Page 28 of Should've Been Us
Lulu let out a shaky breath but ultimately nodded. She didn’t say a word. She just moved slowly past him. She looked absolutely wrecked and while he took a great sense of satisfaction in that, and in the fact that for once in her life she hadn’t argued with him, had simply gone to do what he told her to do, he also hated watching her walk away fromhim.
Her dark eyes watched him as she disappeared behind the bathroom door. The last thing he saw was the way she bit into her bottom lip before the door clicked shut, completely closing him out this time. Once she was out of sight, Connor dropped to the edge of the bed and let his head fall into hishands.
Fuck.
It wasn’t supposed to have happened like that. He’d had a plan. To make her trust him. To make her see him. To make her understand that he wanted more than sex from her. But instead of taking his time and winning her over he’d yelled at her then all but attacked her and though she’d come willingly with him as he jumped over the edge of no return, he knew that his timing left a lot to bedesired.
He grabbed his phone out of his back pocket and looked at the screen. He had a text message and a missed call. It buzzed in his hand with a voicemail. All the messages were from their friends. Their friends would come looking for them if they didn’t show their faces in the ballroom andsoon.
Derek would come looking for them and then what? Connor didn’t even want to imagine what Lulu would do if Derek was the one to find them together. He didn’t want to think of how she would try to hide Connor, get rid of him, ignore him and pretend that kiss had never happened and for what? All for a man that was marrying someone else in a few daystime.
Connor cursed under his breath again as he shot back a quick message that they’d be there soon and then tucked the phone awayagain.
He knew that by now, even when they did appear in the ballroom, even if Lulu managed to put herself back into sorts and didn’t look as if she’d just nearly had an orgasm in his arms, Derek would ask why they were late. He would be there in the ballroom watching them and asking questions. And Derek was the last person in the world Connor wanted anywhere near either of them after what had justhappened.
He wanted to lock the door and keep Lulu to himself. He wanted to make her feel things she’d never felt before. He wanted to make her feel so good that she forgot that she’d ever wanted anyone buthim.
Instead, after a terrible ten minutes passed she came out of the bathroom. She was dressed in a short black dress and heels this time. Her makeup fixed and her hair smoothed into place. She looked put together but she didn’t quite look likeLulu.
It wasn’t that her lips were still swollen. It wasn’t the slight flush that stained her cheeks when he stood and she saw him. It was the wariness that had crept into every one of her muscles and the way she held herself stiffly away from him, as if she was scared to get too close tohim.
He winced, “Lu…”
“I don’t want to talk about it.” She clipped at himinstantly.
“Lu…” He tried again, moving towards her, but she held up a hand that stopped him in histracks.
“I can’t do this right now, Connor. Like you said, they’re expecting us. Let’s just go and get this over with and then…” She trailed off and he didn’t know how she’d intended to finish thesentence.
Then they would what? Talk? Continue? Pretend it had neverhappened?
“Please?” She blinked up at him and for a split second he saw the Lulu that he’d fallen for, the girl that was so damn fragile one wrong word could shatter her. He’d never been the one with that kind of power over her. Those looks had always been Derek’s before now. And the realization that he’d gotten under her skin, finally, made his heart ache, “Please, if you meant anything you said to me tonight just… give me some time to figure it all out,okay?”
“Of course.” He gave in immediately, not wanting to make things any worse, “Let’s justgo.”
But he knew that he couldn’t let it go. Not now. Not now that he knew what she tasted like. Not now that he knew she was liquid fire and passion in his arms. Not now that he knew she wanted himtoo.
Maybe it confused her. Maybe it scared her. But she wantedhim.
She could have some time to think if she wanted, but she hadn’t asked for space so he intended to be right there with her all night, reminding her of just how damn good they could betogether.
