Again (Time for Love Book 3) Read online

  “Right. So I take it you haven’t set a wedding date yet either?”

  “No. Not yet. Sometime next year, maybe. Since this all happened so fast, we’ve agreed to have a longish engagement.”

  “Yeah, I was shocked—pleasantly, of course—by how fast you guys got engaged,” Amanda said before pausing to take another bite of her food.

  “Are you having dinner, Amanda?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “Sorry. Do you want me to call back?”

  “No. I’m almost done.”

  “Okay, good. Anyway, I called because I want to know what happened with you and Connor. Jeff said Connor bumped into you this morning? And I can’t believe you thought his car was Ash’s car! I bet you that was an unconscious thing. You really wanted Connor to take you home last night.”

  Amanda chuckled. “Yeah. Maybe I did.” Then she brought Sarah up to speed with her Connor news.

  “Wow! Talk about fast,” Sarah said. “From absolutely hating the man’s guts to taking him on a romantic walk by the sea.”

  “It was not romantic,” she said with a laugh. “But it was very nice. I enjoyed his company.”

  “So is Connor a candidate to be your New Year’s Resolution Guy?”

  “Well, now that I know that my anger was misplaced, I’m finding that I still have a huge crush on him.”

  “That’s great! Then you know what you have to do.”

  “What?”

  “Seduce him again,” Sarah said in a sultry tone.

  “Again? Hey, I didn’t instigate the first time. He kissed me first.”

  “Oh, darling. Sometimes I wonder why your brain works in funny ways when it comes to men. You told him you were staying in the hotel, which led him to ask you if you wanted to be escorted to your room, to which you said yes. What does that tell a man?”

  “I guess,” she said, still doubtful that it had been Connor who had been seduced, instead of the other way around. “Hey, at least you girls can’t accuse me of not making the first move. To add to that, I was the one who invited him to breakfast this morning. And I reminded him of the dinner he promised me.”

  “Yay!” Sarah cheered. “Three down, two to go. Brenna and Gemma better get going with finding their resolution guy.”

  “Hey, please don’t jinx it. I don’t even know if Connor means for the dinner to be a date or a friendly get together.”

  “Okay, sorry. I’m just excited for you.”

  Amanda sighed. She was excited too. But experience had taught her not to read too much into a situation. She didn’t want to fall down to earth with a mega-thud if her hopes were just those—plain, empty hopes.

  *****

  For the umpteenth time, Amanda pulled out a blue dress from her wardrobe. If she really wanted to change, she had to do it now. Connor would be arriving soon.

  “For heaven’s sake, Amanda, stick with what you’ve got on,” she muttered.

  She replaced the blue dress back on the rack and once again checked herself in the mirror. This dress sure was sexy. Too sexy, with its plunging neckline, tight fit and a slit on the side of the skirt that ran almost to the top of her right thigh.

  Would Connor think she was seducing him with this frock?

  She snickered. “Just admit it, Amanda. That’s exactly what you intend to do.”

  She shook her head at herself. Truth was, she was scared that it might not work. If she went to all this effort only for Connor not to notice, it would be such a blow to her fragile female ego, which still believed she didn’t have ‘it’.

  There was a knock on her door. She frowned. Could that be Connor? Her security intercom hadn’t buzzed.

  She took a deep breath before heading for the door and looking through the peephole. Her heart thudded hard. It was Connor.

  She opened the door and there he was, so damn handsome that it took an effort not to throw herself at him.

  “Hi,” she said, aware she was grinning widely. She hoped she didn’t look too eager, but she couldn’t help it. Her lips curled up of their own accord.

  “Hey, beautiful,” Connor said softly, leaning down to give her a kiss on the cheek.

  She could have sworn it was an accident, but her head moved so his lips landed on her mouth instead. Connor glanced at her in surprise. Heck, she was surprised too.

  Before she could say something, Connor’s mouth was back on hers. Fully. Devouring her. And, oh Lord, she was kissing him back like there was no tomorrow.

  “Amanda,” Connor breathed, raking his fingers through her hair.

  She snaked her arms around his neck, pressing her body against him. Just like in Melbourne, she’d turned mindless from his kisses.

  “Shall we miss dinner?” Connor asked, his lips travelling to her neck.

  “Um.” All she could think about was Connor’s hand stroking her behind from under her dress. Oh, and now he was playing with the band of her panties. “I can’t think when you’re doing that,” she protested.

  Connor chuckled against her ear. “Your fault for wearing this sexy thing.”

  She giggled, relieved that the dress did its job.

  “No dinner then,” Connor declared, reaching for her zipper.

  “Did I say that?” she asked breathlessly, her hands going to his chest.

  “We’ll go after. If I let you get out of bed, that is,” he murmured.

  “Connor, I think this is going too fast.”

  Connor stilled and leaned back to stare at her. “Too fast?”

  “Yeah. I mean, we haven’t even gone out on a proper date yet. Our morning walks this week aren’t proper dates.”

  “Even though we’ve already slept together before?” he asked, perplexed.

  She inhaled sharply. “Yes. The woman you met in Melbourne wasn’t really me. I... um... I’m really not that into casual sex.”

  Connor’s eyes softened. “I didn’t think you were,” he said, caressing her cheek with a knuckle. “I’m sorry. I just got carried away. I’ve been dying to kiss you since Saturday.”

  She smiled, thrilled by his words.

  “Okay, shall we go out then?” Connor asked, offering his arm.

  *****

  “I’ve completed the purchase of that existing car shop I was telling you about this morning,” Connor announced as they enjoyed their mains.

  “Really? That’s great!” Amanda replied, aware that Connor had made a bid for the car service centre only a couple of streets away from his place. “So what’s your next step?”

  “Well, I need to get the shop re-fitted and ready for my type of clientele. Hopefully that shouldn’t take more than a couple of weeks after the plans are finalised. I also need to make formal offers of employment to the people I’ve selected to work with. Then I need to sit down with my marketing consultant and web designer. Those are the main ones I have to deal with immediately. On top of that, I’ll be moving to my apartment in two weeks.”

  “Sounds like you’ll be super busy,” she commented.

  “Yeah. I’m really excited about everything, though.”

  “If you need any help with anything, like packing and unpacking when you move, let me know,” she offered.

  “Thanks. I will,” Connor said, smiling.

  Amanda was enjoying dinner immensely. She’d never been more relaxed on a date. She and Connor seemed to have this easy, natural rapport despite their miscommunication a month ago.

  But at the same time, there was tension in her body—sexual tension that was getting more and more wound up every time Connor stared at her with delicious intensity. He didn’t need to verbalise it, she knew what he wanted. And, yes, she wanted it too.

  She was glad she’d insisted on going on a date first though. She didn’t want to send him wrong signals. A casual affair didn’t interest her. What she wanted was to find her New Year’s Resolution Guy. From what she could tell from spending time with him every day for the past week, Connor would fit the bill very well.

  ***** />
  They left the restaurant and Connor held Amanda’s hand as they walked back to her apartment.

  “Next time, I’ll take you somewhere outside of Bondi.”

  Amanda smiled, glad to hear there was going to be a next time. “Why outside of Bondi?” she asked. “There are still a few nice restaurants around here we could visit.”

  “Yeah, but I don’t get to drive my car,” he complained. “It’s shiny and new, but it’s just been sitting in the car spot for the last few days. I haven’t had to drive anywhere.”

  She laughed. “Most people would be grateful for that. That means not having to contend with Sydney traffic, not having to pay expensive parking rates—”

  “Not being able to drive my car...” he interjected. “A car needs to be driven. That’s its purpose.”

  “You obviously love your car very much,” she teased.

  “I do. I’m thinking of giving it a brother. An old model Jaguar that I’d soup up.”

  “Oh my God. You talk about your car like it’s your kid? You’re a real car freak!”

  “Why did you think I chose to be a mechanic?” he said with a grin.

  She shook her head in amusement.

  “What’s your passion, Amanda?” he asked, putting an arm around her shoulder.

  She shrugged. “Nature. My family. My friends. And I guess you could say I’m passionate about my work too. Most people would find it boring, but I do enjoy helping others organise their finances to suit the life they envision for themselves. What I love most is when a client comes to me, stressed to the max about their financial affairs. Then, when I present them with possible solutions, the relief and gratitude in their faces are such a gift. That rocks my world.”

  Connor pulled her to him and kissed her hair. She sighed, slinking her arm around his waist. That was very nice.

  They got to the front of her building.

  “Do you want to come up?” she asked with a hint of shyness.

  “Yes, please,” he murmured.

  They walked up to her floor, and when they were inside her place, Amanda had made a decision. She wrapped her arms around Connor’s neck and pulled his head down to hers.

  It was a soft kiss. Unhurried. Tantalising. But no less arousing.

  “Do you want to stay?” she whispered against his lips.

  “Absolutely,” Connor answered, deepening their kiss.

  She moaned softly, eager to feel the whole of his body again. Would it be as great as last time?

  Connor reached for her zipper, tugging it down slowly as he kissed her neck lingeringly.

  Her hands busied themselves with undoing his shirt buttons, and she forced herself to move slow to match Connor’s pace. He didn’t seem to be in any hurry. But, oh, it was good. Feeling his hot lips and caressing hands travelling slowly all over her body filled her with delicious anticipation. It made her want to just offer herself up to him to do as he pleased. She didn’t need to remind herself that sex with Connor was out of this world.

  Connor walked them to her sofa, undressing her as they went along. When she was sitting down—naked and panting—he knelt in front of her. Gently, he parted her legs and languidly ran his hands up her thighs.

  Her breathing shallowed further, each breath a gasp after gasp. She was getting so wet it was almost embarrassing.

  Connor started kissing the inside of her thigh, taking his sweet time in getting to the apex where she needed the most attention. His hand crept up to her breast and lightly pinched a nipple. She inhaled sharply, pleasure and desire shooting from that spot and racing to her wet centre.

  “Connor,” she cried softly.

  “Yes, baby?” he asked, not altering his pace.

  “I need you,” she breathed.

  “Hmm. Let me see if I remember what you like.” He licked her wetness before flicking his tongue on her swollen nub.

  Her hips bucked and a lusty moan escaped her. She parted her legs wider, shamelessly giving him all the access he needed. Connor laved her clit, heightening her pleasure with each movement of his tongue. Then his long, thick fingers joined in. He inserted one, then two inside her, moving in and out as his mouth sucked the bundle of pleasure above.

  “Connor.” She was too close to coming and it was too soon for her liking. But she couldn’t help it. Connor just had that talent of arousing her to fever pitch in such a short time.

  She tried to push his head away, but he looked straight in her eyes with such intense desire that her hand fell to her side. It was so hot—Connor looking at her like he wanted to devour her while... he was lapping her clit. So she gave herself up to the pleasure—waves and waves of it—her cries of release echoing in her living room.

  “Oh my God,” she said as she slowly came down from the clouds.

  “Hmm,” Connor agreed as he kissed his way up her body. “So beautiful,” he murmured as he got to her breast, taking a peak in his mouth.

  If she hadn’t slept with Connor before, she’d wonder how she’d be able to muster enough energy to continue with sex after an incredible orgasm. But Connor had already proven to her that she was capable of an all-nighter. And as he played with a nipple with his tongue, she felt the first stirrings of her next arousal.

  This time, though, it was her turn to see if she remembered what he liked.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Connor felt Amanda’s hands go to the button of his jeans while he tugged her nipple with his lips. Lord, she was so hot she made him burn. If he’d had his clothes off when she was just about to come, he would have been sorely tempted to drive his cock in her and join her in orgasm.

  But he wanted to take things slow and focus on Amanda first. Besides, giving her pleasure turned him on big time. He couldn’t say that about the other women he’d been with. Out of consideration, he’d always made them come first. It was nice like that, but his mind had still been on his own release.

  But with Amanda... heck, he was on another level. Pleasuring her was like directly pleasuring himself. It was very addicting. She was very addicting.

  “Connor, stand up,” Amanda ordered softly.

  His breath hitched as he obeyed. He forced himself to stand still as she undid his jeans, pulling them down along with his boxers. Amanda stared at his cock, hard and heavy in front of her face.

  He gasped when she touched it, running her fingers lightly over his length. She glanced up at him and smiled as she began to tug.

  His heart lurched just as his cock responded to the pleasure. He caressed her face, overwhelming tenderness mixing with intense lust as he watched her. When she put him in her mouth, he felt himself soar—a feeling that seemed beyond physical pleasure alone.

  But he had no time to dwell on it. His body’s desire brought back his focus firmly on his cock being sucked and tugged by Amanda. Christ, it was incredible.

  Before long, he needed more than her mouth. He needed to be inside her.

  “Enough of that, baby,” he said, pulling a condom from his pocket and giving it to her before fully undressing.

  “But I’m not done yet,” she said.

  He grinned. She was so cute. “Later. Right now I need your pussy.”

  She returned his grin and proceeded to roll the condom on him. When she was done, he pulled her up and led her toward a door that he assumed was her bedroom. He was right.

  When they were by the foot of her bed he wrapped his arms around her, her back flush against his front. He cupped a breast while his other hand travelled southwards. His fingers reached their goal and found her soaked.

  “You want me again, baby?” he whispered in her ear, rubbing her clit. He knew he’d lose control the moment his hungry cock was inside Amanda’s delicious wetness. He needed her to lose control with him.

  “I haven’t had you yet,” she countered breathlessly. “Not in that way.”

  He chuckled. “You want my cock?” he asked, slipping a finger inside her.

  She moaned. “Yes.”

  “Inside
your pussy?” he teased, stroking her faster.

  A louder moan. “Yes.”

  “When? Now?” He thumbed her nipple while his finger moved faster still.

  She gasped. “Yes, I want your cock inside me now. Please.”

  He groaned, hurriedly leading her to the bed. He gave her clit a few more licks with his tongue before rearing above her and inserting himself in her.

  When he was all the way in, he forced himself to still. He wanted to revel in the feeling of being inside her... just being inside her. They locked gazes, staring into each other’s eyes while they were fully joined. It was heaven.

  But his need was great. He started to move, slowly at first. But it wasn’t long before he was driving into her faster, harder.

  “Amanda... so... fucking... good...” he gasped.

  “Connor... Oh God...” Amanda whimpered. “Yes...more...yes...”

  Ahh! She was driving him crazy!

  He thrust. Over and over. Pleasure spiralling up and up, getting more and more intense.

  Amanda cried his name out loud as her body clamped hard around his cock, trembling.

  “Oh, baby,” he groaned, toppling over the edge and exploding inside her.

  *****

  Connor awoke, feeling movement beside him. He stretched out his arm just in time to stop Amanda from getting out of bed.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, pulling her in his arms and nuzzling her neck.

  She giggled. “Nowhere, I guess.”

  “Good answer,” he said, kissing her lips.

  “Don’t be surprised if we get an interruption in the next few minutes,” Amanda said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Remember I told you the other morning that Ash might be wanting to meet for a late breakfast today?”

  “Has he called yet?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Well, maybe we have time for a quickie.”

  Amanda’s phone buzzed.

  He groaned. “Tell your brother he has lousy timing.”

  “Shh,” Amanda said, grabbing her phone from the bedside table. “We don’t want Ash to know about us yet.”

  He settled himself in bed, actually agreeing with Amanda on that. What they had was all too new. The two of them hadn’t even verbalised where they wanted to head from here. There was no point telling anyone anything yet, least of all Ash, who was quite protective of Amanda.