Again (Time for Love Book 3) (8 page)

Connor nodded, his expression anxious.

“I told her I didn’t plan on having sex with Lucas—whoever he was. She looked confused, saying she thought I’d agreed to that when I spent the night with you. Of course, I had no idea what she was talking about. She asked me what our arrangement was and I said none, but that we were going to have dinner that night. That had Frank laughing in disbelief.”

Connor made another groaning noise. She pressed on.

“Lori pulled me aside and apologised for dragging me with her the night before. She said she could see that I was too
innocent
for her world. She said that you guys were just playing, that I shouldn’t take you seriously.

“Then Lucas appeared and joined us. He said he was there to see me and asked if that night could be our night. He even asked how many condoms you’d used. I was too shocked to answer.”

Connor propped his elbows on his thighs, burying his head in his hands.

“I asked Lucas if you knew about his intentions, Connor. His answer was ‘of course he does’. That was when I left them standing in the lobby. I didn’t want to go back to my room, so I walked around the city and had dinner by myself. Then I returned to the hotel just after eight.”

“God, Amanda, I’m so sorry you had to deal with those morons,” Connor said, looking disgusted. “Lucas is the worst of the lot and Frank’s second. I didn’t know that Lucas would literally hound you at your hotel to ask you for sex,” he said empathically, looking at her with imploring eyes. “If I did, I would have stopped him.”

“What was it all about, Connor? I don’t understand.”

Connor raked his hair. “Well, Lucas wants to have sex with women I’ve slept with.”

“What?” she asked incredulously. “Why?”

“Even a fifteen-year-old has more maturity than Lucas. For some reason, he finds it a fun challenge to compete with me in many departments. Some of his games, I’ve tolerated. But not this. Definitely not this.”

Amanda stared long and hard at Connor, wanting to believe everything he’d said. “You didn’t intend to pass me on to him?”

“No!” Connor said vehemently.

She fell silent, her brain churning. As it stood, it was Connor’s word against the other guy’s. She peeked at him through her lashes. He was gaping at her, concern written all over his face.

“It struck me as too much of a coincidence that Lucas turned up at the hotel lobby at the exact time we were supposed to meet, ” she said. “Since it was already seven and you still hadn't appeared, I thought you got turned off when I mentioned my New Year’s resolution with the girls. I thought you got afraid that I’d stalk you or something, so you fobbed me off to Lucas.”

“Why would I have asked you out to dinner if I’d wanted to fob you off to someone else?”

Amanda's lips started to tug into a smile as tension left her body. She hadn’t paid attention to that particular fact before—that Connor had asked her out
after
she’d told him about her resolution with her best friends. She’d been quick to believe that she’d been cast aside yet again.

But now that Connor had mentioned it, it was hard not to see that very important detail. It supported Connor’s version of events. He must be telling the truth.

“I can’t believe I spent a whole month hating your guts for believing you tried to pimp me to you friend,” she murmured.

Connor’s eyes widened. “Tried to
pimp
you? Wow, no wonder you hated me. Well, I spent a whole month thinking you were like your cousin Lori and her friends.”

Amanda chuckled dryly. “I’ve already guessed that was exactly what you thought of me. And I hated you even more for thinking that.”

“I’m so sorry, Amanda,” Connor said contritely, his countenance sincere.

“I’m sorry, too,” she said with an apologetic smile.

“You know, we could have avoided all this if I had your phone number. On that note,” Connor said, fishing his phone from his pocket, “may I please have it?”

“Why? You plan to call me?” she asked lightly, thrilled.

“I plan to take you out to dinner, Amanda. After what you went through, that’s the least I could do.”

Ooh, she’d like that too. She was giving him her number just as her phone rang. It was Ash. She got up to answer the call, looking out her window.

“Just checking that you’re home already,” Ash said.

“Yeah, I am. Where are you now?”

“I just dropped Gemma off.”

“That’s good.”

“Are you okay?”

Amanda frowned. “Yeah. Why?”

“Just making sure.”

“Shouldn’t I be?”

“You slept with Connor in Melbourne, didn’t you? And it was because of him that you got so pissed off that you glugged wine like water at the party?”

Amanda gasped. Did the girls tell Ash?

“Bren and Gemma were very worried that I let you ride with Connor. I put two and two together,” Ash said.

Amanda heard the beeping tone of an incoming call. “Someone’s trying to call me,” she said.

Ash snickered. “I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s one of the girls. Why didn’t you tell me, Amanda? There I was being all friendly with the idiot. What’s he done to you?”

“He’s not an idiot, Ash,” she censured lightly. “How can you say that about your new friend?”

“He’s not my friend if he’s done something unthinkable to my sister,” Ash said self-righteously.

She laughed. “Oh, Ash. I love you. You’re so funny. But stop treating me like I’m thirteen! And you can remain friends with Connor. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Oh. So it wasn’t Connor?”

“So you really thought I had sex with someone in Melbourne?”

“I don’t know anymore, Amanda,” he said with exasperation. “Why don’t you just tell me about it?”

“Why do you keep being so nosy?”

She heard his big sigh. “Because I hate it when you come crying to me with a broken heart.”

“Okay. So I’ll take you off the list. I’ll just run to the girls next time.”

“That’s not what I mean! I mean I hate it when you get hurt—”

“I know what you mean, darling. I’m just kidding.”

“But you’re not gonna tell me, are you?”

“Ash, even if I had a one-night stand with someone somewhere, why would I want to report it to you? That’s just... eww.”

“Okay, fine,” Ash said resignedly. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”

“You’re coming here?” she asked in surprise, glancing at Connor. He was watching her with an amused look on his face.

“Yup.”

“You don’t have to, Ash.”

“Yes, I do. Your overnight bag’s in my car. We both forgot about it.”

“Oh, yeah. But I don’t think there’s anything there that I’d need for the next few days. Just bring it over to Mum’s the next time we have dinner with her.”

“I’m almost there. It’s no problem.”

“Oh, okay then. See you.”

She hung up, disappointed. That meant Connor would have to leave now.

“Sorry, Connor. That was Ash.”

“I heard,” he said with a grin.

Of course he’d heard her side of the conversation. He probably guessed what it was all about.

“You didn’t really confirm it was me you had sex with in Melbourne,” he said.

“I really didn’t confirm I had sex with anyone,” she said with a chuckle. “Anyway, Ash will be here in a few minutes. I’m sorry to rush you.”

“Oh, you want me to leave now?”

She flushed. “Do you mind? Otherwise, Ash would be full of questions.”

Connor got up from his seat. “You’re very close, aren’t you?”

“Yes, we are,” she said with fondness. “Our parents divorced when I was seven and Ash was twelve. Straight after that, our dad left Australia to go to London with his new family. I was devastated. I was a daddy’s girl and I couldn’t believe he’d left us. Since then Ash has been my protector of sorts. I think he coped with dad’s leaving by playing the hero—helping me deal with it and shielding me from further hurt. But he hasn’t grown out of that even up till now,” she added lightly.

Connor smiled. “He’s a good brother.”

“Yes, he is.”

“Well, thanks for the coffee.”

“Thanks for the lift,” she said, walking up to him.

“Good night, Amanda,” Connor said with a smile, then let himself out her apartment.

Amanda stared at her closed front door. Wasn’t she supposed to get a goodbye kiss? Even if it was just on the cheek? She pouted, then laughed at herself. She’d gone crazy. Crazy for Connor.

Oh God.

She smiled as she carried the tray with their coffee cups back to the kitchen. She was glad she didn’t have to be mad at him anymore. She could now stop feeling guilty for wanting a man she was supposed to hate.

She didn’t mind admitting it to herself now but, yeah, she still had the hots for Connor. How could she not feel that way when sex with him was... erm... spectacular—his word, not hers.

Problem was, she didn’t think she could do casual again.

She could only hope he’d call soon to ask her out to that dinner he’d promised. Maybe that could count as date number one, and perhaps lead to the sack? If they went on a proper date with a promise of another, the sex wouldn’t be called casual, would it?

C
onnor skipped down the stairs, a grin staying firmly in place. At least he could now stop feeling like a stupid idiot for being unable to stop thinking of the woman who’d stood him up to be with another man. He was glad to get confirmation that that wasn’t the case at all. Now maybe he and Amanda could pick up where they’d left off and see where things could lead.

He still wanted to deck Lucas for being such an ass. But for now, he was enjoying his feeling of relief. Fortunately, Amanda didn’t seem to know about the Mr. Fuck King title that Lucas wanted to strip off of him. Thank God for that. The disgraceful label put him in a bad light, and he didn’t want Amanda seeing him bathed in it.

*****

C
onnor let himself into the apartment he was renting from one of his old friends. Technically, he was only paying for a room because Sonya, the apartment’s owner and sister of an old school friend, also lived there. Sonya wasn’t around while he stayed there, though. She was spending the month with her family in Queensland. By the time Sonya came back, he would have moved to his own place.

He looked out the window to glimpse the modern luxury apartment building a block away. He could see his sub-penthouse from here. The lights were on, and he pictured the tenants starting to pack their belongings, readying themselves to vacate his property.

The complex had been developed by The Carmichael Corporation four years ago. He’d bought his unit off-the-plan, even before the old structure that used to stand on the site had been demolished. He was very grateful that the Carmichaels had given him an excellent price for it—heavily discounted, at their insistence.

He’d poured a huge chunk of his savings into that property when he bought it. And thanks to the combination of rent money from the tenants, a good portion of his salary from his Formula One job, and his share of the profits from the family business, the apartment was now fully paid off. He’d recently used it as a guarantee for the business loan he’d applied for to start his car servicing business.

He couldn’t wait to move in. He had the perfect vista of Bondi Beach from his balcony, and he was looking forward to familiarising himself with his apartment. He’d only seen the inside once, right after it was finished and just before the first tenants moved in. Finally, after seven years of living a semi-nomadic life, he’d be staying put in his own home.

He was walking towards his bedroom when the door next to it opened.

“Hi, Connor!”

“Sonya! What are you doing here?” His gaze inadvertently flickered down to her body before he hurriedly focused back on her face. She was wearing a sexy and revealing nightie, and she obviously didn’t have a problem walking out of her room with just that on.

“Ugh,” Sonya said. “Why did I ever think that I could stay with my family for one whole month without losing my mind? I couldn’t, so I came back home.”

“But I thought the whole purpose of you taking a month off work was to spend it there, since you haven’t seen them in a long time. Didn’t you say your parents will be celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary in a few days, and your uncle will be turning sixty?”

“Well, I’ll be flying back there again for that weekend. But I’ve had enough of my mother’s nagging and her telling me what to do.”

Connor chuckled. “You’ve only been there a week. What time did you arrive back?”

“This afternoon. You’re home late today. What have you been up to?”

“I was up at the Hunter Valley since yesterday. It was my friend’s engagement party.”

“Good party?”

“Yeah. Excellent.”

“Hey, I can’t wait to see your family’s property there. You said you’ll take me one day,” Sonya said.

“Sure. One day,” he replied, opening his door. “So you’ll be around for the next couple of weeks?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll try to stay out of your way.”

“No need,” Sonya said with a giggle, pulling her hair into a bun atop her head with her hands. It had the effect of arching her back and lifting her short nightie further up her thighs.

“Well, I’m beat,” he said, ignoring her actions. “I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

“Goodnight, Connor. Sweet dreams.”

*

C
onnor heaved a great sigh as he closed his door, wondering if it was stupid of him to have accepted Sonya’s offer to stay at her place. The two of them had had a fling two years ago, when he was in the country for a brief visit. It had been no more than a handful of nights together, although Sonya had been tearful when he’d left.

Sonya had heard from her brother that Connor was back in Australia permanently, and that he was waiting for his tenants to vacate his apartment. She’d offered him the use of her place, saying she wouldn’t be around anyway.

Connor had planned to stay with his parents until he was ready to move into his own home. But it was vastly more convenient for him to be in Sydney than in the Hunter Valley. It meant being able meet face-to-face with business connections rather than discussing deals over the phone. So he’d jumped at Sonya’s offer.