Impossible To Resist (BWWM Romance Book 1)(71)
Connor rubbed his good eye and reached for the phone as she turned to look over her shoulder at him while he took the call.
“Yes, this is Connor James. Hello, sir…. Yes, I did…. You do? .... Well, that would be wonderful! There are two of us, of course, is that a possibility? It is…. Well thank you so very much! We certainly appreciate your thoughtfulness and generosity, and we will look forward to seeing you there, sir. Good morning to you as well.” He hung up the phone and turned to look at Catalina, who was watching him expectantly.
“We just got two invitations to the banquet tonight,” he said with a smile, and she smiled back and leaned against the pillows.
“That’s great! I’ll have to get my dress out and steam it.” Then she turned to look at him with regretful eyes. “Connor… I’m sorry about last night. I just… I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you to begin with. I started it, it was my fault, not yours, and I never should have --”
He cut her off, raising his hand and shaking his head. “No apologies, okay? Please. It was both of us, it happened, we both let it happen, and we both took responsibility for it. We don’t worry about it, we go on. I’m just so sorry that I failed you, but I’m determined that it won’t happen again, so please, don’t worry or think about it, and we will go on and everything will be fine. Okay?” He looked at her hopefully.
She nodded with a small smile. “Okay,” she answered simply, and then the two of them got out of bed and got ready for the last day of the event. They were both careful about giving each other space and respect as they readied to go, and both of them were caught in between wanting to give that respect, and wanting to give in to their heated desires and make love with one another. Both of them were concentrating on avoiding the electric heat between them at all costs.
When they arrived at the event building, they were not surprised to see that there was twice as much security as there had been both previous days, and it seemed as though every person going in was aware of the seriousness of the situation and prepared to be on their best behavior. Catalina and Connor stayed close to one another and as the morning went on, she was able to work in a peaceful environment.
All of the attendees behaved as she had expected that they would have on the first day of the event, and it made her work infinitely easier. But Connor still stayed very close to her all the while that she worked.
The last day of the event, rather than having a midday break, went straight through for five hours and then the event ended on a positive note as the candidates all shook hands and left the stage and there were no uprisings in the audience, and no demonstrations outside of the building. It was as calm and peaceful as it could possibly have been.
When Connor and Catalina walked out of the building, they were surprised to see that the snow, which had stopped falling earlier in the evening the day before, had begun to fall again, this time much thicker, faster, and heavier than the prior storm had deposited on Springfield.
They looked at each other with worried glances and went back to the hotel. Getting the latest report on the weather told them that the city should expect up to six inches, which was not enough to cause any kind of traffic problem, or delay them from leaving the next morning. They were both relieved and hopeful that the report was accurate that time.
Catalina laid down for a nap and Connor worked on his laptop, taking care of classes online while he was away. When the afternoon grew late, he readied himself for the banquet, and she woke up shortly after he had finished dressing. She pushed herself up from the bed and saw him standing before the desk in the room wearing his black tuxedo. She drew in a long, slow, silent breath and raised her eyebrows slightly.
“Not to make things awkward, but you look incredible.” She looked at him with a shy smile. He turned toward her and his cheeks went a little pink.
“Every man looks good in a tuxedo,” he told her with a slight chuckle. “The bathroom is all yours.”
She nodded and took her dress and herself into the bathroom to get ready for their night out. A while later she emerged and when he turned to look at her, she took his breath away and he could not speak at all.
She was wearing a strapless red gown with a sweetheart neckline that enhanced the upper curves of her breasts, while the satin material of the gown hugged her figure closely, snug against her narrow waist and full hips.
It hung almost to the floor, showing the tips of her matching shoes, though there was a long slit that ran up the front of the gown to the middle of her thigh. Her hair was curled about her head like a dark halo, her makeup gave her face a beautiful healthy glow, and around her neck was a thin gold necklace that had once been her mother’s.
She took a few steps toward Connor and he forced himself to take a breath as his eyes traveled slowly over her body until they reached her shy smile and her gray blue eyes.
“How is this? Do you think it will be alright?” she asked in uncertainty.
He nodded stiffly.
“You are stunning. I think you’ll probably be the most beautiful woman at the entire banquet.”
She laughed a little and he took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he walked toward her. He held out his arm and she slipped her hand through the crook of it. “Shall we go?” he asked with a smile.
No matter how much he was drawn to her, no matter how much even the sight of her turned him on, no matter how much he wanted her, he knew that they would have a good time even just being friends that night. She seemed to understand that, and to feel the same way, and she gave him a wide smile as they walked down the hall of their hotel toward the banquet.