“Yes,” Connor hisses. “Be right back.”
He calls Dina, and the pair of them put the baby down in the guesthouse.
With a heavy sigh, I walk to the kitchen and sit on the barstool. The lights in the house dim in the evening. It’s Zen and relaxing, with pleasant scents pumped throughout the house.
“How many nights will I have to stay here?” I ask myself aloud.
“I wonder the same,” Declan says from right behind me.
I scream and nearly come out of my skin. “Oh my God, you scared me.”
Declan tucks his hands into his pockets.
My heart pounds from how he stares at me like I’m a bug on his carpet. I can’t hold his gaze, so I look away just in time for Connor to rush into the house.
“You got something to say, Dec?” Connor asks, aggressively pushing Declan away from me.
Declan blinks. “No.”
“Then fuck off, yeah?”
“Mmhm.” Declan opens the fridge and grabs a turkey sandwich leftover from lunch today. “You hungry?”
“No,” Con and I answer in unison.
Declan pauses before he bites, sliding his gaze between Connor and me. I don’t know what he sees, but whatever it is, he doesn’t seem to like it, because he shakes his head.
“If you don’t want me here,” I say, “you can give me my keys, and I can go home.”
Declan doesn’t blink before reaching into his pocket and throwing all my keys on the kitchen bar. I dive after them like an Olympic swimmer.
Connor wrestles them from me, then dangles them above my head. He’s well over six feet and taunting me. Fine. I punch him in the belly. When he bends over, I jump up to snatch the keys.
But Connor tightens his grip, and we start tugging between us. Finally, he grabs my wrist and pulls me back into his body and slams his lips down on mine.
I still.
Connor stills.
Our world pauses.
I don’t think he meant to kiss me. I sure didn’t expect it. But now that it happened, our bodies come together. His arms wind around my waist, and he tilts his head to deepen the kiss. His lips are softer than I thought they would be, and he smells fresh, like lavender and pine. Connor tastes amazing. He kisses confidently, arousing me slowly.
I wrap my arms around his neck, and he groans into my mouth and bends me back slightly. It’s like he wants to devour me whole.
We make out heavy and hard, as if there’s a year of pent-up tension between us. He’s a great kisser. He leads the kiss the entire time.
I’m used to dating men with more restraint. I’m not used to this hostile takeover Connor displays when he kisses me. I’m certainly not used to getting picked up and carried like a child.
But when he scoops me up and carries me up the stairs, I wrap my legs around his waist.
Since he’s carrying me, over Connor’s shoulder, I have a clear view of Declan, who holds his phone in front of him as if he’s taking a video or a photo. I hope I’m wrong.
Chapter 24
Renne
Connor carries me into a room with a wall full of monitors.