manners.”
I blinked at him. “He’s not my boyfriend anymore.” I proceeded to burst into noisy, wailing sobs.
Connor wrapped his arms around me, and I found myself in his lap. His hands stroked my back in gentle, comforting circles as he crooned with a quiet voice in my ear, telling me everything would be okay.
When I calmed down, he handed me some Kleenex and smiled at me. “I know it hurts, Jenny. But he wasn’t the right man for you. As clichéd as it sounds, you’ll get over the pain.”
Before I could stop myself, I shook my head. “That’s the problem, Connor. I–I’m not upset we broke up.”
“I don’t understand.”
I exhaled a deep, shuddering breath and kept my eyes averted. I needed to tell someone how I was feeling. I couldn’t even tell Jackey since I was so ashamed of myself, but somehow, telling Connor seemed right. I wanted him to know. “I’m actually relieved. Things hadn’t been good for a long time, and nothing I did seemed to be right or to help. A relationship shouldn’t be that much work. Or make someone that unhappy most of the time.”
He lifted my chin. “So, you’re crying because…?”
My lips started quivering again. “Because I feel guilty. I know I wasn’t a good girlfriend.” I huffed. “Something changed for me a few months ago, and my feelings toward John were different. I was different.” I shrugged. “They had been fading for a while and I tried to fight it, but it didn’t work.”
He frowned at me. “At least you tried. It sounds as though he just moved on and kept stringing you along.”
We were quiet as I continued sitting on his lap. He made no move to push me off, and I made no move to leave. I liked how it felt sitting there. His arm was still around me, holding me loosely, and I was close enough to be able to breathe in his clean scent. His other hand still cupped my face, his long fingers dancing soothingly on my skin along the edge of my hairline. It was comforting and felt strangely right.
He spoke up, breaking the silence. “What happened to change your feelings, Jenny?”
I closed my eyes briefly. When I opened them, I looked into the deep blue of his warm gaze, and I swallowed. I realized I was still drunk enough to be brave and say what I had been hiding for so many months.
“You moved in.”
His eyes widened. “Jenny.”
I shook my head. “It’s okay, Connor. You don’t have to say anything. You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s all me. John wasn’t right for me. He never was…and I knew it before I met you. I just—” Embarrassment crashed over me, and I tried to push myself away. Connor tightened his arm around me and I glanced up, expecting to see rejection and pity on his face.
First, he’d found me drunk in the hall, and now, I’d confessed to having a secret crush on him that might have led to the breakup of my relationship. All that drama from the girl he had coffee with occasionally and borrowed the odd condiment from at times. Every interaction had been friendly and easy, and I found his presence soothing and enjoyable. Our encounters always left me wanting more time with him—and now I had just ruined it.
Except, it wasn’t rejection or pity I saw. He was smiling at me, the most endearing look on his face. I stopped pushing on his chest, my breath catching as I looked at his expression. He pulled me nearer until our faces were so close, I could feel his breath washing over me. “It’s not all you, Jenny,” he said.
Then he was kissing me.
God, his mouth. It was everything I had fantasized about since the first time he’d smiled at me. His lips were warm and soft against mine, moving and guiding me. He dragged his tongue across my bottom lip, and my mouth parted. My senses exploded as he deepened the kiss, its nature becoming possessive and greedy immediately. I moaned deep in my throat as his arms tightened and his tongue demanded, claimed, swirled, and explored, leaving me breathless and clinging to him for dear life. My head began to spin, and I pulled away, gasping for air.
Glowing blue met dazed brown as we stared at each other. His hand came up, softly tracing my lips, which puckered against his touch. I blinked as the room began to pulsate around me.
“Connor…”
“Jenny?” His voice