“Bellaby, are you going to be okay?” Luca said, with a surprisingly serious expression on his face.
I let out a small coo and picked him up, kissing him on his cheek.
“I’ll be fine,” I reassured him, setting him on top of the counter.
He giggled and hopped down, just as someone knocked on the door.
“I’ll get it!” he cried out, running towards the door.
I quickly followed him, only to come to a complete standstill when I saw who the visitor was.
“Connor?” My heart began racing in my chest, and I felt a light blush rise to my cheeks.
“Connor!” Luca cried out, jumping up on him.
I couldn’t help but laugh as Connor lifted him up in the air and swung him around before carefully setting him down.
“How are you?” Connor asked, crouching down.
“I’m good. But Bellaby is hurt!” he exclaimed, pointing at me.
Connor looked at me, causing me to catch my breath.
“I know, big boy. That’s why I’m here,”
My heart skipped a beat as Connor straightened up, his eyes glued to mine all the while.
“Really?” I asked, my voice came out shaky and breathless.
He grinned and nodded his head, walking over to me and pulling me into a hug. I felt my body melt into his, my head resting on his chest.
“Are you ready to go?”
I pulled away, my eyebrows knitting together. “We’re going somewhere?” I asked, surprised.
“Yes.” His husky whisper caused me to shiver with delight.
“But what about Luca?” I asked.
My dad was at work while my mum had taken Sophie to her ballet practice, leaving me in charge of Luca, not that he was much trouble though.
“What in the world…?”
I turned around to see a very curious-looking Jess. Her hair was completely disheveled, and she had a crazed look in her eyes.
“Can you watch over Luca today?” Connor asked, getting straight to the point.
Her eyes snapped up and she made a face—this, to be exact: .
“Why should I?”
“Because I’m taking Bella out for the rest of the day.”
I saw Jess’ eyes light up, and a small knowing smile appeared on her lips.
“Fine…” she drawled out and added, “but you’re going to owe me.”
Connor smiled before walking to the doorway. “Come on in, James,” he called out.
Jess’ eyes nearly popped out of her head, and I burst out laughing as she struggled to mat down her hair.
“You look nice,” James said, clearly amused as he gave me a small hug while he looked at Jess.
She frowned and rolled her eyes. “Why are you here?” she asked, trying to sound sassy.
“Because I needed someone to keep you company while I took Bella out,” Connor responded for him.
“How did you know I was going to be here?” Jess asked.
“Because I knew you weren’t going leave Bella’s side at all this weekend,” James answered matter-of-factly.
Jess grinned in approval.
“What makes you think that I’d want you to keep me company?” she asked, a hand on her hip.
I held in my laughter as James slowly walked towards her.
“Are you saying that you don’t want me?” James teasingly asked while walking towards her.
When James stood in front of Jess, they stared at each other for a few seconds before, quite unexpectedly, started kissing—which caused Connor and me to shriek in disgust.
“Waaahhh! Stop!” I cried out, shielding my eyes.
Jess pulled away, laughing. “Oh, be quiet! Like you and Connor haven’t tried sucking each other’s souls out,” she scolded.
My jaw dropped and I blushed a deep red, looking down at the ground while Connor laughed his ass off.
“Have fun, you two!” James called out, shooing us away.
“Be nice to Luca!” I said loudly as Connor practically dragged me out of the house. Then we walked to the car together, and I blushed as he opened the door for me.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. But just as I was about to slide into my seat, his arm appeared in front of me, and he gave me a quick kiss on the lips.
“Anything for you.”
By then, I must have looked like a tomato. To hide my embarrassment, I concentrated on watching Connor as he slid into his seat and fastened his seatbelt. When the car’s engine turned on, I settled back in my seat and tried to relax.
“Oh, and Bells?” Connor broke the awkward silence.
“Yes?” I said as I looked at him, smiling.
“Nice pajamas.”
My smile dropped along with my jaw, and my eyes widened.
“Wait, Con——“
“Adventure is out there!” he cried out, flooring it.
“I hate you,” I said for the fifteenth time, refusing to look at him. I stubbornly faced the window as we drove along a small road, open fields on both sides.
“You love me,” he said.
I could just tell he was smiling, though, and that really pissed me off. “Die,” I snapped.
Then, Connor stopped the car and turned to face me.
“You don’t mean that,” he said, his eyes beaming.
“Yes I do,” I said childishly, sticking my tongue out at him and flicking him in the neck.
“You shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered.
And the next thing I knew, I’m running through a field of dead grass, screaming bloody murder, with Connor right behind me. Another bloodcurdling scream escaped me as an arm wrapped around my waist, lifting me up into the air.
“Connor, let me go!” I yelled, thrashing about.
“Not until you’ve been punished,” he whispered darkly, lowering me back onto the ground with his arms still around me.
“Ow, Connor, my ribs,” I said, wincing for effect.
His eyes widened and he loosened his grip on me, which gave me the chance to… double-slap him.
Oh, yes!
I burst out laughing at his bewildered expression and at the handprints that appeared faintly on both of his cheeks.
“Oh, you’re so going to get it now,” he said, his eyes sparkling mischievously.
I squealed and pulled away, running back to the car. Just as I opened the door, it was slammed shut, and I was turned around. Connor had me pressed up against the car, his body pinning mine down.
“Punishment time,” he whispered. His mouth was on mine before I could even process what was going on, and instantly, our lips began moving in synch. I whimpered slightly when he pulled away, causing him to grin. He began leaving trails of hot butterfly kisses across my jaw and down my neck. I was in such bliss that I didn’t even realize that he was sucking on my neck, right on my sensitive spot. A loud moan escaped my mouth, and my hands tangled in his hair.
And then… I realized what he was doing.
“Ahhh!” I screamed, pushing him away. My hand went to the warm, sticky part on my neck, and I glared at Connor. “You jerk!”
He just smiled and loomed over me. “But you love me,” he said in a teasing tone.
“True,” I confessed.
Connor took me out for an early dinner at a fancy restaurant.
Any girl would have loved that—an extremely attractive guy taking her out to a fancy restaurant. The perfect date.
Uhmm, no!
There I was, looking like a crazy girl in pajamas with a very obvious hickey on her neck, and not to mention a stupid stitched up cut on her face, with some Greek god who always seemed to look perfect.
“Oh, don’t be so grumpy!” he teased, putting his arms gently around me as we walked back to the car.
I made a weird grumbling noise and sat in my seat, ignoring his offer to open the door for me.
“You’re a boob,” I muttered, leaning my head against the window. I tried to hold back my smile as Connor started laughing uncontrollab
ly, starting the car while he was at it.
Relenting because his laughter was so infectious, I said with a grin, “Alright, I forgive you.” Then when I looked at my watch, I stifled a yawn and asked, “Are we going home now?”
“Nope. Just one more surprise.”
I tried not to swoon at the thought of Connor planning this all out for me.
“Really, there’s more? You’re the best!” I told him with a beaming smile.
“I know,” he replied with a smirk and a wink.
After about half an hour of driving, which consisted of me singing my heart out to High School Musical songs—since Connor wouldn’t let me change the radio station, we arrived at a beautifully deserted beach.
“Oh, my God… Connor,” I whispered, getting out of the car. The light sound of waves crashing to the shore filled my ears and without hesitation, I pulled off my bunny slippers and began walking to the water. I let my toes touch the cold water as I closed my eyes. Then, I let myself lean back into Connor’s warm, muscled body while his arms were around me.
“Thank you,” I said softly, my eyes remaining shut.
“You’re welcome.”
I was planning to tell him all about what happened in the hospital, and how distraught I felt. But I chose to remain silent at that moment, wanting to savor every second of my blissful paradise. I will tell him later, I decided.
Chapter 19
I woke up to find myself buried in my plush blankets, on my bed. I felt like I was in one of those ads, where the girl wakes up and goes…
“I can see clearly now the rain has…”
“Shut up!”
I shrieked and flew out of the bed, landing on my ass in the process. Yup, it’s definitely broken.
“My ass!” I shrieked. Moving my body as far away from the bed as possible, I heard a familiar laugh, and I looked up to see none other than Connor Michaels.
“Wha——”
“You fell asleep in my car so I carried you in. Nice singing by the way,” he said with a slight shrug and a lopsided grin as he yawned and stretched.
My jaw dropped as I watched his exposed muscles ripple—how perfect he looked.
“You like what you see?” he asked, his knowing smile grew bigger.
I closed my mouth quickly and narrowed my eyes. “Eh, I’ve seen better.”
The second those words left my mouth, I knew I was in for it. I let out a yelp as Connor swung me up into the air, softly placing me on my bed before the torture began.
Oh yes, you know what I’m talking about. It’s worse than death—being tickled.
“Ahahaha! Stop it!” I screamed, squirming around. Even though I was on the brink of “dying,” I couldn’t help but notice how he avoided my injured ribs, and wasn’t even tickling me that hard.
“Say, Connor Michaels is the sexiest and most ‘fuckable’ guy I know, and I want him so badly.”
“Nev——” My war cry was cut short when he began tickling me again. I was laughing so hard that I was beginning to find it hard to breathe, and tears were streaming down my face.
“St-stop!” I managed to cry out.
Connor must have noticed my obvious distress, and started tickling me a bit harder.
Then it happened. Connor’s hands froze, his eyes widened, and his mouth parted as if he was in an extreme case of shock and could barely let the words out. “Did you just pee?”
I managed to catch my breath before giving him an awkward smile. “You made me!” I said in defense.
With that, Connor was off of me, standing on the other side of the room. “You peed on me!” he cried out, looking at me in surprise.
“Hey, you were on top of me, stupid! So you’re not actually the one with pee on you!” I snapped.
It felt like hours went by with us just staring at each other before I spoke again.
“I’m just going to shower now,” I muttered, quickly exiting the room. But right before I could enter the bathroom, the door swung open, nearly hitting me.
“Oh no, you don’t!” Connor growled.
“Excuse me?” I asked, confused.
“You peed on me. I get to shower first,” Connor insisted, crossing his arms.
I willed myself to not get hypnotized by his bulging biceps, and concentrate on his face—which, unfortunately for me, was even more hypnotizing.
“You’re the reason I peed!” I snapped, poking him hard on the chest.
A sly smile crossed his face as I winced, pulling back my finger.
“Damn you and your muscles,” I muttered, examining my finger.
“What was that?”
I could hear the smugness in his voice, and it fueled the fire within me.
“Oh, I just said, I get to shower first!” I said loudly, pushing him away from the door.
And that was the beginning of our fight for survival.
Not really. Technically, it was a fight for who could shower first, which is pretty much the same as fighting for survival in my book, at that moment.
“You’re the worst girlfriend ever!”
I heard him shout through the door. I continued to hum loudly as I rinsed out the conditioner in my hair. Turning off the relaxing warm water, I could now hear the rapid knocking coming from an annoyed Connor behind the door.
“But you love me!” I sang out, pulling on my clothes, which consisted of one sexy pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. I dropped my towel in the basket and walked over to the door.
Silence.
When did Connor stop knocking? I listened for a couple more minutes, but no noise came from the other side.
“Connor?” I called out.
Nothing.
I slowly began opening the door, “Connor, where did you g——”
I didn’t even have time to react before a hand covered my mouth, another wrapped around my waist. Then the body pushed me back into the shower, pinning me up on the wet tile wall.
“You should have given me the first shower,” he said with a dangerous-looking grin.
My eyes widened when I realized what he was going to do. “Connor don’t…” My words were muffled by his hand, and so was my scream as the water was turned on.
He burst out laughing as he pulled his hand away, his eyes twinkling.
“I hate you,” I grumbled, my clothes soaked. I bit my lip softly as I watched trails of water run down his tan, muscled chest, some even slipping into his boxers. My eyes widened as I realized where those lucky bastards were going…
Bad Bella!
“Are you done fantasizing about me now?” Connor’s voice cut through my line of thought.
“No,” I said truthfully, my eyes nearly popping out of my head at that. “I… I mean, uh…”
“Yeah?” Connor asked, dipping his head down, his eyes fixed on mine.
My breath caught in my throat as his lips hovered over mine. Feeling the want and lust take over, I looped my arms around his neck, smashing our lips together. A low moan came from the back of his throat as I pressed my body to his.
“Bella?”
I jumped away from Connor, my eyes wide. My mum looked at the both of us, before her eyes settled on me.
“Can I see you downstairs?” she asked, looking me over. “After you change.”
I bit my lip and quickly exited the shower as she walked downstairs, my face blushing to a deep red.
“Bella, do you want me…?”
“No, it’s okay,” I said quickly, glancing back. “Her bark is worse than her bite.” I tossed him a towel before closing the door and rushing into my room.
After I changed, my heart was racing and my hands felt clammy. I was standing at the foot of the stairs, debating whether I should just turn and run back upstairs, or grow a pair and face my mum.
“Bella, we know you’re right there.”
Oh great! Looks like my dad’s here, too.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped out and into the living room, where my parents were waiting.
“
You wanted to see me?” I asked, my mouth drying up.
My mum motioned for me to sit down on the couch across from her and my father.
“How do you feel?” my mum asked, glancing at my dad.
I furrowed my brows in confusion before sitting up on the couch. “G-good,” I stuttered.
They exchanged another look before my mum spoke again. “Honey, it’s okay to admit how you’re feeling,” she said.
I looked between them awkwardly before speaking. “I mean, I guess I’m a little sore…”
My dad’s horrified expression caused me to stop and stare at him.
“Be——” my dad started to talk but my mum placed her hand on his leg, making him stop before he could say anything else.
“What’s going on?” I asked.
Another shared looked. This was starting to get really annoying.
“You showered?” my mum asked, changing the subject.
“Yeah… I peed,” I surprised myself with the last part, holding in a laugh as I remembered the look on Connor’s face when he realized what had happened.
“You peed?” my dad asked, his eyes shooting out of his head.
I instantly blushed and looked down at my hands. “It wasn’t my fault! He made me!” I said nervously.
“He made you?” Dad said with narrowed eyes.
What’s up with all the skeptical looks?
“Yes, he made me. He was tickling me…”
“He was tickling you? During sex?” my mum asked, a strange look in her eyes.
I opened my mouth to protest, but only to have it drop open in complete shock. “S-se— wha—?” I spluttered out, heat rising to my face. My heart was bouncing in my chest while my hands became all clammy. I watched as my parents looked at each other, confusion and surprise across their faces.
“You… You didn’t…” my dad said, trying to put on a straight face.
“No!” I exclaimed, throwing up my hands in exasperation.
Their eyes widened and my mum let out a soft giggle.
“Oh. Well, I’d best be getting to work now,” my dad muttered. He paused in front of me, awkwardly trying to decide whether to hug me or not. He ended up just shaking his head and walking off, still muttering under his breath.
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