“We can make it. Shrimpers stays open until eleven.”
“And no one will see us there?” she asked.
He shook his head and his smile broadened. “Don’t worry. No wagging tongues will know I took the new girl to dinner.”
“New girl?” she repeated, lips pursed.
He shrugged. “It’s not a terrible nickname.”
“What about calling me by my name?”
“What’s the fun in that? We’ll take my car,” he said as they approached the elevator.
“Won’t someone see us?”
“Most of Purdue rolls up for the night by nine.”
* * *
After a nearly silent forty-minute drive, Conner parked his SUV in the nearly empty lot of the restaurant. The décor was definitely fishing—nets, sea shells and walls littered with photos. Some poor departed fish covered the walls, along with some buoys and other fishing-themed things.
“What is that smell?” she whispered.
“Garlic cheese biscuits,” he answered. “I could make a meal out of them.”
“They’re making me salivate.”
Conner placed his hand at the small of her back as the hostess showed them to a booth near the rear of the dining room. There were only two other couples in the restaurant and one guy in a floppy fishing hat seated at the bar nursing his drink.
A middle-aged woman greeted Conner with familiarity, then offered Emma a warm smile. “What can I get you two to drink?”
“I’ll take a beer,” Conner said.
“Same here,” Emma said as she was handed a menu. “So, what’s good here?”
“Everything,” he answered. “The salmon is brought in fresh daily. Sam orders it every time I bring her here.”
“Salmon it is,” Emma said as she closed the voluminous menu.
The waitress returned with their beers and took their orders. Soft music fell from speakers mounted in the ceiling. The songs were obviously on a loop because by the time their dinner arrived, Jimmy Buffet was singing “Margaretville” for the second time.
“You were right,” she said after she swallowed her first bite of fish. “This is amazing.”
“Maybe it just tastes good because you’ve skipped dinner for the last six days.”
She shot him a sidelong glance. “Are my eating habits really the topic of conversation in Purdue?”
“No,” he said as he cut the hunk of steak on his plate. “They also talk about you hiring Willis, Jeanine’s new car, and the fact that you put in a security system.”
“I’m amazed they don’t know the code,” she teased.
“Give them time,” Conner joked.
“This town needs a distraction that isn’t me.”
“Good luck with that.”
Emma’s fork hovered above her food. “What about you? Ever been the center of town gossip?”
“Yep.”
“Care to share?”
He shrugged. “My very private custody battle became very public. For a while there I thought the town would print T-shirts that said ‘Team Conner’ and ‘Team Lisa’.”
“But aren’t you a local guy? Wouldn’t they automatically side with you?”
“Lisa was also a local.”
Emma pushed her plate aside. “Let me guess. You married your high school sweetheart.”
“Can we change the subject?”
“Not yet,” she said with a twinge of enjoyment. She waved the general shape of a human being. “You were on the football team and she was a cheerleader and I’ll bet you were homecoming king and queen. Then you got married young and lived happily ever after.”
“Drop it.”
“Not until you admit that you were the Ken and Barbie of Purdue High School.”
“Fine. Everything you said is true. Except for the part about living happily ever after. I worked a lot and I got my degree online, so I was very rarely focused on our relationship.”
“Relationships need nurturing.”
“Yeah, well, she did what most women in her position would do.”
“Which was?”
“She had an affair with her boss. Fell in love and moved with him to Chicago. Now personally I don’t much care where she lives or with whom, but she got primary physical custody of Sam and I don’t think that’s fair. I have as much right to our daughter as she does.”
“When did she get physical custody?”
“Two years ago. And as much as it pains me to say it, Sam’s stepfather Barry pays for her to go to a special math and technology school. She has her heart set on MIT.”
“Were you chief of police then?” Emma asked.
He shook his head. “Only got promoted eighteen months ago.”
“That’s a substantial change in circumstances.”
He put his knife and fork down, then took a swallow of beer. “I don’t follow.”
“Custody can be revisited by the court whenever there’s a substantial change in circumstances.”
“I don’t want to take her out of school. I just want her for every school break and alternating Christmases.”
“Bring me your divorce papers and I’ll get started, but you have to tell Sam about this because at her age, the judge will listen to whatever she says.”
“How much is this going to cost me?”
“Pro bono. A way of thanking you for fixing my window casing. Now there’s no breeze wafting through the room.”
“I thought you were a criminal attorney.”
“I still had to take matrimonial law.”
“At Harvard?”
“Did Elgin pass around my résumé?”
Conner smiled and it caused a fluttering in her stomach. “Your sweatshirt.”
“What?”
“The night I first met you at The Grille. You were wearing a Harvard sweatshirt.”
She winced. “Right.”
“And you pulled a gun on me.”
“It was just a little gun.”
He laughed. “I didn’t say it was intimidating, just that it was a gun.”
“I know how to use it,” she assured him. “My sister and I spent many an afternoon shooting cans off a log.”
“In New York?”
She shook her head and wondered how to move off this topic without seeming too obvious. “Georgia.”
“And your sister?”
“Amelia.”
“Any other family?”
“My mother, but she’s in poor health.”
“Then why come to Purdue? Shouldn’t you have gone back to Georgia to be with her?”
Of course. But she asked me to do this once I told her about the clippings. “Amelia has it covered for now.”
“Older or younger sister?”
“Technically I’m the oldest.”
He rubbed the stubble starting to show on his chin. “Technically?”
“We’re twins.”
“There’s two of you?”
“Hardly. Amelia is a worrier and I’m more proactive.” Emma shifted in her seat. “What about you? Siblings?”
“You know about Michael,” he said in a pained tone. “Then there’s Declan and Jack. They’re both down in Palm Beach County but they’ll be here next week for Michael’s parole hearing.”
“Where do you fit in the birth order?”
“I’m the second from the top.”
“Are you all close?”
He nodded. “Thick as thieves.”
The waitress appeared to offer them dessert. They declined, then Conner asked, “Do you mind stopping by my house on the way back to your car? I promised Sam I’d bring her some book on Western Civilization she wants David to read.”
Emma smiled. “You just said his name without sarcasm dripping off each syllable. You’re coming around.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not all the way there yet.”
* * *
Since Emma hadn’t really wondered what his home might be like, she was intrigued by its simplicity. It w
as a modest, single-story stucco home with Spanish barrel roof tiles. The house was peach and the tiles were rust, so it looked very “Florida.” Inside the front door was a modest foyer, then the room opened to a combination living room/dining room. Off to the right was a functional, if dated, kitchen. The furnishings were mostly mismatched but somehow it worked.
As soon as she reached the family room, Conner drew her into his embrace. He kissed her hard, then lifted her up and silently carried her to his bedroom. He slowly undid the buttons on her blouse, revealing her lacy demi-bra. He did the same with her skirt, until she was wearing nothing save for her undergarments. His eyes were smoldering in the moonlight and Emma was smoldering as well. Every nerve ending was on fire and she wanted him desperately.
Conner seemed to be taking his time and reveling it. He even took his time undressing.
Emma flattened her hands against his chest, enjoying the strong beat of his heart beneath her touch.
Her eyes roamed boldly over the vast expanse of his broad shoulders, drinking in the sight of his impressive upper body. She openly admired his powerful thighs and washboard-perfect abs. “Whenever we’re together, my self-control seems to go right out the window.” She looked up at him, enjoying the anticipation fluttering in her stomach.
Protected in the circle of his arms, Emma closed her eyes and allowed her cheek to rest against his chest. It would be wonderful to forget why she was here in Purdue. Just for a little while. To pretend she was the woman he loved instead of the woman who’d deceived him from the get-go. To forget everything but the magic of being with him.
His fingers danced over her spine, leaving a trail of electrifying sensation in their wake as he removed the rest of her clothing. Passion blossomed and flourished from deep within her, filling her quickly with a frenzied desire he conjured with every touch. Every glance. He ignited feelings so powerful and so intense that Emma fleetingly wondered if this was some sort of out-of-body experience. Then he moved the tip of his finger across her taut nipple and for a split second she couldn’t think, except maybe to consider begging when he stopped.
* * *
Conner moved his hand in slow, sensual circles until it rested against her ribcage, just under the swell of her breast. He wanted to see the desire in her eyes. Catching her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he tilted her head up with the intention of searching her eyes. He never made it that far.
His eyes were riveted to her lips, which were slightly parted, a glistening shade of pale rose. His eyes roamed over every feature and he could feel her pulse rate increasing.
Lowering his head, he took a tentative taste. Her mouth was warm and pliant; so was her body, which again pressed urgently against him. His hands roamed purposefully, memorizing every nuance and curve.
He felt his own body respond with an ache, then an almost overwhelming rush of desire surged through him. Her arms slid around his waist, pulling him closer. Conner marveled at the perfect way they fit together. It was as if Emma had been made for him. For this.
“Emma,” he whispered against her mouth. He toyed with a lock of her hair first, then slowly wound his hand through the silken mass and gave a gentle tug, forcing her head back even more. Looking down at her face, Conner knew there was no other sight on earth as beautiful and inviting as her blue eyes.
Her long hair fanned out against the pillow case. With a single finger, Conner reached out to trace the delicate outline of her mouth. Her skin had a faint, rosy flush.
He began showering her face and neck with light kisses. His mouth searched for that sensitive spot at the base of her throat. A pleasurable moan spilled from his mouth when she began running her palms over the tight muscles of his stomach.
He kissed her for a long time, savoring the slower pace and the minty taste of her.
Capturing both of her hands in one of his, Conner gently held them above her head. The position arched her back, drawing his eyes down to the outline of her erect nipples.
“This isn’t playing fair.”
“Believe me, Emma, it’s better for both of us if I don’t let you keep touching me,” he reassured her with a smile and a kiss.
Emma responded by lifting her body to him. The rounded swell of one exposed breast brushed his arm. His fingers closed over the rounded fullness.
“Please let me touch you!” Emma cried out.
“Not yet,” he whispered as he ignored her futile struggle to release her hands. He dipped his head to kiss the raging pulse point at her throat. Her soft skin grew hot as he worked his mouth lower and lower. She gasped when his mouth closed around her nipple, then called his name in a hoarse voice that caused a tremor to run the full length of his body.
Moments later he lifted his head, only long enough to see her passion-filled expression and to tell her she was beautiful.
“So are you.”
Whether it was the sound of her voice or possibly the way she pressed herself against him, Conner neither knew nor cared. He found himself nearly undone by the level of passion communicated by the movements of her supple body.
He sought her mouth again as he released his hold on her hands and his body moved to cover hers, and his tongue thrust deeply into the warm recesses of her mouth. He moved one hand downward, skimming the side of her body all the way to her thigh. Then, giving in to the urgent need pulsing through him, Conner positioned himself between her legs. Every muscle in his body tensed as he looked at her face before directing his attention lower, to the point where they would join.
Emma lifted her hips, welcoming, inviting, as her hands fell to his hips and she tugged him toward her.
“You’re amazing,” he groaned against her lips.
“Thank you,” she whispered back. “I want you. Now, please?”
He wasted no time responding to her request. In a single motion, he thrust deeply inside of her, knowing without question that he had found heaven on earth.
The sheer pleasure of being inside of her sweet softness was very powerful. He kept the rhythm of their lovemaking at a slow, deliberate pace, enjoying each time he felt the small shivers of her body convulsing. He treated her to a series of slow, building climaxes.
A long, pleasurable time later, Emma again wrapped her legs around his hips just as explosive waves surged from him. One after the other, ripples of pleasure poured from him into her. Satisfaction had never been so powerful.
With his head nestled next to hers, the sweet scent of her hair filled his nostrils. Conner reluctantly relinquished possession of her body. It took several minutes before his breathing slowed to a steady, satiated pace.
Rolling onto his side next to her, Conner rested his head against his arm and gazed down at her. She was sheer perfection. He could have happily stayed next to her in the big, soft bed until the end of time.
“So, tell me more about you,” he said.
Her lashes fluttered against her cheeks and he sensed a sudden change. A definite chill that stabbed him right in the gut.
Then her cell phone chirped.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
She’s here?” Emma sat up in bed and reflexively covered herself with the sheet, cell phone in hand as she listened to Jeanine.
“She who?” Conner asked.
She covered the mouthpiece. “My sister.”
He kissed the top of her head. “Then we’d better get you home. Besides, I was supposed to pick Sam up thirty minutes ago.”
Once they were dressed they started for the door, where Conner stopped her and wrapped his arms around her. “One last time.” His mouth closed over hers.
It was a knee-melting kiss that seared her nerve endings. Emma’s stomach fluttered and a strong sense of need filled her belly and threatened to send her crashing to the floor.
While the kiss made her toes curl and her heart pound, Emma was distracted by a mantra reminding her that this wasn’t going to go anywhere. Once he found out who she really was, he’d probably run. Fast.
She really d
idn’t know enough about him yet. But it was impossible to be objective when just a kiss rendered her stupid.
Like a couple of teenagers who had snuck out the basement window, Emma suggested that Conner drop her off at the municipal parking garage and head to her house first. She promised she’d be right behind him.
“Or”—wicked delight sparkled in his eyes—“we could just say we had dinner together.”
“For two hours?”
He shrugged. “I don’t think anyone was timing us.”
Emma tilted her head to look up into his eyes. “I don’t want to give the town gossips any more ammunition.”
He smiled. “I see your point. Though it does make me look good, scoring dinner with you and all.”
She jokingly elbowed him in the ribcage. “I’m serious. I don’t want to be fodder for the grist mill. Especially not now that Amelia is in town.”
“How does Amelia play into this?”
Emma couldn’t tell him the truth without revealing her own secrets.
“Twins are a freak show,” she said evasively.
“Are you identical?” he asked.
Emma nodded. “Except for our choices when it comes to fashion. Amelia is very Bohemian. She has more piercings than I can keep track of.”
“But hair, face…”
“The same. Why?”
“Just curious.”
She rolled her eyes. “Please tell me you aren’t one of those freaks with a twin threesome fantasy?”
“Never,” he said earnestly. “I just can’t picture you having a duplicate.”
“That’s just the physical part of it. Amelia and I are as different as night and day.”
“How so?” he asked as he finished buttoned his uniform shirt.
“I’ve wanted to be an attorney since I was eleven. Harvard was my dream. Amelia drifted from community college to community college, taking mostly pottery classes, until she got bored and dropped out completely. Don’t get me wrong; she’s a great potter, but it’s hard to make a living doing arts and crafts shows.”
“We have an arts and crafts show in about a week. I’m sure she could set up a table and—”
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