Susan turned to him, her look one of surprise.
“I know it’s not my place, but--”
“No.” She said, holding up a hand to stop him. “You’re right. And thank you for that.”
Connor could see that her eyes were shining with unshed tears and he was startled when she gave him a quick but fierce hug. He gave her a sheepish smile as she unlocked her door. She turned before getting in, conflicting emotions on her face.
“Alexandra has been through a lot.” She paused, clearly not sure how much to say or how to say it. “I love my daughter and I want her to be happy. I like you, Connor. But… if you hurt her, I will kill you. And I know an excellent attorney, so I’ll probably get away with it.”
This last bit was delivered with a smile, but Connor had no doubt she was only half joking. Susan was a fierce Mama Bear and he had no desire to tangle with her, Ranger training or no.
“If I ever hurt her, I would let you.” He promised. She nodded once and slid into the car, shutting the door behind her.
Connor watched her drive away with a small wave before returning to the townhouse. The door opened before he touched the handle and before he was inside, Alexandra kissed him. Her hands framing his face, she was up on her tiptoes, kissing him positively stupid. He couldn’t do much more than hold on to her waist and enjoy the ride.
The kiss was brief, but passionate, and when it was done he was hard and aching. He had to remind himself that they weren’t alone, yet, to keep from tossing her over his shoulder and sprinting up the stairs.
Alexandra pulled back and she looked up at him, awed. Completely bewildered, she just stared at him, shaking her head.
“I’m not complainin’ but what was that for?”
“What did you say to her?” She whispered. He noticed for the first time that Amanda stood in the doorway to the living room, staring at him with a similar expression of confusion and admiration on her face.
“We had a wee chat is all.” Connor shrugged.
“Incredible.” Amanda whispered. “He’s like the mom whisperer or something.” She took a step forward and Alexandra stepped between him and her sister.
“Get your own.” Alexandra snapped. Connor chuckled. He liked this possessive streak in her.
“I guess that’s my cue.” Amanda grumbled, grabbing her coat and bag from the hook in the hallway.
“Love you, brat.” Alexandra said with a hug and a smile.
“Love you, too. Call me from London.”
And with that, they were blessedly alone.
✽✽✽
Alexandra locked the door behind her sister and turned back to Connor. She had an intense urge to jump him, then and there. He had been unbelievably sweet and patient with her mother, and her sister all night. He had answered every question. He’d played host, getting drinks and helping serve dinner. He’d been a gentleman, pulling out chairs and standing when they got up from the table. He had even cleared the table and done the dishes while she and her mother and sister went upstairs to pack for her trip.
And then, when she didn’t think things could have gone any better. He’d walked her mother out to her car and said something, done something, that made her mother hug him. It was a miracle.
Their mother was not a cold person. She was affectionate with her children, and with her husband when they’d been married. But she was protective, and like all protective mothers, she wasn’t easily impressed by the boys, or men, her daughters brought home. Alexandra hadn’t brought many to dinner in recent years, but when she had, her mother was incredibly wary, and never very impressed.
Alexandra received warnings and cautions. She was urged to go slowly, be careful, think things through. She loved her mother, but her overprotectiveness had made it even more difficult to put the past behind her. It wouldn’t ever be possible to forget, but she didn’t need constant reminders in the form of her mother’s cautionary advice.
Somehow Connor had managed to get through her mother’s defenses, much like he’d gotten through hers, quickly and with minimal effort. And he had no idea what it meant to her that her mother liked him.
“Dinnae be lookin’ at me like tha’.” He shook his head, his burr thicker than usual.
“Like what?” She asked, walking into his arms.
“Like I’m some white knight whose slain a dragon fer ye.” He smirked, hugging her tightly.
“Why not?” She asked, tilting her head to press a kiss to his jaw.
“Because I’m no a white knight. I dinnae like heights much, so keep me off yer pedestal, if ye please.” He smirked, and then growled when she continued to trail soft kisses down his neck. He smelled like pine and cedar and fresh air and man. It made her head spin how good he smelled. And he tasted better.
“And, because if you keep lookin’ at me like that, I’m goin’ to haul ye upstairs and have my way with you.”
“Mmm.” Alexandra hummed her agreement against the front of his throat. He was not giving her incentive to look at him any differently. She nipped his neck and he groaned, squeezing her tight and letting his hands roam down her back. She circled the hollow of his throat with her tongue and he hissed.
“I think before you haul me anywhere, you should let me thank you properly for being a consummate gentleman this evening.
“Aye?” He asked. His eyes were hungry, but also filled with such excitement as to be almost comical. Like a boy on Christmas morning.
“Yeah. Sit.” She pushed him into the living room until he was standing in front of the couch. He sat, releasing her to do so. He sighed and ran his hands over the cushions on either side.
“I love this couch. Have I told you that?” He grinned. She knew he was thinking of the first time they’d been together, because she was thinking the same thing. She loved how in sync they were, in and out of bed. Or couch, as the case may be.
“Me too.” She said, straddling his lap and feeling the thick length of his erection press against her thigh. She kissed him, slow and sweet, all soft lips gliding together. She pulled back occasionally, giving him only the slightest teasing brush of her mouth, until he growled with frustration.
He cradled her head in his hand, tangling his fingers in her hair, and held her in place as he took over the kiss. He conquered her mouth, invading with hungry lashes of his tongue and soft nips of his teeth, until she surrendered fully. He seemed to know precisely when it happened and he made a sound of pure male satisfaction as he plundered her mouth.
He held her tighter, as if there was anyway they could be closer, his hand gripping her thigh as he rocked his pelvis into her in rhythm with the thrusting of his tongue. God, she wanted him. Badly. Already an ache was building inside of her that only he could soothe. But first, she wanted to do something just for him. He was always concerned with her pleasure first, and she loved-- appreciated him for that.
Alexandra collected herself enough to pull away. Her mouth quirked at his scowl and grunt of protest, and she had to place a hand on his chest to maintain the space between them.
She kissed his cheek and then trailed kisses to his ear, enjoying the stubble on his jaw that gently abraded her skin. She nipped his earlobe and he groaned.
She moved down his neck, kissing, nipping and licking, as she ran her hand down his smooth, hard chest, over his taut, defined stomach, to the fly of his jeans. She undid the button and tugged the zipper down, reaching beneath the band of his boxers and wrapping her hand around his cock.
He groaned louder as she slowly worked her hand up and down his length, continuing to lavish his throat with the eager attentions of her mouth.
“Jesus.” He breathed when she wiggled her fingers down far enough to cup his balls and hummed in pleasure at the way they felt in her hand. Everything about him was impressive and she wanted to take her time being impressed.
She stood and bent at the waist, tugging his jeans and boxers down past his knees. He lifted his hips to give her more space to work with, fisting his shaf
t in his large hand as she removed his clothing. Something about the way he looked at her while he stroked himself made heat pool between her legs and made her heart race. `
He looked at her with such utter desire. From such a fierce, beautiful, caring man, it made her wild to please him. She wanted to burn the imprint of this moment into her very soul and do the same for him.
She knelt before him and placed her hand over his as he stroked himself, until he closed his eyes and gave way with a moan. His hand instead moved to cup her cheek as she took hold of him at the base and licked up the length of his cock, flicking her tongue just beneath the blushing crown.
“Shit.” He hissed. She smiled to herself as she swirled her tongue around the head, enjoying the salty, earthy taste of him before gently sucking him into her mouth. He let out a deep satisfied sigh as she began to move up and down over him.
His hands were threaded firmly into her hair. He was too large to take whole, his girth was beginning to make her jaw ache, but she tried.
She pulled him to the back of her throat, breathing through her nose, and held him there. She sucked forcefully, and his hips jerked off the couch. She put her hands on his thighs, enjoying the tense muscles bunching beneath her palms, and began moving. She picked up her pace, taking him as deep as she could, as quickly as she could, on each thrust.
“God…” He moaned. “So good.” His breathing was ragged and his voice was deep and gravelly with his building pleasure. She hummed in satisfaction at his praise, feeling her own arousal growing, and Connor cursed harshly.
“Do that again.” He rasped. She made a long humming sound in her throat while she held him deep.
“Fuck.” He cursed. “If you don’t stop…” His sentence trailed off as Alexandra sucked harder, humming again. She cupped his balls, rolling them in her palm, feeling them tighten in her hand. Connor’s groan turned into a roar as he came, bucking his hips and gliding his cock across her tongue. Alexandra sucked in pulsing pulls, swallowing again and again until he stilled.
Connor pulled her into his lap, crushing her to him and kissing her hair, over and over.
“Lex…” He choked. Alexandra was suddenly anxious. She had hoped he’d enjoy it, but she hadn’t expected such a reaction. “You’ve no idea what you do to me.”
✽✽✽
Alexandra smiled to herself as she remembered the events of the previous night. Connor had enjoyed her “thank you” and reciprocated in kind until they were both exhausted. They had grabbed breakfast on the way to the airport and boarded their plane. The flight was an excruciating seven hours, give or take, and Connor had forbidden her from sleeping.
He had declared himself the expert on such things, and thus his word was law. They left New York around eleven and, due to the time difference, wouldn’t be landing until about eleven in the evening local time. If she napped on the plane, he explained, she’d never be able to sleep once they arrived. It would be hard anyway, considering it would only feel like six in the evening to them.
He had gallantly kept her occupied on the flight by any means necessary, including regaling her with stories from his misspent youth, huddling over a tablet to watch a movie together, and even sharing his music with her. Alexandra had been prepared for the flight with several books at hand, but she hadn’t needed them.
She was amazed how comfortably they’d managed to spend seven hours together in a flying tin can. They had similar taste in movies and music, so it shouldn’t have surprised her that they also enjoyed some of the same books. They’d talked about Jim Butcher and Douglas Adams, Agatha Christie and Rex Stout, Shakespeare and Poe. She had tried to convince him of the merits of Jane Austen and he tried to argue the value of Stephen King. Neither made much headway, but the conversation had been easy and entertaining.
They took a cab from Heathrow to their hotel and checked in. Alexandra had oohed and aahed over the sights, and Connor had pointed out things along the way. Their suite was lovely, with a king sized bed, a sitting area, and a large picture window with a view of the city.
Alexandra now stood in front of that window, staring out at London, trying to take it all in. Seven hour plane ride be damned, she was feeling better than she had in a long time.
“Nice view.” Connor said casually. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder.
“It’s beautiful.”
“You’re beautiful.” He kissed the side of her neck. She’d noticed that Connor was affectionate that way. He touched her constantly, gave her frequent kisses, held her hand. She liked that about him. Most of the guys she’d dated, once they knew what had happened to her, acting like they weren’t allowed to touch her at all. They’d hesitate before giving her a hug, or taking her hand. And eventually the frustration with her boundaries, and often their own uncertainty about what her boundaries were, sent them packing.
Connor’s casual touches and stolen kisses made her feel… normal. She wasn’t a freak who hated to be touched. She wasn’t cold and aloof. She was just a messed up girl who needed to be loved differently. Connor understood and he was a quick learner. He was deliberate, but he was quickly learning what she liked and what she didn’t.
“You’re also very quiet.” He murmured, straightening up and putting his chin on the crown of her head.
“Just tired.” She sighed. Which was true.
“Come, then. Shower, food, then to bed wi’ ye.” He said, kissing the top of her head. She let him lead her to the bathroom and start the shower. Once the water was warm enough, he tugged her t-shirt over her head and stripped her out of her yoga pants. He undid the clasp on her bra and nudged her toward the shower.
It was heavenly. There were multiple showerheads in the ridiculously large space and she closed her eyes and sighed as the water warmed and soothed her back, shoulders and scalp. London was beautiful, but London in October was cold and wet.
Connor joined her a moment later, and as always, her pulse pounded at the sight of him in his naked glory. All dark hair and chiseled muscle and dancing blue eyes. She sighed as she looked him over.
“Turn around.” Connor ordered with a grin. He poured a dollop of shampoo in his hands and began massaging it into her hair.
“God, that feels good.” Alexandra sighed again. She found herself doing that alot around Connor. He was thorough in his washing and massaging, repeating the process with the conditioner.
“Your hands are magic.” Alexandra told him as she turned and gave him a quick kiss to his shoulder as she reached around him for the shampoo. “Your turn.” He turned, dutifully, and bent his knees a bit so she could more easily reach the top of his head. She lathered and massaged and was gratified by his own sighs of pleasure.
They toweled off and donned the fluffy robes that hung in the bathroom before ordering room service. They sat cross legged on the bed and ate while they discussed the sights of London and the schedule for the upcoming nuptials. Meagan had a whole week’s worth of activities planned including a “hen night” and pre-wedding hair, nails and makeup. Both of which were supposed to be girls only. She was still trying to figure out how to get around that since she doubted very much that Connor would be comfortable with her going solo.
“Maybe I can just tell them that I’m too nervous to drive in London and you have to come with me?” Alexandra mused over her “chips.”
“Then they’d just ask why you don’t take a cab.” Connor pointed out, gesturing with his fork in between bites of his steak.
“Hmm. I suppose we’ll have to go with plan B, then.” She sighed.
“What’s that?”
“You’re just going to have to pretend to be so in love with me that you follow me around like a lost puppy.”
Connor laughed. “I think I can manage that.” Then there was something on his face that disappeared again so quickly she wasn’t sure she’d even seen it. “The hen do might be tricky, depending on who’s planning it.” He mused.
&
nbsp; “What do you mean?”
“Well they all have booze, lots of pink tat, lots of items shaped like cocks, and usually a substantial loss of dignity.” Connor chuckled. “But some of them can go on for a whole weekend. It could be just a night of drinking and dancing, maybe with a stripper thrown in. Or it could be a pub crawl with lots of embarrassing games and tasks for all involved.”
“Ooh, now there’s a thought.” Alexandra beamed. She certainly wouldn’t object to watching Connor take off his clothes, or stuffing ones in his g-string. Just the thought had her pulse racing. She certainly wasn’t drooling over the British interpretation of french fries.
“Yeah. You think I should parade around at the hen do and take my clothes off for all your friends?” Connor grabbed both plates and set them on the room service cart before returning to stand by the foot of the bed.
“Why not? Unless you can’t dance.” Alexandra teased, reclining against the pillows at the head of the bed.
“Is that a challenge?” He grinned. His hair was still damp from their shower and he looked positively edible in that bathrobe with a large expanse of firm pectorals showing at the top.
“Maybe.”
“How about… a mattress mambo?” He waggled his eyebrows and Alexandra had to laugh.
“That was terrible.”
“The Humpty dance?” Her laughter increased until she was gasping for air.
“Stop. Seriously.”
“Right, just the sex then.” He grinned. He undid the belt to his robe and let it slide off his shoulders to the floor. He was, of course, blessedly, gorgeously naked underneath. He crawled toward her across the bed and she had a sudden deep sympathy for gazelles because she now knew what it felt to come face to face with a powerful predator.
“You’re overdressed.” He murmured, settling beside her. He settled his weight on one elbow and he ran a single fingertip up and down over her chest, skimming just beneath the fabric of her robe. He kissed her neck, tasting with his tongue. Her breath hitched and she felt her nipples harden in response. She sighed, and closed her eyes, simply indulging in the sensation of his touch.
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