Michelle Celmer - The Millionaire's Club - Connor, Tom & Gavin - Round-the-Clock Temptation / Highly Compromised Position / A Most Shocking Revelation

Apparently not.

Although that didn’t explain the bulge in his jeans. He’d definitely been turned on, but he sure had freaked out when she’d touched him. Then it occurred to her, maybe by saying he was damaged, he’d meant he was physically disfigured somewhere down there. He had been in an explosion. What if his back wasn’t the only place he’d been burned. Maybe he was embarrassed to let her see him.

Oddly enough, the thought was almost comforting. He hadn’t actually rejected her. He was looking out for her welfare—protecting her from the gruesome truth. And he’d said that, hadn’t he? At the time she’d figured it was just some lame put-down line. Maybe he thought she’d be appalled by the way he looked.

Well, hell, he didn’t need to feel embarrassed. She didn’t care what it looked like, as long as the plumbing worked, and even if there were kinks to work out she would be okay with that, too. The more challenging, the more fun as far as she was concerned.

Maybe this wasn’t a lost cause after all.

Connor stopped a few feet from where she was crouched inspecting the ground. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

If he was going to go all macho on her, maybe she shouldn’t be so eager to let him off the hook. She slowly rose to her feet and turned to him, her face the picture of serenity. “Good morning to you, too.”

He jumped down from his horse. “Look, I know you’re probably upset about last night…”

Oh yeah, he was askin’ for it. “Don’t flatter yourself, cowboy. Men like you are a dime a dozen. It’s a shame though, we could have had fun.”

If she’d wounded his pride, he didn’t let it show. “Then why did you leave without me? Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

“I have a farm to run. If you can’t keep up with me, that’s not my problem.” She mounted her horse and headed for the stable, Connor riding close behind her, a silent sentinel. He didn’t say a word the entire ride, but she could feel his anger hovering over her like a heavy black storm cloud. And she was only slightly enjoying it.

Well, maybe more than slightly.

Jimmy was outside the stable waiting for them.

“Looks like our digger was back,” she told him. “I found more holes in the west corral. I want the boys to fill them, then search every inch of the property for more.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She hopped down from her horse and headed for the house to see if her daddy was up. They had house-keepers to interview starting at ten.

“When were you planning on telling me about the holes?” Connor asked from behind her. From the tightness in his voice, she could tell he was still angry, but trying hard to hold it in. He’d feel a whole lot better if he just blew up at her and got it out of his system. He was too closed off, too darned controlled all the time.

Knowing she was throwing kindling on the flames, Nita shrugged and said, “You didn’t ask.”

“I shouldn’t have to.”

“Look, Connor,” she shot over her shoulder. “I don’t have time to babysit you today. Why don’t you make yourself useful and go help the men fill the holes?”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“I’ll be perfectly safe in the house with Daddy.”

“Your father is in a cast. If someone were to come in and grab you, what would he be able to do to stop them?”

“I don’t think someone is going to waltz into the house in the middle of the day.”

“It doesn’t matter what you think,” he said, his voice so tight she’d bet that given one good pluck, his vocal cords would snap in two.

She could see there was no reasoning with him. Not that she’d ever been able to reason with him, so it wasn’t a big surprise. And boy, he was cranky today. Probably sexual frustration, she decided. If he had just given in last night, after she was through with him, he’d have slept like a baby.

He followed her in the back door, through the mudroom, and into the kitchen. Her father was at the table eating a bowl of cold cereal.

“Morning, Daddy, how do you feel?”

He slammed his spoon down on the table. “I’m sick of cold cereal, that’s how I feel. When are those house-keepers coming?”

Jeez, was everyone in a foul mood this morning? “The first one is coming at ten.”

“How many answered the ad?”

“Only two.”

“Only two ?”

Nita shrugged. “People talk. Everyone knows what’s been happening out here. Can you blame someone for not wanting to get involved? Maybe we should try advertising in other cities.” Or just call Jane, she wanted to add.

He muttered something about “Those damned Devlins” then boosted himself on his crutches and hobbled out of the room.

Nita hoped the interview process was only a formality, and that her daddy would come to his senses and ask Jane to come home soon. Nita figured it was just a matter of time before he missed Jane so much he would be begging her to return.

“I talked to my brother last night,” Connor said from his spot near the door. He didn’t look angry anymore. Just mildly annoyed. “Jake would like to bring the map by tonight about seven.”

“Map?”

“The one that was stolen from the museum,” he reminded her. “The one Gavin wanted me to look at.”

“Oh, right. Fine by me,” she said.

“I also talked to Clint about the security evaluation and he said he’d be by around three, day after tomorrow.”

“Not that I think this evaluation will do much good, but I’ll listen to what he has to say.” She cleared her daddy’s breakfast dishes and carried them to the sink.

“Nita, about last night…”

Not this again. Sheesh. Rub it in my face why don’t you. She leaned on the edge of the sink. “You don’t have to explain. I get it.”

“I just want to make it clear, it wasn’t you.”

“I understand. You were embarrassed. It’s okay.”

His eyebrow dipped low. “Embarrassed?”

“About your condition.”

“Condition?” Connor folded his arms across his chest, wondering what the hell she was talking about now. “And what condition might that be.”

Her eyes drifted to the vicinity of his crotch. “The damage.”

He couldn’t tell if she was serious, or just yanking his chain. “What damage are we talking about?”

“From the explosion. I understand why you’re afraid to let me see it. But you should know, I wouldn’t be bothered by any…abnormalities. I mean, penises are pretty funny looking to begin with, so how bad could it be?”

“Nita, what are you talking about? Why would you assume any part of my anatomy is abnormal?”

“I’m not assuming anything. You said so yourself last night.”

“When?”

“You said your goods were damaged.”

He nearly laughed out loud. Leave it to her to twist his words into something so totally off the wall. He might have been offended if he wasn’t so damned amused. “Nita, trust me when I say my goods are just fine.”

She shrugged and walked past him, through the kitchen doorway, calling over her shoulder, “Hey, whatever you say.”

He followed her down the hall and into the office. “What, you don’t believe me?”

She crossed the room and sat in the chair behind her wide, cluttered oak desk. “Connor, you have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You’re right, I don’t. Because there’s nothing wrong with me.”

She flipped open her laptop. “So you’ve said.”

She was goading him now, and he was having too much fun not to play along for a while. To see exactly what she thought she might accomplish by antagonizing him. Though he already had a pretty good idea.

She needed justification. She needed to know why he’d rejected her. What she’d done wrong.