Chapter 19 His Girlfriend #2
I pretended not to notice the silent conversation happening behind my back as I drank and refilled my glass. Turning, I smiled at Connor and said, “I’m kind of tired. I think I’m going to head to bed.”
“I’ll go with you.”
When Jamie catcalled, Connor shot him a glare that set all three of the guys off.
I hurried to his room, my cheeks hot as hell.
“Sorry about that, I—actually, I don’t have an explanation for them.”
I laughed, setting my glass on the beat-up side table. “I have a few of those at home. I get it.”
We brushed our teeth in silence, casting lingering looks at each other in the mirror. Connor carefully undressed, wincing when he lifted his arms over his head.
I took a clean shirt from his dresser and tried my best to ignore the way Connor watched me change.
Fat chance.
The living room had gone quiet as we got under the covers. Assuming our usual sleeping position—Connor flat on his back, me draped across him—he let out a contented sigh.
“Am I hurting you?”
“Nah. That side is fine.”
“I can’t believe someone ran you off the road.”
“It was wild. They chased us down Bottom Road, and Jamie couldn’t shake them. Luckily, the Lincoln is old enough to be a tank.”
“You think you’ll be able to fix it?”
He shook his head. “Nah.”
I kissed the bottom of his jaw. “I’m sorry. I know how much that car means to you.”
His hold tightened on my waist. “I’m just glad I got to work on it with my grandpa.”
His fingers softly ran down my back, and my eyes drifted closed. Right as I was about to fall asleep, his phone buzzed.
“What now?” he groaned, sitting up to grab it without hurting his side. The glow of the screen lit his frowning face.
Rubbing my eyes, I asked, “What’s up?”
He dropped his phone back on the side table and flopped back down. “My ex-girlfriend’s texting me.”
I hummed, unsure of how to navigate a conversation about his ex when jealousy was bubbling irrationally in my belly.
“What’s wrong?” he asked when I didn’t reclaim my spot.
“Nothing. I’m just curious why your high school sweetheart is texting at—” I tapped my phone. “One in the morning.”
“She’s not my high school sweetheart, just the girl I dated in high school.
” He pinned me with a serious look. “There’s a difference.
And she’s probably texting because she has a sixth sense for reaching out when I’m at bullshit capacity.
You’d think ignoring her at the start of summer would’ve been enough for her to get the message. ”
The pieces fell into place, and I snuggled into Connor’s side. “So, you aren’t in touch?”
He laughed, jostling my head. “Hell no. I should probably block her, but that would cause more drama than just ignoring her.”
“Hmm.”
“What?”
“Nothing.”
Let him figure out how a girl who texts her ex late at night handles being ignored.
“That reminds me, do you have plans for the fourth?”
“None.”
“Why don’t you and the Frattic girls come to the party at Tom’s parents’ property?”
“Are you sure Tom won’t mind?”
“Please, you’ll be his new best friend if you bring a bunch of sorority girls to the party.”
I laughed, relaxing against him. “Okay. We still have some fireworks left.”
“Perfect. And you need to come up with a costume.”
“What?”
Connor’s hand slid to my ass. “Something Americana or Independence themed. Last year, we all dressed as musicians. I was Springsteen.”
I chuckled, running my fingers along the ridges of his abs. “What’s your costume this year?”
“That’s a secret. You’ll have to wait and see.” His voice came out rough as he slipped a hand under my panties and palmed my ass. “I missed you today.”
The quiet comfort between us sent warmth through my chest.
Is this what love feels like?
“I missed you too.” Because of BAE meetings, I had to call off the only shift at the Wel I had with Connor, so for the past week, we’d only seen each other after midnight.
I dragged my nails along the band of his boxer briefs.
“The cops seriously need to catch this guy before the semester starts, or I’m going to spend the rest of the summer doing risk prevention workshops. ”
Connor squeezed my ass as he cleared his throat. “I overheard the sheriff say they have a couple of leads, so it shouldn’t be too long now.”
I threw my leg over his thighs, brushing against his hardening length. The way his body reacted to me was a confidence boost like no other. I’d always felt cute and pretty, but Connor gave me the space to tap into my sexy side.
He kissed the corner of my mouth, and his lips tilted up in a smile. “I like having you here.”
I kissed him, but pulled away before he could deepen it. “I like being here. Your bed is much bigger than mine.”
Connor’s chest rumbled with a laugh. “You don’t like cramming into a full with me?”
“Well . . .” I placed a hand on his chest. “It has been hot this summer.”
We shared a smile as we leaned in for a kiss. What started out as sweet and lighthearted deepened into something more, something all-consuming. Every stroke of his tongue, caress of his hand, stoked the fire between us until there were no thoughts in my head but him.
Groaning, Connor pulled me on top of him. As soon as my hands landed on his chest for balance, he grimaced, and I scrambled off his legs.
“Wait, come back,” he complained, reaching for me.
“No way. You’re hurt.”
“I’m just sore,” he whined, making grabby hands.
Laughing, I gently lowered next to him. “Let’s sleep off the accident, then we can talk.”
“Fine,” he huffed, tugging the edge of my shirt to bring me closer. “Expect an early wake-up call then.”
“Yeah, yeah.”