14. Chapter 14
Grace
“So are you sure you want to go with me to this wedding next weekend?” The heels of my boots clicked against bright white tile when we walked into the building.
Connor looked at me from the corner of his eye, grabbing my hand and leading me toward the elevators when I slowed to ogle at the intricately designed vaulted ceiling in the lobby.
He insisted we go to lunch somewhere downtown.
He said he knew just the place and to dress nice.
I took a couple quicker steps to catch up with his pace. His long legs took one step for every two I took. “Do you want me to go with you to the wedding next weekend?” he asked, turning the question back on me while we approached the elevators.
Of course I did, but was I prepared for the consequences that would come with bringing him? “I don’t know,” I admitted, stalling behind him.
Connor turned around and grabbed my hand, tugging until my body met his, pressing my back against the walls next to the elevator.
He hit the button, never taking his golden eyes off mine.
“I guess you better figure it out,” he said.
He lowered his voice, leaning toward me so only I would hear him.
“But right now, we’re going to go for lunch, and I’m going to make sure every damn person in this building knows you’re with me. ”
The bell on the elevator dinged, and the gold doors slid open.
Connor held his arm out, gesturing for me to get on the elevator, but he didn’t step back.
When I slipped between him and the wall into the elevator, my body brushed against his, and my lace bra pressed against my nipples, causing just enough friction to demand my attention.
I inhaled the scent of his cologne, and my anxiety slowly started to dissipate, replacing itself with a swirling hunger that wasn’t going to be satiated by anything on the menu.
As Connor hit the button for the top floor, the doors closed again, leaving just the two of us in the elevator.
When it dinged again and started to move, Connor pinned me against the wall.
Before we reached the second floor, I was inhaling his breath.
His mouth against mine was eager, but all I could focus on were his fingers moving up the inside of my thigh.
He tossed the fabric of my skirt to the side, sliding his fingers beneath my panties.
I was glad I had worn lace instead of cotton.
“We don’t have time for this,” I gasped when his finger circled my clit.
“Of course, we do.” Connor smirked. “We have twenty-four floors, and you’re so wet, you’ll be shaking by ten.”
I sucked in a sharp inhale as he pushed two fingers inside me.
When he curled them, a jolt of electricity went through my legs, and I knew he was right.
I’d be coming by the time we made it halfway to the top at this rate.
It seemed like I lived on the edge when I was around him. He just did something to me.
“What if there are cameras?” I asked, not caring enough to let him stop. Connor pressed his thumb against my clit, fluttering his fingers against my g-spot while I shivered.
“Then I guess they’ll see you’re mine too.” He started to finger me faster until the sound of my wet pussy competed with my breathy moans. If the cameras had any mics, they’d hear I was his too. Tightness swirled in my core while the numbers increased on the elevator display.
Seven. Eight. Nine.
You’ll be shaking by ten.
My legs quivered. I couldn’t believe we were doing this. We were going to get caught. I grabbed onto his wrist, and he shook his head. “Come for me.” He looked at the count, and a wicked smile stretched over his face.
The tension in my core snapped, and I fell back against the wall while he pulled his fingers from me.
My wet arousal instantly soaked the lace he covered me back up with, just before he stuck his fingers in his mouth and sucked them clean.
The door dinged as he pulled his fingers from his lips, and I stood from the wall, hoping my legs wouldn’t give out beneath me.
“Mr. Murphy, it’s good to see you again.” A man in a suit greeted us when we stepped off the elevator, and butterflies in my stomach charged for my throat when Connor shook his hand with the same one that was just inside me. It probably still smelled like me. “We have your table right this way.”
“Great,” Connor said with a cheeky grin, looking back over his shoulder at me before he put his hand on my lower back. “I’m starving.”
At our table, Connor pulled out my chair, gesturing for me to sit.
I did, noticing people were watching us—either Connor demanded a room, or they could see my thighs were still wet from the elevator.
I brushed my hands over my skirt, suddenly nervous it was still tucked up and that everyone in the restaurant could see the lace barely covering me.
“Sarah will be with you in just a moment. Can I get you something to drink while you wait?” Did everyone here kiss Connor’s ass like this, or was this host special? I looked at Connor, enveloped in the casual confidence that surrounded him.
“Bordeaux, please,” he said, unbuttoning his jacket and sitting down.
“And some water. I think my lady here may be thirsty.” As he said it, my mouth dried out.
The host looked at me for a second, long enough that my mind flashed back to the elevator.
Did he know? I pressed my thighs together, feeling my cheeks getting warmer. If he didn’t before, I bet he knew now.
“Of course, sir.” He walked away, leaving me to stare at the golden-eyed man across from me.
“So do all these people you have connections with owe you money, or are they scared of you?” I giggled, resting my elbows on the table.
It felt like everyone in the restaurant knew who Connor was, even the other patrons, but I doubt they did.
“The theater, a helicopter, a fancy restaurant at the top of a skyscraper…”
Connor chortled, tilting his head back so his laugh echoed off the crown molding framing the dining room.
“Do you think I’m a dangerous man, Grace?
” His voice was low, sending a shiver down my spine that almost made me reconsider.
Still, I shook my head, sucking in a breath when he reached under the small table and put his hand on my leg.
“It just seems like everyone knows you.” I gulped, wishing the drinks we ordered would get to the table more quickly. “You have connections everywhere.”
“Let’s just say I know a guy.” Connor winked.
“Maybe I know a few guys, and they are scary.” He leaned across the table and dropped his voice to a whisper.
“And maybe there are some people out there who would say I’m scary too, but that should never be you.
You should never be scared of me, my little pearl. ”
He sat up straight when a blonde woman showed up at our table with a bottle of deep red wine, a couple glasses, and two waters.
She set the bottle down, looking longingly at Connor.
Her eyes were dazed, like she was imagining being the one in this seat, his hand on her thigh instead.
When she looked at me, I couldn’t tell if it was with envy or frustration, but I appreciated the petty swell of pride in my chest.
“Sorry for that wait, Mr. Murphy,” she said, placing the glasses of water in front of us and adding the two wineglasses to the table.
“Not a problem,” Connor said, and I became more aware of the possessive placement of his hand. “Never a problem waiting with company like this.” His hand slid higher on my leg.
“It’s really good to see you again.” She doubled down again, like she was preparing for a battle.
My heartbeat sped up when she leaned forward, even though Connor never looked in her direction.
I guess he isn’t the only one who doesn’t like to share.
I cleared my throat, and she stood up straight. “Would you like some wine, Mr. Murphy?”
Connor nodded, sliding first my glass forward and then his own.
The waitress scowled, filling the first one before generously pouring a glass for Connor.
When she turned to set the bottle down, she knocked my glass to its side.
A rush of red poured over the tablecloth and into my lap while the side of the wineglass broke.
I gasped, jumping back in my seat. The wine left a dark, wet stain on the front of my skirt. “I’m so sorry about that,” she said, but a small giggle slipped from her lips. She wasn’t sorry at all.
“Oh, you’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I snapped, grabbing the cloth napkin from the table.
The waitress stood there, looking between me and Connor while I patted the fabric.
“Don’t just stare at me. Go get something to clean up this glass with.
” I sounded like my mother and my grandmother before her.
Connor’s eyebrows lifted at the sharp tone in my voice, and he leaned back.
“May I help you with that?” he asked, taking the napkin from me and patting my skirt more calmly, the napkin in one hand while his other hand made its way between my legs.
My eyes widened. “I think I like seeing the angry side of you, little pearl,” he whispered when his fingers danced over the lace covering my pussy.
“I shouldn’t have gotten so angry,” I said under my breath, distracted by the movement of his fingers and forgetting about the stain on my skirt. It was brand new. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I like a gorgeous woman with some fire.” He pulled his hand from beneath my skirt, and I whined. I didn’t want him to stop, and I definitely wasn’t hungry anymore.
When the waitress returned with a small bucket to clean up broken glass and another cloth to wipe up the mess with, she looked apologetic. “I’m very sorry for the mess, Mr. Murphy,” she said, barely glancing at me from the side of her eye.
Connor chuckled. “I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.” Her eyes widened, and I imagine her stomach sank at the same rate mine filled with immense pleasure at her discomfort. He nodded at me and sat back expectantly while the waitress turned pale.
“I’m sorry about your skirt,” she said. I could tell it was killing her, having to apologize to me for a mess I was pretty sure she caused on purpose.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” I said, reaching for the damp cloth on the table to get the wine off my legs before it got sticky. I would have to deal with the stain on my skirt later. “I think he plans to take it off as soon as we get back to his place anyway.”
Connor’s golden eyes darkened when he lifted a single brow, and the waitress seethed with jealousy.
“You’re not wrong,” he said quietly while the waitress stammered in front of us.
He pulled his wallet from his pocket, leaving some cash on the table for the wine we didn’t drink.
“In fact, maybe we’ll go ahead and skip straight to dessert now. ”
He stood, helping me up from my chair and escorting me back through the restaurant with his hand on my back. Even as people turned and looked at us, it seemed the dining room faded away with each step toward the elevator.
“It seems I’m not the only one feeling a bit possessive, hmm?” he said when he hit the button.
“I guess I don’t like to share either.” The elevator doors opened and dinged, and Connor gave me a small nudge.
“Does that mean you’ve decided what you want to do about the wedding?” he asked. My stomach tightened as the door closed.
I shook my head. “Not really. It’s not that simple.”
“It is that simple,” Connor said, backing me against the wall. My pussy clenched at the memory of the ride up. “I’m not the kind of man who hides. Do you understand that?”
“Yes.” My mouth was dry, and I struggled to swallow the nerves clinging to the inside of my throat. “I don’t want to hide you.” I put my hands on his chest.
“Then I’ll come with you,” he said. The elevator seemed to go much slower on the way down than it did on the way up.
I nodded as it settled on the first floor with another ding. Connor’s face lit up, and I felt his smile like warmth in my core. Now that I had him, I couldn’t imagine him not being there with me. The elevator doors opened, and I took a nervous step. “My brothers are going to kill me.”