there.”
“Tell Steve he’d be doing us a big
favour, and we’d offer to do something for him,” Jake said.
Steve, no last name known to her,
rarely stayed at the bar after hours. He was there for the morning deliveries
and when she went to pick up her wages. For a bar owner, he lived like a
recluse.
“I will. Can someone give me a
ride?”
“Sure, I’ll drive you over,” Connor
said.
She went to argue with him and
thought better of it. Jake and Brent kissed her before they left the house
leaving her alone with Connor. He packaged the food into boxes for her. She
helped him transport them to his truck. They walked back in the house together.
Zoe didn’t see him stop until it was too late. She careened into his back.
Connor caught her in time so her ass wouldn’t hit the floor.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
He kept looking at her. She knew he
had something to say. Instead of waiting for him, she pulled out of his hold.
“We’d better get that food to The Dugout.”
Connor nodded pulling away from her.
He switched off the lights and wiped down the counter. They walked out to his
truck together. He opened the door for her then helped her inside.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded his head. The tension
between them was mounting. She didn’t like it. Zoe felt like he was trying to
talk to her without saying words. It was a strange feeling to have. She’d never
communicated through eye contact before. He got in on the driver’s side, started the car, and pulled away from
the curb.
Zoe spent a most of the trip looking
out of the window. It was only a short trip. When he pulled up outside The
Dugout, he cut the engine, and neither moved.
“Did I hurt you last night?” he
asked.
She turned to face him, not
answering his question.
“Did I?” he asked, after some time
had passed.
“It is a hard question to answer,
Connor.”
“Physically, did I hurt you?”
“A little, but you’re a big guy. I
imagine some women struggle with you.”
“Then how else did I hurt you?”
She sighed not wanting the
conversation.
“Can we leave this to another time?”
“No, I want to have this
conversation now.”
“Fine, then what happened to your
parents?” she asked. Her anger increased as the walls pulled up around him.
“I’m not talking about my parents—”
“Then I’m not talking about last
night.”
She pulled on the truck handle. The
door didn’t budge. “What’s wrong with this door?”
“The child lock is still on.”
“You’re insane. Why is it most guys
think they can trap a woman in order to talk to them?”
“Because most
women are too fucking dramatic for their own good.”
Her anger rose tenfold. “Fine, you
hurt me more by walking away. You fucked me hard without even staring into my
eyes, and yet when it came to looking after me, you split. I thought out of all
of you, you’d be the one who’d stay.” She hated sounding needy, and hearing the
tone to her voice pissed her off. “Let me out of the fucking car, now.”
“No.”
Zoe turned on him. She went onto her
knees and punched his arm as hard as she could. Connor took the punch. When
that didn’t seem to work, she slapped his face. He did nothing to fight back.
She lost interest. There was no need for her to fight a brick wall.
“I like the pain I caused you,” he
said.
She turned to stare at him. No words
came at his admission.
“That’s why I needed to get away. I
look at you, and I never want to hurt you. You have no idea how I feel about
you, Zoe. Last night, I had to get away because I saw the pain I caused you
with that first thrust, and I liked it. You didn’t deserve a sick bastard to
wash you. Brent and Jake are normal inside. I’m not.”
Tears stung her eyes at the softly
spoken words.
“You didn’t hurt me, Connor.”
“Yeah, I did. I saw it in your eyes,
and I wanted to see it again.”
She shook her head. “You’re not like
that.”
“Yes, I
“Tell Steve he’d be doing us a big
favour, and we’d offer to do something for him,” Jake said.
Steve, no last name known to her,
rarely stayed at the bar after hours. He was there for the morning deliveries
and when she went to pick up her wages. For a bar owner, he lived like a
recluse.
“I will. Can someone give me a
ride?”
“Sure, I’ll drive you over,” Connor
said.
She went to argue with him and
thought better of it. Jake and Brent kissed her before they left the house
leaving her alone with Connor. He packaged the food into boxes for her. She
helped him transport them to his truck. They walked back in the house together.
Zoe didn’t see him stop until it was too late. She careened into his back.
Connor caught her in time so her ass wouldn’t hit the floor.
“Thank you,” she said.
“You’re welcome.”
He kept looking at her. She knew he
had something to say. Instead of waiting for him, she pulled out of his hold.
“We’d better get that food to The Dugout.”
Connor nodded pulling away from her.
He switched off the lights and wiped down the counter. They walked out to his
truck together. He opened the door for her then helped her inside.
“Thank you,” she said.
He nodded his head. The tension
between them was mounting. She didn’t like it. Zoe felt like he was trying to
talk to her without saying words. It was a strange feeling to have. She’d never
communicated through eye contact before. He got in on the driver’s side, started the car, and pulled away from
the curb.
Zoe spent a most of the trip looking
out of the window. It was only a short trip. When he pulled up outside The
Dugout, he cut the engine, and neither moved.
“Did I hurt you last night?” he
asked.
She turned to face him, not
answering his question.
“Did I?” he asked, after some time
had passed.
“It is a hard question to answer,
Connor.”
“Physically, did I hurt you?”
“A little, but you’re a big guy. I
imagine some women struggle with you.”
“Then how else did I hurt you?”
She sighed not wanting the
conversation.
“Can we leave this to another time?”
“No, I want to have this
conversation now.”
“Fine, then what happened to your
parents?” she asked. Her anger increased as the walls pulled up around him.
“I’m not talking about my parents—”
“Then I’m not talking about last
night.”
She pulled on the truck handle. The
door didn’t budge. “What’s wrong with this door?”
“The child lock is still on.”
“You’re insane. Why is it most guys
think they can trap a woman in order to talk to them?”
“Because most
women are too fucking dramatic for their own good.”
Her anger rose tenfold. “Fine, you
hurt me more by walking away. You fucked me hard without even staring into my
eyes, and yet when it came to looking after me, you split. I thought out of all
of you, you’d be the one who’d stay.” She hated sounding needy, and hearing the
tone to her voice pissed her off. “Let me out of the fucking car, now.”
“No.”
Zoe turned on him. She went onto her
knees and punched his arm as hard as she could. Connor took the punch. When
that didn’t seem to work, she slapped his face. He did nothing to fight back.
She lost interest. There was no need for her to fight a brick wall.
“I like the pain I caused you,” he
said.
She turned to stare at him. No words
came at his admission.
“That’s why I needed to get away. I
look at you, and I never want to hurt you. You have no idea how I feel about
you, Zoe. Last night, I had to get away because I saw the pain I caused you
with that first thrust, and I liked it. You didn’t deserve a sick bastard to
wash you. Brent and Jake are normal inside. I’m not.”
Tears stung her eyes at the softly
spoken words.
“You didn’t hurt me, Connor.”
“Yeah, I did. I saw it in your eyes,
and I wanted to see it again.”
She shook her head. “You’re not like
that.”
“Yes, I
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