12. Connor
12
CONNOR
M y heart thuds heavily as sweat drips down my back. I discarded my t-shirt about a mile back, tucking it into the waistband of my shorts as my lungs gulp in the fresh air. I love running in the mornings in Whispers, and the sunrise here is hard to beat. I have flown all around the world, and not even Greece is better than this.
As I get closer to home, I slow to a saunter and cool down. I’m stressed. Our barley farms aren’t producing what I need when I need it. The weather is wreaking havoc, my mind full of so many things I can’t think straight, the five miles a day I do not even taming the thoughts, and it doesn’t help that I have fucking “Islands in the Stream” playing on repeat in my mind. As I walk to cool down, I look over my own private running track. There’s nothing but me and the clean air and the rising sun. It’s quiet, no one else awake or at the distillery, especially since Dad and Victoria moved up to their new place on Billionaires Boulevard.
Running is my stress relief and one I desperately needed today. I hardly slept last night with visions of Daisy flicking through my mind like a movie reel. Her laughing at something I said. Her smiling next to me in the bar, listening to me intently, like she’s interested in every word I say. The way I picked her up and put her in my truck. I shouldn't have touched her. It’s not professional, and I didn’t need to feel her in my hands, but damn, she looks good in my truck. I was permanently hard all night, my fist doing very little to tame the beast in my pants that seems to now have a mind of its own.
I walk around the corner of the tree line to get back to my place, knowing I need to shower and head to my office for an early morning conference call. But then I look up and stall. She’s like a beacon, calling to me, and I watch her in awe as she does yoga in the front garden, my feet not moving, feeling like they are encased in cement, as I’m completely mesmerized.
She’s wearing tight matching yoga pants and a crop top. I see her shape, her curves, and damn, has she got curves. So many curves. She has such a womanly figure, and I like that. I swallow, my mouth watering as I stand like a fucking stalker, watching her, peering over the high hedge. My eyes feast on her large, round peach of an ass, and I bite the inside of my cheek so I don't groan and completely startle her. She changes poses, and I get a front view of her perfect breasts that are almost spilling from her tight top as she lowers her hands to the ground.
“Good morning, Connor!” our gardener yells cheerily, and I jump, looking over at him on the far side of the garden, waving to me with a wide grin and a pitchfork in his hand. I grind my teeth together, waving back with a fake wide smile, pissed off that he interrupted my morning viewing. I forgot that fucker started early on Fridays. I look back at Daisy, who’s now standing, hands on hips, looking straight at me. Shit.
“Good morning,” I say, walking toward her slowly, confidence in my gait.
“You forgot your shirt?” she says, her flushed cheeks becoming a little more vibrant, still embarrassed by my half-nakedness, it seems. Yet I don’t miss the way her eyes flick to my naked torso, which makes me smirk. Last week at Sunshine, she couldn’t look at me, and now, her eyes are glued. I push my shoulders back, enjoying her attention.
“I just finished a run.” I let my eyes roam a little. From a distance, she’s stunning, and up close, she’s delectable.
“Without a shirt?” she asks, and I shrug, feeling cocky. I work out. I look after myself, more for my mental health than anything else. But present me thanks past me for all those runs and weight sessions because Daisy seems flustered.
“I’m not used to having anyone here. Dad moved up to his ranch a while ago now, so his place here is rarely used.” I brush my hand down my naked torso and watch her swallow. Good to know I affect her just as much as she affects me.
“I didn’t realize anyone was up yet,” she says, her hands still on her wide hips, and I tame the smirk pulling at my lips. I’m her boss, goddammit. I’m never thrown off my game. But for some reason, Daisy is now ingrained in my vision, and I can’t get her out. I don’t even want to.
“I usually go for a run to watch the sun come up. It’s the best part of the day,” I tell her honestly, coming to a stop about a foot in front of her. Her skin radiates in the morning light, a slight sheen to it, telling me she’s been out here for a while herself. Her long red hair is piled onto her head in this messy yet sexy-as-hell bun, tendrils falling around her face. My fingers twitch to step forward and push them behind her ears so I can see her face more clearly. But I refrain.
“The sunrise showcases the start of something new. No matter what happened last night, yesterday, or even the days before, the sunrise allows us to reset, restart, and rejuvenate, ready for a brand-new day,” she says in a tone that has me immediately relaxing and taking a deep breath. My shoulders lower instantly, and it feels like she’s wrapping me up in a warm hug. I almost groan at feeling the stress melt away, simply from her voice and the morning sun showering me in warmth.
“I like sunrises too,” she admits when I remain quietly staring at her.
“So… yoga?” I say, scrubbing my eyes, willing my brain to function. We haven’t bitten each other’s heads off yet, so the conversation feels more adult than the past week or so since I met her. Although it’s early, so I’m sure her sass or sarcasm will come to the forefront at some point. I almost look forward to it.
“I try to have a daily practice each morning. That and meditation. It helps me to clear my mind and create some good energy for the day.”
“Makes sense. Your office is all set up for you. I assume you’ll want to hit the ground running today?” I ask her, wondering what her plan of attack is.
“I have deliveries arriving, then some phone interviews to do, and I want to pull together a treatment menu by the end of the day for your approval.”
I look at her, wide-eyed, and grin. She’s organized and committed. I like that. Her work ethic is pretty strong, and I can see the determination in her gaze. My sight drops a little to her chest for a second too long, before meeting her eyes again. It’s almost like her breasts are teasing me. The cute daisy chain necklace I notice she wears is dipping into her cleavage, playing a game of peek-a-boo as her chest rises and then quickly falls. A rush of heat travels through my body, and I move my t-shirt and tuck it into the front of my waistband to hide my growing infatuation with this woman.
“Sounds like a full day. I better get going so I can make a start myself. I’ve got a conference call with my lawyer, Sawyer, first up.” I take a few steps in the direction of my place, needing to get my head out of my ass and get to work. I have a full day of meetings and conference calls. The work never stops.
“You have a lawyer named Sawyer?” she asks, laughing, and I grin as I walk backward, my eyes not ready to leave the sight of her just yet.
“Yeah. He’s from New York,” I tell her, by way of explanation.
“Sounds about right.” She shakes her head. “See you at work.”
“See you later,” I say before turning and jogging up to my place, opening my front door, and pushing myself inside. I pace straight to the kitchen and tell myself it’s to organize my morning coffee, and not because it has the window that looks over the back of the property, where I can torture myself with her downward dog one more time before I take a long, cold shower.
I need to stay away from this woman, because if I don’t, there’s no way I’ll be able to keep my hands to myself.
* * *
I end the call with Sawyer, a little more frazzled than I’d like. It’s been a big week, our expansion plans are going well, Daisy is now in place, and if I can just get a few other things sorted, then that would be a relief.
Walking out of my office, in search of caffeine, I spot Victoria in the restaurant doing the same.
As I get closer, I can tell she’s disheveled, and I wonder if she’s feeling alright.
“What’s up? You okay?” I ask, meeting her at the coffee machine and pressing a few buttons as she takes a sip of her cup and sighs.
“I had a sound healing treatment this morning with Daisy, and I fell asleep,” she says, and I grin.
“See, I’m not the only one,” I quip, happy that Victoria now clearly approves of Daisy just as much as I do.
“Now I need coffee, lots of coffee.” She takes another healthy sip, making me chuckle.
“So you enjoyed it?” I ask, stirring in a bit of sugar and cream, interested to hear her take on it all.
“It was amazing. Like she picked up on my trauma, my nightmares. Hell, if this gets me to sleep better every night, I think I might marry her instead of your father.” She giggles, and I grin like a fool. I look at the large rock on her finger that my dad put there not too long ago. I never thought my dad would find his person. He was single for so long, for a variety of reasons. A trait I seemed to have picked up from him.
I think about that for a beat as I stir my coffee and take a sip. I’ve never really felt lonely before, always busy with work, jetting to the city and back often, and not lacking female attention. But I see what Dad has and how happy he is and have started thinking that it wouldn’t be that bad to have a partner in my life.
“I’m getting your dad to have a treatment with her tomorrow,” Victoria says, and I spit out coffee.
“Yeah, that’s what he did when I told him just now.”
I grab a napkin and clean up my spill, head shaking.
“I need photos or it didn’t happen,” I tell her, laughing, because my father on a spa bed with sound healing bowls on him is a sight I need to see. Although I already know Daisy won’t agree to any photos. I can tell she has strong ethics and morals. There’s no way she’ll want any client photographed, especially during a treatment. I think back to her wanting me to put my clothes back on the first time I met her and the way she thoroughly studied my form for medications and injuries before we began. She’s thorough and doesn’t want to misdiagnose or incorrectly treat.
“She made me a sleepy tea, something herbal to take before bed. Did you know she was an herbalist as well?” Victoria asks, clearly impressed.
“Had no idea…” I murmur, but I think back to the tea her mom made me, and even though it was bitter on the tongue, I felt on cloud nine all day after that.
“Anyway. I’m taking her into town tomorrow to get her some more supplies and introduce her to some people.”
I roll my eyes good-naturedly. “Who, your best friend Bob?” I tease. Since remodeling Marie’s place, Victoria is always in the hardware store, talking to Bob, and he loves it. It’s the most attention that old guy has had in all his decades here in Whispers.
“What? Jealous? Scared Daisy might meet someone else who has better taste in music?” She eyes me accusingly, and I run my hand down my beard.
“Daisy is our consultant,” I tell her like she doesn’t know.
“Hmmmm… a consultant you couldn’t stop looking at and talking to all last night at dinner. Tanner and I could have left the booth and you two wouldn’t have even realized.” She hums, watching me like a hawk. I sip my coffee and try to act nonchalant.
“She’s here for a month. Of course I need to get to know her. She’s managing one of our biggest investments. I’m many things, but stupid isn’t one of them.” Getting involved with a staff member or colleague is probably the riskiest thing I could do.
“Why are you stroking your beard like that?” Victoria asks, attention narrowing in on the movement, and I pause my hand immediately.
“Because he’s nervous. It’s his tell,” Dad says, walking up behind me, and I drop my hand instantly.
“His tell?” she questions him, and the two of them start talking about me like I’m not standing a few feet away.
“He does it when he’s nervous or uncomfortable. What are you talking about? Hang on, let me guess… Daisy?” Dad asks, and I suppress a groan of annoyance, not answering.
“Don’t you two have some goats to milk or something?” I grumble. Victoria has a few goats as a hobby and now makes goat milk soap with Annabelle, a woman in town, who’s a single mom and teacher at the local school.
“Kevin’s doing it today…”
“Does he have a thing for Daisy?” she murmurs to Dad, the two of them looking at me, yet talking to each other.
“I’m right here, guys,” I tell them with a huff, but they ignore me.
“I think it’s more than a thing. Come on, let’s go. I want to check in on Lacy and Hudson,” Dad says, and Victoria grins as the two of them walk off together. I swallow down the bitter coffee and turn to head back to my office, my to-do list a mile long and now nothing but Daisy on my mind.