Thanks to all those that have been reading! This fic is so much fun to write, but my motivation to keep the story going comes from your reviews! So if you are enjoying this story please leave a review.
Claire had just hung up the phone after her conference call and stood up to stretch. Her stomach growled and she checked her watch, huffing when she realized just how late the call had gone. Walking to her door she pulled it open a crack, peeking out to see Zara was not at her desk. She must have gone to lunch. Just as Claire was about to shut her door the elevator dinged and Owen stepped out.
Claire immediately jumped away from her door, unsure if he saw her. She gripped her stomach, trying to keep it from turning in knots. Her cheeks flushing red as she thought about their texts earlier.
The soft knock on her door caused her to jump. Spinning on her heels, she darted back to her desk, flinging herself in her chair. Taking a moment to compose herself and make it look like she was in the middle of something, she flipped open her laptop, positioning it directly in front of her.
The second round of knocks were louder than the first and Claire cleared her throat. "Yeah?"
The door opened slightly and Owen poked his head inside. "Hey, sorry, Zara wasn't out here, so I figured I'd just knock."
"Oh," Claire waved him in. "It's fine. She's at lunch."
"And you?" Owen wondered as he stepped into her office and shut the door behind him. "The whole floor is vacant."
"Me?" Claire asked and motioned for him to sit down. She noticed the papers in his hand and was a little relieved he wasn't coming up to ask her about their conversation.
"Lunch." Owen clarified. "Andrew and I were at the taco stand. We saw Zara head to one of the restaurants with some people, but you never came for your salad."
Claire raised an eyebrow as she leaned back in her chair. "You're observant." She pointed out with a small smile that would've had Owen weak at the knees if he wasn't already sitting.
"Well, yeah," Owen agreed, following Claire's motion. "Just looking out for you."
"Thanks, but I can take care of myself." She repeated his statement from earlier.
"Oh I don't doubt that." He quickly agreed.
Claire shifted in her chair, trying to keep the fire she felt in her gut from flashing in her cheeks. Many men have tried flirting with her before, but with Owen it was different. She wanted it. The more he flirted the hotter he got. The pull he had on her was something she's never felt before and she was unsure how to react to it. Sure she loved Andrew, but he was safe, careful and extremely predictable. He's the perfect guy to settle down and have a normal life with. That was exactly what Claire thought she wanted in a man. Where she led, Andrew followed. But she got bored quickly with Andrew's lack of confidence. He would immediately back down if she got mad about something. He would be quick to give her what she wanted. There was no challenge in the relationship for Claire. Even their sex life was predictable which was something Claire hated. She liked being dominant in bed, but Andrew never made it passionate. Claire wanted heat, lust, and sometimes she needed to have a chance to fight for control.
Owen was nothing like Andrew. He was confident and strong. He didn't seem intimidated by her. It was almost like he saw her as a challenge and she was more than willing to see if he could handle what she was capable of throwing at him.
"So besides checking in on me, what are you doing here?" Claire asked, glancing down at the papers in Owen's lap.
"Oh, right." He slid the packet across her desk and watched as she skimmed it over. "Andrew had mentioned that the safety gear I will need would have to be approved through you."
Claire flipped through the couple pages and sighed the last page. "Looks good to me. I will send it through." She smiled up at him, clicking her pen closed and bringing the end to her lips. "How's your raptor doing?"
"Blue?" Owen asked, his eyes locked on the pen. "She's great. Crazy to think I'll be needing that gear to handle her soon."
"The other eggs should be hatching soon, right?"
"Yup," Owen drew out the word, watching Claire swipe the pen along her bottom lip.
"Well," Claire put the pen on the desk and stood up. "I was actually on my way down to grab my lunch before you came in." She confessed, unable to hide her smirk as he shifted in his chair.
"I'll walk down with you. Got to get back to the lab." Owen offered.
Claire nodded and started walking towards the door, followed by Owen. They were both silent as they waited for the elevator. Once the door opened, Owen placed his palm on Claire's back allowing her to enter first. Her breath hitched with the contact, but she recovered quickly, turning to smile at him.
It was a move Owen had been contemplating since they walked out of Claire's office. Walking side by side, their hands within inches of touching, Owen's fingers tingled to reach out and touch her. The way her soft, silk blouse moved against her as she walked, had him screaming on the inside for contact.
Owen was never shy when it came to putting moves on a woman he was attracted to. It was always obvious the woman wanted him to make the first move, and he did with confidence. If it was up to him he would have lunged himself at Claire the moment he stepped into her Office. The flirting was there, he knew that for a fact. She was testing him and he was ready for the chase.
The moment he reached out to guide her into the elevator, he held his breath, waiting for some sort of reaction. The smile she gave him in return was enough to knock him to his knees. Letting his hands drop to his side once the elevator door closed, he gripped the handrail to keep himself in place. Visions of her wrapped around him as he held her up against the elevator wall drove him crazy. But if he made that move would she want it or would she be offended? He wasn't sure he was ready to find out. If he was reading her wrong, or made a move too quickly, he didn't want to end up pushing her away. So right now he settled on the visions in his head and only imagining what her lips tasted like, or the heat of her body pressed up against his.
"How are your legs?" Claire asked, startling Owen out of his X-rated thoughts.
"Legs?" Owen asked, clearing his throat and glancing down at Claire's legs. The way her skin looked, so smooth and soft. Her tight skirt hugged her hips perfectly. The bottom of her skirt cutting off just above her knees.
Claire smiled wide when she caught his gaze drop to her legs. She shifted slightly, leaning against the bar behind her and kicked her right leg across her left. "Your legs, Owen."
"Ha!" Owen let out a loud laugh, his eyes shooting back to her face. "I knew that." There was no sense on trying to make an excuse for himself. He was caught and she was enjoying the attention he was giving her.
Claire couldn't help but laugh. "Was just wondering after your run this morning. Mine are killing me."
"Yeah, me, too." He said with a wink.
"I—" Claire cut off, confused of who's legs he was talking about. By the wink and heart-stopping smilie, she had a pretty good idea.
Owen pushed off the wall, turning slightly to face Claire, his arms folded against his chest. His smile made his eyes sparkle and it was Claire's turn to forget how to breath.
Claire was definitely giving the green light. It was clear she liked the way he was looking at her. Maybe making a move right now is what she wants. Stepping closer to Claire, Owen let one hand drop to the bar beside her hip, leaning forward and opened his mouth to speak, but the elevator door opened with a ding.
Claire stood straight, turning her head to look at him, both standing only inches apart. She raised an eyebrow before allowing her focus to drop down to his lips and smiled. "Saved by the bell." She said softly as others stepped onto the elevator. Before the doors could close, she slipped out unable to trust herself near him at the moment. Even with an elevator full of people. She wasn't on the main floor yet, but the stairs seemed like a safe alternative.
Owen stood silently at the back of the elevator, his mouth hung open in surprise. She left him stranded there. He gave an unsteady laugh at himself as he leaned back against the wall. She was definitely going to play hard to get. He was going to enjoy this chase.
XXX
The afternoon dragged on as Owen sat in the lab caring for Blue and watching the other eggs. Every time someone walked into the nursery he perked up, hoping to see Claire. By the time the sixth or seventh person walked through, Owen almost gave up hope, but the heels clicking in the hallway just outside the nursery doors had Owen sitting up straight, placing Blue back in her nest.
His heart dropped when a tall, thin, blond hair and big blue eyed woman walked into the nursery. Her white lab coat was just as long as her skirt— which was a few inches above her knees. She paused when her eyes landed on Owen, a flirtatious smile playing at the corners of her lips. It was almost as if a lioness had spotted her prey.
Owen returned her smile and pursed his lips as he looked back down at Blue. She wasn't the woman in heels he was hoping for. He couldn't hide the disappointment as his shoulders slumped forward, a pout forming on his lips.
"Hi," The closeness of her voice caused Owen to jump.
He peered up at her with a friendly smile. "Hey." He responded, unsure how she got so close without him hearing her heels on the floor.
"I'm Veronica." She said, her outstretched hand waiting to make contact with Owen's.
"Owen." He simply stated and shook her hand.
"Aww…" Veronica cooed, leaning down, purposely giving Owen a clear view of her cleavage, and marveled over Blue. Her face softened as she watched Blue leaning into Owen's hand. "You've got a soft touch there, Daddy."
Owen stiffened, his head snapping in her direction and eyes wide. "Excuse me?" He double checked her outfit, making sure she was actually a worker. "Who did you say you were?" He asked, trying his best to look at her badge hooked to her lab coat, but it hung dangerously close to her breast which had Owen shifting uncomfortably. He didn't want her to think he was starring at them, though they weren't very hard to miss.
"Veronica, silly." She chuckled, playfully swatting at his shoulder.
Owen couldn't hold back the eye roll. On a normal day he'd have no problem asking her for drinks and ending the night tangled in his sheets, but he found her lack of self control and maturity unattractive.
"Dr. Roman," Andrew said as he entered the lab. "She's one of the vets." He motioned towards the eggs in the corner of the room and Veronica hurried away to get back to work.
"Fun." Owen said with a roll of his eyes.
"Yeah," Andrew chuckled, "That one smells fresh meat from a mile away. I think she's slept with every man on this island. Rumor has it she even slept with some of the women."
"Damn." Owen sighed, shaking his head. He was even more turned off now.
"Yup. Just tell her you're married."
Owen raised an eyebrow. "But I'm not. I don't need that rumor spreading through the island." He especially didn't want that to get back to Claire.
"Suite yourself," Andrew shrugged and turned to examine Blue. He turned slightly to talk over his shoulder. "But if you're anything but married, she could care less."
"Sounds like you've been in my position. You tell her you were married?" Owen wondered.
"Didn't have to." Andrew smiled at himself. The one time Claire walked into the lab to meet up with him for lunch, she caught Veronica practically in Andrew's lap. Claire had basically dragged the woman by her hair all the way up to her office before sending her off for a two week suspension from the entire island. Andrew had convinced her not to fire her due to the fact that she was a great doctor and it would be impossible to find someone as experienced as she was. After Veronica's suspension she made it a top priority to treat Andrew as her supervisor and was completely hands off.
Owen raised an eyebrow, urging Andrew to continue on.
"Another time." Andrew promised. He respected Claire enough to ever talk about her, their relationship, or breakup to anyone, especially during work hours.
"That good, eh?" Owen leaned back, folding his arms against his chest.
Andrew just laughed and shook his head, continuing his exam.
"Dr. Carter, Egg A is making progress." Veronica announced as she walked back into the room.
She turned her attention to Owen, reaching out to tug on his arm. "Come on, Daddy, come see."
Owen frowned, doing his best to not gag on the way she used the word Daddy, but he allowed her to pull him along, glancing back at Andrew when he heard him laughing. "Hey," Andrew shrugged, holding his arms out, palms towards the ceiling. "I warned you."
Owen threw his free hand over his head, giving Andrew his middle finger, causing Andrew to burst into laughter.
Veronica tugged Owen along, her fingers gripping tighter when Owen tried to break free. "I know where the eggs are." Owen reminded her. He glanced over his shoulder hoping Andrew followed them. "What about Andrew?" He asked when he realized they were alone.
"Dr. Carter will be here as soon as he's done examining Blue. Then a few of the Triceratops eggs hatched, so he's going to check on them." Veronica paused, dropping Owen's wrist and wrapped her arms around his biceps, "Don't worry, Owen. You're in good hands."
"Look, Dr. Roman…" Owen started, but someone behind them cleared their throat.
Veronica immediately stepped away from Owen and turned to face Claire. She swallowed hard when she caught the deep scowl set on Claire's face. "Ms. Dearing. I'm assigned to the raptor eggs." She turned with a shaky finger, pointing at the egg moving slightly, a small chip falling off. "She's hatching."
"Yeah," Claire said dryly. "I got the message. Hence the reason why I'm here." Her gaze drifted to Owen who looked like a deer caught in headlights. "Did I interrupt something?"
"No!" Owen said quickly. "Nope! No way." He reached up, scratching the back of his head as he turned away from both women. Where did his confidence go? Why was he so nervous? He did nothing wrong. He always had a good comeback for everything, but suddenly his palms were sweaty and his heart racing. The last thing he would want to do is to give Claire the assumption that he was interested in someone else.
Claire bit back a laugh. She stood back watching Owen flinch away from Veronica whenever she brushed up against him. She fought the urge to lunge across the room and knock Veronica to the ground. But Owen wasn't hers to fight for. By the way he was brushing her off had her panic calmed down. Claire knew Veronica's reputation, but she didn't feel threatened by her. Not with Owen clearly annoyed by her presence.
The hatching of Egg A was rather quick. Though for Owen it seemed to last a lifetime. Veronica was finally getting the hint, or she was just tired of Owen inching his way around the incubator to get away from her when she'd get too close. She moved to concentrate on the new hatchling, finally staying in one spot.
"There you go, Daddy, she's here." Veronica cooed. "She's beautiful and very healthy."
Owen ignored Claire's snicker behind them and took the new baby into his hands.
"So?" Veronica asked, reaching out and rubbing his biceps. "What's her name?"
"Charlie." Owen stated, holding her up to examine her closer.
"Charlie?" Veronica repeated. "She's a girl, silly."
Owen peered over at her. "I know," he snapped. "Military Alphabet. Her name is Charlie."
"If you say so." Veronica said as she wrote the name down on the chart.
"Hows it going?" Andrew asked as he walked into the room. His eyes landed on Claire first. She was completely amused, leaning against a desk in the back of the room, her arms folded against her chest.
"So far just the one hatchling." Claire answered and motioned towards Owen and Veronica. "Owen's being entertained."
Andrew gave a hollow laugh and winked at her before turning his attention to the new baby. "Vitals?" Andrew asked stepped between Owen and Veronica.
Thankful for the move, Owen patted Andrew on the back.
Veronica immediately stepped away from Andrew, her gaze darting back towards Claire. A motion that Owen caught. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked from Claire to Andrew. No. He shook his head dismissing the thoughts that popped into his head.
Another half hour later and two more raptors were born, Veronica filling in the charts for Delta and Echo. Nibbling on her pen as the small group waited for the birth of the other egg, she stepped around Andrew to slip in beside Owen. "So, why the military alphabet?"
"I was in the Navy." Owen replied with a shrug. He was too involved in the three raptors in front of him to look up at her.
"Ooh," Veronica said, reaching out and squeezing his arm. "That's where the manly look comes from. I love a man in uniform. Especially Military."
Owen stood up straight and turned to look at Veronica with a loud huff. "What about the other egg. It hasn't even made a crack yet."
"Relax, Da—" Veronica started, but Owen was quick to cut her off, shoving his palm in her face to silence her.
"Don't!" He yelled, shuddering at the nickname she'd been using. "It's Owen, Mr. Grady, or hell, I'd even answer to Hey You, but do not call me Daddy again. Say it one more time and I will get you for sexual harassment." He scrubbed his hand down his face roughly with a hard shake of his head. He'd never thought he'd see the day where he would threaten a woman for sexual harassment. She was very attractive, but she wasn't what he wanted. His whole world currently gravitated towards the red head in the back of the room.
Claire bit her bottom lip to keep from opening her mouth. She gripped the desk she was leaning against to stop herself from throwing herself at Owen. The one day she caught Veronica desperately trying to hit on Andrew, he did little to nothing to stop her. Owen, on the other hand, basically threatened to sick Claire on her if she didn't leave him alone. Apparently that was a huge turn on for her and she was having a hard time controlling her emotions.
Veronica looked back at Claire who just shrugged in response. She looked back at Owen and nodded silently, turning her attention on the last egg.
With Veronica occupied, Owen glanced back at Claire with a quick wink. She winked back, smiling wide. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she groaned, sad to have to break her eye contact with Owen. "Excuse me." She said softly and stepped out of the room.
As soon as she finished her phone call, Andrew was by her side. An amused smile spread across his face. "What?" Claire wondered.
"Good to see you still scare the shit out of her."
Claire shrugged, putting her phone back in her pocket. "She's a dirty slut and I still wish you would let me fire her."
"Now, now." Andrew clicked his tongue as he wagged his finger at her. "Play nice. She's a good doctor."
"Yeah," Claire snorted with a roll of her eyes. "And good at playing doctor."
"Hey," Andrew held his hands up innocently. "I wouldn't know."
Claire laughed and it cut off into a groan when her phone buzzed again. "I have to head up to control. Call me with an update on the last egg."
"I will." Andrew called after her as she hurried away.
Owen noticed Claire didn't return with Andrew. "Everything ok?" Owen asked, his focus on the door over Andrew's shoulder.
"Claire?" Andrew wondered, turning to look over his shoulder where Owen was looking. "She was called to the control room."
Both men didn't miss the loud sigh of relief Veronica let out.
Owen shook his head in disbelief. He'd never seen anyone so intimidated by someone else before. He now held a whole other level of respect for Claire.