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Unease trickled through him but he shrugged it off. He'd talked to Luke about his feelings seeing Ella dating, but the kid seemed solid. He hoped Kennedy had taken away the orange lipstick. It was easy for Connor to see past the surface and appreciate how amazing Ella was, but guys were still stuck on physical appearance. He hoped this guy treated her nicely and made her feel good about herself. She deserved it.
He headed to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of lemonade and turned around.
Then almost dropped the glass.
"How do I look?"
He stared. Speechless, his voice died in his throat and he could only look at the woman before him that was no longer Ella.
She was stunning.
Her hair had been cut and was finally out of the constricted bun. Glossy black waves tumbled over her shoulders and half covered one eye in a flirty manner. Where were her glasses? Instead, wide, dark eyes peered at him with a wariness he'd never seen before, almost as if she was vulnerable, waiting for his opinion. Without the thick frames, her eyes gleamed with gold, giving off an intensity that made shock waves tingle through him. Her face glowed in the low light, and her lips were full and lush, painted a deep, sexy red that contrasted dramatically with her dark hair and eyes.
But her body. Dear God. Her body...
A clingy red tank dipped low in the front and emphasized the full curves of her breasts. A trendy black jacket skimmed the lean lines of her body. Her skirt halted just short of her knee, showing off a tantalizing strip of bare skin before the leather of thigh high black boots began. His gaze dropped to her feet. The boots held a wicked heel that made him imagine all sorts of naughty things. A musky, earthy scent danced in the air and surrounded her, urging him to move closer and bury his nose against her skin.
Blistering heat surged through him. He was hard in seconds, aching to cross the room and touch her. This was not his Ella. This was some other woman bent on seduction and naughty games. What had Kennedy done to her?
She tugged at the jacket and clasped her arms nervously across her chest. The red tank slipped a bit lower, giving him a teasing glimpse of olive skin. "You don't like it. Oh, my God. Do I look like a slut? Kennedy told me to go in bold so I thought I'd take a chance. She helped me pick this out."
He tried to speak but he still hadn't found his voice. She waited, but when he was unable to utter a response, she gave a deep sigh and shook her head.
"Forget it. Just like a man to give no feedback. I'm not going to change. I spent a lot of money on this stupid outfit, and I can handle this. Listen, thanks for watching Luke tonight. I better go. I'm running late."
Finally, words emerged from his throat. His head spun like he'd gotten clobbered and little birdies were circling him. "You look, you look--great. Umm, maybe you'd be more comfortable in flats, though?"
She waved a manicured hand in the air. He caught the flash of scarlet red nails. "I practiced, I can handle it. Luke, sweetie, I love you. Listen to Connor and don't go to bed too late, okay?"
"Mom! You look beautiful!"
Her face lit up with pleasure. Why hadn't Connor told her that? Why was he acting so frikkin weird?
"Thanks, honey. That means a lot to me. Text me if there's any problem. See you later."
Her heels clicked on the floor and he followed. "Wait a minute. You're meeting him somewhere? Why isn't he picking you up? Don't you think that's kind of rude?"
Her red lips curved in a grin that was sexy as hell. "Come on, Dunkle, you've never picked up any of your dates, have you?"
He blanched. "That's different!"
"No, it's not. I feel safer meeting him at the restaurant, anyway."
She opened the door but he kept talking. "Be careful. He'll probably invite you up for a drink, but that's code for him trying to make a move."
She gave him a naughty wink. "Oh, goody. Maybe I'll be later than I thought."
"Ella!"
"Kidding, just kidding. Geez, calm down, Dad. I have done this before, you know."
"If you feel uncomfortable, call me. I'll come pick you up."
"I have my car, remember? Have you been working too hard? You're losing it."
His palms began to sweat. He fought the overwhelming urge to beg her not to go and stay home with him. They'd do their usual and hang out in sweats and play games and argue over Woolf. What if this guy tried to touch her? Was he kidding himself? What guy alive on the face of the earth would not want to touch her looking like this?
"Ella--wait--I--"
"Sorry, I gotta go. Have fun and thanks for this!"
She banged the door closed and left.
He stared through the window and watched her get into her car. The fabric of her skirt slid up even more, revealing a delicious path of skin that led all the way up to heaven. He should've told her to change. No, he couldn't do that. She needed to boost her confidence. But holy shit, that outfit should be illegal.
"Connor! Come on, let's play!"
Shaking off the fog, he sat next to Luke and grabbed a controller. He had no idea what he was doing, and at this point, he wasn't going to relax until she came back through that door.
This was going to be a long night.
Ella sighed and counted down the minutes till she kicked off her shoes.
Being sexy was a lot of work. She'd been out of practice for a while, so maybe her body needed more time to adjust. Her toes were pinched by the high heels, and the leather snugly clasping her leg was making her itch. Her hair kept sliding into her face until she wished she had a few bobby pins to jam it up and forget it. The contacts she'd put in caused her eyes to dry, and she couldn't wait to pop them out and put on her glasses. And as usual, her lipstick had slid off within the hour, along with the rest of her makeup.
She pulled to the curb and cut the engine. Luke should be asleep by now. Dinner had been a long, relaxing affair with good conversation and expensive wine. She liked Ed. He was a professional, divorced dad who seemed to get the challenges she faced. They'd traded pictures of their kids, talked Common Core education, and discussed popular fiction. He was a big reader and knew Woolf. He was impressed with her career. He was nice.
And he invited her up for a drink afterward.
Ella had a hard time not laughing as she imagined Connor's face. She'd declined, and instead they strolled to the used bookstore in town and spent a pleasant hour shopping and sipping a cappuccino.
Ed asked to see her again. She'd agreed. It was the most positive, life affirming date she'd ever had because it reminded her she was a woman. A sexual woman. A woman who enjoyed a man's company and conversation. A woman who would eventually enjoy sex if she could just get there.
The only problem was Connor Dunkle.
Ella stared into the darkness, hands tapping the steering wheel. She kept seeing his face throughout the date. The way he'd stared at her in shock and gotten that hungry gleam of lust in his eyes. For her. She could practically feel the energy zinging between them, and she'd fought the impulse to cross the room and kiss him. She dreamed of feeling his lips just one more time over hers and his hands stroking her skin. She dreamed of him slamming her against the wall and taking her like a man possessed, hungry to slip between her thighs and claim her.
She squeezed her legs together as arousal hit. Why did she keep doing this to herself? She had to accept Connor was only a friend. She may have done something stupid and fallen for him, but it was her secret to keep. This date was the first step of her moving on. She may not have wanted to attack Ed across the table, but he'd made her feel good. Like there was hope.
She grabbed her purse and went inside. The house was quiet and halfway dark, so she tiptoed into the living room to see if they'd fallen asleep on the couch in front of the television.
"Did you have a good time?"
She jumped and spun around. Connor leaned against the wall in front of her, holding a beer. "You scared me! Is Luke in bed?"
"Yeah. We watched Antman, ate pizza, and he went t
o sleep an hour ago." His gaze narrowed, raking over her figure. Goose bumps broke out on her arms. "Did you have a good time?" he repeated.
She swallowed and walked past him, laying down her purse. "Yes. It was good. Thanks for watching him. I owe you."
She waited for him to say good night and head home, but he remained standing, oddly silent. Her stomach clenched and she nervously walked around the house, straightening odds and ends. Her skin burned as if he'd touched her, and tension cranked in the air around them. What was going on?
"Aren't you going to give me the details?" he drawled.
She put two cups in the dishwasher and opened up the refrigerator to snatch a bottle of water. "We had a nice dinner. He was a nice guy. Nothing much left to tell."
