One Night with Sole Regret 04 Touch Me (14 page)

When the song came to an end, several people
clapped. Owen released her. “There's only one thing I want right
now more than you,” he whispered to Caitlyn.

“Pastrami on rye.”

He chuckled. “You're getting to know me
already.” He lifted her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles.
Of all the intimate things he’d done to her that night, that chaste
gesture was the only one to make her belly quiver.

Owen helped her find her seat again. Across
from them, both drunks smiled a greeting, but he ignored them,
still giving Caitlyn his full attention. “You’re still planning on
rewarding me for good behavior, aren’t you?” he asked. His hand
found her leg beneath the table and slid from the inside of her
knee to her upper thigh.

“We did agree on no public displays of
affection.” She caught his hand before it found its target.

“Dancing doesn’t count.”

“What about kissing?” she challenged.

“No?” It wasn’t a statement. More a hopeful
question.

As if she could tell this man no when he was
looking at her like that. But she refused to let him off easily;
teasing him was too much fun.

“I have to be honest: that public display
felt rather affectionate.”

“Can you please go back to your own table
now?” Kellen said to the pair of young women who were still
harassing him about going to a bar that would close in less than an
hour.

The waitress looked apologetic as she set
their food before them. “Should I get the manager to remove them
from the premises?” she said quietly, as if the young women
wouldn’t be able to hear her.

“That won’t be necessary,” Owen said. “I’ll
take care of it.”

The waitress nodded and took her leave
again.

“So how are you ladies getting home tonight?”
Owen asked them, selecting a potato chip from his plate and
munching it.

“Lisa’s car is parked across the street.”

Owen nodded. “I see. How would you like to go
for a ride in a limo?”

“What?” the one who wasn’t Lisa said.

“We have a limo parked outside. Want to go
for a ride?”

Caitlyn was too busy trying to figure out
what Owen was thinking to touch her cheesecake.

“Owen, I don’t think…” Kellen gave the girls
pointed looks.

Owen ignored him. “You don’t believe we have
a limo, do you?”

“I’d have to see it to believe it.”

“All right, I’ll show you.” Owen slid out of
the booth and helped the two wobbly ladies to their feet. He leaned
across the table and whispered, “I’ll be right back,” to
Caitlyn.

Befuddled, she watched him escort the two
women out of the diner.

She exchanged a confused look with Kellen.
And then Kellen’s scowl softened. “Wish I’d have thought of that,”
he said.

“Thought of what?”

“Hey, hey, hands off the merchandise,” Owen
shouted just before the diner door shut behind them.

“Is he leaving with them?”

“When he has you?”

“Then what?”

Before he could answer, Owen was headed back
in their direction.

“What was that all about?” Caitlyn asked.

“Neither one of them had any business
driving,” Owen said, “so I had the driver take them home. They were
too excited about riding in a limo to be upset that they weren’t
getting into Kelly’s pants tonight.”

“And how are we supposed to get back to the
hotel?” Kellen asked.

“The driver will be back before I finish my
sandwich. Their place is only a couple of miles from here. They
told me so when they were trying to get me to go with them.”

Caitlyn squeezed his knee under the table.
“That was a really nice thing you did.”

“What? Rescuing Kellen from two drunk
girls?”

“Making sure they got home safely.”

“Everyone is happy,” he said, and took a huge
bite of his sandwich. “Especially me,” he added, talking with his
mouth full. “Good stuff.”

Kellen grinned as he used the edge of his
fork to cut into his cheesecake and took a bite.

“Better than pie?” Owen asked.

Kellen shook his head. “Too sweet.”

Owen devoured his sandwich while Kellen
decided he’d rather steal the chips off Owen’s plate than finish
his cheesecake. It was indeed decadent—moist and creamy with
cherries in thick, sweet syrup. After only three bites, Caitlyn was
full, but there was no way she was going to let something that
delicious go to waste.

“How far is it from Houston to Beaumont?”
Kellen asked.

“That’s a weird question,” Owen said.

“Less than two hours,” Caitlyn said,
“depending on traffic.”

“Why do you care?” Owen asked.

“I was thinking of spending tomorrow night in
Galveston and meeting up with the rest of you in Beaumont
later.”

“If you take the ferry from Galveston Island
to Bolivar Peninsula, you can miss the Houston traffic,” Caitlyn
said.

“Thanks for the tip.”

Owen shifted uneasily. “Don’t go. It never
makes you feel better.”

Kellen shrugged. “I don’t go there looking to
feel better. I just like the ocean.”

Caitlyn was missing something, but she didn’t
want to pry. Kellen’s trip to Galveston probably had something to
do with the lover Kellen had lost. Everything that caused tension
between the two men seemed to have something to do with her.

Both men stared at the table in silence for
several long, uncomfortable minutes. Caitlyn tried to think of
something that would lighten the mood again.

“So you’re in Owen’s band too, right?” she
finally asked.

“Owen’s band?” Kellen lifted an eyebrow at
his friend. “Did he tell you it was
his
band?”

“Where would the band be without me?” Owen
said.

“Bassists are a dime a dozen.”

Ouch! Caitlyn glanced at Owen, expecting him
to look hurt or offended. He was grinning.

“You’re over-paying, Kelly. I can easily get
you a dozen bassists for a nickel.”

“Bargain basement bassist.”

“What instrument do you play?” Caitlyn asked
Kellen. And because she’d learned her lesson with Owen, she added,
“Or are you the singer?”

“I play guitar,” Kellen said, still not out
of his funk.

“You’re so matter-of-fact about it.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Kellen said. “It’s a
fact.”

“It seems so foreign to someone like me, that
you can make a living playing music.”

“Do you work?” Kellen asked.

“Yeah,” she said. “Too much. But I’m doing
what I love, so I don’t mind the long hours.”

“She has her own company,” Owen said. “She’s
the boss.”

He sounded proud of her.

She snorted on a laugh. “Yep, I’m the
boss.”

“What kind of company?” Kellen asked, sipping
from his water as he waited for Owen to finish his sandwich.

“Alternative fuel sources. We started with
solar panels and wind turbines, but recently started branching out
into fuel cells. R and D is finally over, next is production and
marketing. My two business partners are in charge of that stuff.
I’m the main geek of the triad. So things have slowed down a bit
for me while I wait for the next big idea to smack me upside the
head. You can have a very fulfilling career discovering new
technologies, but it sure won’t make you rich. It’s a good thing I
have Peter and Lillian to find my markets.”

Owen paused with his nearly finished sandwich
halfway to his mouth. “So you’re not only brilliant, good in bed,
and hot, you’re also rich?”

She flushed. “I’m sure I’m not as rich as you
are.”

“Your husband must be a complete tool,” Owen
said.

“You’re married?” Kellen asked, looking
scandalized for the first time that night.

“Divorced.”

“Her husband—”

“Ex-husband,” Caitlyn interrupted.

“Her
ex
-husband cheated on her.”

“Maybe he was lonely,” Kellen said.

“Kelly,” Owen admonished.

“I’m sure he was,” Caitlyn said. “I’ve been
working eighty-hour weeks for several years now. Sometimes we
didn’t see each other for days.”

“He could have made an effort,” Owen
said.

She leaned against him and squeezed his arm.
“Then I wouldn’t have had a reason to hook up with you.”

“Thank God he’s a thoughtless idiot.”

She smiled and couldn’t resist stealing a
kiss. His lips tasted salty. They went well with the sweetness
still on her tongue. When he licked her upper lip slowly, she
moaned and curled her fingers into his shirt to tug him closer.

Kellen cleared his throat uncomfortably. She
could have sworn he grunted, “P-D-A.”

Caitlyn drew away regretfully. “We need to
get to the hotel,” she said.

Owen tossed the rest of his sandwich on his
plate and signaled the waitress for their check.

The car was waiting for them when they left
the diner. Kellen made Owen check the back seat for stowaways
before he agreed to get in. Caitlyn did nothing to hide her
laughter.

“Geez, Kelly, those girls weren’t that
bad.”

Caitlyn and Kellen exchanged a look of
agreement. Those girls had been pretty bad. Caitlyn wondered if
Owen and Kellen had to deal with women like that on a regular
basis. She supposed some guys would like that kind of girl; she
suspected Owen might be one of them. If she hadn’t been with him,
she wondered if he would have gone off to join their party.

This time when they sat in the back of the
limo, Kellen made sure to sit between them. “I’m in no mood to
watch you two make out,” he explained. “You can attack each other
back at the hotel.”

“Whose fault is it that you’re in such a
mood?” Owen said. “It’s not our fault you didn’t get laid.
Again.”

“I’m sure you could have picked up someone at
the club,” Caitlyn said.

Kellen ran a finger under his wrist cuff. “I
went in there knowing I wasn’t going to participate.”

“So why do you go to sex clubs if you aren't
planning to have sex?” Caitlyn asked. Seemed like a strange place
to hang out just for the hell of it.

Kellen stared at her for a solid minute
before answering. He had the most hypnotizing eyes she'd ever
encountered.

“Because Owen needed someone to accompany
him.”

“Whatever, dude,” Owen said. “You don't have
to torture yourself for my benefit.”

“Next time you can go alone.”

Owen shifted in his seat. “Yeah, fine,
whatever. You’re a drag anyway.” When Kellen didn’t respond to his
insult, Owen said, “Gabe will go with me.”

“Gabe has a relationship thing he’s trying
right now. He won't go with you.”

“Then Shade…” Owen scowled. “Why did he have
to hook up with Amanda anyway?”

“You really wouldn't go by yourself?” Caitlyn
asked.

“I could,” Owen said. “But then I wouldn't be
able to prove that I scored the hottest woman in the place.”

She chuckled. “You have a competitive streak
unlike any I've ever encountered. Why do you care who knows who
hooks up with you?”

Owen's smile faded, and he stared at his
knees. After a moment, he shrugged. “No reason.”

There had to be a reason. Maybe he didn't
want Kellen to know. Or more likely, maybe he didn't want
her
to know.

“You might as well tell her,” Kellen said.
“Why you are the way you are.”

“What way am I, Kelly? You're twice as fucked
up as I am.”

“I'm not going to argue that point.”

“You can tell me,” Caitlyn said. “If you want
to.”

Owen glanced at her. “I had hoped that we
could hook up again at the hotel.”

“Yeah, me too,” she said, still not
accustomed to his bluntness.

“He's afraid you'll tell him to take a hike,
because he still doesn't get that he's not the same man he used to
be on the outside, though he's always been a bit strange on the
inside.”

“Don’t tell her, Kelly.”

“You’re the one who brought her out of the
club. That means you’re interested in her, right?”

“Maybe, but don’t tell her.”

“Why? Are you afraid she’s as shallow as you
are?”

Owen shoved him. “I’m not shallow.”

“You sure pretend to be,” Kellen said. He
caught Owen’s wrist just before it connected with his shoulder. “He
used to be fat,” Kellen said to Caitlyn.

“I told you not to tell her.”

“In high school they called him Piggie.”

Owen flushed such a bright scarlet, the color
was noticeable even in the dim interior of the limo. “You fucking
asshole, why’d you tell her?”

Kellen didn’t try to block Owen’s next blow.
Maybe because he felt he deserved it.

“That’s cruel,” Caitlyn said. She grabbed
Owen’s hand before he used it to punch Kellen again. Kellen pushed
back against the seat, looking decidedly uncomfortable to be wedged
between them. “Is that why you keep telling me I'm beautiful?
Because no one ever made you feel that way?”

Owen scowled. “How the fuck should I know? I
just like to make people happy.”

“What about making yourself happy, Owen?”
Caitlyn asked. He’d had her fooled into thinking all was right in
his world, but now she wasn’t so sure. “Are you happy?”

“Yeah, I have glitter shooting out of my ass,
I'm so fucking happy,” he yelled.

“I'm sorry,” Kellen said, “You’re right. I
shouldn't have told her.”

“Thank God you did so I can dump him before I
start to like him too much,” Caitlyn said. “I would never be
interested in a guy who was called Piggie in high school due to a
weight problem.” She was joking, but Owen didn't laugh. He seemed
to expect her rejection.

“Should we take you back to your friend’s
house then?” Owen asked quietly.

Kellen huffed out a breath and shook his
head. “Still clueless. She’s kidding, fucktard.”

“Shut up,” Owen said, but some of the tension
had eased from his body, and he glanced at her from under his
lashes.

This really was his issue. Kellen understood
his friend well. So why had he felt the need to share something so
personal about Owen? She was missing something here. Something
major. Either Kellen was trying to scare her away—which didn’t seem
likely—or entice her into staying so he didn’t have to accompany
Owen to sex clubs any more. Of course it was possible he had no
motivation at all and was just striking up conversation, but she
took Kellen for the kind of person who calculated his every move.
Why had Kellen risked Owen’s obvious animosity by sharing something
that personal about Owen’s past?