To Hate Adam Connor

He looked back at Lucy over his shoulder then back at me again. “Lucy said she was happy to see me too.”

I shot her a quick glance then slowly lowered Aiden down.

“It looked like she was very happy to see you.”

He nodded. “I think she likes me.”

Even though he was trying to be very careful and talk quietly, I knew Lucy could hear everything he was saying. I could see her smile slowly widen, and it made me happy to see she could still smile after the day before. It made me happy that Aiden was there to make her laugh. I only wished I could’ve woken up earlier to see more of that.

“I agree,” I said. “I think she likes you very much.”

“Can you protect her for me? She isn’t feeling well, and I want her to be safe.”

My eyes shot back to Lucy. Had she told Aiden something?

“Of course,” I replied to Aiden roughly. He was growing up, worrying about others. Then I looked at Lucy so she could see I meant the words. “I want her safe, too.”

I saw her roll her eyes and knew she’d be okay.

Turned out, Aiden really had forgotten to take his favorite book with him, so after he ran off to get it from his room, he left with Dan, leaving me alone with Lucy.

I headed toward the kitchen to brew some coffee, and she followed me. I knew she had something to say.

“I can protect myself, you know. You didn’t have to promise your son you’d protect me.”

“Of course you can. I just thought it would be easier to give him my word than to explain that you wouldn’t want my help because you hate me.”

“Yes, I hate you.” She nodded as if she was convincing herself. Her eyes roamed my chest and then she looked away. She was standing on the other side of the kitchen island, tapping the marble with her fingers.

I added water to the coffee machine, pressed the start button, and calmly waited for her to say whatever was eating at her.

“You should wear a shirt,” she said finally.

I decided to tease her to make her smile. She had laughed with my son, so it was only fair if she gave me some smiles too. “What?” I asked her, peering down at myself. “You don’t like me naked from this close? Every one of those photos in your phone was of me naked and zoomed in.”

“That was then. Now”—she gave me another look, and I caught her swallow—“not that attractive, I guess.”

“Ah, right. Not after I sent you to prison, right?”

She squinted at me. “Are you making fun of me?”

“Of course not. I wouldn’t dare.”

Satisfied, she nodded. “Good. Be scared of me. That’s smart of you.”

I nodded and rounded the kitchen island to stand in front of her. She followed me with her eyes.

“What are you doing?”

“I assume there is something you want to tell me, so I’m getting closer so I can hear you better.”

“And you couldn’t hear me from there because…?”

“Because I want you to know that I’m taking you very seriously.”

“Go take me seriously from over there, buddy.”

She put a hand on my chest to stop me from moving closer to her. I stopped and looked down at her small hand that was planted on my chest. I liked how she felt on me, her skin on mine. She looked down at it too and seemed surprised by it. I didn’t even try to hide my smile.

“And I wanted to thank you,” I explained. When she looked confused, I continued. “For making Aiden laugh like that. As I’m sure you’ve already noticed, he’s having a hard time with the divorce.” I placed my hand over hers, which made her frown deepen. “So thank you.”

She pulled her hand away and rubbed it on her thigh. “Well, someone has to make him laugh. Since you’re not doing the job…” She shrugged, and I laughed.

“Thank you for that too.”

“You’re welcome. Now go put on a shirt.” She waved at me with her hand. “I shouldn’t have to look at your naked…bare…unclothed…muscular chest. You’re ruining my view.”

I tilted my head to the side a little to capture her eyes. “It’s my home. You’re free to look away, Lucy,” I suggested softly. When she met my gaze, her eyes lit up.

She put her hand on the island and slightly leaned forward. “Are we playing a game, Adam Connor? Because I love games.”

I raised an eyebrow, but otherwise stayed silent.

“Oh, poor Adam.” She made a sad face and my lips twitched. “You don’t know me at all, do you?” She took a step forward and placed her hand on my chest again, making a big show out of it.

Little minx.

When I didn’t object, she started moving a finger downward, her touch as light as a feather.

Our eyes stayed locked.

This time, I took a step toward her, raising the stakes. I wanted to see where she was going with the act.

“Does it feel good?”

She frowned at my question and her hand halted on my abs.

“Does it feel exactly like you imagined it or better? Too soft?” I flexed my muscles and leaned closer to her. “Too hard?”

She curled her fingers and lightly grazed my skin with her nails. I couldn’t be sure if it was involuntary or if she was still playing, but with the way her chest was rising and falling rapidly…I could see I was affecting her.

She blinked. Twice. Other than that, her expression didn’t waver. Then she licked her bottom lip and gently dragged her fingertips up and down my stomach, tracing my muscles, stopping when she reached the band of my sweatpants.

I dropped my eyes to her hand, just for the briefest second, and missed the moment she decided to rise up on her toes to whisper in my ear. I kept my head down and waited to hear what she would say.

“You’re right,” she whispered, a little too close to my ear to be accidental. Oh, she was good. Not quite as good an actor as me, but she was holding her own. “I did spend some time by myself, imagining how you’d feel under my hands.” She rested her palm on my chest, and I closed my eyes so I could focus on her voice, focus on how good she sounded when she wasn’t yelling at me. “Between my legs.” My lips quirked up, my dick pulsing with need. I liked this Lucy much better.

“Do you think…” She paused. “Can I touch you?” Another short pause. “To see if it’s hard? And big…”

I opened my eyes. If she thought I’d call her bluff, she was quite mistaken.

She leaned back, heated eyes meeting mine. I grabbed her hand and lowered it for her, making sure her palm stayed flat against my skin all the way down.

When our connected hands reached my sweatpants, I stopped.

She waited to see what I would do with an eager look on her face. She thought she had me.

Think again, my little stalker.

I walked into her and forced her back against the island. She wasn’t expecting that, so she had no choice but to follow my movement. I dropped her hand and placed my arms on the counter, trapping her in. She could escape if she wanted to, our bodies weren’t touching, but she didn’t look as confident as she had just seconds before either.

I lowered my head, ripped a page from her book, and whispered into her ear, “It’s big, Lucy. And hard.” I gently touched her skin with the tip of my nose and inhaled her fresh scent. She was all soft, nothing sharp about her. “Touch me.”