Chapter Twenty-Two Connor #2
“What are you doing here?” she asked, a little breathless.
“I wanted to see you.” I pulled her into a hug, squeezing a little too tight.
She smelled like cinnamon and the wind, which brought the scent of all the pine trees around us.
“Are you warm enough? Do you want my jacket or gloves? How are your ears?” I checked them, rubbing her lobes to make sure they weren’t frozen.
“Connor.” She giggled against my chest before standing on her tiptoes and kissing me. Her lips were cold and she tasted like Christmas—like mint, warmth, fire, and tea. She ended the embrace way too fast, and I rocked toward her, not wanting to let our connection end.
“I’m doing great. This place is amazing, and the photos I’ve gotten? Holy cow. They are incredible. Do you want to see them? If you can take lunch with me, I can show you!” She spoke so fast, so joyfully. She loved this stuff.
My heart broke. She was so happy, and I couldn’t… burst it. My throat bobbed as emotion choked me.
“I can’t do lunch, baby, but I want to see a few.”
A little line formed on her face, her knowing gaze assessing me. “If you’re not here for lunch, what’s going on?”
I hated this. I hated doing this to her. Taking her hand, I kissed the back of it and hoped she felt the guilt, the worry from me.
“I have to head into the city today. My CTO found evidence that someone, probably the board or my dad, planned the data breach as a way to hurt me. We think they are monitoring us, so we have to meet off-site to talk.”
Her eyes widened and her lips parted.
“I am so fucking sorry. I planned to bring you soup and massage every part of you to make sure you weren’t too cold today.” I squeezed her hand, fully aware that mine trembled. “I have to do this, baby, and I hate that I feel like I’m letting you down. I’m only doing—”
“You’re not letting me down.” She smiled, squeezing my wrist five times. That was new. I didn’t know what five squeezes meant. Her initial shock wore off, and she stood straighter, her voice stronger. “You told me. You’re including me.” She sighed, and the cloud of her exhaled breath surrounded us.
“You need to put on another scarf if you’re going to be out here all day,” I muttered.
She cupped my face, her soft fingers grazing my jaw as she forced me to look at her.
“Thank you for letting me know what was going on. The old you would’ve texted something like, ‘a work thing came up, have to cancel,’ and it’d feel like a gut punch.
You driving out here? Telling me in person?
” She gave me a watery smile. “This feels good. This feels like you understand what I want.”
“Wait, really?”
She nodded. “I hate that you’re leaving, of course, but this is huge. Finding a connection to the board? Wild. You need to be there for your people and get justice.”
“You don’t think this is me choosing work over you?”
There. I asked the one question that had gutted me since I learned I had to go into the office.
Laney rubbed her lips together, a thoughtful expression on her face.
“No. I don’t. Not today.”
“If I can wrap it up fast, I’ll drive back tonight, okay?”
“Sweetie,” she said, her lips curving, “you need to head there tomorrow anyway. You should stay, focus on your presentation.”
Spend a night away from her? Two nights away? Not see her tonight? No. Unless… she wanted space?
“You don’t want me to come back?”
“I want you safe and prepared. Tomorrow is big for you, for us.”
“What are you not saying?” I whispered, unsure why I felt the need to hold her tighter, closer. She had said the right things, touched me, smiled, yet something felt off. Maybe it was the anxiety of the meeting, but panic clawed at my throat.
“Laney, please.”
“I promise you—I’m okay. I’m not upset with you.” She held my gaze as someone called her name from across the parking lot. “I would offer to go with you, but the events tonight and tomorrow are big deals.”
“Yeah.”
“I need my husband—you—to focus on nailing the bastards who are messing with the company you’ve run for years. I’m telling you to not worry about me tonight or tomorrow. After? Yes. You better get your ass here, and we can talk about next steps for us, but not tonight, and not tomorrow.”
“I won’t be able to sleep tonight without you.”
“Then call me. We can fall asleep talking.” She squeezed my forearms, pure determination and encouragement on her face. “I need my dominant, take-no-shit husband right now. The one who obliterates anyone who lies or cheats. He’s a little scary and a lot hot.”
I nodded, the grip on my throat loosening. I placed my hand on her shoulder, rubbing her collarbone with my thumb, squeezing three times, and taking a few deep breaths. Touching her calmed me.
“I can be him for a little bit.”
“Good.” She grinned before pulling the collar of my jacket and dragging me down for a kiss. “Now kiss me goodbye, properly.”
That, I could do. Her full pillow lips pressed against mine, and I moaned at the contact.
I fucking loved her mouth. The sassy comments, her intelligence, the way she leaned into the kiss like she couldn’t be close enough to me.
I slid my tongue against hers, shuddering at how good she tasted.
She nipped my lip before pulling back, a wicked gleam in her eyes.
“Brat,” I teased.
“Gotta give you something to think about while you’re gone.” She licked her lips, then pointed over her shoulder.
“I gotta get back to work. Be safe, okay?”
“I will. You too.”
She waved and winked at me before going to talk to someone in a huge green winter coat. I wondered if he was the owner of the farm—but that wasn’t a question I could ask right now.
I had to focus on my job. My wife was okay.
She’d given me permission to leave. I’d throw myself into work to distract myself from missing her and shove down my curiosity about this town.
My gut churned like something was off, but Laney told me once it wasn’t worth stressing before something happened, because then you’re stressing twice.
While it was true, I couldn’t stop the stress.
Laney and I are good.
I repeated it over and over and chose to believe it. Once the board meeting was over, we’d handle what came next.