When the final orgasm ebbed, peace overtook her. She could sleep the afternoon away.
“I love you, my beauty,” Conor whispered. He kissed her cheek down to her neck before he rolled off her and stood up. “But we should have some lunch, and I need to head over to the mansion.”
She opened her eyes. He was already putting his clothes back on. She said, “I’m going with you.”
He frowned as he buttoned his shorts. “I’m not going to pretend that you’re perfectly fine any more. When we were pruning the roses, I was worried you’d drop the shears because you looked so tired. You’ve obviously got a virus or something, and if you don’t rest it’s only going to get worse.”
She sat up and found her jeans on the floor. “I can rest after the party. You’re leaving town…”
“And you’re going back to work soon. I know you don’t want to miss Tuesday. Why torture yourself with Becca?”
Charisse choked up with tears again. How stupid. She had no reason to cry. She swiped them off her cheek with the back of her hand. “Because you’ve been so helpful with Josh, and just seeing Becca sets off your migraine. I want to help you too.”
He dropped back down to the couch and took her in his lap. “But you have helped. I don’t feel guilty about Elise’s death anymore. I don’t know if we would’ve been able to work things out if she’d lived, and I never will. You’ve shown me that I can move forward. I wish Becca could. Believe it or not, we used to get along. I wouldn’t call us besties, but we respected each other.”
Charisse leaned against his chest. “Then let’s kill her with kindness.”
“Excuse me?”
“You’ll never believe it because of how I behaved when we first met, but when someone comes into the salon with their claws out, all my lady luvs are super nice. It’s unexpected and unsettling. But after a little while, they usually start to smile and quit yelling at us. When Becca arrives, act like you used to when you got along. And I’ll smile even when she calls me a whore.”
Conor’s chest shook with a laugh. “I don’t know. Do you think a rat bastard like me can pull it off?”
Charisse grinned up at him. “You can be charming when you want.”
“I still think you should stay here.”
“And I still think I’m going.”
Evelyn Aster 