“Good to see you, Gia,” he says in his deep, husky voice, and my body throbs.
“Hi,” I manage to get out.
He winks and leaves to finish his work.
The bar stays busy. Several hours pass, and Connor brings me water and food. Anytime my drink is empty, he refills it. I never ask for anything, and everything he gives me I enjoy. We don’t say a word to each other.
When ten p.m. hits, the restaurant closes. Connor already has the bar clean and set up for the next shift.
“Wow. You have a party to go to tonight?” one of the waitresses asks him, pointing to the bar.
“Nope. See you later.” He turns and walks outside of the tiki area.
“Wait, we haven’t tipped you yet,” the girl calls out.
“Keep it,” he says, pulling me off the barstool.
As soon as I’m on my feet, he pushes his hands into my hair, gripping the side of my head, and his lips take ownership of me.
An explosion of tingles and flutters races through every nerve I have. My heart pounds against his chest, and my knees buckle. His arm quickly wraps around my waist, holding me to his muscular frame.
An erection like I’ve never felt presses into my stomach, begging me to set it free. The smell of his skin alone could make my panties melt.
“I’m so glad to see you,” he murmurs as he pulls away from my lips.
I’m panting and try to pull it together but can’t think about anything, except how good it feels to be in his arms again.
He caresses my cheek. “Want to get out of here?”
All I can do is nod.
He pecks me and guides me out of the bar and down the beach.
We walk quietly. His arm is around my waist. The pounding of the ocean waves fills my ears. From time to time, he kisses the top of my head.
We don’t go far before he turns and leads me up to a house.
“Do you live here?”
“I’m housesitting for my parents’ friends.”
“What does that entail?”
“Watering their plants.”
I scoff.
“What’s so funny?”
I point to the beautiful house. It probably costs at least a million dollars. “All you have to do is water plants to stay here?”
“Yep.”
“Wow. I need a new job.”
“I’m sure your assistant job pays better.”
My assistant job.
Stay focused, Gia. He’s a target.
He can’t be a Twisted Heart.
Those who look the most innocent often aren’t.
“Sorry, did I say something wrong?” He scans my eyes, worried.
I force a smile. “No.”
He searches my eyes then blurts out, “I’m sorry about last night.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“No?”
“No. I’m sorry how I left things.”
He opens his mouth to speak but then closes it.
“Show me your house,” I say and point to it.
He takes my hand and kisses it. “Okay.”
Instead of showing me the main level, he takes me upstairs, quickly has me peek in the rooms then gives me a tour of the main level. He flips some switches in the kitchen, and the pool and hot tub light up with a rotating pink, green, and purple glow. Music plays on the surround sound.
We end up on the deck, and he turns on the fireplace and hot tub. It begins to bubble.
He cups my cheeks and tilts my head. “Can you promise me something?”
My heart races. “What?”
“Don’t leave tonight. We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to but don’t go. If I do anything to make you uncomfortable, just tell me and I’ll stop. I give you my word but promise me you’ll stay.” The fire flickers in his dark-blue eyes.
I shouldn’t promise him anything.
I should give him some excuse as to why tonight is a bad night and suggest some other time.
I should string him along like any other target.
“I’ll stay. I promise.”
4
Connor
Don’t mess up. Whatever you do, don’t freak her out again.
All I’ve thought about since she left me is how I messed up big-time. I cursed myself at least a million times for moving too fast with her and making her uncomfortable.
I wracked my brain, trying to figure out how I would find her.
When I turned and spotted her sitting at the bar, I wondered if I was seeing things and told myself all night not to screw this up again.
Gia isn’t just a girl. She’s a woman, and everything about her makes my body burn.
The night air is cooler than usual for this time of year, and a breeze blows off the ocean. She shudders.
I wrap my arms around her. “Cold?”
She sinks into me, and I kiss the top of her head. “Want to go in the hot tub?”
My cock twitches. “Sure,” I say, trying to keep my response low-key and not scare her again. She told me she would stay, but the last thing I want to do is make her uncomfortable or scared again.
She scans my eyes, almost nervously, then takes another step back and removes her shirt and shorts.
The knot in my throat is thick, and I swallow hard. My heart races as I stare at her curves and the thin black lace bra and barely-there panties.
“Are you coming in, too?” she quietly asks.
Stop ogling her, dickhead.
“Yes.” I reach behind me and remove my shirt then release my pants, standing only in my boxers.
She licks her lips.
I take her hand, motion for her to get out of the tub then follow her.
Every move I make, I debate—the memory of her rushing out the door last night fresh in my mind.
I begin to put my arm around her but hesitate and put my hand on my leg.
She notices, and my heart pounds harder.
Shit. Get a grip.
She blinks a few times then turns toward the ocean.
I tap my fingers against my thigh, and my mind races with what to say or do to make her comfortable. But I don’t know the answer.
I’m stressing out, focusing on the water, when she presses her hand against mine, stilling my movements.
She smiles, lighting up the dark night, and the buzzing in my veins grows. I’m not used to it and I don’t know what it is or means, but I want to feel it more.
Cautiously, she slides onto my lap. “I’m sorry about last night. Don’t stop being you.”
I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “Sorry—”
She puts her finger over my lips. “No more sorries. You haven’t done anything wrong.”
In a trance, I search her eyes for some clue on what to talk about.
But she speaks first. “Do you work a lot?”
Relieved she broke the ice, I shrug. Instinctively, I caress her silky skin over her spine. “Depends on the week and season. I work more right now because of the number of people here.”
“You appear to have fun when you work.”
“I do.”
“Everyone seems to love you.”
“I’m pretty lovable. What can I say,” I tease.
She softly laughs, and I want to hear more of it.
“Is it your only job?”
“Yeah. I help my brothers out a lot with their houses, too.”