Page 78 of My Favorite Mistake

Except that Connor apparently still wanted to dangle her in anticipation and torture, and he slid the dress up and over her head, letting his mouth descend over the puckering peak of her breast. He sucked and nibbled and teased with his mouth, while his fingers stroked her below, dipping between silken folds and intermittently plunging inside to toy with the scintillating spot again. Not the type of man to play favorites, he gently took her opposite nipple between his teeth and a low, groan rumbled in the back of his throat, sending shivers shooting from her core through her extremities. His hand left the place between her thighs to squeeze and massage her breasts as his breathing picked up, and he claimed her mouth with his.

“I want you,” he said against her lips. “I never stopped. It was always you.”

This wasn’t the time to overthink his words either, and Liza tugged the hem of his shirt as she struggled to blindly strip it off of him. Connor pushed her hands away and reached over the back of his head to pull off his shirt in that totally sexy, totally male way that never failed to be a turn on. Andyeah. This definitely wasn’t the time to let her mind linger on what he meant by such words, because all she needed was his hard, naked chest against hers, and his length deep inside of her.

Clumsily and hastily, Connor shimmied and kicked off his jeans and boxer briefs, andfinally, finally, finally…

He started with a firm stroke of his cock up and down her slick entrance. Liza dropped her head backward, her breath catching, and her fingers anchoring in the solid, rippling muscles of his back, andholy freaking crap.

Her mind was already gone. She was intoxicated. Drunk on his scent and the feel of him that managed to exist in a perfect combination of rock hard and velvety soft. She was high on trembling anticipation. When he finally eased his full length inside of her, she nearly turned inside out.

Connor stroked slowly, and Liza gripped his hips with her thighs, and he feltso fucking goodthat she never wanted to—

“No!”Her mind came back to life as a memory hurled like a fireball from the back of her brain, exploding into her frontal lobe, and she pushed him back.“Connor, no. Wait.Stop.”

He shoved away and pulled out, panting, wide-eyed, and terrified. “What?”

“A condom,” Liza blurted out. There was no way in hell she was dealing with all that a second time. “You have to use a condom.”

His features relaxed. “Oh.” He rubbed his face. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I guess I thought you were still on the—”

“I am, but…” Liza’s gaze shifted, and this was not when she was going to have that conversation. She was notevergoing to have that conversation. “I don’t trust it. I’m sorry to make you stop, but it would really make me feel better.”

His features abruptly draped in an expression she couldn’t quite place; apprehension spliced with trepidation.

“I still want to.” She swallowed and caught her breath. “And I mean I really,reallywant to. I just need you to use one.”

Connor picked up his jeans and pulled out his wallet. “I’m not protesting.” He slipped out the small packet and held it in the air between his fingertips. “I always use one. I just got a bit caught up.”

“It’s okay.” She smiled. “I did, too.”

Time crawled as he tore the foil, rolled the rubber over his large, thick, straining erection, and then he finally eased back on top of her. His former haste was missing; his focused, heated features replaced by tender softness. He moved slowly now, stroking his fingers along the edge of her face, trailing them down the side of her neck and the length of her arm, where his hand met hers and he picked it up. He brought it to his lips and kissed it, then held it against his chest as he kissed her deep and thoroughly. With their tongues and lips entangled, Connor entered her again.

He made love to her with great care and consideration, without hurry, kissing her often, holding her close, and murmuring her name against her lips. Words of worship from his mouth, and quiet reverence from his hands, and it was so much like before that Liza wanted to cry.

“Oh Lizzie,” he uttered on a shallow breath before correcting himself, “Liza.”

Connor’s palm braced her thigh as he lifted her hip to angle himself deeper, reaching parts of her that hadn’t ever been touched by anyone other than him. Nobody else had ever been able to replicate it or even come close. He was so perfect. He wasso perfect,and his length hit all the right spots, stroking the ache and making her want to sing or cry out or faint.

She didn’t everwant it to end. She knew this wouldn’t happen between them again, but she was steadily climbing, steadily approaching that glorious end, and when she took that flying leap off the ledge, she nearly wept. Instead, she climaxed with his name dripping from her lips and her face buried in the delicious scent of the crook of his neck.

He gave a few more deep thrusts before holding her close against the granite-hard expanse of his torso. A subtle tremor quaked through them both as he climaxed. “Fuck,you’re perfect.”

Silence filled the room, save for their heavy breathing. Connor lay on top of her, his cheek on her chest. She cradled his head, and this was the moment when you were supposed to breathlessly whisper how much you loved each other.

That’s how it had always happened before with them. In fact, the first time Connor told her he loved her was right as they were climbing the peak together. He had paused their movement long enough to frame her face with his large palms, look her square in the eye, and said with utmost conviction,“Lizzie. I love you.”

She almost hadn’t believed him. It had only been two weeks, but she couldn’t lie to herself or to him, and she’d grinned widely.“I love you, too.”

Ten and a half years later, on her couch in New Orleans’ Irish Channel, there were no declarations of love between them, and that made her heart wince. Connor lay still on her chest, one of his hands bracing her arm, his thumb stroking her skin. He inhaled deeply and exhaled quietly, and then turned his head to balance his chin between her bare breasts as he gazed at her through hooded eyes.

The look Connor gave her was deceptive; like he could easily utter the declaration without a second thought. But Liza knew that was no longer the world they lived in. Something else was on his mind, and the question was whether or not he’d tell her.

Liza stroked back his short, tousled hair. “What is it?”

He gazed for a second longer before his lips stretched into a devilish smile. “Told you I don’t half-ass things.”

She giggled girlishly. “No, you certainly don’t.”

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