Page 39 of Kiss and Tell

“That’s thoughtful of you,” I told him.

“You sound so surprised,” he said. “I can be thoughtful when I put my mind to it.”

“I know you can,” I told him.

He’d protected me from the crowd at that club, making sure I didn’t get trampled. He’d offered to help me with my troubles at work, even though I hadn’t given him any details. He’d gotten this hotel suite because he knew I had workaholic tendencies.

I examined Connor as he wandered around the hotel room. He pulled open every drawer and closet, and peeked behind every curtain and all the blinds with the curiosity of a little kid shaking a birthday present to guess what was inside.

“Ooh, look, they have a breakfast menu,” he said as he picked up a leather bound file folder.

His thick, dark hair fell over his eyes as he flipped through the pages, effortlessly stylish even after the long drive. My own hair was a long, tangled, frizzy mess.

Connor’s expression was soft and thoughtful. None of the strain I’d seen in the car on the way here. Whatever tension he’d been carrying had melted away.

His relaxed, partly-opened lips were pink and full. The stubble on his chin was just long enough to pull off a fashionably scruffy look without looking unkempt.

Connor peeked up from the menu and flashed me a sly smile.

“I can have them bring us breakfast in bed tomorrow, if you want,” he said.

Behind the teasing there was a more serious note, almost inquisitive, as if he were asking an unspoken question.

“We’re going to be in separate beds,” I reminded him sternly.

“Of course,” he said easily. “I can call down for two different orders.”

He turned back to the menu, his dark eyes now guarded, less open, but still expressive, still brilliant.

This man was gorgeous.

And he wanted me.

I hurried back to the doorway where I’d put down my small suitcase.

“Let me put my things away and we can get going,” I told him.

“I don’t think we’re going to make it to the brewery today.” He put down the menu and checked his phone. “It closes in an hour, and we’re going to want to take our time there. We might as well go tomorrow and stick around here tonight.”

“You were stalling on purpose,” I accused. All those little stops for coffee and snacks, of which there had been many along the way, had made me suspicious.

“You’re the one who decided to visit a place so far away,” he said.

“You’re the one who wanted quality and uniqueness,” I said. “No one else in town is going to have drinks from this place, and it makes award-winning beer. It can be a selling point. It might get us some really good attention for the new bar.”

“Then how about we go bright and early tomorrow?” Connor said. “We’ll ask the owners to give us a tour, do a sample tasting and go all out.”

“I suppose it does make sense for us to take our time,” I said grudgingly. He was right, even if it was all a ruse.

“Great,” he said. “That means we have time to hit the pool.”

“You just wanted to spend time at a fancy hotel, that’s what this is all about, isn’t it?”

“It’s a perk,” he said. “We’ve been working so hard. Don’t we deserve a little break?”

I had to admit the last few weeks dealing with both Connor and Peter while also trying to get my work done had been exhausting. Floating in a pool did sound nice and relaxing.

Connor grabbed the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head. My eyes went wide. The firm chest I’d felt under his t-shirt was every bit as muscled as I’d expected. The valleys and hills of his toned abs did something to my insides, making my thighs press together. He reached for the button on his jeans and popped it open. I nearly swallowed my tongue.