Page 81 of Come Back for Me
I put my wrench down and move to sit beside her, grabbing us each our water bottles that Ellie makes us before we come out to the barn to work. “You definitely make me happy, Squirt. Finding you up in that tree house was the best thing that happened to me in a long time.”
“Really?” Her green eyes brighten.
“Really.”
“I love you!” she says and then wraps her arms around me, leaving me stunned.
I wrap my arm around her and pull her tight, not caring about the rules I’ve created. “I love you too, kid. I love you too.”
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ellie
“Do you want to watch a movie?” I ask as I come back into the living room.
I just got Hadley to sleep and am doing anything I can to stop my mind from going to what happened today. I’m exhausted, on edge, and need a distraction.
“Yup, I already have it ready to go.”
“You picked it already?”
He nods. “I sure did.”
“I’m worried.”
“As you should be, Angel, but since you asked me for a date tonight, it’s only fair I get to pick.”
I’m not sure about his logic, but I’m willing to give him this win because I don’t have the energy to fight. “Then I get to pick the snacks.”
Connor eats healthy for the most part. His breakfast and lunches are all about macros and some other term, and his idea of a good snack is carrots or peppers. I’m feeling Oreos and milk are needed tonight.
There’s mirth dancing in his eyes, as though he can read my mind and knows he’s in trouble. “I’m not sure I want to take that compromise.”
“What can I do to persuade you?”
“You could kiss me.”
I move closer, standing in front of where he’s sitting on the edge of the couch. I like this position over him. “I think I could oblige.”
I lean down, my hair creating a curtain around us, and while Connor may have asked me to kiss him, it’s him who takes over when our lips touch. His hand slips into my hair, holding me where he wants me, but I want to be closer to him, so I push him back against the couch and straddle him.
The look of surprise in his eyes causes me to grin, but it doesn’t last long because I need his kiss.
I want to be lost in his touch, warmth, and affection.
His arms snake around my back, and I kiss him with everything I am. Our tongues move together, my fingers run through his hair, and I grind down on him. I don’t know if it’s everything that happened today that has me so desperate for him, but I want to forget it all. I want the world to fade away in the way that only Connor can do for me.
“Easy, Angel,” he murmurs as I kiss him again.
“I need you.”
He holds my face in his hands, studying me. “I’m right here.”
Guilt assaults me because it’s not right to use him this way. I had no plans to tell him I went to see Kevin. I didn’t plan to tell anyone, but he deserves the truth, no matter what.
“I went to the jail today.”
“Please tell me it’s because you had some distant relative incarcerated.”
