Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36177 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
“Focus, Conor. Quit getting distracted by Yvonne’s sexiness,” he reprimanded himself and surprised a giggle out of me. He was being silly, but I was also swooning, because, well, he thought I was sexy. It was nice to be reminded, especially since I found him distractingly attractive, too.
“You’re ridiculous,” I said, trying hard to suppress the butterflies that were wreaking havoc with my insides.
“I love how you laugh,” he shot back, eyes shining.
I glanced at him and our gazes locked. I bit my lip. He emitted a sigh. “There you go again.”
“Hmm?”
His gaze flickered to my mouth. “Distracting me.”
A thick tension coiled between us. The only thing keeping me from kissing him was the other people in the room. What we needed was a change of subject. “Peppermint tea,” I said.
“Pardon?”
“It’s supposed to help with bloating,” I explained, making the mistake of patting his stomach. He did not feel bloated. He felt hard and muscular and I hadn’t seen Conor topless yet but I was certain he had a six pack.
He rubbed his lips, making a rough noise in the back of his throat. “Right. I don’t think we have any peppermint tea.”
“You’ll just have to suffer then.”
“I’m definitely suffering,” he replied quietly and I forced my attention to my book, even though the words all blurred together with him so close, channelling horny energy at me. Finally, the tension eased and Conor turned the TV on. We sat and watched it for a time. Dylan’s father was taking a nap on an armchair while Bridget and Bethany sat over by the window playing a board game. Conor’s parents had retreated to their room for a nap, not quite over the jet lag just yet.
About an hour had passed before I realised I hadn’t seen Dylan or Ev in a while. I wondered where they’d gotten to, and then a few minutes later they appeared, both looking loved up and holding hands. My heart did a quick, happy thump in my chest. They’d obviously officially reunited and I couldn’t have been more thrilled for them.
Conor must’ve noticed the same thing when he exclaimed, “Well, it’s about time.”
I rose from the couch, going to give my niece a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you,” I said, and from the emotional look in her eyes, she was happy, too.
We didn’t say anything more because nothing else needed to be said. If I ever needed proof that soulmates existed, I had it with Dylan and Ev. They’d always been meant for each other, and now that they’d found their way back I knew nothing would be able to tear them apart again.
When I returned to the couch, Conor sat a little closer to me, his knee tipping against mine. I suspected Ev and Dylan getting back together was making him think about us.
I was thinking about us, too, lots of questions filling my head. Could we make it work? Would he resent me for the hours I spent at the club, or would he understand? Conor had a demanding job, too. Perhaps being with someone who was just as busy as me was the perfect situation. We could give each other space to work while spending whatever spare time we had together. Plus, thanks to his sister’s drunken revelation I now knew I was the exact type of woman he went for. Conor preferred women my age, and to be perfectly honest I could no longer think of an excuse not to be with him.
Was I actually considering this?
I glanced at him, his attention on the TV screen. My eyes traced his handsome profile, the concentrated look on his face as he watched the show that was playing. I thought of the warm, melty feeling I got whenever I was around him and how I wanted to feel that all the time.
Oh hell, I was considering it.
7.
Conor
“I asked her to marry me,” Dylan said and I blinked at him. Clearly, the caffeine in the cup of coffee I was drinking hadn’t kicked in yet because I could’ve sworn he just said he asked Evelyn to marry him. But that can’t have been right. It was the day after Christmas. They’d only just gotten back together yesterday.
“Is this a St. Stephen’s Day fool’s joke? Is that a new thing? I honestly can’t keep up with all the latest trends,” I said, taking another gulp of coffee.
“It’s not a joke. I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. We’re going to City Hall today to make it official.”
I stared at him, agape. “Bloody hell, man, that was fast.”
“I’ve been without her for eleven years. I don’t want to wait a single day longer before starting the rest of my life with her,” Dylan said, his expression adamant.
I shot him a smirk, because we’d literally just watched When Harry Met Sally the day before yesterday. “Are you paraphrasing Billy Crystal to me right now?”