filled his eyes. His thumb traced her slightly swollen lips, still damp from the kiss. “I know.”
She blinked and shook her head hard. “It can’t work like this. You can’t ride in on your white horse, tell me all this stuff, and expect me to drop Drew and just give us another chance. You can’t kiss me and believe everything will go back to the way it was. You may have thought of me every night, but I did the opposite. I tried to get you out of my heart and my mind and believed I’d succeeded until you came back. I have a life I built on my own. I’m not about to blow it up because you decided it was a good time for you to return.”
He muttered a curse under his breath, but his hands were gentle as they caressed her face. “I needed to tell my truth so you had all the information. So that you realize I’d earmarked my heart for you and never stopped believing we’d get a second chance. How do you feel about Drew?”
She froze. God, she wanted to lie—to hurt like she’d been hurt—but there’d been enough lies between them to last a lifetime. “I don’t know. My father adores him.”
His laugh held no humor. “Not surprised. Gaining Jonathan’s trust back, along with yours, is going to be a challenge.” His gaze narrowed with intensity. She fell into the pale, clear blue of his eyes and lost herself there. “But I asked about you. Do you love him?”
“Not yet.”
“Good. Then it’s not too late.” A ghost of a smile fell upon his full lips, hugged by the sexy goatee. She ached to touch his mouth again, trace the line of beard that was both silky and coarse against her skin. “I can try and win you back.”
Fear and vulnerability and something else—something true and pure and familiar—rose inside her, twisting in a tangle. “Owen—”
“No, not yet. We talked a lot tonight, and I hit you with too much to process right now. Let me take you home. I’m not going to batter you with my presence or try to push. I’ll give you plenty of space and time—I know trust isn’t rebuilt with good intentions. It’s action. All I ask is you don’t force yourself to feel things for Drew because you’re afraid of what will happen with us.” His mouth firmed into a thin line. “Don’t hide from me by running to him, Chloe. Promise me that.”
She hesitated, her emotions splintered around her. “I don’t think you get to demand anything from me right now.”
His laugh surprised her, along with his respectful gaze. “You’re right. I can only ask for time. For a chance, on your terms.”
She hugged herself, suddenly unsure, and he stepped immediately back. “I’ll think about it.”
He nodded, taking what he could. “Thank you. Come on, I’ll get you home.”
They walked back to the table. He paid the bill and drove her back, allowing her the silence in the car to be alone with her thoughts. When he pulled up to her apartment, she waited to see if he’d try to kiss her again or make a passionate plea.
“Good night, Chloe. See you tomorrow.”
She raced out of the car and inside her house like demons were chasing her.
And they were.
The ones of the past.
Now she just needed to decide what to do about it.
Chapter Six
The next two weeks passed in a blur of work.
Owen had scored a temporary restraining order to block the Spagarellis from getting any further animals. Most of her days were spent helping him build a solid civil case against the couple by collecting evidence, filing paperwork, and an array of other activities. He kept his word and didn’t push, keeping his focus on the job, but slowly, she began to fall again in a whole new way for Owen Salt.
She liked watching him in his element. He dealt with people in a direct, kind manner, able to sift through massive amounts of dialogue or material to find the gold nuggets needed to truly understand. He’d always loved animals, but that had grown into a steady determination to do the best he could for the ones who had no voice. His knowledge of the various rescue shelters showed her he knew his stuff. He hadn’t just come from California and figured he’d learn New York culture by immersion.
No, he’d done research. He mentioned the big-time players but also knew the core volunteers and treated