Again (Time for Love Book 3)

by Miranda P. Charles

  “Well, Bren’s prettier than me...” she said, sniffing.

  Rebecca scowled at her. “Not again, Amanda.”

  She shrugged. “I’m just saying.”

  “You’re retreating back to your shell,” Rebecca whispered heatedly. “You’re thinking you’ve been cast aside for someone else again.”

  “Isn’t that the story of my life?” she said in a light tone, not wanting to be overly dramatic.

  Even when they were younger, she was the last among the five of them to have a first boyfriend. The other four had had boys chasing them for years before she finally had a guy ask her out—at twenty-one years of age. Then that guy had dropped her for someone else.

  It happened again with her two other boyfriends. When her last boyfriend dumped her for a bombshell, she’d made the decision to be brave and chase after him. Well, he did come back to her and she’d thought that she’d finally found someone she could dream a future with. Until he’d turned up at her doorstep holding another woman’s hand. And telling her it was all over again between them.

  “Amanda...” Rebecca said in warning.

  Amanda’s eyes watered. “Being unwanted sucks.”

  “I know, honey,” Rebecca said softly. “We’ve all been through that. But that’s why we’ve made a group New Year’s Resolution, right? To be brave enough to make the first moves on men we like, right? And if they’re not the one, we move on to the next guy until we find our happily-ever-after. It’s all about not letting our past stand in the way of our future, isn’t it?”

  Amanda smiled enviously. “Well, you and Sarah have already found the one.”

  “When we least expected it.”

  She sighed deeply. “I’m just so crap when it comes to attracting and keeping men, Bec. I just don’t have it in me. I’m more comfortable bowling them over with my brains.”

  “Hey, you managed to seduce Connor into a one-night stand!”

  “That was unintentional! And I’m pretty sure I was the one who got seduced.”

  “The point is you just have to go with the flow. When you’re relaxed and yourself, you’re fine. But when you start overthinking things and letting these ingrained doubts take over, you tend to censor yourself and hold back too much. You already know that’s what you do. We’ve already discussed this a lot.”

  Amanda smiled. “I know. Thanks for the reminder.”

  Rebecca hugged her. “I think the minute you stop believing you don’t have ‘it’ is the minute you’ll find your seductive self.”

  “What do I do now? Bren seems to like Connor...”

  Rebecca snorted. “Bren doesn’t like him like that. Look at her. She’s drooling over the olives, not Connor.”

  Amanda laughed, embarrassed. “I guess. But Connor’s a...” She was about to say jerk then stopped herself. For all she knew, Connor thought of her as a slut. All because of that weekend. And he’d be wrong.

  “Connor’s a what?” Rebecca prodded.

  “Nothing.”

  “Oh look,” Rebecca said, glancing at the shop entrance. “Finally, Sarah and Jeff have decided to leave their room and make an appearance.”

  “Look who’s talking. Seriously, aren’t you girls sore from all the sexing you’ve been doing all weekend with your men?”

  Rebecca grinned. “Yes. But I’m still craving.”

  Amanda rolled her eyes. “Oh God.”

  *****

  Amanda watched the procession of vehicles from the front passenger seat of Ash’s car. They and the other guests were following the Reids back to their house after finishing up their enjoyable visit to their olive grove and shop.

  “I’m full,” Brenna said from the back seat. “I don’t think I’ll be able to eat dinner.”

  Gemma chuckled. “No wonder, Bren. I think you ate half of the olives they’d put out for everyone to taste.”

  “Yeah. And the rest of us had to share your leftovers,” Ash quipped.

  “They were really nice,” Brenna murmured, sounding embarrassed. “Why didn’t you guys stop me? You know once I start, I can’t stop until they’re all gone.”

  “Remember when we were about ten? None of us had developed a liking for olives yet except for this one,” Amanda said, gesturing to Brenna. “We used to stuff our faces with chocolates whenever we could get our hands on some. But there was Bren, happy as anything that she didn’t have to share her jar of olives with anyone else.”

  “You girls never shared anything with me until I chased that damned dog away,” Ash complained.

  “I remember that,” Brenna said. “That was when you became our hero, Ash.”

  Ash snorted. “I heard you say earlier that Connor’s your new hero, Bren. All because he fed you olives. That hurts, you know.”

  “Aww. You’ll always be my number one, Ash. You know that,” Brenna said.

  Amanda glanced at her brother surreptitiously. He had a half-smile on his face, as if he was both happy and sad. She repressed a sigh. If only Brenna showed some interest in Ash that was more than friendship.

  She felt for her brother, but there was not much she could do. She and Ash seemed unlucky in love—

  “Hey, sis,” Ash said, interrupting her thoughts. “Connor said that he’d already met you in Melbourne, when you and Lori crashed his farewell party.”

  Heat rose up Amanda’s face. “Yeah.”

  “What was it like, being in a party with Lori and her friends?”

  “Didn’t Connor tell you?” she asked while trying to organise her thoughts for a satisfactory answer.

  “Well, he said you girls were wild.”

  “It was a wild night, although Lori and the others were much more out-there than me,” she said nonchalantly, willing her colour to return to normal. Fortunately, Ash was concentrating on the road instead of looking at her.

  “Did you meet anyone?”

  “I met Connor,” she said in a light tone.

  “Apart from Connor, I mean.”

  “Um, a couple of guys that I’d said hello to.”

  “Anyone interesting?” Ash asked in a teasing voice.

  “No-o,” she said cautiously. What else did Connor tell him? She should have asked Connor to give her a blow-by-blow account of his conversation with Ash.

  “You know what?” Ash said mysteriously.

  “What?”

  “I think Connor slept with someone that night.”

  Amanda gulped. “Who?” she asked bravely.

  “Lori.”

  Amanda choked while Gemma snickered from the back seat. “What makes you think that?” she asked her brother.

  “Well, I asked him if he ended up with anyone and he avoided answering directly. He said why should he tell me when it could be with my cousin or my sister.”

  “And you immediately thought he’d slept with Lori instead of me?” she asked indignantly. “You don’t think a guy would want to pick me up at a party?”

  Ash frowned at her in surprise. “Hey! It’s just unthinkable that you’d have a one-night stand with some stranger you just met. That’s not your thing.”

  Amanda stayed silent, not knowing how to respond to that.

  “Or was it really you he slept with?” Ash asked ominously.

  Oops. “You just said it’s unthinkable that I’d do something like that. So why are you asking me that now?” she dodged.

  “Well—”

  “You’re such a gossip, Ash,” Brenna interrupted. “Anyway, looks like we’re here. I wonder if they’re gonna serve olives for dinner.”

  Ash laughed. “Haven’t you had enough, Bren?” he asked as he turned the car into a driveway, following the vehicles in front.

  Amanda breathed a sigh of relief as the topic changed to food. She must remember to thank Brenna for that diversion.

  *****

  One by one, guests of the Reids expressed their thanks as each got ready to leave. The tasty dinner, friendly bantering and interesting conversation were a wonderful way to end a fan
tastic weekend.

  Amanda certainly enjoyed the night, but not as fully as she’d wanted to. She’d been far too conscious of Connor—what he ate, who he talked to, what he talked about. She’d tried to hide it, of course. Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed that she kept glancing in his direction.

  She shook her head at herself. She was being downright insane. Connor didn’t want her. He’d stood her up on what was supposed to be their first date to spend the night with someone else. Unless of course she'd been wrong about that...

  Annoyance at herself bubbled up within her. She shouldn’t even entertain possibilities of a misunderstanding until she’d gotten the whole set of facts out of Connor. Until then, there was no point hoping that things weren’t what they seemed.

  Hadn't she done brave but stupid things in the past when she had hoped against hope? And for what? All she’d gotten for doing that was get thrown back down to earth with a heart-shattering thud.

  Anyway, she was glad it was time to go home. She needed to restore her equilibrium and she couldn’t do it around Connor.

  She said her goodbyes, hugging each of the Carmichaels and letting them know what a wonderful time she’d had at Magda’s Place. Then she turned to Jean and Charlie, warmly thanking them for their generosity.

  She was walking out the door when she noticed Ash and Connor man-hugging. She rolled her eyes, amused that the two had gotten along like a house on fire.

  Well, although she was also grateful for Connor’s hospitality, she most definitely didn’t plan on giving him a hug. Who knew how her traitorous body would behave if she did?

  “Bye, Connor. Thanks for tonight,” she said with small smile, keeping her distance.

  “My pleasure, Amanda,” Connor responded, smiling back. “I’ll see you again soon.”

  She nodded, knowing what he meant. She wondered when they’d get the chance to talk. It filled her with both dread and anticipation.

  She hurried to the row of parked vehicles, eager to get away, lest she made her feelings obvious. She spotted Ash’s car immediately. Fortunately, the doors were already unlocked and the front windows wound down. She got in the passenger side and slumped on the seat.

  “Come on already, Ash,” she muttered under her breath, sending an impatient look to her brother, who was still busy sharing a laugh with Connor. Now what could they be cackling about? And where on earth were Gemma and Brenna? Hadn’t they finished saying their goodbyes?

  Finally, Ash made his way towards the car, with Connor following. Her heart started galloping, and she put on an impassive face.

  Ash leaned down and poked his head inside her window. “Comfortable there, sis?”

  “Yes, let’s go,” she said, buckling her seatbelt to prod him further. “And could you tell Brenna and Gemma to get their butts in here?”

  The driver’s side door opening made Amanda turn her head. Her eyes grew large as Connor sat himself behind the wheel.

  “What are you doing?” she asked in bewilderment.

  “Driving you home, from the looks of it,” Connor said, grinning widely.

  “I guess I’ll see you next weekend, sis,” Ash said, trying to stifle his laughter.

  “What’s going on?” she asked, scowling at her brother.

  “You seem to prefer this car, so Connor will drive you home.”

  “Why?”

  “Because this is his car. Mine’s over there,” Ash said, pointing to somewhere behind them. “Brenna and Gemma are already there. I’ll drive them home.”

  It took a couple of seconds for understanding to dawn. Blushing furiously, Amanda unclipped her seatbelt.

  “Hey,” Connor said, stilling her with a hand on her arm. “It’s late and Ash would get back home quicker if he only has to give two girls a lift rather than three. And I’m headed your way, anyway.”

  “Why are you headed my way?” she asked, stupefied.

  “I live in Bondi too,” Connor answered.

  She stared at him, unable to believe what he’d just said. She had the impression he hadn’t moved to Sydney yet, and now he was telling her he lived in the same beachside suburb?

  “I’m staying with a friend until I can move to my own apartment,” Connor said.

  “But Ash doesn’t live that far away from me...” Oh shut up, Amanda. Here’s your chance to talk to the man and you want to sabotage it.

  “Well,” Ash said. “You can ride with me if you don’t mind getting home a bit later. We have to drop off the two girls first.”

  “You’re right smack on my way, Amanda,” Connor insisted. “It’s no trouble at all. It’s more convenient for me to take you than it is for Ash.”

  “How do you know where I live?”

  Connor chuckled. “Ash just told me when he saw you get into my car.”

  She hesitated, not sure what she wanted.

  “I’ll see you next weekend, sis. Drive safely, you guys,” Ash said, then left.

  Well, that was that then. Connor was driving her home.

  CHAPTER SIX

  Connor decided it was best to engage in small talk for the majority of the drive. Bondi was over two hours away and he didn’t want to spend it in angry silence in case the serious talk they had to have turned sour. Fortunately, Amanda seemed to be of the same mind. She hadn’t brought up anything about that Melbourne weekend.

  Soon enough, what started as an awkward, stilted conversation became free-flowing. Amanda shared things about her working life, and he told her about his plans for his new business. She mentioned her best friends and family a lot. Clearly she was close to them.

  Before long, they were only minutes away from Amanda’s place. He filled his lungs, hating that he’d have to break the easy rapport they’d shared for most of the trip. But if he didn’t bring up that topic now, there might not be another good time.

  “Um, Amanda. I know you’d rather not talk about Melbourne, but maybe we could talk about it now?”

  Amanda took a deep breath. “Okay. I guess we better. It’s just that it’s not the most pleasant of memories, you know.”

  He frowned. He’d always thought that it had all been a game for Amanda, that he was the one with the good reason to get aggravated by the situation. Might as well not beat around the bush to find out the truth.

  “I must admit I was disappointed—well, angry actually—when you decided not to turn up for dinner that night,” he said quietly.

  He waited for Amanda to respond, heart beating fast and palms getting clammy. When a long moment had passed and she hadn’t said a word, he glanced at her. She was frowning at him, those beautiful eyes questioning.

  “What?” he asked, unsure of what her expression meant.

  “You were the one who changed your mind,” she said faintly.

  “What are you talking about?” He stared at Amanda in disbelief before dragging his gaze back on the road. The lights ahead had turned red, forcing him to step on the brakes hard.

  “Maybe we should talk about this when we get to my place,” Amanda said nervously.

  He nodded, a jumble of thoughts running through his head. He let his mind recall the events of that day, hoping it would clarify Amanda’s statement, which simply didn’t make any sense to him. With one eye on the road, he replayed the day that had caused him to judge Amanda harshly.

  ❈❈❈❈❈

  “Amanda!” Connor called out in relief as he spotted Amanda coming out of the hotel elevator.

  “Hey!” Amanda said, her face splitting into a smile.

  “Glad I caught you,” he said, stopping in front of her. He’d been scared that he’d miss her before she headed out to visit the Melbourne Museum with her aunt.

  “What's up?” Amanda asked. “Did you leave anything in my room?”

  “No,” he replied. “I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight?”

  Amanda’s smile widened, her cheeks pinking slightly. “That would be nice.”

  “Good. Meet you back here at
, say, seven?”

  “Okay.”

  He grinned at her, relieved. And just because he wanted to, he cupped her face and kissed her lips. “I’ll see you later,” he murmured.

  “Yeah,” she said breathlessly before walking out the front door.

  He let out a big sigh as he watched her leave, already impatient for the night to arrive. When he’d left her room that morning, he’d immediately felt... bereft. It was the first time he’d felt like that after a one-night stand, but the cause wasn’t a mystery. Last night had been fantastic. Spectacular, actually. He couldn’t believe that the woman who’d been so contained during the party could be so open and giving and altogether wonderful in bed. Watching her reactions—like she’d never known such pleasure—was a huge turn-on. Not only that, she’d been eager to learn how to please him too.

  He simply hadn’t had enough. He could think of a lot more ways to make her moan and lose control...

  Argh! He was getting aroused and it was only mid-morning. Hours before he'd see Amanda again. He should have suggested an earlier time. Seven o’clock seemed too far away now.

  He slapped his forehead with his palm. Damn it, he’d forgotten to ask for her phone number again. He’d meant to do that, but seeing her had muddled his brain.

  So what else was he forgetting? Ah, condoms. He’d used them all up last night. Before he did anything else today, he’d better go get some more.

  *

  Connor hurried to the hotel, panting lightly from his brisk walk. He was almost ten minutes late for his dinner date with Amanda, and he hated being late for anything—especially when it was a woman waiting for him.

  He shouldn’t have gone for that Sunday afternoon business meeting, but his dad had called unexpectedly, requesting him to visit the shop of their newest business partners who’d agreed to stock their products. They’d kept him longer than he’d expected.

  He scanned the lobby, looking for Amanda. She wasn’t anywhere in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, guessing she was still getting ready in her room.

  Sitting himself on one of the comfortable sofas, he let himself relax, playing with his phone.

  “Hey, Connor!”

  Connor looked up to find a woman smiling at him. She looked familiar but he couldn’t place her.