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I was reading a biography of Leonardo Da Vinci that had just come out. Evelyn had gotten it for me as a gift, alongside a Gucci perfume set. We’d just finished eating dinner and I was stuffed to the gills. Conor had been shooting me sexy looks all day, devouring me with his eyes. It was all I could do not to break and lead him into a private room, where I could finally do all the things I’d been daydreaming about since the day in his office.
Speak of the devil, he lowered onto the couch next to me, lifting my book momentarily to see what I was reading. Then he placed it back down before he gently rested his head on my shoulder and let out a low groan, “I think I may have eaten too much,” he said and rubbed his stomach. “I’m feeling bloated.”
I chuckled. “Serves you right for overdoing it.”
“Go on, laugh at my pain,” he retorted, turning his face into my neck just slightly, his nose nuzzling. I gasped. No one was paying us any attention but I was still shocked by the move. “You smell so good,” he whispered with another groan.
I inhaled sharply when his hand went to my knee and ran lightly up my thigh. The faint pressure of his fingers sent pleasurable tingles shooting between my legs. This entire day had been a lesson in willpower. Just the way he looked at me turned me on. I felt him scrape his teeth along my earlobe and it was all I could do to remain quiet. Finally, he seemed to remember we had company and drew away, sitting up straight. My heart was racing.
“Focus, Conor. Quit getting distracted by Yvonne’s sexiness,” he reprimanded himself and surprised a giggle out of me. He was being silly, but I was also swooning, because, well, he thought I was sexy. It was nice to be reminded, especially since I found him distractingly attractive, too.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said, trying hard to suppress the butterflies that were wreaking havoc with my insides.
“I love how you laugh,” he shot back, eyes shining.
I glanced at him and our gazes locked. I bit my lip. He emitted a sigh. “There you go again.”
“Hmm?”
His gaze flickered to my mouth. “Distracting me.”
A thick tension coiled between us. The only thing keeping me from kissing him was the other people in the room. What we needed was a change of subject. “Peppermint tea,” I said.
“Pardon?”
“It’s supposed to help with bloating,” I explained, making the mistake of patting his stomach. He did not feel bloated. He felt hard and muscular and I hadn’t seen Conor topless yet but I was certain he had a six pack.
He rubbed his lips, making a rough noise in the back of his throat. “Right. I don’t think we have any peppermint tea.”
“You’ll just have to suffer then.”
“I’m definitely suffering,” he replied quietly and I forced my attention to my book, even though the words all blurred together with him so close, channelling horny energy at me. Finally, the tension eased and Conor turned the TV on. We sat and watched it for a time. Dylan’s father was taking a nap on an armchair while Bridget and Bethany sat over by the window playing a board game. Conor’s parents had retreated to their room for a nap, not quite over the jet lag just yet.
About an hour had passed before I realised I hadn’t seen Dylan or Ev in a while. I wondered where they’d gotten to, and then a few minutes later they appeared, both looking loved up and holding hands. My heart did a quick, happy thump in my chest. They’d obviously officially reunited and I couldn’t have been more thrilled for them.
Conor must’ve noticed the same thing when he exclaimed, “Well, it’s about time.”
I rose from the couch, going to give my niece a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you,” I said, and from the emotional look in her eyes, she was happy, too.
We didn’t say anything more because nothing else needed to be said. If I ever needed proof that soulmates existed, I had it with Dylan and Ev. They’d always been meant for each other, and now that they’d found their way back I knew nothing would be able to tear them apart again.
When I returned to the couch, Conor sat a little closer to me, his knee tipping against mine. I suspected Ev and Dylan getting back together was making him think about us.
I was thinking about us, too, lots of questions filling my head. Could we make it work? Would he resent me for the hours I spent at the club, or would he understand? Conor had a demanding job, too. Perhaps being with someone who was just as busy as me was the perfect situation. We could give each other space to work while spending whatever spare time we had together. Plus, thanks to his sister’s drunken revelation I now knew I was the exact type of woman he went for. Conor preferred women my age, and to be perfectly honest I could no longer think of an excuse not to be with him.
Was I actually considering this?
I glanced at him, his attention on the TV screen. My eyes traced his handsome profile, the concentrated look on his face as he watched the show that was playing. I thought of the warm, melty feeling I got whenever I was around him and how I wanted to feel that all the time.
Oh hell, Iwasconsidering it.
7.
Conor
“I asked her to marry me,” Dylan said and I blinked at him. Clearly, the caffeine in the cup of coffee I was drinking hadn’t kicked in yet because I could’ve sworn he just said he asked Evelyn to marry him. But that can’t have been right. It was the day after Christmas. They’d only just gotten back together yesterday.
“Is this a St. Stephen’s Day fool’s joke? Is that a new thing? I honestly can’t keep up with all the latest trends,” I said, taking another gulp of coffee.
