Again (Time for Love Book 3) (7 page)

Before long, they were only minutes away from Amanda’s place. He filled his lungs, hating that he’d have to break the easy rapport they’d shared for most of the trip. But if he didn’t bring up
that
topic now, there might not be another good time.

“Um, Amanda. I know you’d rather not talk about Melbourne, but maybe we could talk about it now?”

Amanda took a deep breath. “Okay. I guess we better. It’s just that it’s not the most pleasant of memories, you know.”

He frowned. He’d always thought that it had all been a game for Amanda, that he was the one with the good reason to get aggravated by the situation. Might as well not beat around the bush to find out the truth.

“I must admit I was disappointed—well, angry actually—when you decided not to turn up for dinner that night,” he said quietly.

He waited for Amanda to respond, heart beating fast and palms getting clammy. When a long moment had passed and she hadn’t said a word, he glanced at her. She was frowning at him, those beautiful eyes questioning.

“What?” he asked, unsure of what her expression meant.

“You were the one who changed your mind,” she said faintly.

“What are you talking about?” He stared at Amanda in disbelief before dragging his gaze back on the road. The lights ahead had turned red, forcing him to step on the brakes hard.

“Maybe we should talk about this when we get to my place,” Amanda said nervously.

He nodded, a jumble of thoughts running through his head. He let his mind recall the events of that day, hoping it would clarify Amanda’s statement, which simply didn’t make any sense to him. With one eye on the road, he replayed the day that had caused him to judge Amanda harshly.

❈❈❈❈❈

“Amanda!” Connor called out in relief as he spotted Amanda coming out of the hotel elevator.

“Hey!” Amanda said, her face splitting into a smile.

“Glad I caught you,” he said, stopping in front of her. He’d been scared that he’d miss her before she headed out to visit the Melbourne Museum with her aunt.

“What's up?” Amanda asked. “Did you leave anything in my room?”

“No,” he replied. “I was wondering if you’d have dinner with me tonight?”

Amanda’s smile widened, her cheeks pinking slightly. “That would be nice.”

“Good. Meet you back here at, say, seven?”

“Okay.”

He grinned at her, relieved. And just because he wanted to, he cupped her face and kissed her lips. “I’ll see you later,” he murmured.

“Yeah,” she said breathlessly before walking out the front door.

He let out a big sigh as he watched her leave, already impatient for the night to arrive. When he’d left her room that morning, he’d immediately felt... bereft. It was the first time he’d felt like that after a one-night stand, but the cause wasn’t a mystery. Last night had been fantastic. Spectacular, actually. He couldn’t believe that the woman who’d been so contained during the party could be so open and giving and altogether wonderful in bed. Watching her reactions—like she’d never known such pleasure—was a huge turn-on. Not only that, she’d been eager to learn how to please him too.

He simply hadn’t had enough. He could think of a lot more ways to make her moan and lose control...

Argh! He was getting aroused and it was only mid-morning. Hours before he'd see Amanda again. He should have suggested an earlier time. Seven o’clock seemed too far away now.

He slapped his forehead with his palm. Damn it, he’d forgotten to ask for her phone number again. He’d meant to do that, but seeing her had muddled his brain.

So what else was he forgetting? Ah, condoms. He’d used them all up last night. Before he did anything else today, he’d better go get some more.

*

C
onnor hurried to the hotel, panting lightly from his brisk walk. He was almost ten minutes late for his dinner date with Amanda, and he hated being late for anything—especially when it was a woman waiting for him.

He shouldn’t have gone for that Sunday afternoon business meeting, but his dad had called unexpectedly, requesting him to visit the shop of their newest business partners who’d agreed to stock their products. They’d kept him longer than he’d expected.

He scanned the lobby, looking for Amanda. She wasn’t anywhere in sight. He breathed a sigh of relief, guessing she was still getting ready in her room.

Sitting himself on one of the comfortable sofas, he let himself relax, playing with his phone.

“Hey, Connor!”

Connor looked up to find a woman smiling at him. She looked familiar but he couldn’t place her.

“You
are
Connor right?”

“Yes.”

The stranger perched herself next to him. “Oh, great! I’m Agnes. Lori’s friend. I was in your party last night.”

Ah, now he remembered her. She was the one who’d ground her bottom on Lucas’s lap. “Hi, Agnes.”

“I been waiting for you here for ages. I was just upstairs, knocking on your door. Lucas told me your room number.”

Connor took a sharp breath, remembering Lucas’s challenge. Damn it!

“I’ve heard all about you,” Agnes purred. “And I’m ready.”

“Ready for what?” he asked in a low voice, irritation sprouting fast.

Agnes giggled then leaned closer. “I’m ready to see if you really deserve your title, Mr. Fuck King.”

He shook his head exasperatedly, glancing around the hotel lobby. Fortunately, no one was close enough to hear Agnes’ comment.

Agnes’ hand crept up his thigh. He grabbed it to stop its progress and placed it on her lap. Did this woman have no shame? They were in a public place! “Agnes,” he said in warning.

Fortunately, Agnes had to answer her ringing phone and Connor stood up, eager to get away.

“Wait, Connor!” Agnes grabbed his arm while she spoke with someone on the phone. “...Can you wait?... Fine, I’ll be out shortly,” she said impatiently to whoever was on the line.

“Eager to go upstairs, are you?” Agnes teased, misreading his actions from earlier. “Unfortunately, I have to go, Connor. Someone’s waiting for me outside to take me to an important party attended by famous people. We’ll have to do this some other time.”

Connor exhaled his relief. “I’m leaving tomorrow morning, Agnes. I’m afraid we’ll have to forget about this.”

Agnes pouted, her disappointment more than obvious. “Oh, that’s not fair! Amanda will have sex with the two of you, but I won’t?”

Connor scowled. “What do you mean?”

“Amanda and Lucas went out somewhere a few minutes ago. You know where that would lead.” Agnes sighed. “I wish I could pull out of this party, but I can’t. Anyway, if Amanda decides that Lucas is the better lay and you want someone else’s opinion, call me. Lucas has got my number.” Then Agnes hurried off.

Connor stared at her in shock. What the hell was Agnes talking about? Agitated, he headed for the lifts. Might as well check up on Amanda and see what was keeping her.

*

H
ands on hips, Connor stared at Amanda’s door, willing it to open. He’d knocked a few times already but there was no answer. He couldn’t hear any sound coming from the inside either.

He hurried back to the lobby. Maybe Amanda had been on her way down when he went up and they'd missed each other?

But she wasn’t there.

He took a deep breath, confused and more than a little hurt. They’d had amazing sex last night. But more than that, he really thought there was a deeper connection there somewhere. He wanted to explore what that was. Did he get it so damned wrong?

He’d subtly questioned Amanda last night on how often she partied with Lori. Amanda had said that she hardly ever saw her cousin. Apparently, Lori had considered it a challenge to get Amanda to go out with her last night after learning about Amanda’s New Year’s resolution with her best friends.

Amanda had been reluctant to tell him what that New Year’s resolution was, but he’d managed to tease it out of her. She’d turned beet red when she said it was about her and her best friends promising to make time for love, with the end of the year being their deadline in finding the right guy. The joy he’d felt at her explanation had been so unexpectedly strong that he’d made love to her yet again.

So had she lied about that? If so, why?

He pulled his phone out to call Lucas, only to replace it back in his pocket. Lucas would make the biggest deal out of Connor calling to see if Amanda was with him. No, calling Lucas was a bad idea.

Besides, maybe Amanda was just running late from her day out with her aunt. He’d wait there for a while. That would be the best thing to do, since he didn’t have her contact number.

An hour later, Connor got up from his seat and trudged to the exit. That was more than enough time waiting for a date to turn up. There was no question that he’d been stood up.

Maybe Agnes had told the truth after all—that Amanda had gone with Lucas.

Well, fuck it. Lucas could have the stupid title Connor never wanted. And if Amanda was with Lucas? Well, fuck that too.

❈❈❈❈❈

Connor rubbed his face to bring him back to reality, fully focusing on the road once again. He found himself hoping that he had indeed been totally wrong with his assumptions.

*****

“D
o you want something to drink?” Amanda asked.

“Only if you’re having something yourself,” Connor answered.

“Coffee?”

“Sure. White, no sugar, thanks.”

Connor stood in the middle of Amanda’s living room, checking out his surroundings, while Amanda went to the kitchen. She was neat and tidy, and obviously had some interior decorating talents. He immediately warmed to her place. It had a relaxing vibe to it.

He walked over to a tall shelving unit where several photo frames were prominently displayed. He grinned at a cute picture of five young girls, about nine or ten years old, holding up ice cream cones and sporting happy smiles. He scanned the other photos, noticing a couple with Ash and a woman who he guessed must be their mother. He took a closer look at one with about thirty people in it. He recognised a few faces, including the siblings of Rebecca and Gemma who’d attended last night’s party. Lori or any of Lori’s friends weren’t in any of the shots.

He breathed in sharply. He’d always wondered if things would have been different if he’d had Amanda’s phone number and was able to call her to see what had gone wrong that day.

Which reminded him, he must get her contact details before he left tonight.

Amanda came back, carrying a tray. She placed it on the coffee table, then sat on the couch. He joined her.

“So,” she said quietly. “You came to meet me that night at the hotel?”

“Yes. I was ten minutes late from a business meeting and assumed you were still getting ready.”

Amanda’s brows furrowed. “You waited?”

“Yes.”

“For how long?”

“An hour.”

Amanda’s mouth opened in surprise. “Well, we must have just missed each other then. I came back at around eight.”

He frowned. “Where did you go?”

Amanda picked up her cup and took a sip, her features a picture of deep contemplation.

He reached for his coffee and tried to relax, even though he could hardly wait to hear her version of events.

A
manda took her time in calming her inner confusion. Connor had waited for an hour for her to turn up for their date?
An hour
? Did he really do that?

She glanced at him. He smiled, looking composed. With a steadying breath, she put her cup down. How should she start this?

“My aunt dropped me off in front of the hotel just before seven,” she said. “I was on my way up to get changed when I bumped into Lori and that friend of yours she met at your party. I don’t remember his name.”

“That was probably Frank,” he said.

“Yeah, that’s it. I thought it was lucky that Lori’s mum had already driven off. My aunt wouldn’t have been happy to see Lori walking out of a hotel with a man. She would have known straight away what Lori had been up to. She knows what her daughter’s like, but she’d rather not see proof of it.”

She puffed, readying herself for the next part of her story. For some strange reason, she was apprehensive of Connor’s reaction.

“Lori was her usual exuberant self and asked about my night with you. I didn’t even know that she’d noticed you’d left with me. Anyway, I said it was great—which it was,” she said, feeling her cheeks heat up. Damn it, did she have to blush for admitting she had a fantastic night with a guy?

“It was spectacular,” Connor said softly.

She reddened even more. Why was she so shy about that?

Because you didn’t hold back that night. You were shamelessly lustful—moaning and screaming...

She shook her head to shush her mind.

“Oh. You didn’t think it was spectacular?” Connor asked, sounding disappointed.

“Oh, no,” she responded, flustered. “I mean, yes.”

“No, it wasn’t spectacular, or yes, it was spectacular?”

“Yes, it was spectacular,” she answered shyly.

“Phew, I’m glad I wasn’t the only one who thought so,” Connor teased.

“Well, I can’t really deny that it was because... well, it was,” she said, getting more frazzled.

Connor grinned, but there was something different about his eyes. They were darker, his gaze more intense.

She felt her body respond to his look. Damn it, weren’t they just talking? She straightened in her seat and stared at the blank TV screen, trying to recall where she was with her explanation. Remembering the next bit had the effect of dousing her arousal.

“Lori asked me when Lucas’ turn was,” she continued. “I said to her I had no idea who Lucas was or what she meant by Lucas having a turn. She said he was the man I was supposed to have sex with after you.”

Connor groaned, covering his face with his hands.

“What?” she asked.

“Continue please,” he said in a strangled voice.

“Well, knowing Lori, I didn’t take offence. She was just that kind of woman, you know? It’s kinda normal for her to have more than one man in a weekend. And I thought she was simply expecting me to have the same kind of fun she was having.”