“Yeah, I am, because at the end of the day, all you have is family.”
“I don’t know what that’s like. I haven’t been part of a family for a long time.”
I cupped my hands around her pretty face. “Darlin’, I can’t expect you to ever forgive me, but know that I will be here whenever you need me. If you need to cry, if you need to hide, I am your guy. I promise you can count on me. You don’t have to be strong by yourself. My phone is always on.”
She pulled away and sat down again. “I’ll help you, Conner. Hell, I will even set up a double date for you, but you need to wait until she comes in for a haircut next week to get the ball going. We only talk when she comes in. Also, Miranda is never to know that I helped you do this. She isn’t going to be okay with you seeing someone she hates. Shit, she doesn’t even want you with me, I can’t even imagine what it would be like for her to find out about me helping you date Heather.”
I put my hands on my hips. “Did you just say double date? I can’t be in the same room as your son of a bitch husband, Amy. There ain’t no way and darlin’ you don’t have to worry about me telling Miranda. If I do include you, which I probably have to at some point, I will just say that you helped me hook up with her at the bar or somethin’.”
She pointed at me and started walking toward where I stood. “You listen here, if you want my help, you’re going to do it my way. She isn’t going to agree to date a stranger without some kind of persuasion.”
I grabbed her waist and pulled her into me, even though she wasn’t happy about it. “I think I’m pretty darn good at persuadin’.” I brushed my lips over hers slowly. With my eyes still open, I saw her closing hers. I went in a second time, brushing my tongue over her bottom lip. “I can’t sit at a table with you and not think about being between your legs. I can’t pretend to want another woman, when the one I desire is sittin’ across from me with someone else.”
Her lips moved in sync with mine. “You can’t want me, Conner. We have to stop this.” The words came out of her mouth, but our kissing intensified. Her arms wrapped around me and I picked her up and sat her on the counter.
I reached my hand up her shirt and she leaned back and let me. “Just one last time then.”
She grabbed my shirt and ripped it over my head. “One last time.”
Chapter 14
Amy
My own messed up life was put on the back burner when my closest friend was being viciously sabotaged by one of Ty’s jealous ex’s. That bitch Heather was known around town for being a total whore, but for her to stoop so low as to try and ruin a marriage, well it just really rubbed me the wrong way.
When Conner came to me for help, I couldn’t turn him down. I wanted to kill him at first. It shouldn’t have, but it really hurt me when he said we had to stop. He was taking away the one thing that had brought a smile to my face.
Him.
I wanted to hate him, especially when he first told me. I felt rejected and used.
Right away, Conner made it clear what his intentions were, and as much as I wanted to be angry at him, I also felt so much respect that he would put his own life aside for someone he loved. I had to believe that people didn’t always know this side of him.
His determination formed into a doable plan and reluctantly we were on the same page. It also came after two hours of the hottest goodbye sex ever. Conner took me against every station in the salon, before ending up on the floor in the storage room. We had a big ass mess to clean up too when we finally finished.
Still, instead of saying goodbye, I found myself wanting him more than ever.
Rick returned two days later and I told him a lie that Miranda’s brother was coming into town and she wanted me to set him up with one of our clients. Rick had been in such a good mood from it being the end of the job he hated, that he agreed to a double date immediately. Of course, he knew wherever we went, it would involve alcohol.
Maybe Rick and Conner being in the same room wasn’t such a good idea, but I knew he wouldn’t have let me out of the house otherwise, plus, Heather was going to be swooning over Conner and I needed someone there to keep me from going all psycho bitch on her. I wasn’t normally a jealous person, but Conner was another story for me. All gloves were off when it came to the way that man made me feel.
Just as I suspected, when she came in the next week, she was all about meeting a hottie from out of town. I left out the part of where he was from and who his sister was. Conner was so hot that I hardly thought she would even care where he came from.
For an entire week, I managed to keep the peace at home. Work was busy with Miranda not working as much and I was exhausted when I got home at night. I had also saved up a few hundred dollars and hid it at the salon instead of at home.