Page 54 of Perfect

One way or another I was going to get to the bottom of what was going on with my volatile, unreadable stepbrother. I had to find a way to reach him, to make him open up to me and share the burden before he did somethingreallystupid.

As I crept carefully down the poorly lit staircase, I toyed with several ideas on how to tackle the situation and how not to antagonise him. Calling Connor unpredictable was an understatement. If I said the wrong thing, he’d simply seize up or vent his spleen. Both of these were not outcomes I was not aiming to achieve on this particular trip.

The night air was chilly against my skin and I carefully closed the front door behind me so as not to alert those inside. It was a crisp fresh night with only the faint sounds of animals shuffling in the main barn and a rustling of trees. I pursed my lips as I made my way toward the hayloft where I saw a tell-tale faint glow of light.

I eyed Connor’s car as I passed. It reminded me of that first day when he’d picked me up from the station and what a dick he had been. It was strange really. I had thought I’d despised him at that point. Now I didn’t know how I felt, but it certainly wasn’t hatred. Somehow in spite of his harsh treatment of me, he’d gotten under my skin to the point where Ineededto know more. I was desperate to fill in the gaps about what had happened to him and how that had affected his life with my father. It was all very mysterious and after all the years of keeping my head down, it was odd to think that since I’d arrived here, I’d done anything but. It appeared there was a bit of the adventurous in me after all.

I rubbed the gooseflesh from my arms and shook a curtain of hair back from my face. I usually slept with my hair in plaits but had left it loose and it was now creating chaos in the night breeze. As I approached the opening into the barn, I peered through and heard a strange repetitive thumping noise, pounding into the silence.

Turning the corner, I spied Connor and crept steadily forward, glancing briefly at my surroundings. He was alone apart from floor to ceiling stacks of hay bales and a couple of rusty bits of farm equipment.

Nervous knots were twisting in my stomach as I greedily eyed the scene before me. He looked sensational and I thought back to that first electric touch of his mouth.

The amber glow from the lamps illuminated his perfectly sculptured torso as he threw violent punches at what appeared to be a large sack of grain that was hanging from a beam with rope. It was like one of those workout bags you see at the gym.

His jabs were hard and fast, the material straining with each contact like it could split at any minute. I bit back my knowing smile. So,thiswas how he’d replaced his medication. He dealt with his anger issues by beating the crap out of stuff. I was partly relieved, to be honest, as the thought of him meeting someone in here for a midnight shag, was not an image I relished.

I could have groaned at how unbelievable he looked. Ripped blue jeans sat low on his hips. He had the best bum I had ever seen on a guy.

I ran my gaze up his back. His tee rippled over his shoulder muscles, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye, his knuckles were smeared with blood. So that’s why they looked pretty mashed up all the time. I had assumed it was from farm work.

My hand reached out to notify him of my presence, but I stopped myself and tucked it behind my back.

It was then that he became still like he’d sensed someone watching and he pulled his fists from the sack, slowly turning towards me.

Connor’s eyes fell hard on mine and the tension swelled. His breathing was heavy and I silently cursed my crazy idea to come now that it was way too late to retreat. Badass testosterone radiated from him.

My mouth went dry and I licked my lips, his predatory gaze lingering on the movement.

He didn’t speak straight away, but I saw a muscle in his jaw tic and felt exposed in the scrap of silk I called my pyjamas. The short silk robe did little to cover them or my body. I should have pulled on my jeans. I had come here to talk, to find out if he was OK, not for anything else I’d told myself as I left the house.

Connor’s gaze continued to roam over my body. It felt like he was physically touching me. He had obviously registered that I was wearing next to nothing and the aggressive passion he’d been directing into the seed bag, had now transferred to me.

He whistled in a sexy way.

“Curiosity killed the kitty,” he began with a wolfish look.

“So, they say,” I declared, arching an eyebrow. I had to remain firm, this was about business, a fact-finding mission only.

There was a moment’s pause before he continued, casting a glance at the thick watch he wore on his wrist. My tone must have gotten his attention.

“What are you doing here Harlow? Surely little girls should be tucked up in bed at this hour.” His face was partially shadowed, but I could see his discontent.

At the word little girl, I felt my anger levels bubble.

“What do you think I’m doing here? I’ve been worried. I wanted to check you’re OK,” I shot out, my heart galloping in my chest.

His eyes narrowed as if he didn’t buy it. “Really?”

I scrunched my face up in disbelief.

“Yes,fuckwitreally!”

He cocked a brow, blatantly surprised by my language.

I told myself to relax before demanding in a typical fishwife type of tone.

“Where have you been?”

---