Page 51 of Secret Submission

“Yeah… just a long day.”

“I was starting to wonder if you were going to come in.”

She turned to look at him again. There was a bit of hesitation in his expression. Damn. He must have been watching her standing out there, debating on whether or not a date was actually a good idea.

“I just needed a few moments to gather myself,” she replied with an apologetic smile. “Nothing to do with you. It was just a really long day. I can’t really talk about it, though, because it had to do with a client.”

“Gotcha.” Sympathy replaced hesitation in his expression. “Can I get you something to drink? I’ve got water, wine, or beer. Or something stronger if you want.”

“Water to start and wine with dinner sounds great.” She’d forgotten to eat a snack today, so she’d save the alcohol until she had something in her stomach in hopes that it wouldn’t hit her so hard.

“Great.” He headed to the kitchen, and she breathed in, happily sighing at the scent of well-roasted meat.

“That smells incredible.” Following him toward the kitchen, she veered off to the left to pull out one of the stools and sit on the other side of the counter to watch him. There was a large bowl on the counter full of salad and what she assumed was the brisket resting under a cloth on a wooden cutting board.

“Good. Hopefully, it tastes incredible, too.” He gave her a little wink before opening one of the cabinet doors to pull out a water glass, pivoting to the fridge’s water dispenser to fill it up. “Ice?”

“No, thank you.” Yes, she knew it was weird, but ice made water too cold, then her teeth ached.

If Connor thought it was odd, it didn’t show. He just filled up the cup and passed it across the counter to her.

“The bread is almost ready, then we’ll be able to eat.” He grinned at her, seemingly very pleased with himself.

Julie couldn’t help but smile back. Yes, just being around Connor made her feel better. He was a nice reminder that there were good men out there. Men who were nothing like Dickhole Don. Men who didn’t tolerate men like Dickhole.

Which was why Dickhole had gotten himself kicked out of the club. Too bad there hadn’t been anything more they could do.

“How was your day?” she asked, lifting her glass to take a sip, which ended up turning into a gulp. She was thirstier than she’d realized.

“Pretty good. A couple of my coworkers are intent on trying to figure out who I’m dating.” His eyes sparkled with mischief while he opened the oven door.

Damn, that smelled good, too. Maybe part of her problem was that she was hangry.

“I figure I’ll give them a little more time to spin their wheels before I tell them your name.”

Julie laughed.

“Isn’t it amazing how people can get so caught up in what’s going on in someone else’s life?” she asked, shaking her head. “At least that’s not something I need to worry about at work.”

She had her own practice and no coworkers, and her clients definitely weren’t asking about her dating life. Not even the ones who were members of Stronghold and Marquis. They might ask her about it outside of their appointments but not during. Her whole day was about other people, with no one poking in her business, which was normally how she liked it.

“It was more fun when it wasn’t aimed at me,” he admitted with a chuckle. “I think the bread’s ready.”

“Mm, that smells amazing.” She loved the smell of fresh baked bread. And meat. Her stomach rumbled, making Connor raise his eyebrows at her again. Blushing, she put her hand on her stomach. “I might have missed eating my afternoon snack today.”

“Well, then, let’s get you fed.” He winked at her, pulling the bread out of the oven.

It looked as good as it smelled, and Julie sighed happily.

Connor

Julie had been wound up tight when she’d first arrived at his house—Connor had been able to see it in the set of her shoulders, the tightness of her jaw, and the stiff way she’d moved.

Food had made a difference. While she hadn’t been able to talk about whatever was bothering her, he managed to make her smile as he told her about the conversation he’d had with Asad earlier that day. Asad had called him to ask for strap-on recommendations.

“I told him he should probably ask you.” Connor chuckled, shaking his head.

“Is he actually going to go through with it?”

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