It was sweet, thoughtful, and it was a piece of Connor that had been snatched away.
Until now.
Connor stood when he noticed me behind him, although I suspected he knew the minute I’d started toward him. His eyes rarely left me, always conscious of where I was.
“Thanks, Connor,” Danny said, his eyes beaming with excitement.
Connor reached out to Danny, his hand inches away from ruffling his hair, but he drew back, fingers curling into fists at his side. “Show Bacon that you respect him and understand his wants and needs and he’ll give you everything he has.”
“I will. I will.” Danny nodded enthusiastically.
Connor turned to me. “Babe, did you get what you need?”
“Yeah.”
Chess joined us and Danny showed her the course and was rambling on about what Connor had told him using the stick to point to the map in the sand.
Connor drew me up against him and took a deep breath, some of the tension easing from his body. I suspected he’d been worried he’d have a flashback the entire time he’d been hanging with Danny.
“Let’s go,” I suggested. I turned to Chess and Danny to say goodbye when there was a loud bang in the barn and then hooves on the cement floor.
Chess and I looked at one another. “Rocket incoming.”
Within seconds, Rocket was out of the barn and pushing between us, head-butting whoever was in his way. Connor took the brunt of it because he was in the way of my camera bag. Apparently, Rocket thought it tasted better than his potato chips.
Connor stroked his neck and Rocket settled, leaning into his leg and loving the attention. The sound of tires crunching on gravel had Rocket bleating and running toward the car and Chess swearing.
“I told him noon. He’s early.” The person who was early was Tristan and he was out of his classy black car and standing in front of it within seconds.
“No.” Tristan blocked Rocket’s path to the hood of his car. “I pay for your food and vet bills. You want to eat, you stay off my car.”
“Dad,” Danny yelled and ran to Tristan.
Chess sharply inhaled, her hand covering her mouth and tears filling her eyes. “He just started calling us Mom and Dad. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”
Tristan strode toward us, Danny now riding on his back and Rocket hopped along beside them, nipping at Tristan’s suit pant leg. What made this day so special was them. How they didn’t make a big deal at seeing Connor with me. Tristan and Chess were victims of Vault and knew what Connor had done for the organization, not specifically, but the type of jobs.
But they treated him like any other person, warmly with no pre-judgments.
Tristan Mason was just as tall and built as Connor, but more clean-cut. Due to Mason Developments, he was high profile and had endless media attention. But that was how they managed so much funding for the Treasured Children’s Center.
“Connor,” Tristan said, smiling. He lowered Danny off his back then held out his hand.
Connor shook it, but he was tense. He looked away and briefly closed his eyes. Shit. I was getting to know the signs of his headaches that put him on edge. Even a scent could cause him to react. But it didn’t matter what it was. The important thing was to move away from it as that usually eased the headache before he lost it.
“We better go. I’ll email you the photos,” I said to Chess. “Nice to see you, Tristan.”
“And you, Alina. Connor.”
Chess smiled. “Later, guys.”
Danny said goodbye, too, but he was tugging on Tristan’s hand to show him Connor’s drawing of the obstacle course.
Connor nodded once to everyone, locked his arm over my shoulders and we walked to his bike. He took my camera case and secured it on the back of the bike then placed my helmet on my head and did up the chinstrap. He threw his leg over the seat and started the bike before I got on behind him.
“I need to go for a ride, shutterbug. You up for that?” he asked. “Or I can drop you off at home.”
“Yeah. I’m good with that. But can we go fast this time?” I was pretty sure Connor kept his speed slower whenever I was on his bike with him.
It took a second before he smirked. “Yeah, babe, we can go fast.”
I shifted in closer to him, my pelvis snug to his ass and said next to his ear, “Because you’re kind of a pussy on the bike.”
Connor revved the engine. “Pussy?”
I bit my lip. “Yeah.”
“There is no pussy here except yours. And I plan on tasting it and showing how damn fast I can make you come.”
My belly flipped. I was hoping it was going to be a short ride. Actually, I was now hoping we’d go straight home. I was about to suggest that when he skidded out the driveway.