I was fucked.
“Thank you.” I took it and breathed in deeply, the smell filling my senses. I looked up at him through my lashes.
“I understand that gardening may be challenging for you. I thought this could be a nice temporary solution. If you’d like, I’d be happy to help you plant it outside in the spring,” Connor offered.
“Connor, I … I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you like it?” he asked.
“Yes, I liked it … and I like ... you,” I said in a voice so small I thought maybe he hadn’t heard it.
His eyes grew wide, and I could see he was happy.
“But I don’t want to,” I added.
Connor came over and took the plant from me, placing it on the coffee table. He wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Please, want to,” he whispered, lowering his head, so our foreheads touched.
“I can’t.”
“Why not?” His voice was low, and me gave me a small kiss on my nose. The gesture was so gentle and tender, I felt the heat rising in my body.
“Because I can’t,” I repeated. “I’ve been hurt in the past too many times and I don’t want to hurt you.”
“It will hurt me if you don’t try,” he said, his lips brushing mine, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I kissed him.
Our kiss was slow and sensuous at first, teasing and tasting, then as my fingers found their way into his hair, the kiss deepened with our tongues finding each other.
“Don’t you know I’m no good for you?” I said between kisses. Connor sucked my bottom lip, bringing it into his mouth, his teeth carefully grazing it before kissing me again. His hands explored down my body and landed on my ass, he squeezed, and I let out a small moan. He lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he carried me toward the hallway.
“Which room?” he panted.
“The left.”
He opened my bedroom door and lowered me onto my bed. He stood staring at me for a moment. I thought he was going to change his mind, but I said, “Connor, I want you,” and he quickly came over to me, kissing me again.
His lips trailed down my neck and onto my collarbone, kissing and licking. I moaned, and his hand travelled down my stomach. His touch was gentle and possessive, awakening my desires.
His hand traced the contours of my hips, and just above the waistband of my jeans. I almost begged him. He flicked open the button, sending a rush of heat coursing through me.
As he helped me wiggle out of my jeans and discarded them carelessly across the room, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of vulnerability wash over me. I was used to being naked around people, and I’d been naked around Connor before, but this time it felt different. I felt exposed, vulnerable as his hands roamed over my thighs, leaving a trail of warmth in their wake.
With each ragged breath escaping my lips, I managed to utter a single word: “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” His voice was low and raw as he stopped to look at me through his lashes. I looked down at him between my legs.
“Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend.”
The surprise in his expression was quickly replaced by a wide grin, his dimples carving deep into his cheeks. “You’re serious?”
“Yes. I think now that we know the scale of Sam’s operations, it’s safe to say I will be in Lakeview for longer than I originally planned. So why not?”
He came up for a moment, and his lips crashed down on mine. “Yeah, why not?” he murmured against my lips before I pushed his head down between my legs. With each caress, each tender touch and kiss, Connor was unravelling me, unravelling the layers of protection I had carefully constructed over the years.
The soft glow of fairy lights adorned the room, casting a warm light on Connor’s body as my fingers gently traced the patterns on his skin.
“Did a Vampire give this to you?” I asked him, touching a raised scar along his bicep.
