."

I smiled innocently up at him. "May the odds be ever in your favor..." I teased, using a line from one of my favorite books before going up on my toes to kiss him before I stepped away, bending to pick up his coat and give it to him as I headed up to take a bath and get ready for bed.