Again (Time for Love Book 3)

by Miranda P. Charles

  “Yes.”

  “Holy moly. So you two are officially together?”

  Amanda paused. “We haven’t talked about that.”

  “But you have a good time with him outside of sex?” Rebecca asked. “You enjoy being with him even when there’s no sex involved?”

  “Absolutely. We always have an easy conversation. He’s fun to be with.”

  “So what’s he like during your walks?” Sarah asked. “Is he only friendly then, or does he get sweet and all?”

  “He gets sweet and all,” she answered with a swooning sigh. “He holds my hand and gives me hugs and kisses along the way.”

  “I think you’ve got yourself a new boyfriend, Amanda,” Rebecca said, grinning.

  She beamed. “I hope so.”

  “Does Ash know?” Brenna asked.

  “Not yet,” she answered with a laugh. “You know how Ash gets. I don’t want him making Connor uncomfortable by acting all big-brotherly. The funny thing is, they’ve actually become quite good friends.”

  “That’s good! Maybe he won’t give Connor that glare he gives the men we date,” Brenna said.

  Amanda smiled at her friend. Hadn’t Brenna noticed that Ash had stopped ‘glaring’ at Rebecca’s, Sarah’s and Gemma’s dates ages ago?

  “When are you gonna tell Ash?” Sarah asked.

  She shrugged. “I won’t tell him anything until Connor and I are officially a couple.”

  “So when are you gonna raise that topic with Connor?” Gemma asked.

  She took a deep breath. “I don’t know. I don’t want to be the one to raise it. I’m still gun-shy when it comes to that.”

  “What if Connor’s assuming you’re already a couple, and here you are assuming you’re not?”

  “The last time I asked a man to express his commitment to me, he hadn’t meant it and I ended up feeling like a fool for even chasing after him in the first place. I don’t want to force Connor to come up with an answer. He might say yes, but in reality he might not be ready. So I’d rather wait for him to bring it up. Also, I’d really appreciate if you don’t tell anyone, including your fiancés,” she said to Rebecca and Sarah. “Connor might not want them to know yet. I really don’t want to be presumptuous about this.”

  “Okay,” the others agreed.

  “From the sounds of it, things between the two of you are developing well,” Rebecca said.

  “Yeah. I think so too,” she said with a smile.

  “I take it you’ll see him again soon?”

  “He’s moving to his apartment this weekend. Ash and I have volunteered to help.”

  “Before you know it you’ll be moving in with him,” Brenna teased.

  “Not yet!” she said with a laugh, although she’d be lying if she said the thought hadn’t crossed her mind.

  *****

  Amanda took a sip of her cold water as she stared at the inspiring view of Bondi Beach from the balcony of Connor’s sub penthouse. The place was much bigger than she’d expected. Apart from the large balcony that wrapped around two sides of the apartment, it had three bedrooms, three bathrooms, a study, an impressive kitchen and extra-large living and dining areas. Plus there was the big two-car garage that Connor had said was kind of small for his liking, but would have to do.

  Someone knocked on the door and she went to answer it.

  “Hey, Amanda!”

  “Greg! How did you get up here?” she asked, standing aside to let him in.

  “I have a pass to the building.”

  “Oh, of course,” she said with a laugh.

  “I came to help with some unpacking. I heard you and Ash had volunteered.”

  Amanda chuckled. “Well, apart from those boxes over there that came from Connor’s parents’ garage, there’s not much to unpack. He’s got brand new everything—except clothes.”

  “So where are the boys? Don’t tell me they’ve left you here to do all the dirty work.”

  “They’re downstairs in the garage trying to bolt some shelving on the wall.”

  Greg laughed. “Typical Connor, making sure his garage is all set up before everything else. Can I help with anything?”

  “If you like. We can start with these boxes. Connor said he doesn’t remember what’s in them. If they’re old household stuff and they’re still in decent condition, then we can put them in the to-be-donated-to-charity pile. Otherwise, we throw them out. If they’re personal items like photos or documents, then he’ll sort through them later.”

  “I’d love to find some old photos,” Greg said, slitting a sealed box open.

  They sorted through the boxes quickly, with the bulk of the contents comprising of books and school mementos.

  The next box Amanda opened contained toy cars of different models, sizes and colours. “I’m sure Connor would want to keep these,” she murmured.

  “Hey, I remember those!” Greg exclaimed, abandoning his box to check out the one Amanda was sorting through. “See, some of these were originally mine, or my brothers’. Connor used to say he’d garage them for us. So over time, most of our toy cars ended up with him.”

  Greg was telling Amanda which ones used to be whose when Connor and Ash returned to the apartment.

  “Hey, bro!” Connor said. Then he spotted what Greg was holding in his hands. “Holy crap! My toys!”

  The three grown men surrounded the box while Amanda sat on the newly delivered lounge and watched them in amusement. Connor glanced at her and smiled. “You okay, babe?”

  Amanda’s gaze flickered to her brother at Connor’s term of endearment. Fortunately, neither Ash nor Greg seemed to have noticed. They were too busy gushing over little boys’ toys.

  “You’re in heaven,” she said to Connor.

  Connor grinned, looking at her in that way that made her heart skip.

  “Can I play with your new coffee machine?” she asked. “I’ll make us all coffee.”

  “Be my guest,” Connor said with a laugh.

  She headed for the kitchen, followed by Connor.

  “Do you want to sleep here tonight?” Connor said softly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “Connor!” she whispered, escaping out of his hold.

  “They can’t see or hear us.”

  “They might come in here.”

  “No they won’t,” Connor said, kissing her below the ear.

  “Connor! Go back there and join them,” she said urgently.

  “Stay with me tonight,” he cajoled.

  “Okay! Just go back there!”

  “Good,” Connor said, grinning happily. He kissed her squarely on the lips and squeezed her bottom before walking back to the living room.

  Amanda shook her head, her lips curving up. Connor could be so naughty. Sooner or later, Ash would notice something. But, oh, Connor had just made her melt.

  She opened a box of new dinnerware and carefully laid it out on the bench top. She’d load the dishwasher for Connor later, but for now, she hand-washed cups for their coffees. She was working the coffee machine when Ash came in the kitchen.

  “Oh, yes, I need that coffee,” Ash said, pouring himself a glass of water.

  “Need it? You haven’t done anything remotely tiring, Ash,” she joked.

  “I just had a late night, that’s all.”

  “Really? Were you out on a date?”

  “Yup.”

  “Was she pretty?”

  “Yup.”

  “You like her?”

  “Nope.”

  Amanda stared at her brother. “So why did you date her if you didn’t like her?”

  “I dated her so I could prove to myself that there was nothing there. And I was right.”

  Amanda went quiet. She hated this type of conversation with Ash—the kind where her brother seemed to really want to find someone, but none of the women he dated ever worked out for the long term. The worse thing was, she knew why and she didn’t know what to do about it.

  “Anyway,” Ash said, sp
eaking in a low voice. “Are you interested in Greg?”

  “What?” she asked incredulously. “Where did that come from?”

  “Well, you two seemed to be having a great time when Connor and I came back. I’m still wondering why you got pissed off at the Hunter Valley. I’m still very intrigued. And because none of you girls would tell me who it was that pushed your button, I’m trying to get my answer by process of elimination.”

  “And you think I’ll help you figure it out?” she asked, amused.

  Ash shrugged. “You might feel sorry for me for overtaxing my brain.”

  “Sorry, Doc. No help from me. And how do you know I didn’t get a phone call, so the culprit wasn’t someone who was physically at the party?”

  “Hmm. Of course. I didn’t think of that before.”

  “See? Or how do you know it wasn’t Zach, or Jeff, or Connor...”

  “Zach and Jeff? Give me a break. And I’ve already ruled Connor out, remember?”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “What if I did sleep with Connor in Melbourne and I just didn’t want you to know because I didn’t want you to make a big fuss?”

  Ash returned her squint. “I doubt it.” He paused before continuing. “But if it were true, I hope it ended in Melbourne.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Why? Wouldn’t you want Connor for me? Or are you jealous? You and he seem to have a bromance going.”

  “I mean it, Amanda,” Ash said quietly. “Yes, I consider Connor a very good friend now. But much as I like him as a person, I wouldn’t want him as a boyfriend for my sister.”

  She gaped at Ash. Was he being serious? He did look it. “Why not?” she asked.

  Ash raised his arms as if in surrender. “Hey, like you said, I’m in a bromance with the guy. I’m not going to tell. If you want to know, you’ll have to ask him.”

  “Ask him what? Why you don’t think he’s boyfriend material?”

  Ash rubbed his chin in thought. “Yes. That’s a good way of framing the question.”

  “You don’t seriously think I’ll walk up to him and ask that, do you?”

  Ash chuckled. “No, I don’t. But you don’t really need to know why, sis. So stop being a snoop,” he said, then disappeared to rejoin the others.

  Amanda stood there, bewildered, confused and worried.

  Oh, Ash. I do need to know.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Connor glanced at his watch for the umpteenth time. Why hadn’t Amanda rung yet?

  She’d left his apartment with Ash and Greg after they’d ordered pizza for dinner. All three were a tremendous help. With the exception of a couple of big boxes that he’d have to drop off to charity, everything was in its place.

  He had fun working with them, although Amanda might have gotten too tired. She’d been markedly quieter toward the end of the night. He’d asked her a couple of times if she was okay, and all she gave were hesitant smiles.

  He sighed, stepping out to his balcony. It was a cool night and the breeze was strong, but the view was fantastic. He couldn’t wait for the morning when he’d wake up to the rising sun’s rays reflecting off the water—with Amanda in his arms.

  He checked the time again. It had been half an hour since the guys had left. Was Ash still with Amanda? He picked up his phone and called her anyway.

  “Hi,” Amanda answered.

  “Hey, babe,” he said. “Is Ash gone?”

  “Yeah, he is.”

  “Are you ready to come back here?”

  “Um. Yeah. I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll pick you up. Wait for me there.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I don’t want you walking alone in the dark late at night.”

  “I’ll be fine. There are plenty of people on the streets. It’s Saturday night.”

  “You’ll still be by yourself. No. Wait for me there.”

  He heard her sigh. “Okay.”

  He hung up, smiling. Did she have no idea how much he’d started to care about her?

  *****

  “Hi.” Connor slid his arm around Amanda’s waist and kissed her the moment she came out of her building.

  “Hi,” she responded, avoiding his eyes.

  Something was wrong. Amanda was distant. She’d never been like this since they’d come back from the Hunter Valley. He didn’t like it. It made him nervous.

  He took her hand as they started walking. At least she was staying the night with him. They could talk about whatever was bothering her.

  “Connor?”

  “Hmm?”

  “You and Ash have been talking a lot, haven’t you? Does he know things about you that I don’t?”

  “What makes you ask that?” he said, worry growing bigger.

  “I’m pretty sure Lori has told him some things about you.”

  “What did Ash tell you?”

  Amanda hesitated. “Well, since you and he have become quite good friends, he said he won’t tell me, so I have to ask you.”

  “Ask me what?”

  “About you not being... um... suitable for someone like me.”

  He stopped in his tracks and faced Amanda. “Was he warning you off me?”

  “Kind of. He’s still trying to figure out why I got so pissed off at the Hunter Valley. He’s eliminating all possible suspects. He hasn’t caught on to the fact that there’s something going on between us, and you’re already off the list. So I put it to him as a hypothetical that it might be you. He actually thought I was interested in Greg.”

  “He thought you were interested in Greg?” he asked with a frown. The picture of Amanda and Greg together simply did not agree with him. Hell, just the thought of her with any other man stirred his gut. “Let’s talk about this when we get to my place,” he said, wanting to fully discuss this without interruptions.

  “Okay,” she said, folding her arms across her chest as she shivered from the cool night.

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead before resuming their travel.

  Up ahead was a noisy pub. Connor was glad he was with Amanda. It was generally safe, but one could never tell. He wouldn’t want her walking alone by herself in front of pisspots who might try to bother her.

  His steps faltered as he recognised a woman storming out of the pub. It was Sonya. A man followed her and grabbed her arm—her stalker ex-boyfriend Bill.

  Sonya yanked her arm away, shouting ‘let me go’, but Bill grabbed her again.

  Acting out of pure instinct to aid a friend in distress, Connor hurried to them. “Sonya!”

  Sonya saw him, and flew to his arms. “Connor!”

  “What’s going on here?” he asked, scowling at the other man.

  “He won’t leave me alone,” Sonya said, clutching Connor’s shirt.

  “You’re fucking giving me mixed signals, Sonya! I just want to talk!”

  “I’ve told you already, Bill. There’s no hope in hell that we’re getting back together,” Sonya retorted. “I’m with Connor now!”

  “Oh yeah? Didn’t he just move out of your place today?” Bill said. “I saw him.”

  “He moved to his apartment, which is much bigger than mine. I’ll be following him there!”

  “Fine! Fine!” Bill shouted. “When you come running back to me again, don’t expect me to welcome you with open arms.” Bill marched off to his car, fuming. Then he drove off with screeching tyres.

  Connor tried to push a clinging Sonya off him. He glanced nervously around for Amanda, and he found her a few paces back, staring at them in disbelief.

  “Amanda,” he called out, his heart thumping in fear.

  “What?” Sonya asked in confusion.

  But Connor ignored her. He went to Amanda, who seemed in shock. “Hey,” he said, running his hands on her arms.

  “Connor?” Sonya interjected.

  “Sonya, this is Amanda. Amanda, this is Sonya—a friend of mine.” He hoped Amanda caught his emphasis on the word friend.

 
“Hi, Sonya,” Amanda said weakly.

  “Hi,” Sonya responded, eyes narrowed.

  “Amanda and I are on a date, Sonya. Lucky for you we were passing by,” Connor said lightly, hoping the atmosphere would follow suit. “That ex of yours hopefully won’t bother you again.”

  He turned to Amanda. “Sonya has asked me to pretend I’m her boyfriend so her stalker ex would leave her alone.”

  “Right,” Amanda replied quietly.

  “I didn’t know you were seeing someone, Connor,” Sonya said with a too-cheerful tone. “There you were, living with me, and you didn’t breathe a word about Amanda here. Naughty man,” she said with a laugh that sounded forced.

  “We better get going,” he said, desperate for him and Amanda to get to his place. Hell, he had a lot of explaining to do.

  *****

  Connor opened his door, glad to have finally arrived. Amanda had been way too quiet during their walk back, and had kept her arms folded across her chest, not giving him the opportunity to hold her hand.

  He reached for her. “Baby...”

  “Why do you call me that, Connor?” she asked softly.

  “Why not? We’re dating, aren’t we?”

  “Are we?” she asked, her face a picture of uncertainty.

  “What do you call what we’re doing then?”

  She shrugged and walked to the sofa. He followed her, trying to read her every movement. Her shoulders drooped and her head bowed as she took a seat.

  He sat beside her and tilted her head up to him with a finger under her chin. “Sonya’s just a friend, Amanda. Everything you heard back there was for Bill’s benefit. I was just doing a friend a favour.”

  “You were living with her before you moved here?”

  “I was renting a room at her apartment before I moved here,” he clarified. “She was supposed to be in Queensland while I stayed at her place. But she had a change of plans. I didn’t have sex with her or anything.”

  “So you’ve never slept with her?”

  “While I was staying with her, no.”

  Amanda frowned at his answer.

  “We had a fling two years ago. There’s nothing between us now.”

  Amanda appeared dismayed by his answer, but she remained silent.

  “There really is nothing going on between me and Sonya, Amanda,” he said pleadingly.