Connor Quinn’s voice was stern and serious.
Moira Sloan figured out what he ant. Her ears flushed red, and a provocative smile touched her lips.
They locked eyes. What looked like a tense standoff was actually charged with a flirtatious undercurrent.
Watching from the side, Shauna Duane was completely dumbfounded.
’What are they talking about?’
’Where did he hurt her?’
’What did they do during the three days Moira didn’t co to the shop?’
Shauna’s eyes darted between the two of them. Seeing how she was practically glued to Connor, Moira suddenly smiled. "Oh, it healed a while ago. Master Quinn just accidentally gave a push and I sprained my ankle. Master Quinn isn’t very strong, so it healed fast."
A simple statent about a sprained ankle sounded completely different coming from Moira’s lips.
Her words were cloying and drawn-out, like pulled taffy.
Of course, she wasn’t really talking about a sprained ankle.
But no one except the two of them understood the hidden aning in her words.
’Small?’
’What part of is small?’
Connor Quinn stared at her, unblinking, and didn’t say a word for a long mont.
Just when Moira thought she had embarrassed him, Connor’s deep voice cut in. "Did that ointnt work for you?"
Moira was stunned.
After he spoke, Connor watched Moira’s expression change drastically. He arched a brow for a split second before his face went blank again. "I have sothing else to do, so I’m leaving."
Moira, "..."
Leaving the governnt building, Moira felt a knot of frustration tighten in her chest.
It was the sting of a clever plan backfiring.
Shauna pursed her lips as she watched her, the young woman’s jealousy written all over her face.
Once they were in a taxi, Shauna couldn’t hold back any longer and asked Moira with a stern face, "When did he hurt your foot?"
Moira had expected the question and had an answer ready. "That day."
Shauna pressed, "Which day?"
Moira bead. "The day before I took ti off. If he hadn’t pushed and made sprain my ankle, why else do you think I would have stayed ho for three days?"
The logic of Moira’s lie was flawless.
Shauna stared at her for a mont, then tilted her head. "Do you even like Connor Quinn?"
Moira, "I don’t."
Shauna, "Then why don’t you reject him?"
At Shauna’s words, Moira leaned her lithe body against her, a smile in her eyes. "And what makes you think I haven’t rejected him?"
Watching Shauna’s face flush at her proximity, Moira’s voice was a warm whisper. "I have. Many tis. But he... just keeps... pestering ..."
Face bright red, Shauna pushed her away.
With the shop closed, neither of them had to work.
Moira had the driver drop Shauna ho first, then headed to the little tavern she’d visited before.
She pushed the door open. Inside, the owner was once again the only person in the tavern.
He recognized her imdiately—it was her second ti there, and besides, she was hard to forget. "The usual?"
Moira gave a small laugh, settling her lovely figure onto a high stool. "Sounds good."
A cocktail was handed over. Moira took a sip, narrowing her eyes slightly. "This tastes different from last ti."
"I upped the alcohol content," the owner said.
Moira raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Innovating a classic," the owner said.
Moira smiled faintly. "I see."
As they chatted this ti, Moira learned the owner’s na was Leo Lawson. He was thirty-three, and the woman he was waiting for was his adoptive sister.
Moira tapped her long, elegant fingers on the bar, her tone teasing. "It’s always the serious ones who are the wildest. Keeping it in the family?"
Leo Lawson’s voice was deep, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "We’re not related by blood."
To be honest, Moira wasn’t interested in other people’s love stories.
But in an atmosphere like this, a little alcohol and a little gossip were the perfect way to pass the ti.
Moira couldn’t drink much, but she held her liquor well. She always stopped at a pleasant buzz, never letting herself lose composure.
As she was leaving, Moira leaned against the bar and asked Leo Lawson, "Will she co back?"
Leo pushed the QR code for paynt toward her, answering without hesitation. "Probably not."
Moira, "Then why are you still waiting?"
"I’m afraid she’ll co back and have no ho to return to."
BEEP. A sound ca as Moira scanned the code to pay, accompanied by her soft scoff. "You’re really just..."
Just what, Moira didn’t say.
They were barely acquaintances; deep conversations were off the table.
But Leo was a sharp man. He heard the implication in her voice and finished her thought. "Just pathetic, I know."
At that, Moira glanced up at him.
A smile played on Leo’s lips. "But it seems there’s soone even more pathetic than ."
Moira was taken aback, not understanding. "Hm?"
Leo didn’t explain. He just gave a aningful smile and gestured with his chin. "Is that man at the door waiting for you?"
Moira followed his gaze. Connor Quinn was standing in the shadows, backlit by the doorway. A cigarette glowed at the corner of his mouth, the faint, flickering light tracing the sharp lines of his profile.
Chiseled and masculine, radiating raw testosterone.
To be honest, the sight of Connor at that mont was incredibly alluring.
Enough to stir a restless longing.
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