Connor went to his shirt, grabbing her things in the process. He laid them out on a nearby bench as she bypassed him, going for the commode. A minute or so later, he knocked on the stall door, as more of a formality than anything, since he then pushed it open and handed her several wet paper towels.
“They’re warm.”
She couldn’t even be mad that he’d caught her in such a compromising position. He’d sweetly warmed her a cloth to help clean her up. That was so thoughtful.
“I’ll go settle the bill and meet you out front. Everything’s picked up. Your purse is with your clothes,” he said, hooking a thumb over his shoulder as he backed out of the stall almost as quickly as he’d entered. She stared down at the cooling cloth in her hand and smiled. She had always known Connor was special. Thirty seconds later the overhead lights flashed on, blinding her.
“Hey! Not cool,” she called out, squinting now.
Connor’s hearty chuckle made her laugh until the locker room door shut closed behind him. The man was unexpected, the sex spectacular, and they were having more very soon. The perfect end to her dry spell in the most remarkable way.
Chapter 3
He didn’t really allow himself too much time to think. Connor added a quick oversized tip to the enormous charge before he scribbled his name at the bottom of his credit card sales receipt and pushed the bar’s copy toward the bartender. He sidestepped a couple huddled closely together as he went the back way toward the front doors. The bar—now standing room only—had gotten packed since the last time he’d come inside. Everyone looked dressed to the nines. His shorts and polo reminded him of the vast difference between him and the guys surrounding him dressed in suits that looked made for their bodies. He didn’t fit in there and did everything in his power to fade into the background.
“Take care of our girl.” Connor looked up to see the waiter moving around the crowd, coming toward him. He had a fist bump ready to execute and Connor obliged. The simple move eased some of his insecurity. At least he fit well with the waitstaff. That said something.
It took longer than he’d thought to filter through the crowd. He would have never stayed this afternoon with this many people around, but by bailing early, he wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet Julie and that would have been a crime.
He’d only stopped by Cache on the off chance Ty might be hanging out there. When he’d arrived, of course he’d noticed her sitting in the far corner of the restaurant. He couldn’t imagine anyone able to ignore such a beautiful woman. Women from this world weren’t usually his thing. They were ambitious and pretentious. Which technically made them as uninterested in him as he was with them.
Not the case with Julie. Surprisingly, she seemed open and honest and took him as he was. She had talked easily, created conversation, and filled in all the holes when he’d stayed quiet, unsure what to say or how to respond.
Julie broke the mold of sophistication that seemed to surround both her and this place. She barked out laughs, drank like any a sailor he’d ever known, and since Connor had intimate firsthand knowledge of how well his buddies could hold their liquor, that said a lot. As good as that might be, it was secondary to the most incredible thing about her. She was the first person in his life who had managed to help him shed the oppressive walls of all the baggage he held on to. For a few minutes there, when buried deep inside her, it was just the two of them. Nothing else mattered.
Man, what a rush.
Connor pushed through the front doors of Cache and went immediately to the valet stand. With his hotel nearby, he’d left his truck in the hotel garage and walked the couple of blocks to the private club. He didn’t want Julie to have to walk that distance, and even though they’d both sobered, he wasn’t certain that would equate to passing a breathalyzer if the authorities pulled them over in her car on the way to the hotel.
“I need a cab,” he said when he got a valet’s attention.
“Hang on. I’ll get one over here.”
Connor took a step back and watched the valet whistle toward the line of waiting cabs. He reached for his wallet, pulled out a tip for the valet and went for the small van when it pulled forward.
“I’m waiting on someone. She’ll be out in a minute,” Connor said, handing the five-dollar bill to the valet. He stood in the open backdoor and turned toward the club’s front doors, listening as the valet gave the instruction to the cabdriver. Instead of coming out the front doors, Julie came from a side entrance with her hoodie covering her head and his windbreaker on. She pulled her purse more securely over her shoulder and walked quickly toward the parking lot, but when she saw him, she changed her course and began to jog his way.
“I thought we’d take a cab,” he said when she got within a few feet. Her smile spread as she huffed out a breath. There seemed zero game playing with her. She walked straight up to him, and laid her palms on his chest while lifting for a press of lips.
“Let me tell my ride that I’m leaving with you.” She swiveled on her feet, took a breath, and jogged the other direction. She hurried to a line of parked, chauffeur-driven cars with brake lights on. She bent over in an open window, then talked to one of the drivers before jogging back toward him.
He refused to let himself dwell on what a personal driver might mean.
Julie slid inside the cab and across the seat, out of the overhead light. She drew her arms into her body while rubbing her hands together, her breath heaving when she looked back over at him. “It’s colder outside than before.”
He was slower to get inside and shut the door. When the overhead light darkened, Julie sidled up next to him, scooting so close she lifted his arm to drape around her shoulders.
“You are cold.”
“I told you,” she said, her smiling face beaming his way. He brought her in closer, lowering his head for a soft kiss on the lips. He’d intended to keep it light, but Julie turned, ran a palm over his chest, and opened her mouth. She was just too tempting; he couldn’t help but take what she offered. Man, he could get lost in this woman. Only the loud clearing of a throat penetrated his senses, and Connor tore himself away from Julie as he looked around the cab, then through the side window. They were at the hotel. How had two blocks already gone by?
“How much?” he asked, his voice hoarse with need. He’d made the critical mistake of looking down at her pretty, upturned face again and got a little lost in her beauty. It took effort, but he reached into his back pocket for his wallet, never taking his eyes off Julie, with her body still plastered enticingly against his.
“Twenty-three,” the cabdriver said.
“Twenty-three dollars? We went two blocks.” He had no problem dragging his gaze from her and focused on the little man in the front seat who was clearly cheating him.
“I have cash,” Julie said and reached for her purse.
“No, that’s not the point. I have the money, but it’s a block, maybe two,” he said, digging out the cash to keep her from trying to pay.
“It’s not the drive. We’ve been sitting here several minutes.” The driver tapped the timer on his dash. It had almost ten minutes logged.
What? Ten minutes?
Julie’s hand reached across the seat as she extended two twenties in the driver’s direction.
“I have the cash,” she said sweetly, her full lips curving into a patient smile. She then did the most remarkable thing. Chuckling, she lifted and kissed his cheek before saying, “You have that fierce look again.”
He reserved the look for the times he tried to intimidate. It usually sent a very clear message, but not to Julie. She lifted her fingertip and slid it across his wrinkled brow.
“I got it. Don’t take her money,” he said to the driver somewhat gruffly, his whole attention focused on her. Only because she seemed to make everything in life a little better, Connor added a five-dollar bill to the money he’d pulled out of his wallet. “Keep the change.”
Julie put her money away with only a slight sh
ake of the head and finally moved off him. She wrapped herself in the jacket, pulled the hood over her head, and moved across the seat toward the other door while he waited for his receipt. She didn’t wait for him as she opened the door and stood on the sidewalk, pushing her hair away from her face. Slower, he followed and shut the cab’s door as she dug for something in her purse.
“You guys doing all right?” a busy valet called out. Connor gave an absent thumbs up before turning back to see her wearing a thick pair of reading glasses that dramatically changed the way she looked.
“You wear glasses?” he asked.
“Sometimes.” She hadn’t moved and didn’t look like she planned to. He stood there in the much colder wind, trying to block it from her, tucking his hands in his pockets while she zipped up his jacket as far as it would go. “Okay, let’s go.”
She took off in long quick strides toward a side entrance—a single door to the right of the entry. She reached for the door handle and he barely managed to get there before she stopped abruptly and turned back toward him, crowding them together at the entrance. “Can we walk straight to the back elevators?”
“As opposed to…?”
“Good answer! Let’s go!” She still didn’t seem to get the clue he was trying to get the door for her. She grabbed the side, yanked it open, then wrapped her arm around his, pulling him across the front lobby.
“Have you eaten?” he asked, his stomach giving a rumble at the delicious smells coming from the nearby steak house.
“No detours. Straight to the elevators,” she commanded, never slowing her roll. This wasn’t that foreign of a concept. Ty made him do these things when they were out in public together. That little tickle of concern, the same one he’d had when he’d watched her talking to the personal driver, came back in full force, causing him to look at her a little closer. Her tipsy levels had definitely diminished, and she clearly knew her way around the hotel with the direct route she’d taken to a set of elevators located in the back of the hotel, away from the sight of the general public.
“Are you famous?” Connor asked once inside the car.
“What floor?” she asked, not acknowledging him or his question in the slightest. Julie stayed poised with a finger out to push the floor’s button.
“Seventeen. Are you famous?” he asked again and stepped to the back wall, trying to create some distance. When she started to step toward him, Connor moved to the other side. That finally caught her attention, and she stared at him. The overhead beeps signaled they’d passed at least three floors before she answered.
“I’ve been acting for many years. I just watched the media tear apart and crucify a new but very good friend of mine. You never know who’s out there lurking, and I’ve tried hard to keep my reputation clean,” she explained.
Connor stared hard at her. He’d let his guard down with Julie. He couldn’t see her clearly, but she truly seemed to be telling him the truth.
“Connor, I don’t want anything to get in our way tonight. That’s all I was doing down there. I promise.” Julie came for him again, backing him against the elevator wall and walking into him before wrapping her arms around his waist. “You were pretty magnificent tonight. Great company and great sex. I just want to finish what we started. That’s it. You know that, right?”
He registered her reassuring grin. She was trying to divert his attention…which he guessed was technically okay. Maybe his hesitation had nothing to do with her and everything to do with his recent diagnosis and those severe mood swings the doctors had warned him about.
Bottom line—he’d already had this beautiful woman once. She appeared willing to give him a second shot, and if he got lucky, then maybe she’d stay the night—he’d get some much needed cuddle time. If this was all calculated in order to get herself in front of Ty, then he’d set her straight when the time came. Until then, he just simply needed what she was offering.
“You’re pretty distracting,” he said, his hands going to her hips and tugging her closer against his body.
“I’ve never done this before,” she said sweetly, lifting up on her tiptoes to get closer to his lips. She could have gone the distance, reached his mouth, but she wanted him to meet her halfway. He had no problem with that and leaned forward to kiss her puckered lips.
“Good. Then you won’t forget me,” he said, staring down at her. The doors opened and they said nothing more until they got a few doors down from his room. She would have no idea the way to his room. Instead of asking, she walked with her arms wrapped around one of his and her head resting on his shoulder, trusting him to lead her.
The intimate hold had him moving slower in order to keep her right there by his side. “No rushing this time. You got somewhere to be?”
“Not until the morning,” she answered.
In front of his hotel room, he pulled out his wallet and dug through the cards for the key card, inserting it into the security pad.
“Good. Then let’s order some room service. Get a couple of bottles of wine. You like wine?” he asked, pushing open the door for her.
“I like wine. I like margaritas better…” she teased, looking over her shoulder as she walked past him.
“My kind of girl,” he muttered, loving the natural grace in her movements. Julie turned at the same time the door clicked closed behind him. She removed the glasses, letting them fall to the floor as she took the steps back inside his arms. This time he wasn’t successful at keeping the kiss light. Julie came at him aggressively, practically crawling up his body. Her tongue shoved inside his mouth, those sensual little whimpers coming again in full force. He loved that sound and wrapped an arm around her waist, picking her up to make sure she stayed right there. Her arms linked around his neck as he carried her a few steps forward.
He pushed at her hood, threading a hand through her hair, tilting her head as he delved deeper, taking everything she offered. A little lost in how far they made it inside the room, he reached out a hand, trying to find a wall. Connor moved to the right and pushed Julie against the bathroom door to fully feast on her mouth. For him, she was magic, washing away all his baggage with those few swipes of the tongue. He devoured her, and she gave him the control, turning herself over to him as her body arched into his.
Her hands lifted the hem of his shirt, her palms running up his chest. At the same moment, her legs wrapped around his waist. He ground his hardened length against her hot center. She met him with the same force, fanning the fire building inside him, making him crazy with his own need.
Connor forced himself to tear free of the kiss, his hands tangling in the silky strands of her hair when he spoke. “I said slow.”
Her fingers slid across his sensitive nipples, sending shards of desire through his body. He ground his hips forcefully against her and tried with everything inside him to hold to his goal of taking his time with her.
“We have all night.”
“Then take me to bed, Connor.”
He crushed his mouth to hers as his hands descended to her thighs. It didn’t require much of a hold; she was already wrapped snugly around him. He carried her to the bed, never breaking from the sensual assault. The soft mattress took their weight as he anchored a knee on the edge, an arm to her back, and lowered her with his mouth fused to hers. He crawled on the bed, angling her head as he continued to dominate, his kiss designed to brand himself inside her soul like she had completely done to him.
With both hands on the mattress, he tried to rise, but she came with him; those long legs and arms held on like a vise. She wasn’t going to let go or end this incredible kiss. Connor reached behind his neck, gripping her forearms to help tug her free. When she began to protest, it gave him the break he needed. He went for her neck, softly mouthing a trail to her ear as he moved her hand directly to his crotch, pressing her palm to mold around the hard arousal desperately demanding her attention.
“I need you,” he whispered in her ear.
Her hand closed aroun
d his cock, adding just the right amount of pressure when she began her gentle massage. On a hissed breath, he sucked her earlobe in his mouth as her chest began to heave against his. She added a second hand, sliding low to palm his balls through his shorts. He stopped all movement, letting himself enjoy her touch. He had to concentrate on not blowing his load as her fingers moved over him.
Luckily, her ankles released their grip from around his waist, allowing him to push backward to his knees and sit between her parted thighs. Regretfully, he lost her hand on his dick, but he was determined to make this last. This time, he wanted to undress her. She needed to lay out before him in nothing but her smile.
“Come back,” she said, lifting her arms to him. Connor shook his head as he reached for her feet, removing each sandal before going for the button on her capris. She finally got on board with his plan, taking her arms out of his windbreaker and then her hoodie, before tugging her shirt over her head while he lowered her zipper.
“You aren’t wearing panties.” God, that was sexy to him, and right then, he had an internal struggle. His fingers ached to touch her, to see if she were as wet as she’d been at the club. Swiftly changing plans, Connor couldn’t resist reaching inside the opening, only to be denied when she lifted suddenly to reach for his clothes.
“They’re in your coat pocket,” she said, yanking at his shirt, forcing his arms up in the move. He worked quickly, hurrying to get it off his body as her hands went for the button on his walking shorts.
“It’s me undressing you,” he teased, tossing his shirt away, then knocking her hands from his shorts. She was at the perfect angle. Connor reached around, quickly unclasping her bra, before pushing her down on the bed by her shoulders. Disappointingly, her hands caught the material and covered her breasts. She didn’t seem to understand how badly he wanted to see her. Connor started to tug her hands away. His need was so strong that he almost missed the insecurity staring back at him; he stopped his movements. “Let me see.”
Mission Happy (A Texas Desires Novel Book 3) Page 5