Page 32 of So That Happened
Connor raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘I think distraction is exactly what you need.’ He leant in towards her again, bracing himself on both arms above her, and brushed his lips against her jaw.
Josie found she could barely speak. ‘I don’t have time for them,’ she struggled out.
‘It seems to me you have plenty of time.’ His mouth moved down to caress the pulse-point on her neck.
‘No. I need to be thinking straight. I can’t be sidetracked by a relationship.’
He drew back and looked at her, a frown creasing his brow. ‘Wait a second. At what point did I suggest we started a relationship?’
Josie blushed fiercely at her slip.
Rolling to the side, and anchoring himself on one forearm and one hip, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before running a finger gently along her jawline. This simple action sent shocks down her throat and deep into her highly sensitised body. She could barely concentrate on their conversation; he was upping the static in her already befuddled brain.
She shuffled away from him again, giving herself the physical distance she needed to be able to think straight.
Her lips were still tingling from his punishing kiss and they gave a sudden throb, distracting her for a second. Bringing her hand up to her mouth, she could feel how swollen it was. She caught him watching her fingers as they brushed against her lips and his own parted as if in recognition.
* * *
Connor wanted to kiss her again, to hold her soft body against him, to break down those ironclad barriers.
He’d thought he could fight the urge to touch her, to kiss her, but he’d been wrong. When it came to Josie it seemed he had no willpower.
She’d seemed so lost, sitting there gazing up at him with her beautiful, troubled eyes, and he’d found he couldn’t bear it. Kissing her had seemed the only option.
She was one of those people who needed a nudge to cross her constricting boundaries and he wanted to see that control break, for her to surprise herself with how good it could feel to give herself permission to ignore the rules she clung so tightly to.
He knew there was no future in this. She was too work-focused and he wasn’t going to be around for much longer. But that hadn’t stopped him kissing her. There wouldn’t be enough time for an affair with her to become a problem, he assured himself. Anyway, perhaps he was doing some good here? The emoting had already yielded spectacular results.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said, her voice tight. Sitting up, she looked him straight in the eye, as if to challenge him to defy her.
‘Why?’
Josie’s discomfort was evident: her fingers drummed against the ground and she scuffed her toes through the grass. She clearly needed a little push in the right direction, but logical argument was his only option.
‘You know why,’ she said.
He sat back on his haunches and ran a hand through his hair, gaining a moment to collect himself. ‘Okay, Josie, listen. Let’s cut the bull. We can dance around each other for the rest of the week, or we can be honest and stop wasting the little time we have together. I like you. You’re a bit strange and uptight, and far too wrapped up in your career, but, hell, everyone’s got their down sides.’ He waited until she caught his eye again, then grinned.
Josie reluctantly smiled back. ‘Thanks,’ she said dryly.
‘Seriously…’ He took a breath. ‘We’re totally wrong for each other, but I reckon we both understand what’s going on here. We don’t have a future. We live in different worlds. But we do have a connection.’
He put his hand out to rub his thumb gently along her jawbone and felt her quiver beneath his touch.
Vindicated.
‘The whole point of this holiday was for you to step away from reality, right?’ he said, dropping his hand down to her waist and moving his thumb in gentle circles around her hipbone.
‘I guess.’ Her breath came out in irregular gasps. She didn’t seem to be able to meet his eyes now.
‘So go with it.’
8
Josie couldn’t look at him. She didn’t want him to see how weak she was, how very near the edge. As if it had a life of its own, she watched her hand move to Connor’s chest and felt his heart beating against her fingertips.
It picked up its pace, mirroring her own.
