Page 55 of The Sweetest Mistake

“Yeah. I noticed.”

“So, if you weren’t coming up here to read, what were you doing?”

“Looking for you.”

“Well, here I am.”

Connor took a moment to look at her—really look at her. She’d obviously just woken up, since she didn’t have a stitch of makeup on. Her hair was done up in a messy bun, she wore a pair of gray shorts and a University of Michigan T-shirt, and her feet were bare. She looked adorable and sexy at the same time, and he was suddenly extremely glad that Alec had already left.

“Where’s Alec?” she said as if she’d read his mind.

“He left about an hour ago.”

“Hmm. Did he leave on his own, or did you kick him out?”

“He woke me up to say he was leaving.” He left out the part about Alec’s warning.

“Hmm,” Julia repeated as if she didn’t quite believe him.

“I swear,” Connor said solemnly, placing a hand over his heart for good measure. But the move seemed to have a different effect as her eyes focused in on his bare chest and then drifted up to his tattoo. She quickly looked away, but not before he saw the flicker of desire in her eyes. Good. That’s one point in my favor.

“So. You came here to talk, but before we do, I need some coffee,” Julia said, turning away and walking out of the room.

He had no choice but to follow her, although he didn’t mind the view. His hands itched to reach out and touch her. Under different circumstances, he would have scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to bed. But then Alec’s words rang in his head. Be good to her. He was pretty sure Alec hadn’t meant to strip her naked and take her up against the wall, so Connor kept his hands to himself as he followed her down the stairs.

Once they were in the kitchen, he sat down at the table while she bustled around making coffee. Then, body bent into the refrigerator, she asked, “Do you want anything?”

Hell yeah, I do. Licking his lips, he said, “Water is fine.”

Why was it that seeing Julia like this, fresh out of bed, was more stimulating to him than seeing Cam all glammed up, or any other woman for that matter? There was just something about Julia that he found irresistible.

“Here ya go,” she said, setting a bottle of water before him.

Catching a whiff of her sleepy scent, he suppressed the urge to pull her onto his lap. He felt like a horny teenager as he watched her move around the kitchen, hoping for a glimpse down her shirt.

When she finally sat down across from him, he felt relieved. At least they were in the same room together without any possibility of being interrupted. Connor had told Cam that he’d be out of touch for a couple of days and that she could call one of his brothers if she needed anything. She’d pouted and asked where he was going, but he’d kept silent. He needed to see Julia without any interference from Cam this time. And here was the perfect place.

The sliding glass door off the kitchen offered an expansive view of Walloon Lake, and there were already a few boats bobbing on the water. Probably fishermen hoping for an early catch. Connor wouldn’t have minded being out there himself, but right now, he had more important things to do.

“This is a great place,” he said, deciding to start with an icebreaker.

“It is. I’ve been coming here since I was a kid, but I haven’t been much lately.”

“How come?”

“Too busy, I guess.”

“I take it Alec’s been here before too,” he said, unable to keep the jealousy out of his voice.

“Yes, when we were dating. I never expected him to show up last night, though.”

“I believe you,” he said, and he did. He could tell that she was no longer interested in her ex, and now he had to convince her that he felt the same.

Julia nodded and took another sip of coffee, her hands wrapped tightly around the mug like she was holding onto a life raft. He hated that he’d caused her to be wary of him, and he was desperate to put an end to it.

“The other day, with Cam…”

“She said she was moving in with you,” Julia blurted out, her eyes boring into his.