Again (Time for Love Book 3)

by Miranda P. Charles

“How long are you gonna hold out for?”

  “I don’t know. Until I feel confident about how he really feels for me.”

  “Wow.”

  “I know. It’ll be hard.” Damn hard.

  *****

  Amanda approached Connor’s car service centre with trepidation, hoping he was already there. She’d swapped her morning coastal walk for this unexpected visit. Connor had asked again to see her, and all she’d said was that she’d call.

  Well, here she was, both nervous and excited about how he would react to her presence.

  An electrician’s van was parked in front of the site, and a guy was unloading big, thick cables from the back of the vehicle.

  She treaded the side of the driveway and headed for the entrance.

  “Hello,” the electrician said. “Looking for someone?”

  “Yes. Is Connor here already?”

  “He’s somewhere inside.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Please watch your step, Miss. There’s plenty of cables lying around.”

  “I will. Thanks.”

  Amanda went in and surveyed the place. She could already imagine what it would look like when the work was all finished. It was so different from what it used to be before Connor had the old fittings stripped. She could tell it would look much more modern, screaming efficiency and professionalism—definitely apt for the luxury car owners Connor wanted to attract.

  A couple of tradesmen working on something glanced at her before resuming their tasks. Connor was nowhere in sight, but she guessed he must be at the big garage area at the back.

  She passed his office and smiled as she noticed his priceless gloves collection hanging on the wall. Twenty pairs of driving gloves, neatly arranged and labelled, were enclosed in a frame. Each pair used to belong to first-place winners of prestigious international car races. Connor had managed to ask the drivers to hand him their gloves and autograph them for him. That collection was Connor’s pride and joy.

  She heard his voice and followed it. She found him standing next to a lady dressed in a navy suit jacket and a short skirt. A very short skirt. If that woman was aiming for a professional look, then she’d totally missed the mark with the inadequate length of her mini.

  Miss Dressed-Inappropriately was looking up at Connor with an adoring smile as he pointed to various sections of the big room, explaining the different work functions of each area.

  Amanda observed Miss D-I with a frown. She was very pretty... and very flirty! Surely she didn’t have to touch Connor’s arm while they spoke! Who the hell was she?

  Amanda glanced down at her own attire—a black track suit with red trimmings, and a pair of walking shoes. Hardly sexy.

  A banging noise from behind her made Connor and Miss D-I turn their heads in her direction.

  “Amanda,” Connor said in surprise.

  “Hi,” she croaked.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked, taking big steps towards her.

  “I, um, thought I’d pass by to see how the place is coming along,” she said, her mouth suddenly dry.

  Miss Dressed-Inappropriately’s ringing phone interrupted them.

  “Connor, I better go,” Miss D-I said, motioning to the device in her hand. Her high heels made knocking sounds on the concrete floor as she walked towards them.

  Amanda’s eyes widened, her gaze immediately drawn to Miss D-I’s chest. Holy cow! The woman’s tight-fitting white shirt under her jacket was unbuttoned too far down, giving anyone who looked an eyeful of her ample cleavage. What the hell?

  “Bye, Celine,” Connor said. “Thanks for coming and having a look around.”

  “Anytime,” Celine purred, giving Connor a sensual smile before answering her phone.

  Amanda watched as Celine catwalked gracefully to the exit. Amanda wasn’t a violent person, but she wanted to claw that woman for putting on a show for Connor.

  “Hey,” Connor said, placing a hand on her arm to get her attention.

  “Who was that?” she asked tightly.

  “She works for the car hire company that would be sending all their cars to me for service.”

  “She certainly knows how to market herself,” she said with a good dose of snark.

  A smile spread on Connor’s face. “Are you jealous?”

  Her huff was his answer.

  “You don’t have to be,” he said softly.

  She looked at him dubiously.

  “Connor!” the electrician called. “I need to talk to you about a couple of things.”

  Connor raked his hair. “Sure. Just give in a minute. I’m sorry, Amanda,” he said to her. “I have to deal with this so they can get on with the job.”

  “It’s okay. I’ll leave so I’m not in your way.”

  “Are you going to Yoly’s for breakfast? Can I join you? I shouldn’t be too long with the electrician.”

  “Okay.”

  Connor sighed—with relief, she thought—and walked her out of the building.

  “I’ll see you shortly,” he said when they were outside.

  She nodded, staring at his handsome face.

  “Connor, I need you now,” the electrician called again.

  Connor rolled his eyes. “He’s on an extremely tight schedule.”

  “So are you,” she said with a smile of understanding. She waved goodbye and walked away.

  *

  As Amanda made her way to Yoly’s, her new competition filled her with worry. Celine was overflowing with sexual confidence, and she clearly knew how to work it. There was no doubting the fact that Celine was out to seduce Connor.

  With Amanda’s plan to only have sexless dates with Connor for a while, did she realistically have any chance of keeping him interested? She certainly hoped so, because she wasn’t going change her mind about this no-sex thing. She needed certainty about his feelings for her first if she were to move forward with him.

  She arrived at Yoly’s slightly earlier than usual, waving at her proprietress friend, who was serving someone. Then she headed for her usual table... only to stop dead in her tracks.

  Sitting on her favourite spot was none other than Miss Dressed-Inappropriately.

  She was frozen for a moment, torn between leaving and staying.

  “Sorry she got your spot, kiddo,” Yoly whispered in her ear. “Sit anywhere and I’ll bring you your breakfast.”

  Amanda inhaled deeply. Was this a portent of things to come? Was Celine about to take over Connor’s heart as well?

  She gave herself a mental shake. Overthinking this would only drive her crazy. Better get proof rather than make assumptions. And Celine might just have given her the perfect opportunity to test Connor’s feelings.

  Marshalling her Miss Professional persona, she approached Celine. “Hi,” she greeted, taking the table next to the other woman’s.

  “Hi,” Celine said with a surprised look.

  “I come here all the time,” she said pleasantly.

  “Oh, right,” Celine replied in an equally pleasant tone.

  “Yeah. Actually, I usually sit on that table.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “No, don’t be,” Amanda said with a laugh. “It’s not like it’s reserved for me or anything.”

  Celine gave her a wan smile.

  “It’s Celine, right?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name earlier,” Celine said.

  “Amanda.”

  “You’re a friend of Connor’s, right?”

  “Yes,” she answered, not wanting to give away too much.

  “I take it you live around here?”

  “Yes. A couple of streets away.”

  “Hey, would you like to share my table since we’re chatting anyway?” Celine asked.

  “Sure.” She took the seat next to Celine just as Yoly delivered their orders.

  An awkward silence followed, which they both pretended not to notice by taking a sip of their hot drinks.

  “So how do you kno
w Connor?” Celine asked casually after a long pause.

  Amanda hid her smirk. Just as she’d expected, the topic of their conversation would be the man they both wanted.

  “He’s a close friend of my best friends’ fiancées.”

  “Oh, right. Have the two of you been friends for a long time?”

  Amanda wondered whether she imagined Celine’s emphasis on the word friends.

  “I first met him over two months ago,” she answered.

  “Oh, so you’re not long-time friends.”

  “No. Not long.”

  Celine smiled, relaxing on her chair. “I see.”

  Amanda knew Celine was trying to figure out if she and Connor were romantically involved. Well, she didn’t want to divulge that information. She wanted to see if Connor would.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  Connor hurried to Yoly’s, annoyed at his electrician for taking up too much of his time. That left him with only a few minutes to talk to Amanda that morning. She’d have to get ready for work soon.

  That he was pleased that she visited him at work was an understatement. He was ecstatic. That meant she was thawing, right? She was ready to forgive him?

  If he hadn’t been unsure of how she would react, he would have kissed her there and then with all those tradesmen watching. But he hadn’t wanted to make her madder if that was the last thing she’d wanted him to do.

  He was sure she got jealous of Celine, though. Celine had openly flirted with him in front of everyone. He grinned, enjoying the thought that Amanda still cared. That was good. Very good.

  He got to the café, hot and thirsty from his brisk walk, and made his way to her usual table. The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by shock.

  There was Amanda, having what looked to be a friendly, relaxed chat with Celine. Huh? He wasn’t expecting this picture at all.

  Celine stood up and appeared to say goodbye to Amanda. He approached them, confused.

  “Hello, ladies.”

  Celine twisted around, her face expressing delight at the sight of him. “Connor! Hi! Oh, such a shame that I have to go just when you got here. I have a long drive to get to my next meeting, and I don’t want to get stuck in traffic. But I’ll see you for our meeting on Tuesday, okay?” Celine said, smiling up at him and touching his arm in an overtly flirtatious way.

  “Yeah,” he said, still disconcerted.

  “Great! Bye, you two!”

  Connor turned to Amanda.

  “Hi,” she said. “I’m afraid I’m gonna have to go very soon, too.”

  He sat next to her. “I know. I’m sorry things took longer than expected. I’m surprised to see you and Celine having breakfast together.”

  Amanda shrugged. “When I got here, she was sitting at this table. So I joined her.”

  “Right.”

  Connor openly stared at Amanda. She didn’t seem upset or anything, even after Celine’s flirtatious goodbye. Her lack of concern was, frankly, worrying.

  “Anyway, Connor,” Amanda said, “I came to see you this morning to say that I’m not avoiding you anymore.”

  His grin returned. “I’m glad to hear that,” he said, reaching for her hand.

  “But, uh...”

  There was a ‘but’? His heart hammered, nervous of this ‘but’.

  “But I think we shouldn’t have sex,” Amanda said. “Not for a while, at least.”

  He gaped at her. Amanda didn’t seem mad anymore, but she didn’t want sex? “Why, baby? I’m kinda confused.”

  Amanda exhaled gustily. “I think we should see how we feel about each other without sex getting in the way.”

  “I already know how I feel about you,” he said quietly.

  “I need this, Connor,” she said softly. “I need to know it’s not just because of the sex.”

  “For me, it’s not just because of the sex.”

  “Then let’s prove that.”

  “Okay. For how long?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll play it by ear,” she said.

  He breathed deeply. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”

  Yes, he was willing to do anything to show Amanda that his love for her was real. He could understand why she was doubting him. She got really freaked out when she learned about the Fuck King title, just like he knew she would. He was just grateful she was giving him another chance.

  But hell, it would be hard to keep his hands off her. Numerous nights of self-pleasure in his bedroom were ahead of him—and those were never enough when his need to be inside Amanda was great.

  *****

  Connor refilled Celine’s glass of water, relieved that contract negotiations with Celine’s employer had been finalised. It was a big win for him. It ensured steady business for at least one whole year. With a couple more similar contracts likely to go ahead, the success of his new business looked certain.

  “So when your shop opens, our cars will be the first ones you’ll be servicing,” Celine said with a smile.

  “Yes,” he said. “I’m excited about the whole thing.”

  Celine took a sip of her water while peering at him through her lashes. “I suppose our business meetings have come to an end now that everything’s in place.”

  He smiled. “Yes. Thanks for all your help, Celine.”

  “My pleasure, Connor,” Celine responded, sitting back on her chair and crossing her legs.

  Connor suppressed a sigh. With only an all-glass coffee table between them, there was nothing to hide Celine’s long, bare legs from his gaze. If he wanted to look, that was. But he wasn’t interested.

  He’d put up with Celine’s flirtations because he found them harmless. They certainly didn’t affect anything on the business front as Celine was only the spokesperson, not the decision-maker. He wouldn’t miss her at all now that he didn’t have to see her again.

  “Connor, how about we celebrate the conclusion of my part in the negotiations with dinner tonight?” Celine asked in a sultry tone.

  He gave her a small smile. “I’m sorry, Celine. I can’t.”

  She cocked her head to the side, not seeming to accept his answer. “You do know that there would be nothing wrong if you and I go out together sometime, do you?” she asked. “I mean, you do know that I personally have nothing to do with giving you this contract? No one can accuse you of winning our business by underhanded means.”

  He chuckled at her misapprehension. “I know that, Celine.”

  She frowned. “So, are you dating someone, Connor?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  “Oh,” she said, flushing slightly. “I got the impression from Amanda that you’re single. I’m sorry.”

  He frowned. “Amanda gave you that impression?”

  “Yes. When I was with her at that café, I said I’d be asking you out on a date. I thought she’d know if you weren’t single because the two of you are friends, but obviously she doesn’t. She didn’t mention that you already have a girlfriend.”

  Connor stared at Celine as she stood up and got ready to leave. What? Amanda had indicated to Celine they were only friends? Worse, Celine had told Amanda she was interested in asking him out and Amanda didn’t say anything?

  “It’s a shame, Connor,” Celine said lightly. “When you’re free, you have my number.”

  “Thanks.”

  *

  Connor stared at a blank wall in his office, trying to get his head around one thing: Amanda didn’t care if some other woman wanted to steal him from her.

  Wow. That fucking hurt.

  She even got friendly with Celine and had breakfast with her. If it were him, and he knew someone was trying to pick her up, he’d stake his claim with no uncertain terms.

  Did he read it all wrong? Yes, perhaps he did. When she’d said she wanted them to hold off sleeping together, he took that to mean that she wasn’t sure of his feelings for her. He could totally understand that, even if being doubted by her hurt.

  But it appeared now that what she meant was
that she wasn’t sure of how she felt.

  He rubbed his face. Sure, he could live with the fact that Amanda wasn’t in love with him yet. The important thing was he had the chance to make her fall for him.

  Still, he felt depressed. In the last couple of weeks, when Amanda wouldn’t speak to him, he’d made himself believe that she was hurting a lot because she cared. It wounded him that the opposite seemed to be true.

  *****

  “Hi, come on in,” Amanda said, stepping aside to make room for Connor.

  Connor gave Amanda a peck on the lips before walking into her apartment. He immediately looked around for the bunch of roses he’d had delivered to her office that morning. He didn’t see them.

  “You didn’t take home your flowers?” he asked, hiding the disappointment in his voice.

  “No. I left them at work because I had a few files to take home today. Thanks again, by the way. They were beautiful.”

  “You’re welcome,” he said, getting more morose by the minute, and he’d only just got there.

  He knew they’d agreed not to have sex, but he wasn’t expecting this... friendly treatment. Where was the sweet Amanda who used to put her arms around his neck and kiss him passionately whenever they met? They didn't agree to just be friends, did they? He wouldn't have accepted that.

  “Dinner will be ready in a few minutes,” she said, heading to her kitchen.

  He followed her and put his arms around her waist, kissing her on the neck. Stuff it. Surely, making out wasn’t making love. He missed her so damned much!

  “Connor,” she said in breathless warning.

  “I missed you,” he whispered in her ear.

  “We have an agreement,” she said, turning to face him.

  “We said no sex. This isn’t sex, is it? It’s just kissing.”

  “That’s courting temptation.”

  He grinned. “Hmm. Maybe I can tempt you to change your mind about this no-sex thing then?” he joked.

  Amanda pushed away from him, ignoring his words. “How was your meeting with Celine yesterday?” she asked.

  He stared at her, heart squeezing, as she checked something in the oven. “It went okay.”

  She gave him a quick glance. “She’s interested in you, you know.”

  “So?”

  Amanda shrugged. “Do you find her attractive?” she asked casually, taking out plates from a cupboard.