Page 26 of Claiming Becca

I poke Connor in the side softly so I don’t hurt him. “Maybe I wanted something different.”

He smirks at me and arches an eyebrow. “Did you?” he asks. I can’t stop my lips from tipping up in a smile and shake my head. My heart is full and aches at the same time.

“No. I’m so boring. I know.”

He rolls his eyes and pulls me into his side. “You are not boring. You are the exact opposite of boring. Since you’ve come into my life, it has been anything but boring.” He eyes me, daring me to protest.

I smirk and bite my lip. “I guess you’re right,” I confess. He leans over and kisses me on the side of my head. A lump forms in my throat, and my hands get clammy. I wish he would stop doing things like that.

“Glad you see that,” he replies.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. What would he do if I leaned up and kissed him? Would he kiss me back? Or… I stop that train of thought. That’s what stops me from acting on my feelings. I couldn’t handle the rejection. If he rejected me, things would never be the same again. I pull my lip between my teeth and wipe my hands on my shorts.

“So, tell me why Victor isn’t what you expected,” I tell him. He leans back in the seat and takes a deep breath.

“He’s not cocky or arrogant. He told me that he only stayed around Donovan because of a promise he made to Donovan’s wife.” Connor is quiet for a moment and glances at me. “He seemed bothered by that. But he said he was glad I did something about it.”

I listen to Connor and think about Liv and the day in the hospital. He remembered the joke I told him; could he remember me telling him about Donovan? Should I tell him again so he doesn’t find out another way? Taking a sip of my almost-empty drink, I decide against it. It’s not my secret to tell, and I shouldn’t have said anything, even if he was in a coma. I’m not sure if anyone knows Liv is related to Donovan.

“How did he not know?” I ask. That part doesn’t add up to me.

“He says he only went around Donovan once a month or so. So he could check in on Donovan’s stepdaughter.” Connor glances at me and shakes his head. “I didn’t even realize his daughter wasn’t his. I had no idea it was his stepdaughter.” My heart drops at this piece of information. I know exactly who his stepdaughter is. “Why was he so secretive about her? The only thing I can think of is he has enemies, so he was trying to protect her from them.” He answers his question.

Taking a deep breath, I reflect on my conversation with Liv. She didn’t go into detail about Donovan, but it was clear she knew exactly who he was. I open my mouth to say something but can’t think of what to say, so I close it again.

“Here you go, handsome.” The server places our food in front of us and drops a beer in front of Connor. “I brought you another beer. It’s what you were drinking with the other gentleman,” she says. He looks between the bottle and her, then glances at me.

“I wasn’t drinking a beer. I was drinking water. And what about Becca?” he asks, and her eyebrows cave in.

“Oh… Um… Sorry.” She glances at me. “What do you mean?” she asks, and he scoffs.

“Well, I’m not your only customer. This is the second time you’ve ignored her, and I don’t appreciate that. Please bring her a drink as well. Her’s has been almost empty since I sat down,” he tells her. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from smiling.

“Oh! Of course. I’m so sorry. I’ll return with your water and a drink for her.” She grabs the beer she just brought, turns, and leaves quickly. I pull my lips between my teeth and turn my head to look at him. He arches an eyebrow at me, and I smirk.

“Thank you,” I whisper. He wraps his arm around my shoulder and gives me a sideways hug.

“I won’t let anyone ever forget about you,” he promises. I shake my head.

“I mean, can you blame her? You’re so irresistible.” I tell him.

He places his forehead against mine, and my breath catches in my throat. “I only want to be irresistible to you, Shortcake,” he whispers. I have to remind myself to breathe.

Rolling my eyes, I pull away from him. “Yeah, right, Big Guy.” I pat his shoulder and busy myself with my cheeseburger. Why does he have to say things like that? It gives me hope, and I hate it. “So, about this BDSM party.” I change the subject, and he chuckles. “I ordered some things that should be delivered tomorrow,” I tell him, and he grins at me.

“I thought you were going to do research for decorating,” he says.

“Oh, I ordered this stuff yesterday.”

He chuckles and raises his hand at me. “Please go on.” He takes a bite out of his cheeseburger.

“I ordered a tabletop penis ring toss.” He chokes on his burger but can swallow it before erupting in laughter. I hold my laughter in as I continue. “I got some penis straws for everyone’s drinks, I ordered some peaches and penis garland to hang up, I got a boob piñata, and some fuzzy handcuffs as party favors.”

He’s holding his stomach. He’s laughing so hard, and I join him. “Oh fuck! It hurts.”

I lean over him in concern. “Shit! Sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

He waves his hand at me as he continues to laugh. “No, that is the best thing I’ve heard in weeks.” He grabs his phone and pulls up Bass’ name.

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