“So, what do you do when you’re not comforting your sister?”
“I’m an assistant to the president of a large investment company,” she said. “It’s not a fun job but it pays well and has lots of benefits.”
Conor nodded. “Nice.”
“Tell me about your family,” Bryn said, over dessert.
“It’s small,” Conor said, with a shrug. “Just me and my parents. How about you?”
“Ridiculously large,” Bryn said, rolling her eyes. “My mother has five sisters and four brothers, who all have large families of their own. My dad has three brothers and they all have three daughters. Do you like living in Morgan Creek?”
“Yeah. Of course, I’ve never lived anywhere else. Where do you call home?”
“Vermont.”
Conor grimaced. “Not exactly the girl next door.”
“No.”
“I’d like to see you again,” he remarked as they drove back to Morgan Creek. And even as he said it, he knew it was a badidea. In a few days, she would be back East and he would be a vampire.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Bryn smiled as she got ready for bed. Meeting Conor Saintcrow had been enjoyable, a pleasant surprise from some of the men she had dated lately. He seemed nice, polite, and attentive. And he was certainly gorgeous, with his thick black hair and beautiful deep blue eyes. She had always preferred men with broad shoulders and a muscular build and they didn’t come much better than Conor Saintcrow.
He wanted to see her again, but she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. Long distance relationships rarely worked. Her sister wasn’t the only one getting over a bad relationship, Bryn thought glumly. She had spent a year and a half dating a man she thought was Mr. Right only to discover that he was Mr. Wrong, in spades. Not only had he lied about his age, his job, and his experience in the military, but he had been cheating on her the whole time. Broken-hearted, she had sworn off men. And then Conor came along and seemed to be everything a woman could want in a man. Of course, Jim had seemed that way, too, when they first met. She had intended to say no when Conor asked her out, but somehow it had come out yes.
With a sigh, she crawled under the covers and switched off the bedside light. If Conor called her tomorrow and asked for a date, she would politely decline. It was far too soon to risk her poor, broken heart again.
He called at nine the next morning and invited her to breakfast. Again, she intended to say no. But at the sound of his voice, low and oh-so-sexy, thatnomorphed intoyes.By ten a.m., she was seated across from him in the hotel dining room.
“I wasn’t going to call you,” Conor confessed. “I’ve got some things going on in my life that are going to make seeing you difficult, but....” He shrugged his shoulder. “I thought about you all night long.”
“I was going to say no if you called,” she said with a wry grin. “I’m coming off a bad relationship and I was determined not to get involved with anyone else for a while.”
He nodded. “So, this will just be a short, sweet interlude for both of us.”
“I think I can handle that. How about you?”
“Time will tell. What would you like to do today?” he asked.
“I’d like to spend it with you, but I promised Raelynn we’d go horseback riding at eleven, and then spend the afternoon by the pool, and maybe take in an early movie.”
Conor grunted softly. “What are you doing around ten?”
“Sleeping.” She grinned at him. “What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know.” His fingers brushed the back of her hand ever so lightly. “A walk? A nightcap at the hotel?”
Bryn slid her hand away, startled by the warm rush of heat engendered by his touch. It was time to end this. “Haven’t you been listening? I’ve sworn off men.” She paused and took a deep breath. Then, charmed by his downcast expression, she said, “Maybe I’ll give you a call if Raelynn turns in early.” She had second thoughts the minute the words left her mouth. What was she saying? Thinking? Seeing him again was a terrible idea. But she just didn’t seem able to say no.
He had a smile that would melt iron. “I’d like that.”
“Someone pointed your dad out to me the other day,” Bryn remarked, changing the subject. “You look a lot like him.”
“Yeah, everybody says that, which is funny, since I’m adopted.”
“Really?”