Page 21 of Conner's Choice
Conner grinned and glanced sideways at Elizabeth, who listened to the exchange with an amused expression. Growing serious again, he handed Jessica the Ziploc bag. “Here’s Kevin Warner’s toothbrush.”
“I’ll have the results within twenty-four to forty-eight hours.”
“Make sure no one has access to the specimen or the results, Aunt Jess,” he cautioned her.
“Of course. It goes without saying I’ll be discreet.”
Thunder crashed outside, shaking the building and rattling windowpanes. A moment later the storm unleashed its full fury.
“We’d better get going,” Conner declared. “Call me, Aunt Jess.”
A hard rain pelted them, soaking their clothing as they dashed toward Conner’s Jag.
Elizabeth shivered in the seat. “I don’t want to go home.” Her voice shook from being chilled to the bone. Neither her home nor her shop was appealing anymore. Both had been corrupted and violated by betrayal and secrets and lies. When her divorce was final, she planned to sell her business and move elsewhere.
“We’ll go to my place, then.”
She didn’t argue.
Twenty minutes later, they stepped into Conner’s apartment. Water ran down their bodies and formed puddles at their feet.
“You can use the master bathroom to get out of your wet dress,” he offered, gesturing for her to follow him. “My robe is hanging on the door.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Elizabeth stripped out of her wet clothes and stepped into the shower. She washed, dried her body, and slipped into Conner’s white velour robe. It felt wonderful against her bare skin and smelled even better. It smelled like Conner—a heady combination of his soap and aftershave. She inhaled deeply while butterflies awakened and stirred in her stomach. Her awareness of how much she desired him took her by surprise. For the first time since she married Kevin, she contemplated committing adultery. Conner wasn’t likely to initiate any lovemaking beyond kissing her—even that violated his code of ethics—but still, she couldn’t resist.
Shivering now, not from the cold but from anticipation, Elizabeth gathered her wet dress and dainty lingerie and joined Conner in the elegant living room. He looked fantastic in a pair of jeans and a red polo shirt. When he caught sight of Elizabeth in his robe, the excess material gaping slightly at her cleavage, his eyes nearly popped out of his head. She almost reached for the lapels and pulled them closer. Almost.
“My robe never looked so damn inviting,” he commented in a low, husky voice.
Chapter Seven
Hot desire burnedin him, reflected in his eyes as they boldly raked her figure.
Heat suffused Elizabeth’s cheeks at the intensity of Conner’s gaze. “May I use your dryer?” she asked, while electricity snapped and sizzled inside and outside the apartment.
“Sure.”
Conner led her through the kitchen to his laundry room. As she placed her clothes in the dryer, he imagined lifting her onto it and doing very naughty things to her—pulling open his robe, teasing her breasts with his tongue, traveling further down her torso, and burying his head between her thighs to bring her orgasm after orgasm. She deserved a night of hot sex.
When Elizabeth turned around, Conner blocked her by placing his hands on the dryer on either side of her. The bulge in his pants hurt like hell, and he was tempted to allow her to assuage him with her soft hand. Swallowing hard, he muttered, “You’re a siren luring me to my doom, aren’t you, Elizabeth? If I start kissing you, I’ll take you to bed, and I won’t be any better than your cheating husband.”
“If you start kissing me, Conner, I won’t stop you, that’s the truth. I would gladly let you take me to bed, which wouldn’t make either of us better than Kevin. I’m not going to do that to you. I won’t be a siren who destroys you. I’ll put my clothes back on and call a taxi to take me to your office building so I can get my car.”
Lightning struck, thunder resounded and died away, and they both jumped, startled by the storm still raging outside.
“You’ll do no such thing. I’m not allowing you to go anywhere in this weather. You’re staying here until it’s safe to drive,” Conner announced decisively. “We may as well have dinner while we wait for the storm to pass.”
The sexual tension between them was thick and undeniable while they prepared dinner together. They avoided getting too close to one another. When the food was ready, they sat opposite each other at the table. After a bit of silence, Conner asked Elizabeth if she liked his apartment. He waited for her response and immediately regretted voicing the question. She wore the same expression on her face as Britain had several months ago. Disapproval.
Elizabeth swallowed a bite of her chicken breast and replied delicately, “To be honest, it’s a little too ostentatious for my taste.”
His heart sank. He wanted her to like his luxury apartment—the outward sign of his success. Scowling, he responded in a gruff tone, “What’s with you and Britain, anyway? She said practically the same thing when I brought her here a few months ago. Other women who have spent the night think I have great taste.”
“Perhaps you should call one of them over and sleep with her!” she snapped, jumping to her feet. “My clothes are dry. It’s stopped raining, and I’m leaving.”
As she passed by him to get to the laundry room, his hand shot out to stop her. Conner pulled Elizabeth onto his lap and thoroughly ravaged her delectable mouth with his. He kissed her hard and deep while one hand dipped inside the opening of the robe and found her warm, soft breast. It fit perfectly in his palm. As his thumb teased her nipple, Elizabeth struggled to free herself from his arms.
