Sunny did as he’d said—or rather, as he’d implied. It was one of the things that had drawn him the most. The girl was so beautifully, naturally submissive. He wanted peace in his life and home, and if there was one thing Sunny brought, that was it. From the moment she’d gotten there, it seemed the entire house had let out one big exhalation, as if they all could relax in a way they hadn’t before.
She pulled the edges of the robe together, then sat on the couch.
“I heard back from Mitch, the private investigator in Utah.”
She sat up straight, fingers in her robe tightening until her knuckles turned white.
“Easy, darlin’,” he rumbled out. “Take a breath.” He waited until she did before he went on. “Records don’t show Tanner on any flights, and according to his job, he hasn’t missed a day of work in years. The break-in happened Sunday night, and there’s no way he could have done that and driven back in time for work Monday.”
Sunny nodded. “And we’re sure he’s there, now? That he couldn’t be here?”
“Mitch pretended to be delivering something, went right up to his door and knocked. Tanner answered, accepted the package. It looks like this wasn’t him.”
Sunny took a big breath, almost a gasp, as if her shallow little ones before hadn’t done the trick.
And, damn, Connor liked that. He liked being able to give her good news for once, to offer her up a sliver of the peace she’d given him.
“Thank you,” she whispered.
“Course. The police also checked in. There have been some other break-ins around town lately, and they think it’s the same people. There’s no match to the blood at the scene, but they’ve got it for when they catch a suspect.”
“So, it’s over?”
“Seems that way.” Connor hated saying those words. He wanted her safe, of course, but he didn’t much like the idea of letting her walk out, of letting her go back to her own place. Without the fear that it could be Tanner there, Sunny would have no reason to stay at their place any longer.
She dropped her hands to her lap. “I’m really sorry about all this. I know I sort of messed up your lives.”
“You didn’t mess up anything.” He kept the fact that she’d improved their lives to himself.
Sunny was the sort likely to bolt, and he didn’t want her feeling trapped, or like there were expectations on her. She’d take that as a chain she didn’t want.
“I did. You expected a quick lay with some floozy fox at a dress-up party, then allthishappened.”
Connor reached over and took her hand, then pulled her into his lap. Her thighs spread around his waist without hesitation, and it made her robe gape open, giving him a peek at her sweet cunt since she was naked beneath. “You have been worth every damn inconvenience, darlin’.”
The set of her lips said she didn’t believe it. “You could do better,” she said.
“Better than a sexy, sweet little sub like you? Not so sure about that.”
“Better than some broken girl who jumps at her own shadow and makes you all ride in to save the day. Better than a someone who doesn’t know much about the lifestyle, who you have to constantly correct and teach.”
The way she spoke told Connor one thing for sure.
She wasn’t anywherecloseto being done listing her faults.
Connor grasped the edges of her robe, and she set her hands there to keep it closed. His lifted eyebrow—a moment of ‘are you sure you want to stop me?’—gave her a chance to reconsider. He preferred allowing a woman to make her own choices instead of trying to force a point.
She dropped her hands, letting Connor take the robe off her and toss it onto the couch.
It left her bare in his lap—which was a hell of a good look for her. Her perfect little breasts were tipped with nipples that had already responded, telling him again how much she enjoyed being exposed, even if she wanted to hate it. Her ribcage went to a narrow waist and hips made for his hands. The dark hair at her cunt and her toned thighs spread around him.
“There isn’t a single thing about you I’d change.” He brushed his thumb against her nipple, enjoying the tremble that worked its way through her shoulders and down her back. “I love how responsive you are. You just light up at any touch. You’re soft in all the best places”—he cupped her breast—“but I’ve seen you show how dammed tough you are, too. And, if you think we have any problem teaching you, you ain’t been paying attention. I will never get tired of training you, darlin’.” That twang to his voice came back stronger, as it always did when he got this turned on, when he saw what he wanted and could only think of how to get it.
She wore a mask of disbelief, of a woman whowantedto believe but couldn’t. It was borne of the years with her ex, where he’d torn her down for fun.
Those sorts of doubts didn’t go away in a few weeks’ time. It would take years to replace them with better thoughts.
Years I want to have.