Page 22 of The Sweetest Mistake

“Okay,” she said.

Eyes lighting up at her answer, Connor leaned in and softly kissed her. It might have been his form of a simple thank you, but she still felt it all the way down to her toes. Leaning up on her elbow, she looked past him to the clock on her bedside table and was surprised to see how late it was.

“It’s getting late,” she said.

“Are you kicking me out?” he asked while he traced a circle around one of her exposed nipples.

“No. It’s just that we both have to work tomorrow.”

Trailing his finger over to the other nipple, he repeated the pattern, seemingly mesmerized by the sight of them hardening in response to his touch.

“I’ll leave if you want me to,” he said, gliding his hand down the midline of her body and pausing right above her sex.

It probably would have been the wise thing to do, to ask him to leave, but her body disagreed.

“I guess it won’t hurt if you stay a little longer,” she said breathlessly. So much for staying strong.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” he said, his hand disappearing between her legs.

And so, they got lost in each other again, using their hands and mouths this time since he’d only brought one condom.

Bodies already primed, they peaked much quicker this time, and after they caught their breath, she said, “Okay. Now you have to leave.”

Laughing, he crawled out of bed and started gathering his clothes.

“I’ll let you get your beauty rest even though you don’t need it. You’re already beautiful enough.”

She’d been sitting up in bed, sheet tucked around her breasts, watching him dress and already missing him. But for some reason, she kept that little nugget to herself.

“Thank you,” she said, beaming at the compliment. He’d told her she was beautiful before, so it was nothing new, but she still liked hearing it. Funny, Alec had told her the same thing, but his words hadn’t had the same effect. Maybe it was because Connor didn’t talk as much, so when he gave her a compliment, she knew he really meant it.

“Let me walk you to the door,” she said and started to rise.

“No. Stay there. I want to think of you just like that,” he said. He’d said the same thing after the first time they’d made love. She wondered if he remembered it too, and based on his grin, she knew he had.

After she heard the front door click shut behind him, she burrowed under the covers and inhaled deeply. She could still smell him and still felt the warmth from where he’d lain. And for the first time since she’d found out about the baby, she fell into a peaceful sleep.

Chapter Six

Connor left Julia’s house feeling a helluva lot better than he’d felt for days. And it had nothing to do with getting laid. Of course, that hadn’t hurt. He’d gone to her house wondering if she’d even talk to him, with no expectations of having sex. But now his hope was restored that all was not lost.

When she’d agreed to be there when he told his family about the baby, that had been the icing on the cake. He wanted her by his side even though he had no right to expect that of her. When he’d conveyed that to her, she’d gotten mad at him. He smiled remembering how feisty she’d looked with her hands planted on her hips, her deep brown eyes sparking with anger, her full, kissable lips set in a straight line. Even angry, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever laid eyes on.

And he didn’t blame her for being angry—not one bit. This was the second time he’d screwed up in the past few months, and he had a strong premonition that it was three strikes and you’re out. He couldn’t afford to mess up again. As his Jeep bumped down the dirt road to his house, he recalled their first fight…

“Are you nervous?” Julia asked on the drive over to her parents’ house.

“Why do you ask?” he replied without looking at her.

“Because you keep tugging on your collar and there are red splotches all over your neck.”

“That’s because I’m too damn hot. I never should have worn two shirts.”

Since he was meeting her parents for the first time, he’d ditched his faded jeans and long-sleeved t-shirt for a gray crewneck sweater with a collared shirt underneath and black chinos. This was as dressy as he got other than for weddings or funerals.

“Whoa,” Connor said when he’d pulled onto the street leading to her parents’ house. They lived in an affluent subdivision in nearby Clarkston where the homes looked like manors set back on private heavily wooded lots. This was a neighborhood comprised of doctors, lawyers, and other business professionals who led a privileged life, and this was where Julia had grown up.

“They’re just houses,” she said.