Whoa. Hold on. Do I love her? Did I just think that?
“Connor? Everything okay?”
Nodding, he replied, “Yes. Everything’s fine.” Never mind that his hands were sweating and his heart was racing. She didn’t need to know that. Wiping his palms on his shorts, he said, “C’mon. Let’s go eat.”
Chapter Eighteen
Soon they were driving to Petoskey in Connor’s Jeep. It was another beautiful day, and he’d taken the top down, so the breeze ruffled their hair. Julia’s mood had improved drastically. She was in a place that she loved with a man that she l—liked a lot (Was I just thinking love?), and she was going out to breakfast. All those factors combined made it impossible to stay mad. But there was something else she was dying to know.
“Who told you where I was?” she asked.
“Harper.”
“I knew it! She’s terrible at keeping secrets.”
“Believe me, it was hard to get it out of her. I had to make all kinds of promises before she’d tell me.”
“Wait a minute. She knew that I was going to my parents’ lake house, but I never gave her the address.”
Connor was wearing his aviators, and she couldn’t see his eyes when he replied, “I know. I had to go to your mom for that.”
“What?! She caved too?”
“Yep.”
“But I told her that I wanted to be alone. I can’t believe she sent you up here.”
“She tried to talk me out of it, but I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be. That and I think she took pity on me.”
Julia laughed. “Now, that, I can believe.”
“I like your mom.”
“You might like my dad too if you give him a chance.”
“I think he’s still hung up on you being with Alec.”
“That isn’t going to happen.”
“Have you told your dad that?”
She’d said the very same thing to Connor about Cam. “I guess I need to sit down and have a talk with him.”
Connor shrugged. “Family stuff is tricky. Do whatever you need to do, but in the end, as long as we’re together, I’ll be happy.”
He’d said it so matter-of-factly, yet his words took her breath away. A few minutes later, he pulled into the parking lot of Big Boy Restaurant on Spring Street. As she was getting out of the Jeep, he came around and took her hand before leading her inside.
“How’d you know I like Big Boy?” she asked, enjoying the feel of their hands clasped together.
“Because I know you. You’re probably going to order pancakes, a side of bacon, and a Diet Coke. Am I right?”
Before she could answer, they were approached by a hostess. “Table for two, please,” Connor said.
After they were seated, Julia said, “Am I that predictable?”
“Not in all things, but with food, yes.”
When the waitress returned, Connor ordered for them, and then he smiled at Julia across the table. “Don’t be mad at Harper or your mom, okay? If you’re going to be mad at anyone, be mad at me for badgering them until they gave in.”
But with each passing second, her anger was dissipating. He’d come all the way there just to talk to her when he could have waited two more days. And he’d gone to her parents’ house, which couldn’t have been easy. Not when he knew that they weren’t his biggest fans, although her mom seemed to be coming around.
“I’m not mad at them. I was just surprised, that’s all. I expected to have a few days all to myself.”
“Do you want me to leave?” he asked, his expression betraying his words.
She shook her head. “No.”
“Good to hear.”
Satisfied with her decision, they dug into their breakfast, and needing the reprieve, they talked about lighter topics.
“So, Liam’s making a fool of himself over McKayla,” Connor said between bites of scrambled egg.
“Oh yeah? What’s he doing?”
“He keeps asking her out, and she keeps turning him down, but he’s not taking the hint.”
“Sounds familiar.”
Connor laughed. “Yeah. I guess we O’Brien brothers are a stubborn bunch.”
“Not to mention hot!” Oops, she hadn’t meant to say that, even though it was true.
“But I’m the hottest one, right?” he teased.
“Of course, and you’re not at all cocky. Just…”
“Confident,” they said in unison.
This felt good. Laughing, smiling, and teasing each other instead of being at each other’s throats. Even if it was a temporary reprieve from reality, it was much needed, and Julia decided to soak it up while they could. Who knew what was waiting for them back at home?
“Now that you’re here, what should we do today?” she asked, spearing the last bite of pancake.
“I noticed that your parents have a pontoon boat. How about if we take it out?”
“Great idea. Maybe we should stop at a grocery store and get some food to take with us,” she suggested.
Eyebrows raised, he said, “We just ate.”
“I know, but we’re going to want lunch later, and the refrigerator is empty.”
“You’re the boss.”
So, after they paid the bill, they left the restaurant and went to a nearby grocery store. It was the first time she’d done something as mundane as grocery shopping with him, but she discovered that she liked it. One thing was certain, life with Connor would never be boring.
After they’d picked out pre-made sandwiches, potato chips (yes, she had an addiction), and drinks, they were back in the Jeep and heading home. Home. Funny, it wasn’t her home or Connor’s home, but it felt like home now that they were there together. The only thing missing was Ava.
“I met a little girl in the park last night, and her name was Ava,” Julia said.
“Oh yeah?”
“She was about two years old, but she made me think of your Ava and what she might be like at that age.”
“If she’s anything like me, she’ll probably be a handful.”
“And gorgeous.”
“Well, thank you,” he said, grinning from ear to ear.
“You can’t take all the credit for that,” Julia reminded him.
“No, but she does look a lot like me, don’t you think?”
“Yes, she does.” And thank God for that. If she’d looked like a mini-Cam, that would have been even harder to take.
“Do you miss her?” Julia asked.
“You know what’s crazy? A while ago, I didn’t even know she existed, and now I can’t imagine my life without her.”
“I know exactly what you mean,” she said. Just like I can’t imagine my life without you.
Once they returned to the house and unloaded the groceries, Connor said, “One slight problem. I didn’t bring swim trunks.”
“Hmmm. I guess you’ll just have to swim in your tighty-whities.”
Eyes wide, he said, “No way in hell!”
“I’m teasing. Let me check in my parents’ bedroom. My dad probably has some trunks in one of the dresser drawers.”
She’d already started down the hall toward the master bedroom when she realized Connor wasn’t behind her. Turning around, she saw him standing at the opposite end of the hall with his hands on his hips.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s no way I’m putting my boys in your dad’s trunks,” he said firmly.
She couldn’t help it. She burst out laughing and had to lean against the wall to stop from falling over.
“You think I’m kidding, don’t you?”
She couldn’t even form a reply she was laughing so hard.
“Would you do it? Would you put your goods into someone else’s swimsuit?”
Holding onto her stomach with both hands, she said, “Stop. I’m going to pee my pants!”
“See. Right there. That’s exactly why I’m not going to wear your dad’s trunks!”
Sliding down to the f
loor, Julia tried to contain her laughter, but when she glanced up at his serious expression, it made her fall into hysterics again.
“Okay. That’s it. Join me outside when you’re done,” he muttered and started to walk away.
“Connor, wait. You’ll be more comfortable if you wear trunks, and if it makes you feel better, you can keep your underwear on underneath.”
“Fine, but nobody hears about this, especially not my brothers.”
“Got it,” she said, trying not to laugh again. “Follow me.”
She’d forgotten how impressive the master suite was until they stepped inside. A vaulted ceiling and a wall of windows facing the lake made the room look even larger than it was. Connor walked around, admiring the space, while she started opening dresser drawers.
“I’d love to own a place like this someday,” he remarked as he peered out the window.
“Maybe you will.”
“Nah. I doubt I’ll be able to afford it.”
He’d made other comments about her parents’ money, so she knew it bothered him, but she wasn’t sure why. Before, he’d seemed perfectly content with his ranch house in the woods, and it suited him. As much as she liked the lake house, it was much larger and more pretentious than was necessary for a family of three. But this was how her parents had chosen to spend their money. It didn’t mean she wanted or expected the same thing for herself.
“Even if you could afford it, would you really want a place this big?” she asked.
“Probably not.”
“Me neither. Don’t get me wrong. I love it here, but I would be just as happy with something smaller.”
Apparently, her words had done the trick because a slow smile spread across his handsome face and warmed her to the core. Now she could turn her attention back to finding some swim trunks.
A minute later, she said, “Looks like you have two choices: black with fish on them or a Hawaiian floral print.” She held up the swimsuits and dangled them before him as if to entice him.
“Wow. Tough decision,” he replied, acting like he was giving it some serious thought.
“Just pick one!”
“I guess I’ll go with the fish.”
“Okay. I’ll wait outside while you change,” she said and tossed him the trunks.
But he didn’t catch them because he’d already started stripping out of his clothes.
“Connor…”
“What? It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
And just like that, his pants hit the floor, and he was stepping out of them. He’d already whipped off his shirt, so he was standing there in nothing but his black boxer briefs instead of the tighty-whities she’d accused him of wearing.
The underwear hugged him just right, and she couldn’t help but appreciate the view. The man was built, and he still had the power to steal her breath away. She let her eyes wander over his broad chest, his tight abs, and then further down to the sexy indentions at his hips. She lingered on his muscular thighs with their smattering of dark hair before raising her eyes to meet his.
He was smirking at her, the dirty rat. He knew full well what he was doing, and it wasn’t fair. Since he’d been at the lake house, they hadn’t done anything except hold hands, which wasn’t their usual M.O. Under normal circumstances, they wouldn’t have been able to keep their hands off each other, so this was a serious lesson in self-control—at least on her part.
“You keep looking at me like that, and we won’t make it out to the boat,” he warned, his voice gruff.
Darting her eyes downward, she saw evidence that his warning was valid. In the time she’d been staring, he’d sported a full-on erection that was threatening to poke a hole through his underwear.
“I’ll just go get changed,” Julia said, hooking her thumb over her shoulder.
“Good idea,” he said and laughed as she hurried out of the room.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to have sex with him. It was that she wanted to decide the when and the where. She didn’t want him to think that he could just show up, whisk her off to bed, and all would be forgiven or their problems would disappear.
Once she was safely in her bedroom with the door closed, she dug out her swimsuit and quickly changed into it. Julia was long past the point of obsessing over every detail of her curvy body. Yes, she had some extra meat on her bones, and yes, she liked to eat. But she also exercised (although not as diligently as some people), and generally, she felt good about herself.
She felt even more confident when she rejoined Connor downstairs, and he let out a long, low whistle. Even though she wore a cover-up over her swimsuit, it was made of mesh, so he could see right through it. The way he looked at her, she might as well have been naked. His eyes skimmed over her, heating her blood as they went. At this rate, she wasn’t going to be able to keep him at bay for long.
“You’re gorgeous,” he said, taking a step toward her.
She smiled her thanks. “We should probably get going. It looks like the clouds are starting to roll in. There could be rain coming.” She was babbling, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. Using the two beach towels she’d brought downstairs as a shield, she added, “Why don’t you grab the food?”
Even in her dad’s swim trunks with the fish all over them, Connor looked hot. Bare-chested, aviators propped up in his spiky hair, he took the bags of food off the kitchen counter and followed her outside and down the paved path to the boat dock.
The sun was high in the sky, and there was a slight breeze, the temperature approaching eighty degrees. However, it being Michigan, the weather could change in a heartbeat, and there were several clouds gathering off in the distance.
“Do you want to drive, or do you want me to?” Julia asked. She’d grabbed the boat key off the hook hanging by the back door on their way out.
“We could take turns,” he suggested.
“Okay. I’ll start,” Julia said, thinking it would give her something to do other than thinking about what she really wanted to do—him!
Connor hopped into the boat first and then gave her a hand in before settling into the seat beside the driver’s seat.
Getting behind the wheel, Julia turned the key, and the boat started right up. A few minutes later, they had reached the middle of the lake, and a sense of calm fell over her. The wind blew her hair back, and the waves lapped against the boat, creating a gentle rocking motion. She peeked over at Connor and saw that he looked as relaxed as she was. His head was tipped back against the seat, his long legs were stretched out before him, and his mouth was curled up in a satisfied smile.
He hadn’t looked this peaceful since Cam had come back into his life, and Julia was glad that she was there to share it with him.
After a few spins around the lake, Julia pulled into a cove and shut off the engine.
“Is it my turn to drive already?” he asked.
“I thought we could just hang out here for a while.”
“Sounds good to me,” he said.
Connor moved to the back of the boat and leaned over the side to trail his fingertips in the water while she removed her cover-up. When he stood back up and turned around, his eyes went wide.
She’d found some sunscreen in a compartment in the boat and was rubbing it into her skin when she felt his eyes upon her.
“Nothing you haven’t seen before,” she teased, borrowing his phrase from earlier.
“I’ve never seen you in a bathing suit before,” he countered, stalking toward her.
Oh boy. There was nowhere to hide from him now. She couldn’t even back up for fear of falling overboard.
“Connor…”
“Yeah?” He’d stopped right in front of her, and now he was caressing the sensitive skin between her neck and shoulder.
“We’re not doing this here,” she said, her voice not sounding as firm as she’d wanted it to.
“Your nipples say otherwise.”
Glancing down, she saw the evidence for herself. H
er nipples were standing at attention, their outline pronounced beneath the thin material of her bikini.
“They’re not thinking clearly,” she said and was met with his hearty laughter.
“Just one touch,” he said, begging her with his eyes.
“Somebody could see.” But her back was to the shoreline in a spot that was sheltered by tall trees, and he was blocking her front with his broad chest.
“Nobody’s looking.”
He was right. There were plenty of boats on the water, but none were near enough to see them clearly.
“Just one touch,” she said, finally giving in.
She assumed he would touch her on the outside of the swimsuit, which was why she gasped when he pulled the material aside and swiped his thumb over her right nipple.
It felt like there was an invisible line from her nipple to her core, and all her nerve endings stood up and rejoiced at his touch.
He added his index finger to the mix and was gently plucking her nipple while studying her reaction at the same time.
“You said one touch,” she said, her voice quivering.
“But I didn’t say for how long.”
“Connor.”
“You want more, don’t you? God knows I do. I can’t be this close to you and not want to touch you.”
He’d covered up her right breast, but now he was fondling her left one, which he’d uncovered without her even realizing it. The haze of lust was already settling over her, and she melted into his touch. Taking a step forward, she rubbed up against his erection, feeling the distinct outline of him through the swim trunks.
Suddenly, Connor pulled back.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking at him with concern.
“I forgot I was wearing your dad’s trunks. We have to go back before I…”
Giggling, she said, “Oh, right. You can drive.”
There was no need to spell it out. They both wanted the same thing, and the urgency propelled them back to the lake house as fast as the pontoon boat would go.
Chapter Nineteen
Once the boat was docked, they didn’t waste any time. Connor took the grocery bags, and they hurried back up the path to the house. They stopped off in the kitchen just long enough to put the sandwiches in the refrigerator, and then Connor picked her up in his arms and carried her through to the living room.
The Sweetest Mistake (O'Brien Brothers #2) Page 14