Chapter Twelve
Evie quickly got dressed, and they went on their way. Connor flagged down the first cab they saw and gave the driver the address of Lone Wolf Security.
The ride was agonizingly slow, but, then again, it was rush hour in Manhattan. Evie was at the other end of the backseat, far away from Connor. He seemed agitated, and it was hard for her to breathe next to him. Plus, she was still thinking about his head between her thighs and his magical tongue.
She stifled a groan. He already gave her two orgasms today, shouldn’t that be enough? She wished they hadn’t been interrupted by that phone call. The image of them fucking against the wall of the shower filled her mind, and she bit her lip.
The cab jerked to a stop, and Connor pushed the door open, then yanked her along. His strides were much bigger than hers, and she struggled to keep up with him. They took the ancient elevator up to their floor. Connor’s movements were tense and minimal, and he wasted no time going up to the door of their office.
“What do you know?” he said before they even stepped foot inside Killian’s office. His brothers, Selena, and Meredith were already inside.
“Hello to you, too,” Meredith greeted. Her whiskey-colored eyes turned to Evie. “Oh, what are you …” Her nose twitched, then her lips curled into a knowing smile. “Never mind.”
“Connor, sit down,” Killian said, motioning to the couch in the corner.
“I’d rather stand. Now, what did Booth tell you? Did he talk?”
“He was a tough nut to crack,” Meredith said. “But he’s never met my husband. Daric has ways of making people talk.”
“And? Did he give up the ringleader?”
Meredith shook her head.
“Then why the hell did you call me here?” Connor groused.
“Because he gave us something else. Or told us that he knew other information,” Killian said. “But not about the big boss; it’s about you.”
Connor’s shoulders tensed and his jaw ticked. They waited for a few seconds, but he said nothing.
Killian let out a sigh. “He says he knows about your family. How you can find them. Maybe—”
“No,” Connor said in a terse voice. “I need to find him. Their boss.”
“Connor,” Meredith began, “this is real information. Maybe you can find out where—”
“No! I said I didn’t want to know. End of discussion.”
Meredith visibly flinched but backed down. Killian and Quinn looked at each other.
“Look, why don’t you think about it?” Killian said.
Connor turned and then jerked the door open. He strode out, slamming the door behind him. While the air inside the office had considerably lightened, the tension was still obvious there.
“Let’s go talk to him,” Killian said, nodding at Quinn. The two of them walked out and the women were left inside.
“Well, I guess I better get home,” Evie said and made a motion to open the door. It slammed quickly as Meredith’s hand slapped on the wood.
“I don’t think so,” Meredith said, though her tone was lighthearted.
Slowly, Evie pivoted and faced Meredith. The Lycan’s arms were crossed over her very pregnant belly, and she had a sparkle in her eye.
“So, what are you doing here, Evie?” she asked.
“Um … Connor is working at the theater, and, when Quinn called him, I was … next to him so I said I’d come with him.”
Meredith raised a blond brow. “Next to him … or under him?”
Evie’s face turned all shades of red, and she blew out a breath. “How did you know?”
“Sheesh, you guys are as subtle as a stampede of buffalo, walking in here, smelling like sex. Did we interrupt anything?”
Evie slapped her hand on her forehead. Lycan senses, right. Did Killian and Quinn know, too?
Selena shot to her feet. “Evie! Oh my God!” She giggled. “Really? Since when?”
Evie walked back to the couch and sank down on the cushions. “Er, it’s complicated … but, uh, since yesterday?”
Meredith gave Selena a smug smile, and the redhead rolled her eyes, then pulled a ten-dollar bill from her purse and handed it to the other woman. “You better have not been using your husband’s magic or I want my money back.”
“I didn’t, I swear. Scout’s honor.”
“I’ve heard that one before.” Selena turned back to Evie. “Wait, what do you mean it’s complicated?”
When Evie’s face fell, Selena’s nostrils flared. “What did he do?” She pushed her sleeves back and glared toward the door. “I swear, if he hurt you …”
Evie sighed, not really wanting to talk about it. But the moment she opened her mouth, it was like stepping on a tube of toothpaste. It all went gushing out, and there was no way to take it back.
“What?” Meredith said in an incredulous voice. “He just sent you home?”
“Well, he brought me home and made sure I was okay …,” She shrugged. “I was coming on too strong, right? I shouldn’t have asked him about staying at his place.”
Meredith plopped down on the couch next to her, leaned back, and slapped the back of her hand on her forehead. “Ugh, my brother is such a social retard. Please be patient with him?”
Evie didn’t know what to say. “Um … I’ll try.”
Meredith sat up. “I have an idea. I’ll talk to him.”
“No!” Evie protested, but Meredith was already on her feet. She tried to tug Meredith back on the couch, but the Lycan was too strong. She was out the door in a flash.
Evie groaned, and Selena sat down beside her. “So, finally got over that dry spell, huh?” she said, clapping her hands.
“Selena, only you would applaud my sex life.”
“What? I can’t celebrate your trip to Bone Town?” Selena asked. “C’mon, tell me all the details. How was it? How many times did you orgasm? How big—”
Evie grabbed one of the throw pillows and hit her best friend playfully in the face.
***
“Why don’t you want to know?” Quinn asked.
Connor said nothing but crossed his arms over his chest.
"This information about your family could be valuable," Killian reasoned. "Maybe they'll know more about the man who took you."
“We’ll find another way.” Connor remained still. He didn’t give a shit about his birth family. As far as he was concerned, Archie was his family. Killian, Quinn, and Meredith were his family. He didn’t need to know anything else, except the identity of the man who had forced him to become a monster.
“Why don’t you really want to know about them?” Quinn asked. “Are you afraid?”
"Fuck you, Quinn," he said, uncrossing his arms. He stepped forward, pulling up to his full height, so he towered over his brother.
“Fuck you too, Connor,” Quinn said, not backing down. “Don’t you get tired of this tough guy bullshit?”
“Connor, Quinn,” Killian warned. “Stand—”
“I need to talk to you,” Meredith said as she walked into the reception area.
Connor turned to his sister. “What?” He had never lost his temper with Meredith, but, tonight, he had come close today. It was something he never wanted to happen again.
“Evie. What did you do to her?”
All right, he was confused now. He thought Meredith was going to rip him a new one for cutting her off back in Killian’s office. "I didn't do anything to her."
Quinn snickered, and even Killian rolled his eyes.
“We all know what you did,” Meredith said, tapping a finger on her nose. “We must have interrupted you guys.”
“No wonder you sounded more uptight than usual when you answered your phone,” Quinn said with a laugh.
“Fuck you, I—”
"Connor, for once, shut up and listen to me," Meredith said. Connor closed his mouth. "I'm not talking about the sex. That's all good, and we're all adults here. But you sent her packing afterward?"
“What?” Quinn and Killian said at the same time.
Meredith shot her brothers a knowing look. “I know, right?”
“I didn’t—” Oh fuck. That’s exactly what he had done. Three pairs of eyes looked at him, waiting for an explanation, but he didn’t know what to say. “It wasn’t safe.”
“I’m sure you had your own fucked-up reasons why you sent her away.”
“I took her home. Made sure she was safe.”
“Uh huh. That’s something you do with a friend, not a lover,” Meredith said with an exasperated sigh, then looked at her brothers. “Guys? A little help?”
“Connor,” Killian began. “I know you’ve never had a relationship, but, if you care for a girl—and I assume you do with Evie—you should do things with her after the sex.”
“What? Like cuddling and shit?”
Quinn laughed. "Yeah, cuddling and shit. Chicks dig that kind of thing. You only ever kick a girl out of bed if you're a selfish bastard, like I was before I met Selena."
“But we weren’t in a bed,” Connor pointed out. “We were—never mind.” Quinn was right. He messed things up. That’s why Evie had been acting all weird when he took her home last night. “I was doing it for her own good. I can’t trust myself to be alone with her. Not with my wolf. You know I’ve never had the best control.”
“Wait, what are you talking about?” Meredith asked with narrowed eyes.
“I … you know it’s always been a problem for me, shifting back. But it’s been getting worse.”
“Since when?” Meredith asked.
“Since Archie died.” He swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn’t tell them what he was planning. They were already involved too much. “Look, it’s not important. I obviously made a mistake with Evie—Oww! What the fuck, Meredith?” His sister had hit him in the arm, and, with her Lycan strength, it actually hurt. He rubbed the spot and gave Meredith a dirty look. “What the hell was that for?”
“For being a fucking hypocrite!” she retorted.
“What?”
"You nearly killed Daric when you found out he was having sex with me, and now you're banging Evie and you haven't even taken her out on a date? What would her brother say?”
“You need to romance her,” Quinn added. “Make her feel special.”
“What in our entire history together makes you think I’m the type to do flowers and dinners and shit?” he asked Quinn.
Meredith put her hands on her hips and gave him a challenging glare. "Connor, if you think she doesn't deserve any of that, then tell us now and we’ll tell her to turn around and never look back."
Shit. "Aww, fuck." He couldn't deny it. Evie deserved to be treated like she was the most important thing in the world. He had desperately wanted to protect her by staying away, but he just couldn't stop himself. The battle raging inside him was too great, and he could only deal with one thing at a time.
He wanted her bad and had just taken what he wanted. In any case, it was too late now. He’d already hurt her and needed to make it up to her first. He could figure it out later. “What do I need to do?”
“Well, first, you go and ask her out. On a real date.”
“How the fuck do I know what to do on a real date?”
“Just go in there and ask her; I’ll take care of the rest,” Meredith urged. “Then you can romance the shit outta our girl!”
“Our girl?” he asked, a sinking, suspicious feeling suddenly creeping up on him.
“I mean your girl. Evie. You know what I mean!”
"How exactly do I do that?" he asked. Aside from fighting, he didn't know much else. The few women he'd been with had always come onto him and wanted nothing more than a quick fuck. But he couldn't treat Evie like he had those other women.
"Just be yourself," Meredith said. When Quinn snickered, she sent him a warning glare. "I mean just follow your instincts. You're a good person, Connor."
"Be a gentleman on the streets but a wolf in the sheets," Quinn finished with a wink.
"Maybe you should start over and do things the right way. Treat her like a lady," Killian insisted. "Take her to a nice meal, bring her home, but let her lead and decide what happens after.”
“Fine.” He lumbered back to Killian’s office and yanked open the door. Evie and Selena were on the couch, talking softly. They both jerked their heads toward him when he entered.
“I should go see if Quinn is okay,” Selena said, standing up. As she walked past Connor, she gave him a silent, warning glare.
“Is everything all right?” Evie asked. “Did David Booth—”
“We’re going out,” he stated, then kicked himself mentally when Evie frowned at him. “I mean, you and me.”
“What?” she asked, her brows furrowing. “Out where?”
“I don’t know. I mean, Meredith’s arranging it.”
She stood and walked to him. “Meredith’s arranging what?”
He swallowed as he looked down at her face. Why the fuck was this so hard? “Our date.”
Evie’s eyes bulged. “Excuse me?”
“I’m taking you out. On a date.”
"Now? But I can't. I'm not dressed, and I should really take a shower and put on some makeup …"
“Look, do you want to or not?” That sounded harsher than he wanted it to come out. “I mean, do you want to?”
“I guess, but …” She gestured to her outfit.
Connor scrutinized her. After their encounter in the shower, she put on a green dress with seahorses all over it. It was a tad too short for his comfort and showed off way too much skin, but he thought it was cute. Part of him hoped she chose it to match his eyes, which made something in him burst with pride. Plus, even now, he could still smell himself all over her, and it was turning him on. Shit, he needed to control himself. He was going to make this up to Evie and do it the right way, even if all he wanted to do was push that little dress up her luscious body and feast on her again.
“You look fine. I mean, you look beautiful. Look,” he ran his fingers through his hair. “If you don’t want to go on a date, it’s fine—”
“Yes!” she squeaked. “I mean, yes, I do want to go on a date. With you.”
The tightness in his middle loosened. “Good. Now, let’s go."