Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Sometimes it’s harder to figure out what you want than to get it.
Tips and tricks for every situation from divorce lawyer Connor Stone
Especially when you act dumb. - Rachel
Two rounds later, they had the results: They were in third place in the quiz, and…
“You have seventy-two percent with Alec! Man, that’s solid,” Cian said enthusiastically, snatching the phone from Rachel to reassure himself. “Then you must have a date!”
“He…he lives in Eden Bay,” Rachel replied, clearing her throat. Her gaze kept grazing Connor, but never landed directly on him.
“Oh, if it turns out to be love, I’d move here for you, no problem,” Alec replied lightly, winking at her.
Connor changed his mind: He hated his brother.
Rachel laughed and tucked her hair behind her ears, that hair that felt like silk when you wrapped it around your finger. “You’re a real pro at sweet talk.”
“I’m a master pastry chef, Rachel,” Alec said seriously. “All things sweet are my specialty.”
She laughed louder, and Cian, the traitor, grinned too.
Connor would have liked to leave, just like Maddie, who had withdrawn immediately after the last round ended because she was tired and no longer lived around the corner.
But only over his dead body would he leave Rachel with Alec, who lived in a town where there were obviously no single women left for him to have fun with.
God, why was Rachel still sitting here? She didn’t need to be! If she didn’t want to spend time with Alec, she could have left with her sister. But no, she was still sitting here, so she was obviously trying to talk Alec and Cian out of the idea of the date…for his sake.
It wasn't because she didn’t want to go out with his brother, but because she didn’t want to make the situation awkward for him.
Everything. Was. Fine. If she went out with Alec, and then ended up in bed with him…Connor’s jaw cracked.
“Are you cracking nuts, or what’s wrong with you?” Cian asked innocently.
“Nothing. It was the chair.”
Cian grinned knowingly, and Rachel glanced over at him uneasily. Shit, was she considering his feelings? Feelings he damn well didn’t have!
“You should go out,” he squeezed out. “If your beloved questionnaire tells you he’s the one, feel free to do it.”
“So, you’d be okay with it?” Alec batted his eyelashes.
“Yeah! I don’t give a shit who goes out with who here.”
Rachel narrowed her eyes almost imperceptibly before raising her chin. “Well then,” she said woodenly, “Alec, how do you feel about a breakfast date tomorrow?”
“I love breakfast.”
“Wonderful, because at seventy-two percent, we shouldn’t waste any time.”
“Is seventy-two percent high?” Cian asked.
“Relatively.” Rachel smiled. “So far, the highest score was eighty-seven percent.” Her gaze flicked to him, and he was surprised it didn’t split the table because it was so damn sharp. “They’re still together.”
“Good for them,” he replied dryly.
“I really enjoyed the questionnaire, by the way,” Alec drew Rachel’s attention again.
Rachel’s eyes lit up. “Really?”
“I feel like it’s given me the opportunity to get to know myself better, don’t you think? It encourages you to be honest with yourself.”
Rachel’s gaze shifted to him again. “I tweaked a few things last week, so that you’re really honest. Because I wasn’t, before.”
Stunned, Connor’s hands slipped off the table.
“That was a good idea,” Alec confirmed. “Connor here, for example, would be lying from start to finish if he filled out something like that.”
Rachel’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“I would not,” he countered.
“Oh, yes, you would.” Alec nodded. “The last time Mallory asked you what your type of woman was, you told her you liked quiet, unassuming ones!”
He rolled his eyes. He’d wanted to rile up his ridiculously nosy sister, and he’d succeeded!
“And anyone who’s ever lived with the eighteen-plus version of you knows that you like them loud,” Alec continued undeterred. “In all areas.”
Rachel visibly had to stop herself from laughing, and yep, now Connor was blushing. “Alec…”
“Is that so?” Rachel asked, feigning innocence. “Man, your brother is full of useful information, Connor.”
Connor should be annoyed by that, but he wasn’t because Rachel was smiling and seemingly relaxed.
She didn’t look as unhappy as she had during miniature golf.
And, yes, she was smiling at his expense, but he could grant her that.
“You know, Alec,” he said amicably, “at least I don’t lure women into my apartment with the promise of the best buttercream of their lives. ”
“I keep my promises,” Alec replied innocently. “And you’re right, your standard pickup line was always better.”
“Now things are getting interesting,” Rachel said with a grin.
“Do I know the line?” Cian asked.
No. Because it was stupid. “Shut up, Alec,” Connor said, waggling a warning finger.
“Please, don’t shut up, Alec, not now,” Rachel objected.
But Alec’s phone took pity on Connor. His brother glanced at the screen, and his shoulders visibly tensed. “Sorry, I’ll be right back.”
A second later, he was gone.
“What’s the pickup line?” Rachel asked as if they hadn’t been interrupted.
“Oh no, not a chance.”
“Come on, tell me.” She batted her eyelashes. “Pretty please?”
His stomach lurched. The word please shouldn’t have so much power.
He shook his head firmly. “I feel like I shouldn’t tell you. Just so that our current, professionally distant relationship isn’t damaged.”
She struggled not to smile. “You really are a lawyer, aren’t you?”
“The diploma on my wall says so.”
“Come on, I’ll let you tell me,” she said, pulling up a chair. “I’m going out with your brother tomorrow, so I’m practically family.”
He glared at her, his hand clenching. “I don’t want to upset Cian.”
“Cian apparently went to the bathroom.”
Confused, he looked around. Sure enough, he was gone. Oh, he’d done that on purpose!
“Come on, Connor. I won’t tell anyone else.” She rested her elbows on the table. “Just because we’re physically distant doesn’t mean we can’t…” Hesitantly, she tilted her head, “...be friends.”
He laughed dryly. “Be friends?”
“Yep.” She nodded resolutely, but he knew she didn’t believe it herself.
Still, he nodded, stretched his legs out under the table, and brushed her calves. “Okay, but don’t judge me. I was twenty-two and thought I was cool.”
“And, were you cool?”
“I had a Furby keychain, a t-shirt that said The Force is with Me, and more gel in my hair than clauses in my head. You decide.”
She laughed. “Very cool.”
The corners of his mouth twitched. “Well, I was already friends with Cian back then…”
“Oh, not cool at all,” she revised.
Shit, now he was smiling. “You got it.”
“You’re stalling. I want to hear the pickup line!”
He cleared his throat. She’d asked for it.
“Hey,” he said amiably, putting his arm over the back of her chair.
He didn’t touch her, but he still felt her warmth on his skin and had to stop his fingertips from gliding over her bare shoulder.
“Want to bet I can set you up with that guy in two seconds?” He nodded at a lanky man who was moving in their direction.
Rachel lowered her gaze, leaning forward as if to escape his warmth, and hid her smile in the shadow of her hair. “You’ve made questionable bets before.”
Yes, but none had cost him as much as the one with Rachel.
“So, wanna bet?” he persisted.
“Sure. There’s no way you’ll be able to do that,” she played along, lifting a corner of her mouth.
Connor held out his arm and stopped the man who was about to walk past them. “Hi,” he said casually, “would you like to go out with my friend? She’s intelligent, funny, and super open in bed. The most important thing to her is that the man orgasms.”
Rachel tilted her head back and laughed, while the guy turned pink and whispered, “Um…okay?”
Rachel laughed louder. “God, no! He was joking. Keep on walking.”
The man shrugged and couldn’t get away fast enough.
“You didn’t really just say that,” Rachel said, stunned, looking at him with her mouth gaping.
He refused to smile outright. “I’m not done yet. To the women who thought it was funny like you just now, I say…” He cleared his throat and looked at her seriously. “All I care about is that you’re intelligent and funny. Want to go out with me?”
Rachel’s eyes twinkled with amusement as she leaned back against his arm. Her shoulder blades brushed warmly against his forearm. “How many times did it work?” she asked quietly.
“A few times.”
“Well, I'm sure those women didn't regret it. At least the female orgasm is more important to you than your own, so…” She trailed off, her cheeks reddening. “Sorry.” She cleared her throat. “That…wasn’t professional. Or friendly.”
“No, and you better not tell my brother if you go out with him tomorrow,” he murmured dryly, allowing himself to look at her, following the curve of her flushed cheekbones, and imagining for a second that there was nothing between them but this table.
Her gaze darted to his lips, and his pulse quickened, and abruptly, he pulled his arm from behind her and turned away.
“Well, I was an idiot. Back then.” Just like I am now.
She nodded and scooted her chair back a few inches. “Connor?” she whispered after a few seconds.
“Yes?”
“Thanks.”
He looked at her, confused. “For what?”
“For respecting my boundaries.”
He swallowed and nodded. “I’m only invasive when you explicitly ask for it,” he replied hoarsely.
He saw her swallow and her gaze travel back down his face. “Are you flirting with me?”
“No, of course not. Because you asked me not to,” he murmured. “And that wouldn’t be fair to my brother.”
She laughed, but it sounded mirthless. “Connor, if you don’t mind…”
“Why should I?” he asked sharply. “We’re…friends, remember? I want my friends to be happy. And…at least Alec isn’t a mess.” With that, he stood. “See you around, Rachel.”
She wrung her hands in her lap. “And I had the feeling you were making a point of not doing just that.”
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “My self-control is limited,” he muttered as he turned and left. Let Tara put the drinks on his tab. Let Cian and Alec do as they pleased.
Because that feeling when he was with Rachel… He could name it now. It was longing. For her. Even though she’d been sitting right across from him.
“Are you leaving?”
Blinking, he looked up and met Alec’s gaze. His brother was standing in front of the Sunny Umbrella, putting his phone away.
He nodded. “I’m tired.”
“Sure.” Alec lifted the corner of his mouth. “Tell me, you and Rachel…”
“No,” he interrupted.
“You don’t know what I was going to say.”
“No, Rachel and I aren’t an issue.”
“Hm. You knew what I was going to say.” Alec scratched his chin. “Are you sure about that? I was under the impression that just the thought of me dating her was what killed your pencil.”
“And yet you’re going out on a date with her,” he replied stonily.
“She’s cute.”
Connor stuffed his fists in his pockets. Just to be safe.
“God, Connor, if you like her…”
“Who was that on the phone?” he interrupted gruffly.
Alec’s hand jerked to his phone. “No one.”
“Hmm. I think we’ve reached an impasse.”
Alec smiled. “Okay, you don’t want to talk about Rachel.”
“What was your first clue?”
His brother laughed. “It’s really nice to be here. Mallory wouldn’t have valued my privacy. I’d like another drink. Are you coming back in?”
He shook his head. “No. I want to go to bed. You have your key, right?”
“Yup.”
“Well then.”
He left Alec standing there, hoping that all he had to do was move away from Rachel so that the feeling in his chest would stop tugging at him like thorns caught on his clothes.
But it didn’t help. He walked along the promenade, breathing in the cool sea air, trying to drive away the image of Rachel’s face.
The thought that she believed her damned customized questionnaire, which said she was over seventy percent compatible with Alec.
What if they were a match? If Rachel had finally been honest with herself, and the damn dating algorithm…
“Fuck.”
“It’s not proper to swear on the day of the apocalypse, Stone.”
Connor turned and saw Winnie lying on the beach five yards from the law firm’s front door.
“I thought the apocalypse was yesterday,” he muttered, pulling the key from his pocket.
“Thought I’d shake up the plan a bit. Chaos makes me feel more alive.”
Connor’s almost smiled. Maybe that was it. Maybe chaos with Rachel made him feel more alive. “Then I’m excited to see what tomorrow brings. If the apocalypse even allows for a tomorrow.”
He unlocked the door, but a rustling told him Winnie was up.
“Everything okay?” he asked, turning back. “If you’re too cold, you know you can ring the bell and sleep on the couch in the office, right?”
Winnie waved his hand dismissively. “It’s far too nice out here. I’m going to my tent now; it’ll protect me from the wind. And honestly, you look like you’re the one who’s not okay.”
He smiled tightly. “Maybe I shouldn’t make bets when I don’t want to know the outcome.”
“Ahh, that dream-woman bet with the couples' therapist over there? Izzie told me about it. Haven’t you found your dream woman yet?”
Connor snorted. “No. Maybe the whole thing is a bit more complicated than I imagined.”
“Mm hm.” Winnie nodded. “I’d just turn in for the night.”
“Yes, I agree. It’s late.”
“No. That’s not what I mean.” Winnie looked at him, irritated. “You find dream women in your dreams, not on the street. Everyone knows that. And if you find something that feels like a dream in broad daylight, you’ve probably been drugged. Or you’re in love.”
Then he saluted and trotted down the promenade toward his tent.
Open-mouthed, Connor stared after him. As far as he knew, he hadn’t been drugged, so…
Fuck. He was still an idiot.