Both men whip their attention my way. Declan appears guilty, as if he was caught, and Connor smirks because he enjoys when I have a backbone.
“Sorry. You know where I’m coming from,” Declan apologizes. “I’ll leave you two be.” He tips his head to Connor while he stares at me. “Talk a little sense into him, will ya?”
I grimace. “I think we both know that Connor will do what Connor wants to do.”
Declan sighs. “Story of my life.”
With Declan leaving us, I stride in Connor’s direction, carefully, as I can tell he is sailing on rough waters right now.
“All good?” I ask, even though it feels like a pointless question.
“It’s fine,” he lies and walks to the kitchen. “This happens a lot. The lines get blurred between me and him.” Connor grabs a beer from the fridge, and I hop up to perch on the edge of the counter.
My sympathetic look hasn’t faded yet. “I think you and I have had a day.”
His eyes narrow in on me with intrigue. “What happened to you?”
“My dad and I talked. It was needed, but I still feel a little overwhelmed. Need to find my bearings, I guess,” I explain and stare at my dangling feet.
“It will get better,” he assures me.
I sit tall and throw on an overdone smile. “I’m sure it will. Especially since I think I will take you up on the offer to get out of town. It seems that you could use a getaway too.”
Connor sets his beer bottle down and approaches me with a smoldering gaze. “Oh yeah?”
I nod and quirk my lips. “Yeah. I figure you have two more weeks before you really hit the gym and ice hardcore to get ready for the season. A last-minute trip. No Sweden, though. I sent my passport off for renewal and it isn’t back yet. Can we settle on, I don’t know, Florida Keys or something?”
Connor brings his hands to the counter on either side of my body and leans in to bring our mouths within touching distance, but not quite. An agonizing move, but also enticing for me to attempt to brush my lips against his.
“You in a bikini, it’s a deal.”
Our lips meld together for a delicious kiss, which leads to him pulling me to the edge and using his hands to guide my legs around his waist.
This is what we need. A new setting to bring some clarity.
23
HADLEY
The feeling of lips grazing along my naked spine and moving up tickles, yet I respond by humming a sound of approval. I’m lying on my stomach, tangled in a sheet that isn’t even covering half of my body.
Morning light floods into the room since the balcony doors are open to our own private little beach down in the Florida Keys. I’ve slept in pure bliss, but someone felt the need to wake me up in a delicious manner, with his hand now journeying up the back of my thigh.
I attempt to push him away playfully. “Sleep. It’s more important.”
Connor’s answer is to take his fingers and sneak up under the sheet to claw my ass instead of spanking me. “Wake up. I have things I need you for.” His voice is pure sin.
I decide to flutter my eyes fully open, and I flop over in bed. I’m greeted with Connor ready for the day ahead, with a subtle glean of sweat on his skin. He must have gone for a run or did his thousands of push-ups this morning.
“You don’t need me awake for that. I might actually enjoy it when I’m in my slumber and you take me from behind,” I tell him in a drowsy state.
He leans down to give me a kiss. “Oh, I’m familiar, but I meant breakfast arrived, and you wanted to walk around Key West today.”
I slowly crawl up to my elbows. “Ah yes, vacation things.”
He slides off the bed and begins to take his tank off. “I’ll grab a quick shower then we can get going.”
“Okay, I’ll throw on some clothes if I must and attack those pancakes that I see over on the breakfast tray.” I begin to scooch out of bed and abandon the sheet in the process. I stand up and stretch my arms overhead, releasing a long comforting sigh.
