The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2)

by Susan Coventry

  How could he believe her after all the lies? First, she’d had an affair with a married man, and then she’d kept Ava from him for five months.

  “And you believe her?” Julia said, realizing how bitter she sounded. But she couldn’t help it. She understood him wanting to spend as much time with his daughter as possible, but she hated that Cam was worming her way back into his life too. Julia wasn’t convinced that all Cam wanted was his help.

  “I believe that she wants what’s best for Ava,” he said solemnly.

  Realizing that she had no choice in the matter, Julia said, “If you need to help Cam find an apartment, then I’ll have to accept that. But I don’t have to like it.”

  Connor laughed, and it helped ease the tension between them.

  “You could come with us,” he said.

  “Not a chance.”

  He laughed again.

  “When are you going?” she asked.

  “Tonight, after work.”

  “Oh. Are you taking Ava too?”

  “I was thinking about asking my mom to babysit so we don’t have to lug her in and out of the car.”

  “I’ll babysit.” Whoa! What is wrong with me? I’m aiding and abetting the enemy.

  Connor was silent for a few seconds, as if giving her time to retract her offer.

  “I mean, it’s no problem, and then you and I will get to see each other too. It’s kind of a win-win.”

  “Are you sure? Because I know my mom would be thrilled to take her.”

  “Connor. If you and are going to be together, then I have to accept that Ava’s part of your life too. It’ll be good for me to bond with her. Besides, I’m great with babies. How hard can it be?”

  “Shhh. Don’t cry, sweetheart. It’s okay.”

  Julia paced back and forth across Connor’s living room floor, wearing a path in the carpet. She’d come over right after work to watch Ava while he and Cam went apartment hunting. When they’d left, Ava had been contentedly shoving her fist in her mouth, showing no signs of distress. But an hour later, Julia couldn’t get her to stop crying.

  She’d tried everything—feeding her, changing her, and burping her—but nothing seemed to help. She’d even broken into song, calling upon some of her favorite childhood tunes, but either her voice was off key or this baby was extremely stubborn, because she still hadn’t settled down.

  Julia racked her brain for ideas she’d heard from her friends who had kids, but they seemed either too far-fetched or impossible (in the case of putting Ava to her breast and letting her suckle).

  She’d even considered taking Ava for a car ride, but when she’d examined the car seat that Cam had left with all its hooks and straps, she’d gotten nervous. She couldn’t in good conscience take Ava for a drive if she wasn’t sure how to install the car seat. It shouldn’t be rocket science, but she wasn’t taking any chances with somebody else’s baby.

  And there it was again. The reminder slapped her in the face and took her breath away. If she were my baby, I’d probably know exactly what to do. But she’s not.

  Just then, as if Ava had decided to give Julia a break, she stopped crying. Just like that. Julia was so excited that she lifted Ava overhead and gave her a huge smile. “Thank you,” she said, and instead of a “You’re welcome,” she got a face full of drool, but she was too happy to care.

  When Connor and Cam returned a while later, Ava was resting peacefully in Julia’s arms.

  “Wow. Look at you,” Connor said as he came into the room. “Cam said Ava was kind of fussy today, but you’d never know it now.”

  “Really? She wasn’t fussy for me at all,” Julia said, looking Cam straight in the face. Okay. That was a low blow, but it’s not fair that Cam got to spend the last three hours with my boyfriend!

  “How did the apartment hunting go?” Julia asked as Cam began collecting Ava’s belongings and stuffing them in the diaper bag.

  “I haven’t made up my mind yet. I think Connor and I are going to look again over the weekend when we have more time,” Cam said. She’d put everything away and stood in front of Julia with her hands on her narrow hips as if daring her to argue.

  Looking between them with a pinched expression, Connor said to Julia, “I said I’d check with you first and work it around our plans.”

  Julia was touched that he’d stepped up for them, and she wanted to kiss him. However, she was still holding a sleeping baby, so she settled for shooting him a wide smile instead.

  “I should get Ava home,” Cam said, bending over to take her from Julia. That made the second time Julia had seen down her shirt.

  Has she ever heard of a camisole? Julia wondered.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Connor said, bringing the car seat over so Cam could strap Ava into it.

  “I’ll come too,” Julia said, ignoring the scowl on Cam’s face. “I’d like to see how this thing works.”

  Cam couldn’t very well argue when it came to the safety of her baby. So, the three of them went outside: Connor carrying Ava in the car seat, Cam carrying the diaper bag, and Julia sporting a satisfied smile. If Cam thought she was going to get more alone time with Connor, she had another think coming!

  As Cam was showing Connor how to install the car seat, Julia fought back the urge to laugh. The situation was comical if one bothered to find the humor in it. It was like a joke—How many people does it take to strap in a car seat? Three: the mom, the dad, and the jealous girlfriend! She doubted that Cam would find it funny, but Julia squirreled it away for later when she could tell Harper.

  Once Ava was properly strapped in, having slept through the whole ordeal, they said their goodbyes. And if Julia had thought she was preventing something from happening by coming outside with them, she’d been wrong. Before she knew it, Cam had thrown her arms around Connor’s neck and hugged him, pressing her tiny breasts against his broad chest.

  “Thank you so much for coming with me tonight,” she said, gazing at him as if Julia weren’t even there.

  When she pulled back, Connor had that deer-in-the-headlights look, and shoving his hands in his front pockets, he said, “You’re welcome.”

  With that, Cam trotted her slim little booty around to the driver’s side of the car and slid in, not bothering to say goodbye to Julia or thanking her for watching Ava. That little b—

  Once Connor had herded Julia back into the house and shut the door, he scooped her up into his arms and started walking down the hall toward his bedroom. He sat down on the edge of his bed with her on his lap and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

  “You’re the one she should have thanked,” he said with an apologetic look on his handsome face.

  “Doesn’t matter. I did it for you, not her.”

  “Then allow me to properly thank you.”

  And with that, he tipped her back on the bed and captured her lips in a searing kiss.

  When he pulled back, she said, “That’s a good start, but you’ll have to do better. Ava was really fussy tonight.”

  Connor gaped at her. “I thought you said she was good.”

  Julia shrugged. “I was being spiteful, and I’m not sorry about it.”

  Laughing, he stroked a finger over her bottom lip. “I love that about you.”

  “You do?”

  “Um-hmm. I love that you are who you are and you don’t make any apologies for it.”

  “Thanks, I guess.”

  “I’m the one who’s supposed to be thanking you, remember?”

  Skimming his hand down her side, he slipped it under her shirt and drew tantalizing patterns on her skin with his fingertip.

  It would have been so easy to close off her mind and surrender; however, she still felt conflicted about Cam. And since he’d said that he admired her honesty (not in those exact words, but still), she decided to capitalize on it.

  “I know what you said about Cam wanting what’s best for Ava, but don’t you think she might have her own interests in mind too?”
/>   “Such as?”

  He seemed distracted as his hand drifted further up her shirt.

  “You.”

  His hand stilled, and he stared down at her with a bewildered expression.

  “Oh, come on. That cocky guy I first met wouldn’t look so surprised,” she said.

  “That was your description, not mine.”

  “So, you don’t think she has any interest in you whatsoever?”

  He shook his head. “No. I don’t. What we had was over a long time ago.”

  “That’s the same for me and Alec, yet you seem to think he’s still interested in me.”

  “That’s because he is.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I just do.”

  She wanted to argue that she felt the same way about Cam but decided not to. Instead of harping on the subject with him, maybe it’d be better to go straight to the source. A woman-to-woman talk. That’s what she needed to put her mind at ease. Feeling better now that she’d set a course of action, Julia took Connor’s right hand and placed it on her breast.

  “We done talking?” he asked, giving it a squeeze.

  “I have just one more thing to say.” And after tormenting him with a dramatic pause, she said, “Undress me.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “My pleasure,” Connor said, and then he unwrapped her like a long-awaited-for gift on Christmas morning.

  As often as they’d done this, he was still blown away by her beauty. The way her silky black hair fanned out over the pillow. How her eyelids became hooded as he caressed her skin. How responsive she was to every touch, every kiss, every lick.

  He needed this. Needed her more every day.

  Once he’d removed her clothes, he slid off the bed and gazed at her for a long moment, his eyes sweeping down the length of her curvy body and back up again. He liked doing this—soaking her up with his eyes before they made love.

  Squirming beneath his gaze, her nipples tightened, and she clamped her legs together as if to shield herself.

  “Don’t hide from me, Jules. Let me see you.”

  “You do see me,” she said, her shaky voice another indicator of her arousal.

  “All of you,” he said.

  She seemed to be warring with herself until she slowly spread her legs apart.

  Drawing in a ragged breath, Connor said, “So damn beautiful.”

  And then she shot him that smile, the one she reserved just for him for when they were together like this.

  “Hurry up,” she said.

  That was all the invitation he needed, and he made quick work of shedding his clothes. They hadn’t had sex in several days other than when she’d climaxed with her clothes on the other day, and he was rock hard from wanting her.

  He’d meant to treat her to a slow and steady buildup, but at this rate, he wasn’t going to last long. And then he saw a movement out of the corner of his eye and realized that she’d already gotten started without him.

  It was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen, and his desire skyrocketed.

  He stood there, frozen to the spot, and watched her pleasure herself, the blood pounding in his head. Hell, he probably could have stood there all night if it weren’t for his throbbing erection.

  Damn this woman! She constantly surprised him.

  “Connor…” she panted, pleading with her eyes.

  “Sorry.” At her urging, he quickly retrieved a condom from his dresser drawer and rolled it on while she continued to play.

  As he crawled over her, he almost hated to interrupt. But when she removed her hand and gripped his hips instead, he was instantly glad he did.

  Guiding himself inside her slippery entrance, he groaned with pleasure. Then, lowering his mouth to hers, he tangled with her tongue, and the combination was too much. The sexy little peep show she’d given him had him plummeting over the edge after a few hearty thrusts.

  He might have felt bad about it if she hadn’t followed him over just as enthusiastically, clinging to his back and strangling his waist with her legs.

  Sweaty and sated, he rolled off her and flopped onto his back, his chest heaving.

  Leaning her head on his shoulder, Julia said, “You okay?”

  “Just a little lightheaded,” he teased, although it wasn’t far from the truth. The visual of her hand between her legs was still stuck in his head, and it wasn’t something he’d soon forget. When he glanced down to see her self-satisfied smile, he suspected she knew as much—the little vixen!

  Grazing her hand over his chest, she said, “I’ve never done that before.”

  Eyes popping, he said, “You could have fooled me.”

  “I meant with someone watching.”

  “Oh.” The thought of him being the only one to witness such a sight made his chest puff up, and slinging an arm around her, he pulled her closer. “Well, in case you didn’t notice, I thoroughly enjoyed the show.”

  Giggling, she said, “I noticed.”

  “In fact, I’d be glad to attend a repeat performance sometime,” he teased.

  Instead of responding, she flung a leg over him and snuggled closer. He needed to clean up, but he hated the thought of leaving her for even two seconds.

  What’s wrong with me? Since when do I go this ga-ga over a woman? But he’d never known a woman like Julia before—someone so sweet and sexy at the same time. Someone who called him out on his shit and forced him to own up to his mistakes. Someone who lit up the room whenever she walked in, along with the dark corners of his heart. He hadn’t been this serious about a woman—well, since Cam. But that was nothing compared to this.

  His breathing had evened out, and Julia’s had too. Glancing down, he saw her eyes were closed, and she appeared to be sleeping. It tugged on his heartstrings to see her looking so peaceful and content in his arms. He shook his head, thinking again that he didn’t deserve her and wondering why she put up with a guy like him. Especially now, with everything that had happened.

  Slowly withdrawing from the bed, he left to clean up, but first, he covered her with the sheet. As much as he loved to look at her naked body, he didn’t want her to get cold. Go figure. Finding out that he was a father was turning him into a sensitive guy. He’d gone from only worrying about himself to caring for not one but two girls—Julia and Ava.

  After he’d cleaned himself off, he leaned over the bathroom sink and examined himself in the mirror. His hair was tousled from where Julia had scraped her hands through it. His stubble had popped out, and he wondered if he’d left marks on her skin. And then he twisted his body around and looked over his shoulder at his back, where he saw indentions from her fingernails. The thought of it made him smile, but then he quickly sobered.

  This woman had freely given him her body, but each time they were together, she was giving him her heart too. He saw it in her eyes, in the way she said his name, in the way she touched him. And while he was starting to feel the same way, it scared him because he knew the risks involved.

  He’d opened his heart before, and look what had happened. The one woman he thought he’d loved had cheated on him. After that, he’d guarded his heart carefully, unwilling to let someone else in. It had been easier that way. Better to have a short-term fling and be the one to walk away rather than let someone else stomp all over him. He was fine as long as he was in control. Or so he’d thought before Julia.

  When they’d first met, he’d wanted to put her in the same category as the other women he’d been with since Cam. And even though he suspected she wasn’t that type of woman, she’d agreed. But it hadn’t taken long before he’d found himself wanting to spend more time with her, wanting to get to know her better. With each passing day, he found himself caring more about her, and that included wanting to protect her. But protect her from what—him?

  It brought a smile to his face thinking how she didn’t want to be protected. She was braver and stronger than him when it came to matters of the heart. Hadn’t she proven that by the way she�
��d stood by him through this mess with Cam?

  He knew it couldn’t be easy, Julia seeing his ex-girlfriend waltz back into his life with his baby. He’d seen the flickers of jealousy on her face, and she’d all but admitted it a few times. It pained him that she felt threatened by Cam even after he’d told her she had nothing to worry about. But how could he convince her of that? His word alone didn’t seem to be doing the trick, and who could blame her? They hadn’t even been together that long, and he didn’t exactly have a stellar reputation when it came to relationships. She was smart to be wary.

  But he hated seeing the uncertainty on her face whenever Cam was around. He’d give anything to erase her doubt. But how?

  Chapter Twelve

  The day had started out perfectly. It was one of those gorgeous spring days in May where the sun is bright but the temperature is a comfortable seventy degrees. It was perfect weather for eating dinner outside on the patio of her favorite restaurant with Connor and their friends. It had been his idea, and Julia had jumped on it.

  So, there they all were, she and Connor, Harper and Finn, and Julia’s cousin Will and his fiancée, Megan. They’d also invited Liam, the youngest O’Brien brother, and Harper’s sister, McKayla, but neither of them had shown up yet.

  There were two pitchers of beer on the table and several appetizers, and as the breeze gently ruffled her hair, Julia scooted her chair a little closer to Connor.

  She’d worn a dress for the occasion, and Connor rested his hand on her bare knee beneath the table while they conversed with their friends.

  “So, have you two set a date yet?” Harper asked Will.

  Initially, Julia had tried setting Harper up with Will, but they’d turned out to be better off as friends, and now he was engaged to Megan. Julia noticed that Finn had casually draped his arm over Harper’s shoulder, and she smiled. Everyone is with the right person, she thought while observing the two couples.

  “Not yet,” Will said.

  “But we’re getting closer,” Megan said.