Page 31 of So That Happened
‘I want to wiiiinnnn!’ Her fists were tight with tension and her body was rigid as she yelled it at the top of her lungs, eyes closed against the world.
There was a resounding silence as the echo of her voice faded away into the dusk. Opening her eyes slowly, she saw Connor was looking at her intently.
‘It’s going to be fine, you know. You’ll work it out,’ he said.
The kindness of his tone almost broke her. Tears welled in her eyes and her throat felt so tight she thought she might choke.
He leaned in and gently stroked the back of his hand over her cheek, as if brushing off a stray eyelash. The gesture was so intimate and unexpected she gasped. His eyes were dark as they stared into hers, filled with concern, and her insides twisted.
She caught the fresh, masculine scent of him, mingling with the nearby lavender on the breeze. He smelt wonderful – earthy and hot and spicy. She wanted to lick him he smelled so good.
The intensity of his expression was unnerving, but she had no idea what would happen next. Her body burned with need. How could he possibly want her after everything she’d just told him? Her petty jealousy must be a real turn off.
The dying rays of the sun deepened the planes of his face and she watched in fascination as he moved towards her.
He was so close to her now she could almost feel the touch of his mouth against hers. He’d tilted his head to angle it down towards her, so they were on a level, and his eyes looked clearly into hers. Their breath mingled as his hands cupped her face, drawing it closer to his.
‘What are you doing?’ she whispered, forcing the words past her constricted throat.
He paused, his mouth only centimetres away from hers. ‘I figure we’re stuck here together, in the middle of nowhere for a week, without much to distract us,’ he murmured. ‘It seems like happenstance that we’re both here right now, and I really, really want to kiss you.’
Her heart thumped against her chest. ‘Happenstance?’
‘Okay, sheer dumb luck.’
‘I think your sister may have something to say about that.’
At the mention of his sister his shoulders slumped and he sighed, pressing his forehead against hers.
Way to break the mood, Josie.
God, what was she like? She knew she was a useless flirt. It had always felt counter-intuitive to flirt with men when she’d spent so many years battling to establish her position in the business world on merit, but that was just an excuse.
She was afraid of what was happening here. This was Abigail’s brother – a loner who didn’t appear to care about anyone. The worst person in the world to be getting emotionally involved with.
She was terrified that once she gave in to these burgeoning feelings for him it would be a slippery slope down to disappointment. She really didn’t need to add Connor to the long list of her mistakes. She needed to maintain her focus in order to get her life back on track. Connor was going to ruin that by kissing her. She was sure it wouldn’t really mean anything to him. He just felt sorry for her. It would be a mercy kiss.
He moved his forehead away and for a second she thought he’d changed his mind – given her a reprieve – but he hadn’t. He moved his mouth closer to hers again, until their lips were barely touching, sending tingling currents of pleasure across her skin.
‘Connor…,’ she whispered against his mouth, closing her eyes so she didn’t have to see the pity she felt sure must be there. But before she could say any more, he crushed his lips against hers, taking her breath away.
Her veins filled with fire as the kiss deepened, his lips insistent against hers. Strong fingers stroked down her throat, then across her shoulder and round to her back, drawing erotic circles against her skin. Waves of longing ripped through her and she instinctively opened her mouth against his, letting him in.
With a groan of pleasure Connor traced his tongue gently against hers, probing the soft depths of her mouth. His body was wrapped tight against hers now, and his arms were pulling her into the dip of his body as he pushed her down to the ground. Taut muscles pressed against her belly and with a shock she became aware of his erection hard against her.
Frustration swamped her. She was being torn in two. Her body was telling her one thing and her mind another. She wanted him – there was no doubt about that – and yet it would be a disaster to go any further. She knew it. But couldn’t she… for a short while… let herself have a bit of fun? That was all it would be. She couldn’t see Connor wanting any more from her – not if he was as emotionally closed as he appeared. But – oh, God – she didn’t want this to stop. His mouth was hot against hers, softer now she was yielding to him, but just as persistent.
Instinctively she moved her hands to scoop around his shoulders, feeling the tense muscles move beneath her touch. The strength of him thrilled her.
The last remaining sane part of her brain gave her a kick. No. She had to stop this.
She put her hands against his chest and pushed. It was like trying to move a brick wall. His hands tightened around her for a second, then relaxed, setting her free.
Shuffling back out from under his body, she forced herself to look at him. He gazed at her, a confused frown marring his rugged face.
‘What’s wrong?’ His breath came out in short gasps as he tried to regain his cool.
‘We shouldn’t be doing this. It’s crazy. I can’t afford distractions right now.’
