Page 12 of Desire

Chapter 9

Frustration was notan emotion I handled well. I had been busy over the past three days researching different private investigators after Penny told me that Marcus didn’t know of anyone else besides Connor who could help me. They both kept trying to cement the idea that Connor was my best option anyway. In my heart, I knew they were right, but damn it, I didn’t want them to be.

It wasn’t the expense; I wanted to find a reputable PI, but I didn’t even know what kind of questions to ask to make sure I wasn’t going to get hustled. I hadn’t heard from Alex again, and it had been a week and a half. I wasn’t sleeping at night, but there was nothing I could do right now.

I was helping a customer pick out an outfit for a blind date she was going on when the front door’s overhead bell jingled. I was working alone today so I yelled out, “Welcome to Unique Boutique. Take a look around, and I’ll be right with you.” In the five years since I had taken over the store, we had only been shoplifted from once, so I didn’t worry too much about who had entered the store.

After ten minutes of picking out this skirt to go with that blouse and a matching necklace to complete the outfit of the hardest-to-please customer I had dealt with in a while, we finally headed to the cash register. I only hoped the waiting patron wasn’t too pissed about the delay. I drew to an abrupt halt upon seeing the person waiting by the front door, causing my customer to slam into my back with an oomph.

Mumbling an apology over my shoulder, I stumbled slightly as I continued walking over to the cash register. I tried to ignore the imposing man standing against the window with his arms crossed over his chest and one foot crossed over the other. Connor looked all too delicious in his dark-wash blue jeans and baby blue button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows exposing the ropey veins threading down his forearms.

I finished ringing up her purchases and then escorted the woman to the door as I wished her luck on her date. No sooner had she left than I felt Connor’s heat radiating off him. He reached over my shoulder, flipped the “OPEN” sign to “CLOSED”, and turned the lock on the door.

I turned toward him with a glare. “Whatever you have to say, make it quick. You’re costing me money.”

“First off, I’m sorry about what happened at Eden. Sec—”

“Are you sorry it happened or sorry you were such an asshole?” I interrupted, mimicking his earlier pose as I crossed my arms over my chest, because I knew the position pushed my boobs up. He needed to be reminded of what he was missing out on.

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, his frustration evident.

“Stop being a brat, Bridget.”

I huffed, standing my ground. “Or what? You’ll punish me? Take a crop to my ass until tears run down my face? You made your stance perfectly clear the other night, Connor. Now, say what you came here to say then leave so I can get back to work.”

I knew I was being a brat, but somehow, after one night, I’d lost control of my emotions around him. I didn’t know how to process the feelings I was having, because they were unexplainable. I had never experienced them before. Frankly, they needed to go away. Right now, the only way I could express them was by being a brat. They just exploded out of me.

Finally, Connor spoke again, reining in his frustration for the moment. “Like I said, I’m sorry about the other night. Regardless, I have no intention of giving up on helping you. You came to me because I’m good at what I do. We need to set aside personal conflicts and focus on what’s important. Alex is who matters right now. I saw him, you know.”

This had my total attention. I forgot about being pissed at Connor for a moment. “Oh my God, Connor, what did he say? Is he okay? Does he look all right? Is he safe?” I fired off question after question.

He reached out and lightly grasped my shoulders in his large hands. I ignored the zing that ripped through me. “He looks just like you and has the same ballsy attitude. His parents died a couple months ago, and he’s been living with his uncle. He’s skinny, but other than that, he looks fine. He doesn’t seem to have any friends, but he’s in a new neighborhood and probably hasn’t had a chance to make any yet. I have a couple concerns that I addressed with an acquaintance of mine on the police for—”

“Police?” I interrupted, my voice loud with hysteria. “What kind of concerns would you have that need the police, Connor? Tell me where he is, now! What is happening to my baby?” I screamed the last question, as I started punching Connor’s chest, terror running through my veins at the thought that someone was hurting my child.

My outburst was abruptly silenced when Connor’s lips crashed against mine with punishing force. I didn’t have time to process the interruption as a rush of flavors burst across my tongue when his began to dance with mine, short circuiting my brain. He moved one hand from my shoulder and threaded his fingers through my hair before grabbing a fistful and pulling my head back to give him better access. Thankfully, I was tall, especially in heels, so I had no difficulty reaching up to meet him.

The kiss lasted for a lifetime as he drank from me and I from him. I almost felt my soul meld with his, as though we were now a part of each other. I shook off the image, and when I remembered why he’d distracted me, I pushed him away. As large as he was, he moved away with only the slightest push like he had been prepared for it.

We were both breathing heavy as we stared at each other. I tried desperately to read the expression in his eyes, but he shielded them, and there was no hope of busting through his defenses. “Have you calmed down, now?”

Hell no, I wasn’t calm. Not in the way he meant anyway. I knew he was referring to my outburst about Alex. I took several deep breaths to slow my beating heart.

I backed up a few steps away from him and walked toward the interior of the store. “I’m fine. I apologize for hitting you. Now, please tell me what’s going on.” I practically begged, but far less hysterically than before.

I watched as Connor combed his fingers through his dark wavy hair, mussing it in the process. “Like I said, I saw Alex. I met him while he waited for the school bus the other day. He moved past me to get to the bus, and when I touched his arm, he winced in pain.”

I listened in rapt attention and gasped in horror. As I was about to say something, Connor placed his finger across my kiss-bruised lips and began speaking again, “He showed me a bruise and explained how he got it. It was a legitimate excuse, but something didn’t ring true. I went to see a detective I know about it and to let him in on my suspicions. Unfortunately, there isn’t much he can do until there is some actual evidence. Either eyewitness reports or Alex tells someone he is being hurt. I’m keeping an eye on him, Bridget. For now, I have to believe Alex told the truth and that he’s safe. You have to trust me. I am not going to let anything happen to him.”

He reached out again, this time cupping my cheeks. Slowly, he bent down and lightly brushed a kiss against my mouth. It was gentle and lasted but for only a heartbeat. It was a kiss of promise. A promise that nothing would harm me or mine.

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