“No,” I replied.
“Then get to the damned point.” He turned away, all his patience used up.
“What are your intentions with Bre?”
Connor laughed, giving me an up and down glance as if he didn’t really believe I was there. “None of your business.”
“They are my business,” I demanded. “She’s an employee in my household.”
“And you’re here strictly in that capacity?” He pointed a finger at me, skeptical. “As her boss?”
“No.”
“I didn’t think so.” The professor circled around behind a loveseat. There was a dry bar in the corner, and he helped himself to a glass of brandy. He didn’t offer one to me.
I cleared my throat. “Breanna is very important to me. I just want to make sure she isn’t hurt.”
“You want me to back away so you can have her all to yourself,” he surmised.
“She’s an adult, that’s her call,” I said through my teeth.
“Then why don’t you take your own advice and leave it the hell alone?” he challenged.
“Because I need to know if you’re looking to settle down,” I snapped.
“Why? What is it to you?”
“I like Breanna!” I screamed, allowing myself to get carried away. “I want her, and I don’t want you in the picture.”
“I’ve got news for you, buddy.” Connor took a sip of the brandy, turning back to face me. “She likes you too. And I wouldn’t dream of standing in your way.”
I blinked, taken off guard by his last statement. If he didn’t mean to claim Bre for himself, what the hell was he up to? I didn’t even hear the first part of his announcement, that Bre liked me too. When it finally sunk in, I realized that the two of them must have been talking about me.
“What did she say about me?” I demanded.
“Just that you kissed her and she was hella confused,” Connor retorted. “She wants to move on, but she doesn’t want to hurt you. She can’t figure out what the fuck you want from her.”
“She told you all of this?” I seethed.
“And more,” he claimed. “You’re a hot topic of conversation when we get together. Although I hope that will change on Sunday.”
I narrowed my eyes. Sunday was Bre’s day off. Had she already made plans with this asshole? “What is happening on Sunday?”
“I’m introducing her to my buddy Declan.”
I was really confused and thrown off by the addition of a second man. Did Connor mean to include someone else in his relationship with Bre? Was she aware of it? What exactly was going on?
Connor saw my brows knit and laughed. “That’s right. I’m not all about pinning anyone down. You might need to learn to share or accept that you can’t have her. I think she’s learning she can haveeverythingshe wants.”
I swallowed thickly. This confrontation wasn’t going the way I had planned. I’d assumed that we would be ironing out the details over who had a claim to Bre’s heart. I was prepared to make my case, even going as far as to express my true feelings for the lass. But this was way out of my realm of expertise.
Connor was suggesting that Bre could date both of us, without consequence. I didn’t know how I felt about that. On one hand, it left the pathway open for me to pursue her. On the other hand, I would have to contend with knowing that she was sharing her affections with someone else. Two someones, if I understood correctly.
“Don’t let the door hit your ass on the way out,” Connor muttered, downing the rest of his drink.
I wanted to punch him. I wasn’t used to people talking to me like that. But if what he said about Bre was right, then I was going to have to come to terms with him in some form or another. If we were both in love with the same woman, and she loved both of us equally, then there would be no room for vindictiveness. I got back in the elevator, my thoughts a blur.
CHAPTERFIFTEEN