“What?” She turned with raised eyebrows, surprised to see Connor suddenly looking serious.
“You don’t owe me anything. I give as much as I want, and I never ask for anything in return.”
She believed him — and she hated him for being a better person than she had thought he was!
Chapter Nine
The rumor that cold showers help when you fall asleep feeling unsatisfied and wake up feeling even more unsatisfied is one hundred percent promoted by the water company. Don’t fall for it. Cold showers don’t solve shit!
Tips and tricks for every situation from divorce lawyer Connor Stone
Man, don’t leave these notes lying around just anywhere, there’s a thirteen-year-old girl running around here! - Cian
Connor couldn’t remember ever using so much cold water and achieving absolutely nothing. It was a damn waste — and physical torture.
Wanting Rachel James was possibly the stupidest thing he’d ever done. And this from the man who'd once persuaded hislittle brother to stick three peanut butter cups up his nose because then a peanut butter cup tree would grow within easy reach of his mouth. Okay, no. That idea was brilliant, and Alec’s disappointment that it hadn’t worked was definitely worth his mother’s lecture. His father probably hadn’t even known it had happened until his death, since he never noticed such things.
Connor had known that the thing in the alley was a stupid idea. He knew he wouldn’t be able to forget it, and that it wouldn’t be enough. But he hadn’t been thinking clearly. Rachel had looked at him, challenging him with her gaze, her body — and he hadn’t been able to resist winning another bet. He hadn't been able to resist tasting and feeling her. He’d become addicted to watching Rachel’s lips part in pleasure. No more provocative words coming from her mouth, just his name and the wordyes.
Normally, he never had a problem forgetting a woman. He could do it as quickly as he’d made her come. But two nights and three X-rated dreams later, he could still hear Rachel’s moans in his ear. He could still feel her nails digging into his shoulders. He fantasized about her tightening around his fingers. And he didn’t like it. This woman spent far too much time in his head. It was time for her to either pay rent or get out!
“Connor, what do you want to eat? If I have to ask again, I’ll just bring you a bowl of black olives.”
Blinking, he looked up. Tara was staring down at him expectantly, and Cian and Ada were looking at him sideways in confusion. Gareth glanced at his phone and wrote an email.
Great. Now Rachel was responsible not only for his lack of sleep, but also for his lack of concentration. And that double perpetrator probably didn’t even know about her crimes.
“Eggs Benedict,” he replied curtly. “And coffee.”
“Black as your soul?” Tara asked kindly.
“Yes, please.” He put the unread menu back on the table. “By the way, if you bring me olives, I’ll sue you for assault.”
She laughed and ruffled his hair. “I’d hire Gareth as my lawyer; he’s better than either of you. So forget it.”
Cian snorted. “Gareth wouldn’t even know you hired him because he’s too busy buying some hockey player from Canada.”
“I would have known, and I did,” Gareth replied absently. “Tara, bring him olives.”
Ada giggled, Tara grinned, and Connor sighed.
“How can you work, drink, and still participate in our conversation?” Cian asked, annoyed.
Gareth didn’t even look up. “Tara already told you: I’m a better than you.”
“Oh. I’d just get Hazel Barrow as my lawyer. Gareth could never beat her, even back at Harvard.”
Gareth lowered his phone and looked up sharply. His gaze was as intense as every sound that had come out of Rachel’s mouth in the alley on Friday. “You’re an asshole, Connor, and shut the hell up,” he said coldly.
Connor bit back a smile. Okay, he'd gone too far. He knew the unspoken rule about not saying Hazel’s name. But he just wasn’t feeling particularly friendly today, and Gareth’s hostile reaction was always reliable when it came to his nemesis, Hazel.
“Hey,” Cian said, displeased, covering Ada’s ears. “There are children here.”
Ada rolled her eyes and tugged at his hands. “I know the wordasshole, Dad. It’s actually very important for being able to describe our human anatomy in as much detail as possible.”
Connor laughed. God, he loved that kid.
“You’re such a smartass,” Cian remarked, displeased.
