God, I hate this song.
She wasn’t sure what was more excruciating. Her remorse at betraying Lloyd or her worry that Connor might do something dumb, like try to kiss her. Perhaps worry wasn’t the right word. The gurgle in her gut spoke more of anticipation.
She wanted him to kiss her.
She couldn’t stop wondering what it would be like to feel his lips and the rasp of his beard. Would it scratch her? Would he nibble her lip? Would he slide his tongue into her mouth and take control, or would he tease and pull back?
As they danced, a stray hair fell into her eyes. Connor brushed it away, but his fingers lingered at her hair, smoothing the strands between his fingers. “You are so beautiful.”
Her bear preened at the compliment, even as more perspiration broke out on her skin. It gathered on her lower back, and she prayed he wouldn’t feel it through the fabric of the dress. “Thank you.”
Lex’s band transitioned into another slow song. Thank heavens. If she never heard Wham again, it would be too fucking soon.
The key changed, and Elaine groaned inwardly. “The Sweetest Taboo” by Sade.
Not helping, Lex. She’d have to speak to the bandleader about his play list. Perhaps if she begged, she could persuade him to stick to songs with faster, unromantic tempos.
“Did I ever tell you about my major crush on Sade?” Connor grinned.
“No. Spill.”
“Well, of course I discovered her years after she was popular in the 80s, but I had it bad. I found pictures of her when I was fifteen. I was helping my uncle move apartments, and he’d had a bunch of old fan magazines from his teen years. He never knew it, but I took one look at her, stole every single magazine, and brought them home. I kept Sade in the drawer of my bedside table. She entertained me for hours on end. That woman was my sexual awakening.”
Elaine laughed. “I had no idea.”
“Yeah. It was embarrassing. A few buddies from school discovered her there one day when we were hanging out. One of them, Chris, still calls me once a year to prank me. He’ll phone me up and pretend to be Sade. He puts on an English accent, and then he begs me to take her out of the bedside table.”
“You poor dear.”
“Just another lovelorn fool.”
“And I thought you were a lady-killer.”
He reddened. “No more than anyone else.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard. Lloyd used to share all your tales of conquest. They were our entertainment.”
“Is that right?” Connor’s jaw ticked, and he looked away. “Great.”
“In fact, there’s one memorable story. Lloyd said you had two women on the go and were doing your best to keep them away from each other. He said it was like a sitcom.”
His sigh cut her off. “Do you want a drink?”
“I’m not thirsty.”
“Well, I am.” Holding her hand, he pulled her off the dance floor, toward the bar.
Once they were situated at the bar, Anton and Jani joined them there. Their faces were stern, and they asked Connor a couple of details about some issue with illegal hunting.
Elaine didn’t pay attention to the conversation. She was too busy musing over the changes in Connor’s demeanor. He was never the sort of man to run out of things to say, and yet as soon as she brought up his history with women, he’d clammed up. Interesting, considering he’d always been the sort to take delight in recounting his sexual adventures.
She probably shouldn’t have pushed it, but a part of her wanted to poke the bear, or the mountain lion, in this case.
The bartender offered her a ginger ale, and she took it, even though she didn’t need it to quench her thirst.
As Connor talked to Jani and Anton, his gaze slipped toward her several times. Worry radiated off his body, from his creased eyes to his clenched hands.
Connor might like to talk, but not so much about the women he’d dated. Not now, anyway.
