38. Connor
38
CONNOR
T he party is amazing. It’s been a big night, people everywhere. The distillery and spa look six-star quality, the room full of locals, suppliers, both new and old faces. And overwhelmingly, the response has been positive. All due to the amazing woman who I’ve been watching all night. In a black dress that makes her look like a goddess, with her hair long and shiny, the curls flowing down her back. Her bright-blue eyes sparkle, just how I like them. She takes my breath away every time I see her.
I step toward her, my voice almost gone from talking so much, and lean over her shoulder, whispering in her ear.
“Can I steal you for a moment?” I murmur as I grab her hand, and she politely ends the conversation with one of our new staff members. I’ve hardly spoken to her all night. I’ve been networking, and she’s been meeting and greeting people, taking them on tours of the new space. It’s been busy.
“Where are you taking me?” she asks with a smile as I guide her through the crowd and take her out a side door into the cool, crisp fresh air of Whispers. I remain quiet as we head down the side garden path, the night clear, the stars bright, and the silence golden. We walk down the length of the distillery, somewhere she hasn’t really been since her first day here when I gave her a quick tour. Thinking about that time makes me want to chuckle. How much she pushed me, how arrogant I was with her. The path ends, and we step out into a large, vibrant green lawn that I have since had landscaped.
“Oh my God.” Stopping abruptly, she looks up, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head, which has me even more excited about this reveal. “Connor?”
“I can’t take all the credit. Your father gave me the idea from his garden,” I tell her as she looks around the hundreds of Daisy bushes that surround us. All in full bloom, all planted together tightly, so all we can see is a mass of white and yellow with the backdrop of the manicured lawn. Looking from above, the bushes are positioned in the outline of a daisy, the middle circle a trimmed grassy area, where we are currently standing now.
“What’s this?” she asks, still looking gobsmacked.
“This is our garden,” I say simply.
“Our garden?”
“A place here at the distillery that’s just for us. For yoga, for breathwork, for picnics, long nights with a bottle of whiskey…” I tell her, not able to help my grin, thinking about the image my memory pulls of her from that night in my penthouse.
“It’s perfect.” Her expression is one of awe. “I love this. So much.” When she turns that pretty face to me, I can tell she’s ready to say more. But I just want her in my arms.
“Come dance with me.” This is only the second time in my life I’ve asked a woman to dance with me, her taking up the first time as well a few weeks ago at the bar.
“Here?” she asks with a tilt of her head, and I hit a button on my cell in response. The outdoor speakers come alive with the sweet sounds of Dolly and Kenny, as do some sparkly fairy lights that I had placed in the daisies. Our very own magical garden comes to life.
“Connor,” she whispers, her eyes glassing over slightly. “You’ve really thought of everything.”
“Dance with me, baby girl.”
She steps forward, into my arms, and I hold her to me tight as we start to sway.
“I thought you hardly ever danced?” she comments, smiling up at me. “I guess I must be a lucky gal.”
“Just with you. I’ll always dance with you.” The honesty tears through me almost violently. I feel vulnerable, my heart completely open. I feel a mix of nerves, yet so self-assured, like nothing else in my life has been the right decision but her. She stops swaying then and lifts onto her tiptoes, her lips touching mine in a way that seals us together.
Running my palm over her back, I wrap my arms around her tightly, the feeling of not wanting to let her go taking over. As Dolly’s voice filters through the night air, singing about doing something to me that I can’t explain, I feel those lyrics to my core.
“Come with me. I want to show you something else,” I say, pulling away from her slightly and taking her hand, leading her farther away from the party and past the thick daisies to a smaller clearing cocooned by large bushes of lavender.
“What’s this? Another surprise?” she asks as I lead her to the structure I had specially made for her, currently decorated in fairy lights. The sounds of the party hum in the distance, this area private, quiet, and just for us.
“It’s a glass house that has counters and a sitting area and a place where you can grow your specific herbs that may not be suitable for the kitchen garden,” I tell her as she takes everything in. I have a space with a large daybed where she can meditate if she wishes. All the tools and pots are already here, glossy and new, just waiting for her to use.
“Connor…” I watch as her eyes well with tears, and I swallow. “All of this, it’s… I can’t believe you did this for me.” Shaking her head, she asks, “How did you get this built so quickly? How didn’t I notice this was happening? This is so thoughtful and intricate and I… I just… Why?”
I cut off her questions with a kiss. If I start explaining the hows and whys now, it’ll only lead back to three little words from me that I’m not sure she’s ready to hear. “Have I told you how stunning you look tonight, baby girl?” My words fall onto her lips as her palms run up my chest. She smiles up at me, relaxing into my touch, her questions saved for later.
“This old thing…” she teases, and my hands move then, smoothing down her curvaceous body before trailing up her back. I revel in her little shiver and the flare of her gaze when I hit her zipper and I start to lower it, wanting to see and feel all of her.
“Connor, someone might come,” she whispers but doesn’t stop me, the look in her eyes full of desire. As the zip lowers, the straps fall from her shoulders, and she bites her plush lip in anticipation.
“We’re in complete privacy. The only person coming will be you.” I speak against her skin as I press a kiss to her now bare shoulder, dragging my lips up her neck. She moans softly, and my cock thickens as she lets the dress fall to the ground. She’s a vision. Bathed in moonlight, in a lacy set of lingerie that has me salivating.
“God, you’re beautiful…” I croak, wondering how I got so lucky.
“You have such a way with words.…” she whispers, her grin seductively sexy as she unbuttons my shirt and I slide off my jacket.
“I speak the truth. Your body is fucking amazing,” I growl as I run my hands up and down her sides, not able to stop touching her for even a moment. “And I’d do anything for you, you know that? You could ask me for anything, and the answer would always be yes, Daise…” I admit as I lose my shirt, and her hands and lips are on my chest and neck. I make quick work of my pants before I lower her down onto the daybed, the new plush cushions making for a luxurious spot under the night sky.
“I just want you,” she says as I kiss her shoulders and down her neck, her body arching as I do, her large breasts begging for release. Unclipping her bra, I cup them, moaning as I kiss her all over.
She pushes down my underwear as I grip her hip, grabbing the lace and pulling it from her body. Giggling at my eagerness, her feet quickly kick them off her as she lies underneath me.
Her red hair is spread out across the fabric of the cushions, her body now at my mercy. I run my finger across her perfect lips and look into her eyes before I lower my touch, right to her core.
“Yes…” she gasps as I touch her clit, jolting a little before I put my lips on hers and swallow her moans. She loops her hands around my neck, pulling me closer as her breasts seal against my chest.
“I love the feel of you against me,” I murmur, and her legs spread wider. Running my hand back up, I mold her breast in my palm as my pelvis grinds into hers.
“Connor, please,” she whimpers almost impatiently, and I grin as I maneuver myself, edging my way into her slowly, wanting to burn this moment into my brain. I watch as her mouth opens on a moan as she takes me in so well that I almost lose my composure.
“Yeahhh, baby girl,” I say, pulling out slightly and then moving back in, my eyes not leaving her face. Seeing the pleasure as she bites her bottom lip, I start to move a little quicker. I can’t get enough of the way her body moves with my thrusts, how her eyes roll back, her sounds becoming desperate as I work her closer to the edge. As close as we are, it’ll never feel close enough.
“Soooo good,” she moans, long and low. Knowing that she’s enjoying this teasing pace, I take my time, our mouths and hands exploring and consuming one another.
“You respond so well to me, baby girl… You were made for me, there’s no doubt in my mind.” I moan, voice choked as my balls tighten, and I clench my jaw, needing to get her to come first.
“Only you, Connor.” And with that, I feel her body clenching and pulsing before she’s panting, “Yes… Yes, I’m going to come…” Her breaths grow quicker, her moves urgent, and she lifts her hips to meet my harder thrusts.
“Connor!” she shouts my name, convulsing, her fingers digging into my shoulders, and I speed up until I’m seeing stars.
“Fuck, Daise. Perfect… Mine… All mine.” With a groan, I join her in ecstasy, holding her tight and never wanting to let her go.