* * *
Connor stood at the white stove top making an omelet with cheese, mushrooms, cilantro, tomato, and cubed ham. Fresh bacon, sausage, and two muffins were almost ready. Two tall glasses of orange juice sat on the kitchen table that matched the maple cabinets around him. He’d already set it for two, a freshly cut rose from the bush out back in the center of the table. He’d been too busy trying to make their morning great to notice his disheveled hair and unshaven state, golden stubble forming a perfect beard. The result was that he was the lone item of imperfection in the carefully crafted morning he stood preparing.
He’d woken to find she’d rolled off him to lie beside him, looking heavenly in the morning sun, bright, fiery hair around her porcelain face like a halo of sexiness, one strand trailing across a cheek. He’d gazed silently, listening to her breathe, watching her breasts rise and fall under the shirt. His shirt. It had been far too long since he’d woken beside a woman, and never one like this. Before quietly slipping out, he’d kissed her forehead, eliciting a sleepy murmur.
He kept thinking of her now while he worked at the stove, threatening to ruin the eggs with inattention. In the back of his mind, the very real threat of Seth intruded. He’d decided earlier to only think about beating the man to death when Sophia wasn’t looking, after the way he’d slightly freaked her out this morning. This wasn’t happening to him, he’d reminded himself, but to her. Even so, they were now in this together and Seth had a very big, very real problem in Connor, plus his family. Sophia was in good hands and he vowed to make sure she both knew it and felt it. In theory, she was leaving this morning, but he intended to talk her out of that for several reasons.
While he stood distracted, Sophia approached the room silently, wanting to get a good look at him with his guard down, part of her wondering if the night before had been some sort of dream, that none of it had happened, that Connor didn’t really exist. She peeked around the door jamb. Though his back was turned, she still saw the day-old beard that made her want to caress his cheek. The golden hair on his arms and legs caught the morning sun. The blue gym shorts hugged his firm ass. A tight, white T-shirt made his back seem more muscled than when he’d been shirtless; it brought out every curve. The broad shoulders were perfect for throwing his conquest over and carrying her back to his bed to ravage.
“Good morning, golden boy,” Sophia said, still peering around the corner as if playfully hiding. He turned and smiled into her eyes with such energy that a jolt shot through her.
“Hi, Red,” he said, meaning her damp hair. A few people had called her that before but she’d never liked it nearly so much as now. “Hungry?”
“Ravenous,” she murmured, eyeing him.
He smiled. “Good. You’ll need to keep up your strength.”
“For what? Have plans for me?” She bit her lip even though he’d commented on how often she did that. Anything to stop herself from jumping in his arms and making a fool of herself.
“That’s for me to know and you to find out,” he answered, eyeing her lips.
Coming over to him, she lifted a sausage from a plate and bit into it. “Can’t wait.” She helped bring the plates to the table, where they sat down across from each other.
“You’re quite the host, Mr. Kendall,” she said, eyeing the best breakfast she’d been served in years. The only improvement he might’ve made was to strip naked and splay himself out on the table for her, his manhood and sac right there for the feasting. Her blush deepened when she slipped his sausage into her mouth, playfully closing her lips around it while he watched.
There was something she had to know. “So you had some pads, tampons, and other stuff laid out for me, which was very thoughtful, by the way. I have to ask how you happen to have them? Is there something you’re not telling me about your, um, health?” The possibility that they belonged to a past girlfriend tempered her smile.
Grinning, he replied, “My sisters sometimes stay over, partly because I can’t be here every night and someone has to take over if we have guests. They leave some things here so they don’t have to bring them. I know they won’t mind. I didn’t know if you might need anything.”
That almost relieved her, but if he wasn’t here at night, that might’ve meant he was in someone else’s bed. Timidly, she asked, “What takes you away overnight?”
“Vacations,” he replied, massaging his sore neck.
“With who?”
“Depends. Usually family, but we have too many businesses—the inn, stables, motorcycle shop, and winery—to all go at once.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of responsibility.” Suddenly Sophia felt like a little girl next to a grown man. He was so capable. What could a simple girl like herself offer him? And what in the world would he see in her aside from youth, beauty, and their chemistry? Was that all she offered? She didn’t think so, but there was no question he was a lot farther along than her. He was a few years older, and while she expected big things of herself one day, she knew she wasn’t that far removed from being a teenager with no real responsibilities. All she had now was a low car payment and mounting student loan debt. Could she find some way to impress him?
“We have a lot of staff to help.”
Sophia wondered if that meant someone would arrive here today and what he had planned. She probably had to be leaving soon, though the idea of going home unsettled her.
“Do you have a lot of business things to attend to today?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Some. My brother Tristan is having his wedding reception here soon and there’s a lot of setup for that. Not that I need to do it all personally, just oversee it.”
“I guess I should get out of your hair, then,” she said, frowning. “What time is, uh, checkout?”
He looked surprised, then dismayed. “Whenever you want.”
“At the least, I need to go home and get my wallet so I can pay you.”
“No, the room’s on the house,” he said, shaking his head. “Food, too. And gun-wielding in your defense. Everything.”
“No, I can’t let you—”
“Yes, you can. You’re not the inn’s guest. You’re mine.” He inadvertently added emphasis.
Though she knew what he’d meant, his words and tone, and the way he looked at her sent a rush of pleasure through her. She stared into his eyes, not really aware of doing so. She wasn’t sure, but she later thought she might’ve involuntarily whispered yes.
“I probably should get a change of clothes, at least,” she said.
“I don’t know. You looked pretty good in mine.”
“I felt good in them, too,” she said, smirking as he lifted OJ to his mouth, “but did you really want me walking around without panties all day?”
Connor almost snorted OJ out of his nose and began coughing as Sophia burst into laughter. He soon joined her, red-faced. “Was that rhetorical?”
“No!”
“Yes it was, because you know perfectly well what the answer is.”
This time she turned red and they spent a couple minutes hiding behind food and orange juice, sometimes bursting out in laughter all over again. Finally she hinted, “I guess I only need a change of clothes to bring back if I’m not really leaving.”
“You’re welcome to stay another night.”
“You don’t have guests coming?”
“No. In fact, since your mother’s out of town, I really think you should stay here until she gets back. Or at least, not stay at your house,” he added.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t feel safe there. I don’t have anywhere else to go, though.”
Looking mischievous, he said, “It’s settled then. You’re mine for a week.”
She grinned and looked down shyly. “Only a week? How disappointing. I really need to get some things from home, then.”
He nodded and then had a thought. “I’m going with you. I don’t think it’s safe for you to go alone. And we should call the police.”
He had a point, but so did
she on remarking, “There were three of them, remember?”
“I have enough bullets for each.” The edgy look in his eyes belied his casual tone.
“I’d rather no shots be fired, even if they’ve got it coming.”
“I’ll call my brothers, too. A show of force will help. Ward off anything stupid. No one messes with Quinn or Riley, especially when they’re together.”
Having seen Quinn yesterday and remembering seeing Riley around years ago, she didn’t doubt that. Seth was in for a surprise if he was stupid enough to show up at her house while Connor’s brothers were there. It might be the first time she’d look forward to seeing him. She gripped her glass with both hands, having a sudden desire to vault across the table and kiss Connor. Instead, she put the glass down, walked around behind him, and started massaging that sexy neck of his.
He didn’t mind that her fingers hurt, digging into the muscle knot, which slowly loosened even as one around his heart seemed to tighten. She played with his hair just a bit. Not enough to be too affectionate too soon, but enough to give him a taste, as if by accident, of how soft and loving she could be amidst the pain of his stiffness. He started to get hard elsewhere and cleared his throat a few times, hoping her vantage point didn’t betray his arousal.
But she noticed and smiled, heart pounding with an affection that increasingly poured out of her fingers into his neck and shoulders. Before long her touch was intimate, surpassing that “too much too soon” point without a care. Connor had her, she knew. Now she had to make sure she had him.
Chapter 6 – Ransacked
Sophia hummed quietly while washing breakfast dishes, occasionally looking out at the wedding tent behind Sugarloaf Inn. The wedding idea didn’t annoy her a bit as it had in recent years. At twenty, she wasn’t exactly an “old maid”, but frustrations with dating and boys had made her a little sarcastic about stuff like “forever” and marriage. That seemed like a long time ago now. My, how things changed in a day.
Up in the master suite, she knew Connor was buck naked, taking a shower. With each swipe of her hands across the dishes, she wished something else was in her soapy hands. Maybe she could find an excuse to wander up there, as if by accident, just as he was getting out. Or maybe she should just go strip down and join him. She wondered which version he’d enjoy most.
And part of her wanted to do whatever that was, just to please him. The idea of expending her efforts for him felt good. There’s a pleasure to pleasing someone else, especially one you care for, provided they appreciate those efforts. And especially when they reciprocate. This had prompted her offer to clean up for him while he showered, since he’d done so much for her already. Really, how was she going to catch up with him? Not that it was a contest. Still, she felt compelled to step up her game and tried thinking of ways to make him happy today, aside from the obvious way.
Several voices, speaking casually, broke into her thoughts and she realized she’d heard the inn’s door open and shut. Feet clomped into the foyer. She turned off the sink and wondered how to handle Connor’s guests. She assumed they’d stay in the foyer, giving her a minute to decide, but the footsteps came right toward her as if those people were certain they could go wherever they pleased. That it could be Seth and his goons made her breath catch, but one voice was female and the conversation’s tone was casual. Then a woman and two men carrying baseball bats entered the kitchen and looked at her in surprise.
“Quinn,” said Sophia in relief, recognizing Connor’s brother.
“Hello,” the big man said, smiling. “I don’t think I got your name last night.” Quinn seemed even bigger up close, towering over everyone. But the friendliness in his brown eyes reminded her of Connor.
“Sophia.” She eyed the bats warily, prompting the woman to smile reassuringly and come forward.
“Don’t worry about these two,” she said in a rich alto. “They’re harmless. Mostly. I’m Kris, Connor’s older sister. That’s Riley over there. We followed the sound of running water, thinking it was our brother.”
Kris carried herself boldly, exuding an energetic confidence that suggested she took shit from no one, especially men. She wore hiking boots that were caked with dried mud, though nothing else suggested she’d just been out in the wilds. She wore a sleeveless, buttoned-up green shirt that matched her eyes, which were confident, relaxed, and intelligent. Black shorts matched the jet black hair hanging like fine silk down her back. She cut a stunning, powerful figure that almost made her more intimidating than the two brothers flanking her.
Riley was perhaps the most menacing despite the casual way he leaned backward against the counter, the bat twirling in his hand as if he wanted two more to juggle with. His muscled forearms bore colored tattoos, one of which looked like Special Forces or something. That reminded her of Connor’s remarks that Riley was a Marine and expert marksman. Riley certainly seemed the military type, with a strong jaw, crew cut, stubble, black hair, and steel-blue eyes that expertly appraised her. She felt nervous before him, like prey. Seeing her reaction, he smiled reassuringly, and in an instant he seemed more like a knight than a marauder.
“Where’s our little brother?” Riley asked.
“In the shower,” Sophia offered.
“Do you know what’s going on? Connor told Quinn and me to come over and expect some trouble nearby. Naturally, Kris had to come, too.” He smirked at his sister, who smirked back.
Sophia pursed her lips, not really wanting to get into it. “Boy trouble. Hopefully, you won’t need the bats.”
Kris cocked an eyebrow. “Not against Connor, I assume. He’s not the type, for one, but he wouldn’t tell us to bring bats to use on himself, presumably.” Seeing Riley still twirling the Louisville Slugger out of the corner of her eye, she asked, “Would you stop that? You’re going to break something.”
He shrugged as if to imply he was too skilled to let that happen, but on the next flip, Quinn casually snatched it out of the air without comment.
Sophia took a breath and repeated what she’d told Connor, adding that she was staying at the inn for the week at Connor’s suggestion and she needed to get some personal belongings. The eyes of all three of them narrowed in anger on hearing about Seth’s activities. The men looked grimly determined, almost sinister, and a spark lit Kris’ eyes. She came to Sophia and gave her a heartfelt hug. Sophia noticed the other woman smelled like a horse, which reminded her that Kris was well-known locally for her skill at equestrian events. That explained the muddy boots. She likely ran Sugarloaf Stables for the family, or at least spent a lot of time there.
“Don’t worry,” Kris began, pulling back. “We’ll get your things and have you back here, or maybe at the big house. Connor’s a good man, but, well, you’re his type. I doubt he could stop himself from being charming, even if you weren’t.”
Sophia’s pulse quickened at the revelation that she was his type, but the comment about flirting made her wonder if he was just like that with every woman. She bit her lip, then made herself stop that.
“We’ll take care of Seth,” said Riley.
Kris shot him a look. “We’re not going to do anything stupid.”
Riley shrugged. “From the sound of this guy, he needs a little convincing. And I don’t mean explaining.”
“I think we all know what you meant,” Quinn said with a grin. The brothers exchanged a look of what Sophia took for agreement.
“Meant about what?” Connor asked as he stepped into the room wearing jeans and the t-shirt from earlier, his hair still damp. Sophia thought his eyes seemed clearer than at any time since they’d met, and more importantly, fresh with vigor.
“You shaved,” she observed in disappointment.
“Sorry. I didn’t know you liked me with stubble.”
“Of course I did, silly.”
“Well, I won’t shave tomorrow, if you can wait.”
She nodded. “Good things come to those who wait.”
Looking her in the eye, he s
aid, “Good things also come to those who go after them.”
Sophia flushed, feeling hot from head to toe.
Quinn whistled. “I don’t need to hose you two down, do I?”
Rescuing Connor and Sophia, Kris asked her younger brother, “So what’s the plan, sport? Sophia told us everything up to now.”
Connor sighed. “Well, we just need to help her get some things.”
Riley asked, “Do we get to bash Seth’s head in if we find him?”
Connor opened his mouth, but Sophia beat him to it.
“Yes,” she replied.
Connor looked at her in surprise and she flashed a quick smile.
“Do we need more than bats, just to be careful?” Kris asked. In response, Riley lifted up his shirt to reveal hard six-pack abs and a gun.
“The rifle’s in the truck,” advised Quinn. “Did you call Ryan?” he asked Connor.
Connor shook his head. “Not yet. Talked to him last night about the alarm going off.”
“But you didn’t tell him about all of this?” Quinn asked. “You need to. This is really serious. Breaking and entering, attempted rape, possibly kidnapping, even attempted murder for the stunt with the car. This son of a bitch will never see the light of day once we get him. Why didn’t you do it already?”
Connor said, “I didn’t know until a while ago, and Sophia was more worried about just staying safe overnight. You’re probably right.”
“Probably?” Quinn was incredulous.
“Relax. I just didn’t call before hitting the shower.”
“That’s just going to make him mad, won’t it?” Sophia asked, fearing escalation.
Kris nodded and put a comforting hand on her. “Yes, but your concern is what abusive people do to their victim—make them afraid to report it, for example. He’s never going to get to you, I promise you that. You’ll have the help of all of us.”
Sophia nodded, realizing the other woman was right. “Okay. Let’s make the call.”
“We’ll do it on the way,” said Quinn, heading for the door. “Ryan can meet us at the house.”
Connor (The Kendall Family Series Book 2) Page 5