“What about your brothers?”
Connor barks a harsh laugh. “I don’t even know where they are. Finn is too busy partying, and Wyatt hates this family and couldn’t wait to get far enough away. I’m sure Finn will come back when he gets bored and runs out of money. Should be any day now.”
“What about yourjerseys at the lodge? Hannah suggested your grandfather hung them up,” I say. Why would he hang them up if he hated Connor’s career?
Connor shakes his head. “Those were gifted to him by the city council in return for some favor he did them. He had to hang them up in a prominent place.”
I hate this. I hate him being trapped here with responsibilities that he didn’t want. I hate that his grandfather saw his career as Connor leaving the family instead of being proud of him.
“I don’t know a thing about hockey, but I am so proud of everything you accomplished, Connor,” I say. “You did something you loved, and you did it well.” I cover his hand with mine. “You should be proud of that, baby.”
He takes my hand in his and raises it to his lips, placing a kiss on the back of it. Some darkness in his eyes disappears at my words and I realize he needs to hear them. Everyone deserves to know someone is proud of them and I don’t think anyone has ever told Connor they’re proud of him.
“You’re taking things well,” he says, as we get up to clean the plates.
“We’ve had sex before, Connie. Did you expect me to leave here running and screaming?”
I rinse out the plates and hand them to him to put in the dishwasher.
“Running and screaming, yes. But not because of the sex.”
I shrug, crossing my arms as I lean back against the counter.
“I guess I’m just tired of fighting,” I say.
“No! You, tired of fighting?” Connor looks at me with wide eyes. “I can’t imagine it.”
I stick my tongue out at him.
“Is that an invitation?” He asks with a smirk.
“There’s the sex-starved barbarian.” I look out the windows at the snow covered Rockies. The snow is almost halfway up the house. “Are you sure they will clear the snow today?”
“Usually, they don’t. But I placed a call to the council and made sure they will.” Connor comes over to me, kissing the top of my head. “I know you have to get back to your family.”
I close my eyes and lean into him. He thinks of everything. Including a wedding ring. My eyes pop open.
“Give me a tour of the house. I want to see where you grew up.”
Taking my hand, Connor leads me out of the kitchen.
“This is the living room,” he says, waving his hand around it. “And that is where you made me kneel in front of you and beg for a taste of your pussy, rewiring my brain chemistry.” He points to the rug in front of the fireplace where we had sex last night.
I blush at his words. “I enjoyed that.”
His heated gaze meets mine. “I did, too, baby girl.”
He shows me to the den which he’s using as his office, where he shows me the plans of what the lodge will look like in the next two years, he shows me the mud room, the laundry room. There’s a locked door between his office and the laundry room which catches my attention.
“What’s this?” I ask.
Connor looks at the door and I swear his cheeks turn a faint pink.
“It’s nothing.”
“Do you have a sex room in your ancestral home, Connor?”
He looks at me through narrowed eyes. “It’s not a sex room.” With a deep sigh, he pushes open the door and leads me inside.
