Always With You (The Connor Family 6)

“Looks triumphant. Almost smug.”

“Why, Ms. Connor, of course I’m feeling smug. This woman I like very much just confessed the feeling is mutual.”

“Very much, huh?” I looked away, biting down a triumphant smile of my own. I didn’t even understand all the things this man made me feel.

“Very much,” he repeated, feathering his lips up and down my cheek. Oh, Reid Davenport was going to be trouble. So much trouble.

I startled when a loud banging came from a nearby corridor.

“What’s that sound?” I inquired.

“That would be Mr. Lawrence. He cleans the pool.”

“He didn’t get the boss’s notice that the pool is closed for private and shameless use?”

“He most likely did, but he likes to ignore the boss.”

“Oh, and you don’t mind?”

He shrugged. “Mr. Lawrence has been with us since my grandparents ran the first hotel. He’s good at his job and likes to stick to his routine.”

We left the pool just as Mr. Lawrence arrived. He seemed to be about eighty and half-deaf and berated Reid for chasing out the guests, insisting his dad had never done this and that it was bad for business.

“I’ll take that into consideration, Mr. Lawrence.”

“How come he’s not retired?” I asked as we took the elevator to the penthouse.

“He did retire twelve years ago, but then his wife died, and he asked if he could have his old job back. Kids live in another city, and he didn’t want to be by himself the entire day.”

Oh wow. I had all sorts of fuzzy feelings for this man, and no idea what to do about them.

I showered quickly, then put on my clothes, fidgeting when I stepped out in the living room. Reid sat on a bar chair. He was fully dressed too. I had no idea why that surprised me.

“I’ll drive you home.” He slid from the chair, pocketing his phone as he strode my way.

“I can just Uber.”

“What kind of date would I be if I didn’t take you home?”

“Hmmm... the kind who ambushes an unsuspecting woman with a five-course meal, retroactively turning a business meeting into a date?”

He brushed a loose strand of hair out of my face, lingering with his fingers at my cheek. The contact electrified me. “So, I ambushed you, huh?”

“Well, that might be too harsh,” I conceded in a shaky voice. How could his touch affect me so much? “Surprised me.”

And now he was surprising me even more by not making any move to get me into his bed.

He chuckled. “Would you like me to make a move?”

Shit. Shit. Shit. I’d said that out loud?

“Please ignore that. Didn’t mean to say it out loud.”

“You fascinate me, Hailey Connor. And this was just our first date. One I ambushed you into. We’ll have a few more dates before I touch you. Before I taste you.”

From the tone of his voice, he clearly didn’t mean tasting my mouth. My breath became more labored, and I instinctively pressed my thighs together. Reid caught the movement and his eyes zeroed in on my mouth. He was gripping my waist, I realized, and his fingers dug in so possessively, that I was sure he was a few seconds away from lifting me up on that bar and having his wicked way with me. Oh, God. If he did, there would be no resisting him. I only had so much willpower, after all, and I’d used it all up today.

“Let’s go, pretty girl,” he murmured instead. He flashed me another smile. He was all smiles tonight. I liked that.