Chapter Six
Connor lay in bed, one hand behind his head as he flipped through the channels on the TV mounted on the wall, trying to find something that interested him. At this point, he didn’t think it mattered what show he watched, since his mind really wasn’t able to concentrate on a program when he instead kept thinking about Katie.
It had been three days since their time together on Sunday at the playground, and while she’d agreed to invite him to Val’s birthday party that upcoming Saturday afternoon, Connor knew he had to take things slow and steady with both girls. He didn’t want to overwhelm either one of them by insisting he see Val every single day when he was still a stranger to the little girl, though that was definitely something he intended to build up to.
He also understood that after three years of being a single mom, Katie had a set routine with their daughter, and Connor was doing his best to be respectful of not making too many changes in the little girl’s life too quickly. That kind of disruption wasn’t fair to either Val or Katie, and for right now, he had to be content with the few things Katie had agreed to when it came to him forging a relationship with his daughter.
So, even though he didn’t physically see Val every day, they did talk on the phone each evening at seven, right before her bath time and after he was home from work for the night. That was their deal, because it was important to Connor that Val at least heard his voice on a daily basis, so she’d remember him since he was going a whole week without seeing her until her birthday party. The next time they were face-to-face, he wanted her to be comfortable with him and not have to start from scratch all over again.
He loved their nightly conversations, anticipated them, actually. Val was so animated, so inquisitive, and such a chatterbox. When he asked about what she did that day, she had no problem telling him all the details of spending time with her mom or what had happened at her preschool or what she and her friend, Leah, had done. And somewhere along the way she’d picked up the phrase “catcha later” that she used with him at the end of their phone call, instead of saying good-bye. He liked that they were already establishing those special personal phrases between them.
When he called at the designated time, Katie always answered, but she quickly handed the phone to Val, telling him she was going to run the little girl’s bath while they were talking—deliberately never giving them enough time to have a conversation of their own, which was starting to annoy him, because as much as he enjoyed his time on the phone with Val, he wanted to get to know Katie better, too.
He still felt something for her, the attraction between them was still strong, and now his emotions were involved. She was the mother of the child he was just getting to know, but she was also a woman he’d enjoyed spending time with in Denver. In fact, regardless of Val, he would have wanted to get to know Katie better and spend time with her again.
There was no doubt she had her guard up where he was concerned, and a part of him understood that she was trying to protect herself from being hurt in any way—clearly after Brice she had trust issues with the male gender. After hearing her story about her parents, he also knew her own father hadn’t set a great example of showing his daughter how real men treated the women who were important to them in their lives or how a man should take care of his children.
So yeah, Connor definitely had his work cut out for him with Katie. Tearing down those defenses was his goal, and if he had to start with the physical attraction to build on the emotional trust, then so be it. He already knew by the few touches they’d shared that Katie was still interested in him physically, that given a little push in the right direction, she’d be as soft and sensual and uninhibited as she’d been with him in Denver.
He wanted that with her—a relationship that not only included Val but one that the two of them could gradually build upon when it came to all those subtle, sensual glances she gave him and the desire she tried hard to disguise but he was one hundred percent attuned to. And he had no issues taking advantage of that chemistry since it was definitely mutual.
He glanced at the time on his cell phone—9:20 p.m. He inserted his Bluetooth into his ear so he could be hands free and took a chance and called Katie. She answered on the third ring, her soft, husky voice washing over him like a warm, well-placed caress.
“Connor?” she said, clearly surprised to hear from him so late.
“Yeah, it’s me,” he replied, turning off the TV with the remote to give their conversation one hundred percent of his attention. “Did I wake you up?”
“No. I’m in bed reading. But Val is already asleep . . . unless it’s important for you to talk to her?”
Of course she would assume his daughter was the reason he’d called. That’s the way it had been for the past three days. “I didn’t call for Val. I called to talk to you.”
There was a distinct pause before she asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Everything is good, Katie,” he assured her. “This call is strictly about you and me, and getting to know you better.”
“Why?”
He sighed, hating the skepticism in her tone but not surprised, either. The men in her life previously had clearly fucked her over and Connor had to remind himself that patience with Katie was key. “For one, you’re the mother of my kid, but make no mistake, that’s not the only reason I want to know you better. You and I had something special that night in Denver and I think you still feel the chemistry, too.”
“It was just sex, Connor.” The words sounded forced, as if she was trying to convince herself of that fact. “A fantasy about having sex with a stranger in a hotel room, remember?”
He pushed his hand through his hair and clenched his jaw in frustration. Oh, yeah, he fucking remembered everything about that hot, erotic fantasy that had been so passionate and real, and he wasn’t going to let her reduce their time together to something so meaningless, even to protect her own emotions, when he’d felt that connection between them.
“I’m going to have to call bullshit on that, sweetheart,” he drawled, blatantly calling her out. “If it was just casual sex, then why did you leave in the morning without waking me up or saying good-bye? Why didn’t you leave me your contact information? And why did you change your flight so you wouldn’t have to see me?” All the questions he’d spent over three and a half years wondering finally came spilling out.
“Because I was in a bad place in my life and . . . I wasn’t ready for another relationship when I couldn’t seem to get it right with the guys I dated.”
He heard the raw honesty in her voice and appreciated that she was at least giving him the truth. “And now?”
“Now I’m a single mom and I have a daughter I need to take care of,” she said, her voice much softer.
Her walls were back up, her words meant to make sure Connor knew she had no room in her life for a man or a relationship—but he wasn’t going to let her off so easy when it came to building something special between them. “What about you, Katie?” he asked, wanting to know that she mattered, too. “Who takes care of you?”
“I don’t need a man,” she replied firmly. “I can take care of myself.”
“But wouldn’t it be nice if you had one who took care of you every once in a while?”
She sighed, and he could feel her gradually relaxing, those defenses dropping. “I’m not sure I know what that’s like, and sometimes it’s easier to just depend on yourself and not be disappointed . . . or hurt.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way. Some guys like taking care of their women.”
“Mmm,” was her undecipherable response.
She was so jaded, clearly based on all her own experiences. So, he decided to take a different approach with her, and while Connor knew he was taking a huge risk by going the sexual route with his next question, it would at least force her to think about what they’d had together back in Denver. What they could have again.
“Katie . . . ” he said, invoking a teasing note to his voice. “I want you to tell me something . . . when you’re alone at night, taking care of yourself, are the orgasms you give yourself as good as the ones I gave you?”
She sucked in a shocked breath, obviously not expecting him to be so bold and daring, but he wasn’t going to tiptoe around their attraction. “All you have to do is give me an honest answer.”
He half expected her to hang up on him, but then she laughed softly, dissolving the brief tension between them. “Truthfully, no.” She exhaled a deep breath, as if gathering the courage to say more. “You’re very talented when it comes to making a girl feel good.”
“I liked making you feel good and I enjoyed taking care of you that way. I’d be happy to provide those orgasms anytime, Katie,” he said, coaxing her along. “Want one now?”
He could have sworn he heard her breathing escalate. “It’s late and we really shouldn’t.”
As far as protests went, it was a flimsy one, because she sounded like that was the answer she should say. Not the answer she wanted to give so she could feel good. So he could make her feel good. And there was enough excitement in her voice to tell him she liked the idea of him giving her that pleasure, and that’s what he focused on for now.
Placing a hand behind his head, Connor stroked the other down his bare stomach to the waistband of his cotton shorts, his dick already perking up at the thought of trying out some dirty phone sex with Katie. “I won’t keep you too long, sweetheart. I can have you coming pretty damn quick.”
“That’s quite a promise.” Amusement and something more inviting mingled across the phone line.
She wasn’t refusing him. In fact, now there was a bit of a tease in her voice, and he took advantage before anything changed. Like her mind. “Do you have one of those monitor things in your bedroom so you can keep an eye on Val?”
“Yes. Why?” she asked curiously.
“Because I want you to get up and close and lock your door, Katie,” he ordered softly. “I’m about to make you feel so fucking good, and the last thing you want is our daughter walking in on you while your hand is between your legs and you’re having an orgasm with me on the phone.”
“God, Connor,” she breathed huskily, clearly aroused by his explicit words.
“Take care of the door,” he prompted again, and when he heard the rustling of the bed covers indicating that she’d gotten up, he took the time to strip off his shorts so he was completely naked, then settled on top of the covers.
A few seconds passed, and then she was back in her own bed. “It’s done.”
Ahhh, he had her, he thought, and breathed out a sigh of relief, and the eagerness in her voice made him grin. “Good girl. First things first. I need a good mental image. What are you wearing?”
“Umm, just a regular short nightgown and panties.”
Immediately, images of the hotter-than-fuck underwear she’d worn on Valentine’s Day popped into his head. “I don’t suppose they’re crotchless?” he asked hopefully.
She laughed. “No. Those are only for special occasions . . . I haven’t worn them since you.” She paused, then admitted, “I haven’t been with anyone since you.”
The realization that he’d been the very last man to fuck her was a heady rush. “Take your panties off,” he ordered, taking his stiff cock in hand and wrapping his fingers tight around the girth. “I want to imagine you lying on your bed with your legs spread wide and nothing covering your gorgeous pussy.” He gave her a few seconds to do as he asked, then said, “Before we get to that orgasm I promised you, you need to know that I have one huge regret about our night together.”
“What’s that?” she asked tentatively.
“For all the amazing ways that I fucked you, and all the times I made you come, there’s one thing I never had the chance to experience,” he said, his tone dropping seductively low.
“And what . . . what was that?”
Excitement made her voice unsteady, and listening to her getting turned on ramped up his own arousal. “I never had the chance to feel your mouth on my cock.” Her soft little moan echoed in his ear. “It’s a fantasy I’ve thought about endlessly since that night. Want to know how it plays out? And just to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into before you say yes, my go-to fantasy is hot and filthy and x-rated, and you, sweetheart, are so damn brazen in it when it comes to giving me what I want and need.”
“Yes.”
One word had never sounded so sweet. Keeping a snug grip on his erection, he closed his eyes, picturing the erotic scenario in his mind, the one that made him come long and hard whenever he conjured it up. “It starts out with you and me kissing like we can’t get enough of each other. Hot, deep, wild kisses that make me hard as steel. I’m leaning back against a wall, you’re in front of me, and your hands are frantically trying to get my jeans open. You’re so eager I have to help you, and once my pants are pushed down to my thighs, your soft hand is wrapped so tight around my dick, and you’re already jerking me off, but I stop you because that’s not how I want to come.”
“How . . . how do you want to . . . come?”
Considering the choppiness of her sentence, he was pretty sure her own hand was busy between her legs. “I want to come in your mouth,” he murmured, his stomach muscles tightening as a bead of moisture formed on the head of his shaft and he used his thumb to rub that silky fluid over and around the plump crown. “You want that, too, don’t you, Katie?”
“Yes,” she groaned.
“Yeah, I knew you would.” His erection pulsed relentlessly in his hand as he pumped it slow and steady. “I push you down to your knees, and you go willingly, and when you look up at me with those dark brown eyes filled with lust, I go a little crazy. I fist my hand tight in your hair so I’m in control, and guide you toward me as I push my aching cock past your eager, parted lips. And fuck, your tongue is so soft, your mouth so damn hot and perfect, I know it isn’t going to take much to make me blow.”
She was breathing hard now, soft little unmistakable gasps of arousal, and it spurred him on.
He stroked his cock a little tighter, a little faster, feeling his climax building. “You have a mouth made in goddamn heaven,” he said on a low, raspy growl. “And when I demand you suck me harder and deeper, you don’t hesitate to obey. You accept every single inch of my dick, all the way to the back of your throat, and Jesus Christ, when I’m buried there to the hilt, you swallow around me, once, twice, and fuck . . . ” He was going to come.
“Oh, God . . . Connor.”
He heard her inhale a sharp breath, heard her moan of pleasure escalate into a soft, muffled cry, and knew she was in the throes of her own climax. The tight pressure in his balls throbbed up along his shaft as his hips jerked upward and he pumped his erection through his fist, again and again. His orgasm erupted through him, the muscles along his abdomen clenching as his intense release nearly incapacitated him.
After they’d both had sufficient time to recover, he checked in on her. “Katie?” he asked in a gravelly whisper.
“Mmm?” She sounded sated and content.
He envisioned her relaxed on her bed, a satisfied smile on her beautiful face and her skin flushed as she enjoyed the orgasmic endorphins still ebbing through her body. “Is your hand still between your legs?”
“Maybe,” she murmured huskily, the sexy, flirty lilt to her voice telling him which way that maybe was leaning. Yes.
He chuckled, adoring this lighter, more playful side to her that he’d missed—and wanted more of. “Did that orgasm make your pussy nice and slick with your release?”
Her soft exhale tickled his ear through the phone line. “Yes.”
He took the fact that she wasn’t trying to dissuade his dirty talk as a good sign. “I want you to do something for me, baby,” he cajoled seductively, wondering just how daring she would be with him. “Taste yourself, Katie.”
She was silent for a good fifteen seconds, probably in shock, before she responded in an uncertain tone. “Connor . . . ”
“You just made yourself come with me on the phone, so don’t go all shy on me now, sweetheart,” he said, half-amused and the other half not letting her off so easy. “Put your wet fingers in your mouth and suck them. Use your tongue to get them nice and clean and imagine it’s me licking the taste of your orgasm off of your fingers.”
She made a soft, provocative “mmm” noise in the back of her throat that made him hard all over again. “That was so . . . ”
“Fucking hot?” he finished for her, and she laughed. “The only thing that would make it any hotter was if I were there watching you do it in person, instead of imagining it over the phone. You’re going to do that for me when I can watch, Katie. Very, very soon.”
“You sound awfully confident.”
Oh, he was. It was too bad she couldn’t see his self-assured grin, because after tonight, there was no doubt in his mind that seducing this woman was going to be much more pleasurable than he’d imagined.
“And that very enthusiastic orgasm you just enjoyed?” he pointed out. “There’s more where that came from,” he promised, just to give her something to think about when he wasn’t around. “Sweet dreams, Katie. I’ll talk to you tomorrow night.”
He disconnected the call before she could say anything more.