Page 13 of The Wrong Husband (The Davenports #6)

Connor

Yes, I did follow her here. And no, I shouldn’t have walked through the door of the bakery.

I was watching her through the lens of my camera, in my van from down the street, where I had a clear view of the shop. I should have been content with that.

I saw her smile, and a strange sensation gripped my chest. Warmth, and an effervescent sensation like… Happiness? Like I was happy because she was? How fucking weird is that? I should have left right then. I did try to leave. My brain ordered me to go.

Some self-preservation instinct deep inside insisted I hustle out of there as quickly as possible, before things get more complicated.

I’ve asked her to have dinner with me. Things are beyond complicated.

Not to mention, I got involved in a bar fight—on purpose—so I could walk into the ER and have her tend to me, which took a little bit of arranging on my part but worked out fine.

Except, coming face-to-face with her was a punch to the gut. One which is repeated as our gazes meet.

"Oh, we’re about to close—" Skylar begins, then she realizes it’s me. "Connor?" She smiles. "What are you doing here?" A frown creases her forehead. She nods toward the bandage on my forehead. "What happened to you?"

"Got into a fight." I stop in front of their table, unable to take my gaze off the sultry siren who’s occupied my mind over the past few days. “Dr. Hamilton”—I nod toward her—“stitched me up.”

Skylar turns to me. "I didn’t realize you’d met Phoenix already."

"She saved my life," I say softly, not looking away from Phoenix.

"Anyone in my position would have stitched you up.” Her tone is casual, but her eyes flash little darts of anger at me. “And it’s not like you were bleeding out."

"I might have, if you hadn’t intervened." I take in her flushed cheeks. The way her chest rises and falls. It reassures me that she’s attracted to me. It’s a testament to how taken aback I am by this unexpected pull between us—that I needed to see her again to confirm it’s not one-sided.

"I was merely doing my job." She refuses to look away, and fuck, if her spirit doesn’t turn me on further.

"I believe I have something of yours."

Her eyebrows knit. "You do?"

I pull out the flashlight—the one she used to check my pupils. I hold it out, making it clear it’s hers.

She stiffens, then lifts a shoulder in a casual shrug. “So, that’s where it went.” She takes it from me. “Thanks.” She slips it into her bag, then fixes me with a look.

“You could have turned it at the registration desk, and they would have returned it to me. Come to think of it, how did you find me?”

Her tone is belligerent enough for the others around the table to take notice. Skylar frowns. The others watch us with avid attention.

If I tell her the truth, it’ll only raise more questions about my behavior. But if I want any kind of relationship with her, honesty—or something close to it—is the only way forward.

“I took the flashlight, so I’d have an excuse to see you again.”

I lift a shoulder, offering a crooked, almost sheepish smile, trying to strike a balance between self-deprecating and unapologetic. Hoping I come across as more foolish than threatening.

Her lips press into a firm line.

I let the smile fall, then meet her eyes; this time, with full transparency, voice low but even. “I also waited until you finished your shift… And followed you.”

She stiffens. Coughs. Reaches for a glass of water, buying herself a moment. Surprise flashes in her eyes, quickly overtaken by alarm.

“You’ve got a nerve admitting to that.”

I need to tread carefully. Find a way to stick as close to the truth as possible, but also, not piss her off.

I raise my hands. “I wanted to see you and return your flashlight, is all.”

“In which case, your job here is done," she retorts.

The other women, including Skylar, turn to me, waiting for my rebuttal with avid interest.

"Or just starting." I slide my hand into the pocket of my jeans. I changed out of the blood-splattered T-shirt and jacket in my van. Then waited outside the hospital with patience honed by years of having to do the same on other assignments, until she left the hospital.

She searches my features. “You’re trying to tell me that’s the only reason you waited outside the hospital, then followed me?” The expression on her face indicates she doesn’t believe me. “What if I was delayed and didn’t come out for another few hours?”

“I’d have waited as long as needed.”

Our gazes meet. The air heats between us. The chemistry between us is thick enough to set fire to our surroundings.

Her pupils dilate. Her cheeks flush. She feels this connection too. Having that confirmation again makes me want to thump my chest and growl my delight. Then one of her friends clears her throat.

I blink, coming out of the trance. Goddamn. Meeting her again has turned my world upside down. But I can’t show her how much she affects me…yet… “I don’t mean you any harm. The fact that I approached you in front of your friends should confirm that to you,” I say smoothly.

"It doesn’t answer how you've managed to keep crossing paths with me since I saw you rescue that cat.” She sets her jaw.

“I’ll be happy to reveal that to you, over dinner.”

The light in her eyes changes to one of challenge. I have no doubt, she’s going to turn me down, regardless. Best to change the topic…for now.

"I don’t believe I’ve met everyone." With practiced ease I hold out my hand to the woman on the doctor’s right. "Connor Davenport."

"Zoey Malfoy." She shakes my hand.

"Harper Richie."

"Grace McFee."

“Good to meet you again, Dr. Hamilton.” I level a slight smile at her.

Disregarding me, she turns to Skylar. "You know him?"

"He’s my brother-in-law." Skylar casts a shrewd look in my direction. "Who’s rarely in town."

There’s a question in there, one which would be rude not to acknowledge.

“A friend needed me, so I scrapped my travel plans and stuck around.” I glance at Skyler but make sure Phoenix hears every word. “Besides, I’d forgotten how irresistible London can be.”

The corner of my mouth lifts as I say it.

When I glance at Phoenix, there’s a spark in her eyes—she knows exactly what I’m talking about.

"I'm sure everyone is happy to see you home for a longer stint, especially Arthur," Skylar offers.

I wince and turn my attention back on her. "Gramps is happiest when he’s plotting the demise of us brothers."

"Demise?" Phoenix murmurs.

"Since Arthur’s brush with the Big C, he’s very aware of his mortality. He wants to see us, his grandsons, settled ASAP."

"Which is natural." Phoenix finally meets my gaze. "He sounds like my mother, who constantly frets about all her children."

Taking advantage of the thaw in her demeanor, I nod to the chair next to her. "May I?" I address my question to Phoenix.

She hesitates.

“I only want to explain the sequence of events which brought me here,” I plead.

She firms her lips.

“And I’m sure, you want to find out too?” I lower my voice to a hush and am rewarded by a subtle shiver of her shoulders. I love how responsive she is. Not that it sways her, for she juts out her chin. “Have dinner with me and I’ll tell you.”

She glowers at me, then tosses her head, before turning to the group. "If you ladies are okay with it…"

She’s greeted by a chorus of assent.

“Thanks, ladies, I owe you all.” I flash them my most charming smile. I’m rewarded by Skylar’s speculative look, Zoey’s piercing one, and Grace’s curiosity-filled expression. Only Harper smiles back.

Tough crowd, but I’m glad her friends are protective of her. I fold myself into the chair.

It’s like a trigger for her friends to excuse themselves.

"Uh, I think I have somewhere to be." Zoey rises to her feet.

"But we haven’t even started talking about our newest book,” Harper protests.

"Let’s postpone it to our next book club meeting…

" Grace sends her a warning look, then grabs her bag and hooks it over her shoulder. She pushes her chair back and holds out her hand. "I’d say it’s good to meet you, Connor, but that’s going to depend on whether you’re able to convince Phe about your intentions. ”

Harper seems to finally get the message that the other women have been trying to signal to her. She pushes her chair back, rises to her feet, and grabs her handbag. "It’s so lovely that you made it, Phoenix. I hope you’ll make it to our next book club meeting.”

"I don’t think I’ll have time to read a book in advance," Phoenix warns.

"The book club is only an excuse. It’s more a chance for us to meet and catch up. I promise, we won’t spoil any of them for you." Zoey squeezes her shoulder.

"You can spoil them. It’s the only way I’ll find out what they’re about." She hugs Zoey, then Harper and Grace. "I’m so glad I made it today, you guys."

Zoey signals that she’s watching me.

With a chorus of goodbyes, a wink from Harper, a speculative glance from Grace, and a final warning look from Zoey—which I interpret as don’t mess with our friend —the three women leave.

“I’ll be in my office tallying the proceeds,” Skylar says, giving me a long, unreadable look before heading to the front door.

Yeah. Message received. My sister-in-law just made it very clear, Phoenix isn’t alone.

I try to convey—wordlessly—that she has nothing to fear from me. Skylar just widens her gaze, her expression cool and cautious. She’s reserving judgment.

She flips the sign to Closed and locks the door. “You can unlatch it when you leave. I’ll hear the bell and come out to lock up.”

Then she disappears behind the counter and through the kitchen door, leaving us alone.

Silence descends.

Phe turns to me. “Of all the ERs in London; you walked into mine. Were you already following me?” Her gaze narrows. “Is that why you were there at the very moment the cat needed to be rescued.”

Woman’s smart. Sooner or later, she’s going to put things together and figure out how I came to be here. It’s best I keep ahead of her.

I pull out my phone and message James to let him know that I’m about to share everything with his sister.

If I want her to really see me, I can no longer keep her in the dark.

Then I pocket my device, take a deep breath and tell her "You're right. I've been following you."