Connor turned his gaze back on her, his eyes intense. They were heavy and dark, like a storm of clouds was building on the surface. He wore that expression all the time, but it seemed particularly focused on her in that moment.
Maybe I was just being paranoid, but it seemed like he wanted to fuck her as much as I did.
Not gonna happen.
“I’ve designed these special dresses that will look perfect on Autumn.” Connor addressed us, but he held her gaze like she was the only one in the room. “The curves of her body are more beautiful than lines of poetry. I work with models every single day, and she has a special quality they lack. From the thickness of her eyelashes to the slenderness of her neck, she’s more perfect than the wonders of the world.”
I wanted to snatch Vincent’s drink out of his hand and slam it down onto Connor’s skull. Who the hell talked like that? He should do Shakespeare in the Park if he wanted to woo a woman like that. It wouldn’t work on someone like her.
But Autumn smiled…and it seemed genuine.
Jesus.
Connor still hadn’t taken his eyes off her, having a silent conversation with her.
Fuck, this was bad.
Connor’s arm moved toward her waist again. “Sweetheart, let me introduce you to some people we’ll be working with…”
I knew that was bullshit. He just wanted to get her away from me.
If I did nothing, she might go home with him tonight.
I shouldn’t care if she went home with anyone. It’s not like we were exclusive. It’s not like I cared about her. I just didn’t want to share her with anyone else. This wasn’t about romantic feelings, but about male possessiveness.
She didn’t mean a damn thing to me.
But I still couldn’t let her slip out of my fingers and into his arms. “Autumn, I need to talk to you for a second.”
When she turned my way, she didn’t hide her surprise. “Right now? Can’t it wait?”
I eyed Connor’s hungry expression and turned back to her. “No.” I grabbed her by the elbow and directed her away from Vincent and Connor. Her skin was warm to the touch, soft like I remembered it. I’d just had her the other night, but it seemed like a lifetime ago. Now that there was another man who wanted her, I couldn’t get her fast enough.
I guided her out of sight; that way Connor couldn’t look at her anymore.
“What is it, Thorn?” Autumn blurted out the question, her voice full of annoyance.
We stood in a corner next to a blown-up image of Platform magazine. An art light shone directly on the glass, and people talked in groups as music played overhead.
“Connor is a great designer, but he sleeps around a lot.”
She stared at me blankly, like I hadn’t finished my sentence. “Your point…?”
“It’s obvious he wants to fuck you.”
Her eyes narrowed even more as she tilted her head to the side. She stared at me harder. “And so what if he does? Last time I checked, he’s not a married man.”
I wanted to stop this from happening without getting my hands dirty, but it didn’t seem like Autumn cared about any of those things. “I just want you to understand what you’re getting yourself into. If you think working with him is just going to be professional, you’re mistaken.”
“Nothing is completely professional,” she countered. “Look at us. You pulled me from a conversation to tell me something I already know. I didn’t get this far in life being clueless. I know when a man admires me for my brain and my body.”
“And we both know why Connor admires you.”
Her gaze became more hostile. “If we’re done with this ridiculous conversation, I’m going to go on with my evening.”
“Not even close to being done.”
She crossed her arms over her chest, her anger starting to simmer. “Thorn, what’s the problem?”
I stared her down without knowing what to say. I didn’t even understand why I’d pulled her all the way over there to speak in private. “I don’t want you to fuck him.”
Her anger immediately disappeared, genuine shock coming into her features. “Who said I was going to?”
“Are you saying you aren’t?”
“What I’m saying is, whether I want to fuck him or not, it’s none of your business. I’m free to screw whoever I want—when I want. We agreed that this isn’t a thing. It’s just…there.”
“I’m not disagreeing with that. But I don’t want you to go home with him tonight. I want you to go home with me, alright?” I felt like a moron saying that to her. I’d never said that to anyone else. All the other women I spent my time with were just arrangements. The parameters of our relationship were laid out in the beginning. Autumn was different because it was completely spontaneous. She came on to me, and I couldn’t refuse her.
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you want me to go home with you tonight?” she asked. “Is it just so I won’t go home with him? Or is it because you want me to be with you?”
“Does it matter?”
“You bet your ass, it does. Which is it?”
I slid my hands into the pockets of my slacks, feeling her piercing gaze heavy on my face.
She kept up her stare.
“Both. There’s something I want to talk to you about…in private.”
“When I said I wasn’t looking for a relationship, I meant it.”
“I did too.” She was getting the wrong impression. “It’s something else.”
She didn’t give me an answer, but her gaze was still tentative.
“Go to my place when you leave. I’ll be waiting for you.” My natural impulse was to lean in and kiss her, right on the corner of her mouth. It was difficult for me to be in a public setting
