“You’re too much.” She smiled, letting her hands fall.
“I know you care about Vince and Finn, and that doesn’t bother me.” He took her hands in his. “They care about you, too. But you're not breaking any hearts by giving in to what you feel.”
“I…” She started to speak, but his warm, parted lips touched the heel of her hand before moving to her wrist.
“If you don’t want me, then tell me to stop.” He looked up at her. “Tell me, and this time… make me believe that you mean it.”
“I'm so confused about the thoughts running through my head right now.” She breathed.
“Because you're still worried about how people would judge you if they knew you were falling for three men.”
“Hey,” she raised her index finger, “I never said I was falling for all three of you.”
“It’s not up to me to tell you if what you feel is right or wrong. But I think you're waiting for permission from someone. And the only one who can give it is you.” His jaw sharpened as he waited for her response.
It’s like he’s reading my every thought. Jillian’s legs trembled underneath her robe. Is he right? Am I falling for all three of them? And if so… am I okay with that?
Conner’s eyes dulled as he accepted defeat. She thought about that moment when Ted had dropped down on one knee. The girl that cared about what everyone else thought had rebuked her for breaking off what everyone would have perceived as a fairy tale romance. That girl hated her for disappointing everyone, for driving a wedge further between her and her parents. But she didn’t want to be that girl.
Jillian had made a conscious decision to leave that broken person behind when she said no to a loveless marriage. It didn’t make sense to allow that fear to be a driving force in her life, not anymore. As she kissed his parted lips, the slack, vacant expression that had settled over his face disappeared.
“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered, running her fingers through the back of his hair.
“Are you sure?” His eyes ignited like blue embers, as his hands slid hesitantly from her hips to the curve of her lower back.
Her body stirred as she wet her lips. “Kiss me,” she demanded.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Jillian purred as Conner forced her mouth open with his. Their tongues danced together, passionate and hungry as he dug his fingers into her hips. She lifted her knee over his thigh, causing the front of her robe to fall open, exposing a flash of milky skin to the soft light of the candles. His mouth devoured hers in a frenzy as he flexed, pulling her core against his thigh.
She moaned softly, and her head fell back. He left a trail of kisses down the delicate bow of her throat, cupping the mound of her breast in his palm. He kissed lower and lower until the warmth of his tongue swirled around the tender peak of her nipple, causing her to gasp, clenching her fingers around a handful of his hair. Her whole body shuddered at first, but she then pulled him closer as she warmed to the sensation.
Lifting her other leg to straddle his waist, she angled her hips, grinding on him as he growled into the flesh of her breast. Her core, slick and famished, yearned for him, and his manhood ached against the stiff fabric of his jeans, begging for release, but he’d already promised that it wouldn’t go that far. He would only kiss her, but dammit, he would kiss every inch of her if she would let him.
Rolling her onto her back, he pressed himself between her parted thighs, slowly working his way down. The sharpness of his teeth glided over the ridge of her hipbone as his lips found the crease of her center. He licked and sucked, flicking his tongue against the soft nub above her opening. Jillian’s back arched, and she covered her mouth to keep from alerting the guard in the hall as Conner flicked his tongue against the round nub above her opening.
She’d had a healthy amount of sex for a twenty-four-year-old girl. Or at least, she had what she’d thought was a healthy amount of sex. But this was a sensation that was completely alien to her. She curled her toes as sparks covered every inch of her skin. She held her breath, struggling not to make a sound until finally…
“Stop.” She practically shrieked as she sat up.
“Did I hurt you?” Conner wiped his lips, standing up and taking a step back.
“No.” She glanced at the sizable bulge in his jeans, panting and shaking her head. “You didn’t hurt me.”
“I’m sorry if…” He took another step back.
“I promise you didn’t do anything wrong.” She pulled her robe shut, retying it. “I loved every second of that.”
“I don’t understand.” His chest heaved as he chewed his bottom lip.
“Oh my God.” Jillian looked at the candles that had melted down to almost nothing. “Okay, I didn’t realize how long we were… uh… I should have told you this as soon as you got here. I wrote this article that I have on this laptop and a thumb drive. It would destroy my father and put a kink in the oil drilling thing, as well as any bill he put his name on that hasn’t processed yet.”
“Okay, so why don’t we just do that?” Conner gave a quick nod.
“Because that would only be a temporary solution to the problem. If there’s oil under Hemlock Park, there will always be some asshole trying to make a profit
