Page 30 of Conquering Conner

I take in her fiery red hair and her wide brown eyes, the way her freckles are trying to fight their way through the chemicals she rubs into her skin, while trying to ignore how perfect her nose is. How straight her teeth are. That my lungs seem to be full of glass. That’s how beautiful she is. So beautiful it hurts to breathe around her. Which isn’t anything new.

She’s always been that beautiful to me.

“Probably Rita Hayworth.” I shrug, looking down at the menu I have memorized so I don’t have to look at her anymore. “It’s a Nora’s thing. She’ll call you Rita from now on. As far as she’s concern, it’s your God-given name.”

“What does she call you?”

The question makes me laugh. “The Gilroy boys are exempt from her re-naming policy.”

A couple of suits walk by, on their way to their table. They look at me and then they look at Henley, their expression raising the hackles on the back of my neck. Like they’re trying to figure out what someone like her is doing with someone like me. She pretends not notice to them, the way they’re looking at her, but I know she does. She looks worried. Like she’s seconds away from excusing herself to the bathroom so she can climb out the window.

“You didn’t have to come in,” I say, the tone of my voice, angry and hurt, instantly wanting to punch myself in the face.

“Of course, I did. You’re taking time out of your day to help me,” she says to the menu. “Buying you dinner is the least I can do.”

I laugh at the one. “You’re not buying me dinner, Daisy.”

My tone must sound sharper than I intended because it brings her gaze up to my face. “Don’t tell me you’re one of those ridiculous Neanderthals who can’t allow a woman to treat them to a meal.”

“No,” I tell her, leaning into the table. “But considering how I ruined your panties, I think the least I can do is buy you a burger.” Saying it reminds me that she’s not wearing any right now. That’s she’s completely naked under her skirt. Suddenly my reason for not being able to breathe has nothing to do with how beautiful she is.

“Like I told you, they were La Perla.” She refocuses on the menu and gives it a flip to scan the back. “You’d have to buy me a lot more than a burger to make up for ruining them.” She set’s the menu aside and looks at me, folding her hands in her lap. “And if you want to get technical, you ruined two pairs.”

“Two?” I flash her my dimples. “Are you sure? I think I would’ve remembered doing that twice.”

“The pair you took, plus the pair you ripped off of me on Thursday night.” She holds my gaze despite the fact that I can practically feel the urge she has to chew off her own arm to get away from me. “I might not hold a doctorate in advanced mathematics, but I think I can manage simple addition.”

Shit.

I forgot about that. How desperate I was to get at her. Get inside her. How crazy it made me feel.

Sort of like I’m feeling now, only now it’s worse because I know.

I know who she is.

What it feels like to make her come.

What my name sounds like in her mouth while she does.

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