Page 64 of The Sweetest Mistake

“And this is a good thing, why?” he asked.

Reaching her hands up, she cupped his face and pulled him down for a kiss. When she let go, she said, “I love that you came all this way just to talk to me.”

“Yeah?”

“Um-hmm.”

“Tell me more,” he said, grinning down at her.

“I love that you weren’t afraid to go to my parents’ house when you wanted to find me.”

“That would be parent—singular.”

“Yes, but how did you know that my dad wouldn’t be there?”

“I didn’t.”

“See. I love that you didn’t let anything deter you from getting to me.”

He traced her lips with a finger and gazed at her reverently.

“Nothing could have stopped me. I don’t want to lose you, Julia. Right now, that’s my biggest fear.”

Trailing a finger down the middle of his chest, she said, “And I love that you just told me that.”

“None of this solves the problem of not having a condom, however,” he said as if to remind her of what they were in the middle of doing.

“No worries,” she said and pushed on his chest to get him to roll onto his back. Of course, that was like trying to move a huge boulder; however, he understood what she was doing and helped out.

Kneeling over his hips, she said, “Lay back and relax.”

He obliged, crossing his hands behind his head and watching as she took his erection in both hands and bent over him. After treating him like her favorite brand of popsicle, his body tightened, and his hands fisted in her hair.

“Damn, Julia. You’re too good to me.”

She stopped what she was doing just long enough to smile up at him before putting her mouth on him again, this time taking him in as far as she could before slowly releasing him.

She loved watching him like this—loved seeing him shed his tough-guy persona to indulge in the raw pleasure that she brought him. Up until recently, Connor had worked hard to keep his emotions in check, but recently, he’d started to open up. And she liked seeing this new side of him. Discovering that he had a daughter had softened his rough edges, and he seemed more willing to expose the emotional side of himself. He’d shared more with her in the past eight hours than he had since they’d been dating, and the weight she’d been carrying around for the past few days had lifted.

“Julia,” he growled, breaking into her thoughts.

It was a warning cry, but she didn’t heed it. Instead, she nodded, and Connor let go, holding her head in place while he ground out his pleasure. When he loosened his grip, she slid up his body and nestled into his side, resting one hand on his chest, where she could feel the comforting rhythm of his heartbeat.

“I might have to forget a condom more often,” he said after a minute.

She smiled against his skin before she remembered what Cam had said about them not always using protection. For some reason, she felt compelled to ask him about it even though now might not be the best time.

“Connor?”

“Um-hmm.”

“What Cam said about you two not using protection—I find that difficult to believe. I mean, you’ve always been so diligent about it with me.” She tried to keep the accusation out of her voice, and she hoped she’d succeeded because he was quiet for what felt like a long time.

“Cam told me she was on the pill, and I believed her. But recently, she admitted that she’d gone off it in the last couple months of our relationship.”

Julia bolted upright. “So, she tried to trap you?”

“I don’t know that for sure, and regardless, she’d never admit it. She said she thought we’d be safe for a while after she stopped the pill.”