Page 39 of Married at Midnight

“Not unless the DJ was reading my mind,” Connor replied, pulling her close for a slow dance. “Let’s just believe destiny is intervening on our behalf.”

Ellie wasn’t sure she believed in destiny, but she was willing to embrace the concept, however temporarily, if it kept her in Connor’s arms tonight.

They danced through several songs and had just started another when a pretty, dark-haired woman dressed as Olive Oyl approached. Except this wasn’t the frumpy, wear-her-heart-on-her-sleeve Olive Oyl depicted in the cartoons. This rendition wore a low-cut red blouse, a black miniskirt, and thigh-high boots that made her legs look long and sexy.

“Connor Grayson. What are the chances of us meeting?” the woman asked with what seemed like a genuine look of astonishment.

“What are the chances?” Connor said, his voice hard as he flipped up the collar of his leather coat. His stance changed, and Ellie was convinced he tried to make himself look intimidating. Connor’s lips thinned. “I’m just here dancing with my wife.”

“Wife?” the woman said with disbelief.

“Amanda Frost, meet my wife, Ellie Grayson.”

Ellie didn’t extend her hand, and neither did Amanda. They simply glanced at each other with a civil nod of acknowledgment and, if Ellie were honest, a tinge of jealousy on her part. She’d dressed to attract Connor’s attention tonight. Yet the woman before them was far sexier in her modified Olive Oyl costume.

“How do you two know each other?” Ellie asked, not really sure she wanted to hear the answer.

“Amanda was my college girlfriend and the woman who stole the plans for my onboard GPS tracking system.”

Amanda’s perfect face hardened. “You could never prove that.”

“That you started your own robotics company tells me all I needed to know.” He shrugged. “That intelligence you stole is antiquated now. I’ve developed something much better. So, I should really thank you for pushing me to better my own best.”

“I didn’t steal from you,” she objected. “Tiny Byte has its own development staff. We have our own technology, and we’re going to be first to market with our self-driving car design.”

Connor shrugged once again. “Sooner or later the better technology will prove itself.”

Amanda cursed. “You really get off on being such a know-it-all, don’t you, Connor?”

“It’s not being a know-it-all. It’s solid science, research, and testing. It’s not about cutting corners; it’s about total dedication.”

Amanda glared at him.

“You know, I do remember reading something about the two of you getting married in Las Vegas. Vegas? Really? You couldn’t wait for a real wedding?”

In response to the woman’s flippant remark, Ellie said, “Of course I married Connor in Vegas. I wanted to snatch him up before someone else got to him. The man’s a sexy, gorgeous hunk. I’m smart enough to know a good catch when I see one.”

Amanda snorted. “I don’t see it.”

Wanting to drive her point home, and maybe cause the other woman a twinge or two of her own jealousy, Ellie turned to Connor, stepped close, and gave him a sizzling-hot kiss. His arms went around her, pulling her close. Despite the fact that the kiss was for show, her body instantly flared in response. When she stepped back, Connor’s green eyes danced.

“Well, isn’t that cute?” Amanda said snarkily. “You two look like you deserve each other.”

Ellie continued staring up at Connor, smiling sweetly, letting Amanda’s barbed words wash over her. “Are you ready to go home, husband? I find I suddenly can’t wait to remind myself of how sexy you really are.”

Connor’s gaze shifted to Amanda. “You’ve got to love a woman who can’t wait to get you naked.”

Ellie’s cheeks flamed.

Amanda choked.

Connor said nothing more as he wrapped his arm around Ellie’s shoulders, leading her toward Max and Olivia.

“Was it serious between you two?” Ellie asked Connor after they moved to the opposite side of the room. Ellie watched as the long-legged woman went back to the guy who was most likely her date, if the Popeye costume was an indicator. The man was older than Amanda by at least twenty years, bald, and pudgy.

“For a time, yes,” Connor admitted. “On paper, Amanda and I were extremely compatible. Like me, she’s smart, driven, and competitive. In the end, all the things that attracted me to her destroyed any chance at a relationship we might have had.”

“She stole your work?” Ellie asked, glancing at Connor’s ex-girlfriend out of the corner of her eye.