Page 17 of Conner's Choice
After brunch, Edward returned to bed to rest. As they tended to mundane household chores, Lydia and Elizabeth chatted about her brothers. Later, when her mother went to check on Edward, Elizabeth headed toward her room and called Conner. “Hi.”
“Hey. Um, look, I owe you an apology. My behavior last night was inexcusable.”
“Really? So, you didn’t think I looked beautiful?” she gently teased him.
“No. I mean, yes,” Conner hastily contradicted himself. “I shouldn’t have said it out loud. It was inappropriate.”
“I didn’t think so. I thought it was incredibly sweet.”
“So, you’re not going to fire me?”
A small part of her wanted to, especially since an image of Conner leaning down, ready to press his sensual mouth against hers, kept dancing in her mind, causing a slow, sweet heat to spread through her lower body. She’d never wanted to kiss anyone as badly as she wanted to kiss him.
“No, absolutely not. You’re the only lawyer I want sitting beside me when I face Kevin in court.”
“I’m not going to let you down, Elizabeth. So, have you told your parents you’re filing for a divorce?”
“Yes. It hurt like hell to tell them the truth, but they’re on board with my decision to divorce Kevin.”
“I’m glad. You’re going to need their support.”
They discussed their strategy moving forward, then bid each other goodbye after she promised to call him when she returned to Denver.
When Elizabeth reluctantlyarrived at her home in the mountains, Kevin met her as she stepped into the great room and greeted her by pulling her into his arms. “Hi.” His mouth descended on hers in a kiss designed to arouse her as he expertly used his tongue. She remained stiff and unyielding. Unable to elicit a response from her, Kevin released her.
His fingers trailed along her jawline. “What’s wrong, Lizzie? Why are you so cold?”
Elizabeth imagined throwing a jab and smashing his perfect, even teeth and kicking him in the groin. She wanted him on the floor, groaning, bloody, and writhing in pain.
Clamping down on her initial reaction, she stepped away from him and said, “I’m not the one who’s grown cold and distant, Kevin. You checked out of this marriage and our bed a long time ago. I’m the one who stayed, even though you broke my heart when you changed your mind about having a family.”
Elizabeth stared at him, meeting his hard blue eyes defiantly. “Why don’t you admit you’re not in love with me anymore and put us both out of our misery?”
Without waiting for a response, she swept past him and forced herself to slowly ascend the stairs. There. She’d opened the door to a discussion about the state of their marriage. Would Kevin take the bait and walk through it?
On Monday morning,Conner visited Detective Rawson Stone, Britain’s uncle by marriage, at the DPD on Cherokee Street. He found a place to park and strode through the old building’s red brick façade. A desk sergeant buzzed the detective who met Conner and led him into an interrogation room.
After they greeted each other, shook hands, and took a seat, Stone asked, “What’s this about, Conner?”
Conner and Stone had met on Thanksgiving when he had joined the Sherwoods as Britain’s guest. Stone preferred him over Christian, his distant cousin. When Rawson told his brother-in-law he’d like to get Christian alone in a room and teach him a lesson he’d never forget, Logan had smiled and suggested he get in line.
“Rawson, you know I have a vested interest in the case against Ray Farmer. What have you been able to find out so far?”
Rawson frowned. “I can’t discuss the investigation with you, Conner.”
“I understand. So, let me help you by offering a couple of theories. Tanya Parker had twice as many stab wounds as her husband, which speaks to the amount of anger Farmer felt toward her. Why? Was he acting out a fantasy? Their paths never crossed until that night. The Parkers live near Chelsea Collins Sherwood’s estate. They had a sophisticated security system which had been hacked, allowing Farmer access to their home.”
The detective held up his hand. “How the hell do you know that? Those details have not been released to the press.”
Conner smiled. “I have my sources. In any case, you have to ask yourself, who had something to gain? What was Farmer’s connection to the Parkers?”
“On the surface, he doesn’t have one.”
“Right. But hislawyerdoes.”
Rawson rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Damn, Conner. Are you suggesting what I think you are? That Kevin Warner orchestrated these murders?”
“Yes. Actually, it was Britain who first suggested it to me. Two things, Rawson. Check the fetus’ DNA. It’s possible the baby wasn’t Terry Parker’s. Everyone knows Warner is a philanderer. And look for a connection between Warner and Farmer. It exists, trust me.”
