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The lot the home was situated on was at least a half an acre and adjacent to what appeared to be a wooded walking trail, from what Jessica could see by peeking through two slats in the fencing. So Connor had no back neighbors, only trees and an amazing place to go either running or biking, directly through a gate in his back fence.
The backyard was beautiful and well maintained, every inch of it landscaped, and Jessica loved it immediately. The house, on the other hand, was sparsely decorated. As she walked back inside, it was obvious it hadn't been decorated at all, but the features of the home itself were more than pleasing to the eye. With its soaring ceilings, the crown molding and recessed ceilings were shown to an advantage. The floors were wood everywhere except the bedrooms, which were carpeted, and the ceiling fans and fixtures were antiqued bronze. The kitchen contained black granite countertops that segued beautifully into a mottled tan backsplash. The paint in the home was bold, the walls a light tan color highlighted with pure white molding at the top, setting off the ceilings that were painted in a darker, warmer shade than the walls, and had the designer effect of making the rooms appear even larger. The construction of the house and the detail inside looked new and impossibly up-to-date and all it needed was the finishing decorator touch.
But either Connor wasn't interested in any of that, or he'd only very recently moved in, which was probable considering the number of stacked boxes she remembered seeing in the garage.
As she stood in the middle of the beautiful, almost empty kitchen, her inborn femininity couldn't help but imagine what she'd do to it if it were her kitchen. She looked around, turning in a complete circle, and almost jumped with fright when she saw Connor leaning against the center island, watching her quietly, dressed only in a pair of disreputable cargo shorts. When their eyes locked, he showed no emotion, and other than raising one dark eyebrow in question, he made no comment.
She declined to comment as well, and simply stood and watched as he moved around the kitchen and prepared what looked to be some kind of a protein shake. As he took the first drink, he motioned to a closed door in the corner of the room. Jessica walked over and opened it, fully expecting a food pantry and finding exactly that. "I'm not much on a big breakfast, but you can help yourself to whatever you want," he drawled in a deep, raspy morning-voice.
The pantry was stocked with many non-perishable items, as well as protein bars, granola bars and a lot of food that could be eaten quickly, without even the benefit of a microwave oven. She chose a granola bar and poured herself a glass of water, since she didn't see any soft drinks of the diet variety.
They stood in silence, across the room from each other, while they finished their quick breakfast. It was now half past ten, as they'd slept in after being up so late the night before.
"What do you want to do?" he asked.
"About what?"
At her misunderstanding, he elaborated, "Today. What do you want to do today?"
"Oh. I don't know. You don't have any plans?"
"Just you."
The look he was giving her was searing, but since he was giving her the choice, she asked, "Is that a walking trail behind your fence?"
"Yeah."
"Do you ever use it?"
"Yes."
"I brought tennis shoes." Jessica threw the words out there, hoping he'd take it as a suggestion.
"You want to go for a walk?"
"Yeah. Or maybe a run," she said. "Do you run?"
He slid his eyes down her body, all the way to her feet and then back again. "I can probably keep up with you."
She let out a soft puff of laughter. "Yeah, I'll just bet. You can leave me in your dust, I don't mind. I don't want to hold you back. My run can probably be described as more of a jog."
"I wouldn't leave you behind, Jessica. Those woods back there aren't to be taken lightly, understand? Those are public city trails, and the city didn't build them just for me. Just so you know the rules, no going back there by yourself."
"Those are the city rules?" she asked.
"Those are my rules."
"Has anything bad happened before now?"
"No, but there's a first time for everything, and trust me when I say, it won't be anything that has to do with you, got that?"
"Mm-hmm. Give me five minutes to put on my shoes and tie my hair back."
"Go ahead."
Jessica turned to go and as she pulled her hair into a ponytail and laced up her tennis shoes, she wondered at his constant, aggressive need for her safety. He'd shown this trait before, most especially the day she'd fallen asleep in the clubhouse. Maybe she should take exception to it, but she didn't feel the need, at least, not in this instance. He was most probably right. The miles of woods and secluded trails shouldn't be taken lightly. Besides, very soon, she was going to have to tell him about her job and the fact that she'd be walking home in the dark a couple of nights a week. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind; he wasn't going to like that at all.
So, yeah, she'd pick her battles with him. And this wasn't one of them.
****
True to his word, Connor never left her side as they ran, although he had to slow to a walk a few times to compensate for her shorter stride and less than stellar athletic ability. The trails meandered through the woods, and they led to a small park area with swings and a water fountain and bathrooms. They stopped for a drink of water, did a few stretches by mutual consent, and then jogged back.
All in all, they were gone about an hour, and they were both hungry when they got back. "I need a shower before we eat lunch," she said, but he grabbed her hand and led her to the kitchen.
"Let's make something quick and then take a swim. That'll take care of any grime."
Jessica was anxious to try out the pool and so together, they diced fruit and cheese and made up a quick tuna salad. Connor put everything on a tray and told her to go put her swimsuit on.
They ate at the patio table under an umbrella, and then stacked the plates back on the tray. Jessica moved over to the steps and trying out the water temperature, walked down into the water one step at a time instead of diving in.
The water was perfect, crystal clear and clean, and she twirled around in a circle, only to come to a stop to find Connor relaxed in the chair he'd now moved over into the rays of the sun. He was completely still and his focus was solely on her.
He'd never seen her in the suit before, he'd only seen the residual tan lines the suit had left. Jessica's heart beat heavily in her throat, and aware of her body on display, she knew he could see the effects of his handiwork on her breasts from the night before. The bruises were even darker now, and that was exactly where he was looking.
His brows drew together in unmistakable tension, and whatever was going on in his brain, she knew it was somehow related to the night they'd spent together and all that had gone before.
Jessica moved into the deep end, and tread water a while, just to escape from his eyes on her body. She did a couple of slow laps, her muscles still tired from her run. When she came to a stop, Connor was walking toward her, with a couple of floats he'd retrieved from the storage building at the far corner of the yard. Dropping one into the water in front of her, he tossed the other in the pool and dove in after it, coming up from the deep end with a display of strength and agility. He swam a couple of lengths of the pool, and then crawled on top of his float, and paddled over beside her.
Jessica was already lying on her back on her float, and Connor pushed up next to her, facing in her direction, with her feet pointing in the direction of his head. He lifted one of her legs, and pulled it next to him on his float and put his arm over it, to keep her anchored by his side.
Propping his other arm behind his head, he relaxed his body into the float and focused his attention on her once again.
