“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 ass**le 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.
“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 ass**le 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.
