CHAPTER THREE — CHLOE
Usually, I was a very confident person. I walked tall; I talked strong, and never doubted my intuition. However, as I put my Dad’s truck in park in Conner Wilkes’ driveway and looked at myself in the rearview mirror, I questioned every single decision I had made that day.
While my lightly smoked eyes and pink lipstick had seemed appropriated at home, now they seemed like overkill. The same could be said for the beach waves in my long blond hair and the navy dress I was wearing. My bedroom mirror had assured me that its modest hemline and scooped neckline were professional, but now I was afraid they were too revealing and absolutely wrong for a job interview.
Frustrated out of my mind, I turned the mirror away from my face, leaned my head against the headrest, closed my eyes, and took deep breaths. Deep down, I knew my panic regarding my looks had nothing to do with the interview and everything to do with seeing my old crush again. It was ridiculous, unlike me, and made me borderline nuts.
“Get a grip, Chloe,” I muttered to myself as I reopened my eyes and exited the car.
With a confidence that was seventy-percent fake, I strutted to the white farmhouse. The place was even bigger than I remembered and impeccably kept. For the most part, though, it looked the same. The furniture on the porch was the only thing that had changed in the past six years. Instead of the wicker couches with flowery cushions, the porch now housed a set of raw wood chairs and a collection of leather and bone trinkets on the wall. They made it clear that this house belonged to a single cowboy now.
After yet another calming breath, I raised my hand and gave the front door three good knocks. While I waited, I turned around to gaze at the beautiful scenery. I had forgotten how lovely this place was.
“Can I help you?” a friendly, childish voice sounded behind me.
Turning around again, I looked down at the little boy in a cute pair of Spider-Man pajamas. The last time I had seen him, he was only days old and seeing him now, grown up and looking like a miniature version of Conner, put an instant smile on my lips.
“Hey, there,” I greeted him back, and then asked, “Are you Lucas?”
“Yep,” the boy replied.
I could tell he was about to ask me something else, but a skinny brunet also wearing pajamas came running around the corner and stepped in front of him. She looked a little flustered and gave me one good look before turning her frown to Lucas.
“What did I tell you about opening the door to strangers, buddy?” the woman asked in a stern tone.
The little boy sighed. “Not to do it, but I thought it could be Dad.”
Her expression softened, and my stomach sank. The nightwear and the clear tenderness in her eyes as she looked at Conner’s kid made me question if Conner really was the single cowboy his furniture had led me to believe. Considering I was here for an interview and didn’t need to fill my mind with the distraction, I pushed the thought away.
The woman’s hazelnut eyes turned to me. “How can I help you?”
With a smile, I replied, “I’m Chloe Jones, Alex’s daughter. I have a meeting with Conner.”
“You’re Alex’s daughter?” Lucas asked stepping around the woman to look at me. “He’s my godfather, you know?”
“Yeah, I do,” I told him with a nod. “He took me to see you once, actually.”
Blue eyes that were an exact copy of Conner’s narrowed at me.
“Are you sure, because I don’t remember you.”
I chuckled at his sassiness. “You were fresh out of the oven and asleep. But you were cute as heck.”
The boy looked at me for a few seconds. His eyes were intense and his lips were pulled sideways in a smile. Not knowing what else to do, I stared at him back and narrowed my eyes playfully at him.
“Dad isn’t here,” he informed me in a matter of fact tone. “But Sasha and I were about to have breakfast. I just decided that I like you, so you can come and wait with us.”
I looked up at the woman, but she simply shrugged and turned around to go back to wherever she had come from. Once Lucas and I were alone, he stepped sideways to allow me inside and then closed the door behind me.
“Dad works a lot,” he informed me casually as we started walking toward the kitchen. Then, with incredible energy and enthusiasm, he began babbling. “Our Ranch Resort is huge. We have a bunch of rooms for people to stay in and fifteen horses. That’s a bunch of horses, ya know?”
I nodded. “I do. You know all their names?”
The boy’s excitement seemed to double at my question. He bobbed his head vigorously, took a seat at the kitchen table, and I sat right next to him. The woman placed a plate of eggs, apple slices, and toast in front of him and Lucas started munching as he recited all fifteen names and told me the stories of how he and his Dad had picked each one.
Although the stories were long, I loved hearing them and seeing the excitement on Lucas’ face. Once he exhausted the subject and was assured that I was well acquainted with the equine population of the resort, the boy returned to the subject of his father.
“Anyways . . . because Dad works a lot, Sasha watches me for him. Like right now, right Sasha?”
The woman who was now seated at the table with us nodded. “That’s right, buddy, but your Dad will be here soon, and you’ll be his problem for the rest of the day.” Lucas chuckled at her teasing as she turned her eyes to me. “Since the monkey is laughing and not babbling for once, let me take the chance to apologize for not introducing myself. I had eggs cooking.”
I waved a hand, but before I could assure the nanny that it was okay, Lucas took over the spotlight again. I chuckled, but she just rolled her eyes and went back to her meal.
“Once Dad’s back, he’s gonna take me to the horses and then we’ll have ice-cream for lunch. We do that every Saturday so Sasha can go see her boyfriend.”
Sasha’s cheeks flushed a deep shade of red at Lucas’ comment. Relieved to know that not only was she the nanny, also a committed one, I smiled kindly at her. I quickly understood why she looked flustered. This kiddo was definitely a handful.
“Do you like horses and ice-cream?” Lucas called my attention back to him.
With a deep breath, I nodded. “I love both. Why?”
“Imma gonna ask Dad if you can come riding with us.” He looked at my dress, and, with a mouth full of eggs, added, “You’ll just have to change first.”
Touched by the invitation, I made my voice as sweet as I could as I replied, “I’d love to, but today isn’t the best day.”
“Why the hell not?” Lucas demanded while taking the last bite of his food.
Taken back by his hilarious choice of vocabulary, I opened my mouth to reply, but before I had a chance, a familiar deep voice sounded from behind me.
“Because she’s here for a job interview and not to have fun. Also, don’t say hell, son. It ain’t nice.”
The nervousness I had felt in my car came back with full vengeance. Fuck, was I going to make a complete fool of myself? This was the first time in years I heard Conner’s voice, and the effect was still the same. My heart started to pound inside my chest, my palms grew sweaty, my mouth felt as dry as sand paper, and I felt a tension between my legs.
As if seeing things in slow-motion, I watched as Lucas jumped from the chair he was sitting in and run to his Dad. I could see everyone’s lips moving, but the buzzing in my ears prevented me from hearing a word they said. On shaky legs, I got up from my chair and turned around just in time to see Conner pick up his six-year-old son from the ground.
Unlike Lucas, who had completely changed since I saw him last, Conner was exactly the same. He was still tall, dark, and insanely handsome but with a few light patches of gray on his head. It made him look even sexier than I’d remembered. His smile, as he embraced his son was contagious, and like a lovesick girl. I watched them interact in awe. Only being around the two for seconds, I could tell that Conner was an amazing Dad to this boy who idolized him so.
Before I had time to pull my gaze away, Conner released Lucas to the ground and ask the nanny to get him ready for the day. Once they were out of the kitchen, he turned his gaze to me.
A crooked, unreadable smirk curled up on his lips as his dark blue eyes traveled slowly from my Jimmy Choo’s all the way up to my green eyes. His gaze had a kind of intensity I never witnessed before—at least, not directed at me. It was almost as if his eyes could touch me and I felt that touch everywhere. I felt it on my arms, legs, my neck, and especially, on my nipples and in between my thighs.
For the first time in my life in a public setting, I felt moisture gather at my center and soak the thin fabric of my panties. Sure, I had made out with boys in the past, but none of them had ever made me feel as hot and bothered as Conner was doing at this very moment.
What the hell was my issue? Only a few minutes in and Conner already had the strongest effect on me. My cheeks warmed and flushed a bright red as I pressed my thighs together to find some relief.
Needing something to focus on other than the completely surreal reality I was living in, I cleared my throat and said, “Hi, Conner.”
Very smooth Chloe.
Without breaking our eye contact, he took a deep breath and then opened those perfect lips. “Ch-lo-e Jones, I’ll be damned.”
A shiver ran down my spine at the way his tongue lingered on the lo of my name, and I couldn’t help but smile. With a sideways grin, Conner ran a hand through his dark brown hair and took a few steps in my direction. The closer he got, the stronger the scent of alcohol and a hint of women’s perfume that emanated from him became. Even though it was evident to me that he just left from the presence of another woman and wasn’t in his right mind, the attention I was getting and the glimmer in his eyes was like air in my lungs after being underwater for so long.
Conner came to a stop right in front of me and clicked his tongue. “Alex said you were taller, but he failed to tell me what a beautiful woman you’ve become.”
I pulled a deep breath through my mouth and grew a bit taller in my spine. My new posture made my boobs stick out a bit and, I could see Conner forcing his gaze away from my ample cleavage. I smiled.
“Even though I’m twenty-two, I think he hasn’t noticed that I’m not a little girl anymore,” I informed him honestly.
“He was always the smarter one,” he said cryptically as he peeled his eyes from me and walked toward the coffee maker shaking his head.
Confused, I just stared at him. Deep down, I could feel that there was some secret meaning behind Conner’s words and though a part of me wanted to ask him what he meant; a bigger part decided that I shouldn’t. This was supposed to be a job interview, and I’d restrained myself from Conner for so long - it only felt natural to continue hiding my feelings now.
“In that case, you’re in luck,” I started in a playful tone while still hoping to guide the conversation to a more business appropriate subject. He looked at me over his shoulder and smirked. I took a deep breath and continued, “I’m just as smart as he is—maybe even a little smarter. I’ve always wanted to work at Blackwater Resort, and I know I’ll be the best administrator the place has ever had. I promise you that.”
Conner stared at me with a surprised expression for a few more seconds. Then, he picked up his coffee cup and strutted toward the kitchen table. “That’s a big claim.”
“I know, but it’s still true,” I said firmly, finally feeling my usual confidence return.
With a smirk, he nodded at the chair in front of him. “Sit down and tell me why, then.”
And I did.