Page 56 of Whiskey Wednesdays

Chuckling, he grabbed both my hands. “You keep poking me and I’ll poke you back. But in much more interesting places.”

“As fun as that sounds, it’s a terrible idea.”

“Really? Because your body lights up every time I touch you.” He leaned in and ran his lips up my neck.

I stilled as electricity raced through me. “You say you want me. I don’t even know what that means. You want me for a week or two? Or until you move back to Vancouver?” I thought about the photos I’d seen online and felt a little sick.

He shifted his hips against me. “You know that’s bullshit.”

“What about Elodie? What happens when you get tired of me as your flavor of the week? Are you going to introduce her to your next flavor?”

He laid his cheek next to mine and spoke low in my ear. “You need to stop talking about a goddamn flavor of the week. And if I have my way, we’re going to be together a lot longer than just a week, or even a fucking year.” He closed his eyes and laid his forehead on mine.

This man could break me, I realized, and my breath caught. “Why?”

He pulled back and searched my eyes before answering. “Because you’re sweet, and hot as fuck. You already love Elodie, and you come out swinging if someone you care about gets hurt.”

My gaze shifted away. “I don’t start swinging.”

He put his hand on my cheek, and pulled my face back to his. “Yes, you do. And it’s usually with your mouth.” He grinned and rubbed his thumb across my lips. “I also have fantasies abouttying you up and doing things to your sweet, lush little body that are so hot and dirty, they’d probably set your hair on fire.”

My mouth gaped, and I stared at his lips. Then I licked my own. “You can’t say things like that.”

He leaned in and kissed my temple. “Yes, I can. And sometimes I’ll be saying those things while we’re both naked, sweaty, and I’m planted deep inside you.”

Oh God. I was getting wet and I wanted to rub against him and purr like Shawnda. I also wanted to trace the scar on his cheek and run my hands through his thick hair.

But we’d gotten off track. “Tell me about Elodie’s mom.”

He sighed and let go of me. “Fine, we’ll talk." He led me over to the couch and we sat.

“What happened with her?”

“I already told you about her mental health issues. And she’s just mean. When she doesn’t take her medications consistently, she can also become dangerous.”

I was numb and heartsick for all of them. “How did you get together then?”

Connor absently stroked my arm while he talked. “Amelia and I grew up in the same neighborhood. She’s a few years younger than me, and I thought I knew her. She was a little wild, but beautiful and different. No one mentioned she has bipolar disorder, or suffered from bouts of depression or rage.”

“What happened?”

Connor sighed. “We had sex for a few weeks, then her behavior started becoming strange and erratic. But by then she was pregnant. She’d told me she was on the pill, and I usually wore a condom. But I was a stupid, dumb fuck.”

I squeezed his hand. “We all are sometimes. The consequences usually aren’t that drastic though.”

“I didn’t help the situation at first.” He looked at me with guilt in his eyes. “I wasn’t very understanding, and I didn’t want thebaby when she first told me. And when Elodie was born, I made Amelia get a paternity test before…” He didn’t finish his thought.

“Before what?” I asked.

Connor studied me. “Mémé took care of Elodie when Amelia had custody, but she’s old and frail.”

“Elodie talks about you and Mémé all the time. But she never mentions Amelia.”

He reached over and pulled me into his lap, then tucked my head under his chin. I didn’t resist.

Wrapping my arms around him, I squeezed. “What are you going to do?”

“I was recently granted full custody, among other things.”

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