CHAPTER 6
CONNER
“You!” Conner exclaimed at the same time as Keisha.
He couldn’t believe that the woman that had been dancing through his mind for nearly two weeks was standing in his gym.
Normally, Conner would be at the corporate office and he would’ve never gotten the chance to see Keisha again. However, since this was a new gym, both he and Carson were on hand for at least another two months to make sure that everything ran smoothly before they handed the reigns over to their manager.
Conner was never so glad that he was stuck in one location. But the way the gorgeous woman narrowed her brown eyes at him made him suspicious that she wasn’t as happy as he was at their little reunion.
“Ooh wee! I just might need to become a member here. All this man candy floating around.” A tall, attractive, brown skinned woman with light brown hair that stood beside Keisha smiled seductively at Conner.
He couldn’t help but smile at the woman, and also at the way Keisha gave her friend the side-eye.
“We offer all kinds of memberships here, and I don’t mind giving you a tour… if you’re really interested.” Conner lowered his deep voice another octave. He didn’t miss the heat that flashed in Keisha’s beautiful eyes, because although he was talking to her friend, he was staring directly at her.
Conner watched with humor as Keisha cleared her throat, and fidgeted with her tank-top. “We are actually waiting on Carson, so I think we’re all set.”
I need to talk to my cousin. How in the hell does he know Keisha?
Before he could respond, he saw Carson making his way toward them. His ever present smile was plastered across his face, and his eyes were lit up like a Christmas tree.
“If it isn’t the future, Mrs. O’Bryan,” Carson commented as he sauntered up.
Conner wasn’t sure how Carson knew Keisha, but the fire in his belly was about to erupt, and his hands were clenched into tight fists at his side. He and his cousin were close, they were more like brothers, but seeing Carson with Keisha would be detrimental to their bond. There would be no way in hell he could watch her kiss and love on his cousin and not be jealous.
But his thoughts were put on pause when Carson leaned down and hugged the other woman that was standing next to Keisha. Conner noticed for the first time that the two held an uncanny resemblance. Their body shapes were similar, however the other woman was slimmer and slightly taller. Their heart-shaped faces and sultry brown eyes were nearly identical.
After she greeted Carson, the woman turned her attention to Conner with a mischievous smile on her pretty face. “I’m Keisha’s sister, Kaybella. But everyone calls me Bell. And who might you be?”
He smiled brightly, liking her vibe. “Kaybella is an interesting name.” Conner took her small hand in his and shook it.
“Yeah, our mom had a thing for princesses.” She looked at her sister and winked, and it intrigued Conner even more.
“Really? Princesses, huh? So how’d you get Kaybella, and your sister got Keisha? I don’t remember any princesses with that name.”
“Actually, Keisha is not her full…”
“Anyway,” Keisha butted in, staring at her sister with wide eyes. “What are you doing here, Conner?”
“Wait.” Bell looked at Keisha and her smile grew. “Is this the Conner?” she asked as she took him in.
He looked at Keisha with an arched brow, and she shifted nervously from foot to foot looking everywhere but at him. “Yeah. It’s the Conner,” she finally responded shyly.
“I’m sorry, am I missing something? Do you two know each other?” Carson looked at them curiously.
“This is Keisha.” Conner pointed in her direction. “She was the woman that had the misfortune of meeting me when I ran into her at the grocery store a few days ago.”
Conner loved the way she smiled up at him. Sometimes in life you had to admit to your wrong doings to appease others… even if you weren’t wrong. She hit me, but I’ll take the blame to see her smile.
****
Carson flopped down in the leather chair that was adjacent to the large sofa where Conner was relaxing. He loved his cousin, but he couldn’t figure out why Carson was always at his house.
“Sooo… I need to cash in my favor.”
“I knew it was some reason you were here.”
“I need you to go on a double date with me.”
“The hell? What are we twelve? I’ll pass.” Conner shook his head.
“You owe me a favor.” Carson pointed at Conner. “I’m cashing in. This isn’t anything detrimental to your character, so you can’t decline.”
“Why does a grown man need another grown man to go on a date with him?” Conner asked as he left the couch, and made his way to the kitchen with his cousin hot on his trail.
“Bell is still a little skittish...”
“Bell doesn’t seem like the skittish type at all to me, maybe it’s you,” Conner interrupted.
“As I was saying…” Carson narrowed his eyes, “Bell is skittish, so I told her she could bring Keisha along and we could do a double date. To make her feel more comfortable.”
“Hmmm.” Conner pretended to think it over, but he knew he was going to go as soon as Carson mentioned Keisha’s name. He had been trying to figure out a way to see her again since she’d unexpectedly shown up at his gym a few days earlier.
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt for me to keep Keisha company.” Conner smiled.
“Yeah, I bet you it wouldn’t.” Carson laughed, but he sobered quickly. “Just don’t be a dick. I really like Bell, so whatever is going on between you and Keisha, be nice.”
“What does that mean? Going on between us?”
“Man, you know exactly what I mean. Watching the two of you interact was like waiting for an active volcano to erupt. You could feel the heat, see it boiling, and you know it’s only a matter of time before the lava oozes out over the top.”
“Damn! I didn’t know it was that obvious.” Conner had mumbled, but he couldn’t help the smile that graced his lips.
“It was very obvious. And I don’t know if it’s a good or bad thing, so be nice.” Carson pointed an accusatory finger at him.
“Oh I will be more than nice.” Conner licked his lips at the thought of seeing Keisha again.