Life Changers Ch. 03

Before she could fall asleep, her body protested her awkward position and his weight steadily pressing down on her. She tried to wiggle but was unable to get comfortable.

"Connor," she whispered.

"Hmm?" He asked groggily. "Oh. Sorry."

Wincing as he withdrew from her, Ella immediately regretted his absence. He maneuvered their bodies until they were spooning on the edge of the bed.

"Are you even in bed?" She finally asked.

"No, but it's fine."

She giggled and pulled his arm around her, enjoying the comfort of having this man right now. Fairly certain she would need a bath and two Tylenol, possibly even crutches, she wiggled her bottom against his not so soft flesh and sighed.

"Somebody sounds a little satisfied," he grumbled against her hair. "And I'll be too once I'm off this floor. Move over woman."

Ella scooted to the center of the bed as he pulled the covers away so they could stretch out on the cool linen sheets. Lying on his back, Connor pulled her over his body until she was almost reclining on top of him. They remained quiet until their breathing returned to normal and Ella no longer saw bright pink spots.

"I can't believe you thought I was going to force myself in your ass," he said as his hand cupped her bottom.

"I'm not really sure what I thought," she confessed against his chest. "I mean I know what we did is common but I was...just..."

"Confused?"

"Pretty much flying high and then it was different. Again. Do you always make it different?" she asked, raising her face to look at him.

"Are you complaining?"

"Nope," she confessed dropping her head back to his chest.

"Ella, when I fuck your ass," he started as his fingers slipped lower to illustrate his words, "You will be so prepared that you'll be begging for it."

"I don't beg."

"You begged tonight and you'll beg again."

"Promise?"

"Yep," he answered with a slap against her cheek. "Seriously, we'll play with it so much that you will be ready."

Trembling at his words, Ella's eyes widened when she realized that her body was excited again. Her juices were flowing against his leg that she was straddling. She blinked against his chest and decided that there was no room for cowardice in this relationship.

Raising her head, she looked him in the eye and said, "Connor, my answer is yes."

She watched as he blinked his eyes and puckered his lips as though he were going to talk. After a few seconds, he finally confessed, "What...What was the question?"

"I want to stay," she answered, a little disappointed that he had not understood. "With you. And with your brothers and the boys, of course."

He blinked again before he started chuckling. When she tried to move away, he pulled her closer and placed kisses all over her face finally stopping at her lips.

"My sweet Ella," he finally said, "Everything tonight was supposed to wait until after you'd said yes. I think you would have broken my heart if you'd said no and you can't even begin to understand what that means considering no one thinks I have one."

"A heart?"

"Yep," he answered, closing his eyes. "You'll probably think so too if you don't already."

Placing her hand in the center of his chest, Ella waited until she could feel the steady rhythm before saying, "I know you have one. What you decide to do with it is your choice."

Slanting his eyes toward her, he looked at her in the dimness of the room. He stroked a single finger over her jaw to her chin. She held her breath as he formed his next sentence.

"Ella, you have to tell me what you want," he finally said. "I promise that I will try to move heaven and earth to get it for you but I can't guess. Please don't wait for me to guess. I would only disappoint you."

She nodded her head and smiled in relief. Assuming that he rejected all notions of love was one thing. Hearing him say it was another. Since she had spent most of her life avoiding the emotion, she was surprised by her conflicting thought.

"Ella," he whispered as he held her tight, "You said yes."

"I said yes," she repeated and drifted to sleep.

In her dream, she was running through the house. She assumed it was the house, although she did not recognize any of the rooms. Voices called out to her but she was unable to find anyone. Finally, she heard Scott's voice through the intercom as he instructed her with directions to reach him. When she finally turned a corner they were waiting for her. She could see the children sitting on the floor. Ryan smiled as she walked into the room and Scott reached for her.

Stretching out her hand, she was startled by the sound of a baby crying behind her. She turned around but was unable to see the child. When Scott motioned for her to walk to him, she hesitated until she saw Connor. He was deeper in the room standing far away beside a door. When she took a step forward, he shook his head. The baby cried again. She looked at Connor but was unable to speak. Waiting for him to tell her what to do, she stood still between the brothers beckoning to her and the cries, which grew louder.

She held out her hands, pleading for him to help her, but stopped when another person walked through the doorway behind him. A woman pressed his arm until he turned away from Ella and finally walked back through the door out of Ella's sight. Turning in circles, Ella could no longer see Scott, Ryan or the children. The baby was no longer crying. Finding another door, she stepped into a room she instantly recognized.

She had returned to her shabby apartment.

"Damn it, Ella, wake up!"

Eyes wide open; she knelt in the center of the bed looking around the dark room until she recognized the feel of a bed beneath her and the sound of the man's voice demanding her to wake up.

"It was a dream," she whispered.

"More like a fucking nightmare," he growled. "Do you always scare the shit out of other people when you dream?"

When her breathing changed to whimpers, he pulled her into his arms. "I'm going to turn on the bedside light, baby. Close your eyes."

She did as he instructed because, for some reason, it felt better than trying to think. The light pierced her lids, creating a red glow before her. Although she knew it would be uncomfortable, she needed to open them. She needed to see Connor.

He was there touching as much of her body as possible. When she looked at his expression, she cringed with embarrassment. It was, after all, only a dream and she had wrecked the man's night by...

"Was I talking in my sleep?" She asked quietly.

"Sort of" he answered, wiping his thumbs across her cheeks. "What did you dream?"

Staring at him for a moment, she finally blinked and shrugged. "Not sure really. I was here and then I was gone. I...I...I'm sorry. I don't think I do that often. At least, I've never had a roommate tell me that I scared the shit out of them."

Ella tried to laugh but stopped when she could see that Connor did not share her humor. Glancing around the room, she noticed the bedding was a tangled mess leaving them fully exposed. Even in the dim light, she became a little shy.

"Ella?" He asked as she tried to turn away. "You were crying. You're still crying," he explained as he slid his fingers over her cheeks again. "And you were screaming for me. Screaming for me to help you find the baby and then you kept screaming 'don't go'. What happened?"

"This is embarrassing," she finally answered trying to smile. "It's just been a very different couple of days and then after tonight..."

"Last night," he corrected. "We'll need to be up soon anyway."

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For waking you," she explained as she covered her face with her hands. "Jeez, it's embarrassing."

"Hell woman, I thought you were apologizing for changing your mind. It was a dream. Let's get you in a warm bath and then grab some coffee before the screamin' demons wake up."

"Is that your way of telling me that I stink?"

"No, it's my way of saying that I know you're gonna be sore," he answered as he stood and looked around the room. "Where're our clothes?"

"Oh, I think we wore towels. We started out in my shower," she explained with a blush.

"That was just last night?" He asked with a laugh as he led her from the bed to the bathroom.

When receding lights switched on, Ella gasped at the bathroom before her. The one she had been given was nice and bright with white subway tile and stainless steel fixtures. This bath was covered in dark stone and copper making it both masculine and romantic. Walking to the shower, Ella giggled in excitement when she found a space large enough for several people.

"Over here, sweet Ella," Connor instructed. "A bath. Soaking in hot water is what the doctor ordered."

Sitting on the stone edge of the tub, she jumped when the cool rock touched her bottom. "Are you playing doctor now?"

"I'll play whatever the fuck you want. Although, I'm surprised you're even joking about it," he added and looked over her body. "How do you feel?"

"Different," she finally answered. "Not hurt...just...like that one time when I did the trial membership at the gym and never went back after the second day. Except for hurting here," she added motioning to her arms and abs, "I hurt...well it doesn't really hurt...just kind of..."

"Sore?"

"A little," she answered quietly. "Like I'm not ready for Round...wherever we left off."

"We've passed the counting phase," he said with a grin. "Just so you know, today is a rest day. I can't take a chance on putting you out of commission before Scott and Ryan return home."

Watching her face, Connor cupped her chin in his hand, "Ella, you can still change your mind if you don't think you can be with all three of us. While I can't return your virginity, I can definitely keep my word about letting you go and helping you with a fresh start."

Listening to his words, Ella dissected and processed his meaning. She could choose all three brothers or none at all. Having sex with Connor first had dismissed most of her fears. She not only could do it but she would enjoy the experience.

With a nod, she said, "I said yes."

"You said yes."

With the water nearing the rim of the tub, Connor turned off the faucets and helped her into the copper pool. She sank into the water as the heat swirled around her aching muscles. Sighing in appreciation, she leaned her head against the back and enjoyed the feeling of luxury.

"If you'd shown me this tub on the first day, I would have immediately said yes and signed my name in blood."

"Damn my ignorance," Connor responded as he moved away from her. "But now I know to use it as a trump card."

"Well, there went my question about free access to it," she mumbled. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a shower," he answered as he turned on the water. "I am not a bath tub kind of man."

"Oh," she said turning to watch him. "We could have just showered together and saved all of this water."

"We live beside the Chesapeake Bay, sweetheart. No chance of a water shortage. And you need to soak."

Turning away as he stepped into the stall, Ella sunk lower until the water crested at her top lip. In all honestly, she was thankful to be spared the awkwardness of sharing a bath and she was secretly thrilled to learn that this tub would be her guilty pleasure to enjoy alone.

Moving her hands over her body, she smiled as she passed over muscles that ached from recent use. She flinched at the tightness of her thighs and wondered if sex was considered any form of exercise. Sinking below the water, she stretched her back until she felt her spine pop with relief. When she surged upright, she squealed at the sight of Connor sitting on the ledge watching her.

"Playing mermaid?"

"God, how fast do you shower? And please don't make me leave now. Or ever."

"I'm glad you're enjoying it. You're officially the first person to use it."

"Really? Was the bathroom remodeled recently?"

"Did your bitch ex-wife miss out?" were the words she really wanted to say. Where the hell did that come from?

"Four years ago, when we bought the place," he answered as he reached for a towel. "It may not matter to you, but you're also the only woman in my suite."

"It does matter and, as much as I'm loving this, I think coffee is calling my name."

Quickly toweling dry, they wrapped linen bath sheets around their bodies and walked to the sink where he handed her a new toothbrush and they completed their morning ablutions. Stepping into Connor's closet, Ella was impressed to find more than just jeans and t-shirts. Business suits in an array of dark colors lined one wall while casual dress clothes were hanging down the length of another. He led her to a set of drawers and quickly pulled open various ones until he had collected the garment he desired.

"Here," he said as he held up a flannel shirt and guided her arms into the sleeves. Ella stood silently as he buttoned and then loosened a couple of buttons so the shirt hung open at her cleavage. "If I can't have a feast, at least I can enjoy a little eye candy."

He rolled the cuffs above her wrists, stood back and surveyed his work. "Stay like that. For today. For me."

Resisting the urge to hum in delight, Ella smiled and offered her services as a valet. She got about as far as helping him into his shirt but was dismissed when she could not resist touching his chest. Apparently, he was not willing to let her anywhere near his jeans. With an exaggerated huff, she turned away and surveyed his clothes as he finished dressing.

When he was finished, they left the room and descended the stairs hand in hand. Pausing at the children's bedroom door, Connor looked in and motioned for them to continue to the kitchen. Using a minimum of lights, he lifted her onto a barstool and began preparing their coffee.

"I should be doing that," she said as he placed the cups under the spout.

"Why?"

"I figured out how to work the machine yesterday and I...I, uh..."

He grinned as she stammered. "Because you're a woman? Trust me I know. My sweet Ella, I bet I know that better that even you do."

"Why do you all call me that? Sweet? I don't think anybody has ever called me sweet before and yet, all three of you do."

"They do?" He asked with a frown. "I wasn't aware they did."

"So why do you?"

Carrying their coffees to the bar, Connor sat on the stool beside her and drank the steaming liquid. He sighed after his second drink and then frowned at her untouched cup.

"Do you use milk? Sugar?"

"No. Just waiting for it to cool a little."

"Because you're sweet enough?"

Laughing at his lame comment, she picked up the cup and slowly took a sip. "It's good and I would truly love to add about two hundred calories of milk and sugar, but I'd rather not have to exercise it off later."

Watching her as she continued drinking her coffee, Connor finally said, "Because you are sweet. You asked why and that's the truth."

"That makes me sound nauseating. Is that how I come across to you? Because I'm, or was, a virgin that's goofy and sweet."

"It has nothing to do with virginity," he explained. "In my life, personal and professional, I've met two kinds of people. Abusers, who are greedy and ruthless, and the abused, who are broken and bitter. You're neither, which is refreshing since you could definitely be the latter."

"Bad stuff happens to people every day," she said as she stared at the bottom of her empty cup. "When I was a kid, I didn't really have time to think about it. It was a constant 'move here, stand there, don't speak, and do this.' Always being told what to do. After I left my aunt's house and moved in with her mother, she was my Dad's stepmother so she wasn't my grandmother..."

"I know."

"Of course, you do. Hence, Gabriella Sinclair being on the contract.

"It's a beautiful name."

"I like the sound of Ella Montgomery better."

"I agree one hundred percent," he added with a grin. "Does it bother you that we ran a background check?"

"Not really," she answered with a shrug. "I've been trying to find a job so there have been a few already. For the record, you should know that you weren't very discreet. My purse had obviously been searched."

Connor had the decency to look uncomfortable as she spoke.

"It was rushed and rude. I apologize on both counts. On the bright side, you have no outstanding arrest warrants."

"Touch my purse again and that may all change."

She laughed as he choked on the remainder of his coffee.

"I've been warned. Another coffee?"

When she nodded, he walked toward the espresso machine but stopped to urge her to continue. "You were telling me about living with your aunt's mother."

"No, not really. I was only saying that it's easy to become a victim unless you try to stop it somewhere and decide you're gonna be something else; although I'm not sure where any of this fit into my plans. But look at me explaining something to you when you obviously know it better than me."

Leaning against the counter, Connor frowned and dropped his gaze. After a minute of silence, he shook his head and said, "No. I didn't learn it. I became a hybrid of the two. My bitterness drives my ruthlessness."

Watching him stare at the floor, Ella waited for him to explain. When he looked at her, he grinned and shook his head.

"I should have known that you'd want an explanation. Ok, here goes. In this home, with my family, it is my goal to provide the best possible environment. I want my sons; our sons, our children," he stressed, motioning toward her, "to be healthy and that means physically, mentally and emotionally."

"I can see that you do and that you make it happen."

"With that said, there is nothing that I won't do to protect and provide. Just for clarification, I remove all opportunities for my family to be harmed and I would remove someone permanently who managed to get passed me."

Ella blinked as he turned to get their coffee, cooling on the machine. "But that doesn't make you bitter or ruthless."

"That's my home life," he explained, handing her a cup. "Out there, in the real world, I encounter those two groups every day and harden myself to...well...do what I do."

"Connecting buyers and sellers is that competitive?"

"It sounds so simple doesn't it? Truthfully, we are a little more. Scott and Ryan call it justice but I know myself. It's revenge."

When the sound of shrill shrieks echoed through the house, Ella's coffee cup slipped from her hand, splashing the liquid across the counter.

"Are you burned?" Connor demanded. "Ella?"

"No, just surprised," she said as she wiped the counter. "You called them the screamin' demons. That's just mean. No child should wake up so terrified."

"You're right. It's a horrible name to use," he agreed. "They both started this just a few months ago and we haven't been able to figure out why."

"Fourteen months ago?"

He smiled as they hurried to the stairs.

"You said 'Yes'."