“Oh God.” She grabbed his shoulders, her fingernails digging into his skin.
The pain ratcheted up his need, but he wanted her to come first and that he needed to see. He took a hand, slid it between them, and glided his finger over her slick clit.
“Yes, there.” She arched her hips, a sob escaping her lips.
He pressed harder and triggered her release, her body arching into him. Cheeks flushed, lips parted, eyes closed, she looked like a goddess beneath him, calling out his name as she came.
He waited, holding on as he ground into her as she rode out her orgasm, only letting himself go when she was through. He picked up his pace, but it only took three more hard thrusts before he came harder than he ever had before, releasing inside her.
He collapsed on top of her, breathing in the mixed scent of sweat on her skin and the sweet fragrance she’d used tonight. He inhaled, taking in her essence.
“Are you sniffing me?” she asked.
He let out a low chuckle. “I might be.” He reached down and tickled her sides, causing her to giggle before he rolled off her, separating them and definitely feeling the loss.
“I’m going to get rid of the condom,” he said, rolling to the side and putting his feet on the floor.
He headed to the bathroom and cleaned up, returning just as she sighed, stretching her lithe body out on the bed.
“God, that was good,” she murmured.
“Just good?” He lay back down by her side, looking into her eyes.
Her expression softened. “No, it wasn’t just good. It was incredible,” she murmured, reaching out and running her hand over his cheek.
Thank God. Because it had been a life-altering experience for him. Quinn wasn’t just a good fuck. Hell, she wasn’t even a passing fling. He wanted her in his life for good. He just knew better than to think he could keep her.
* * *
After Quinn fell asleep, Austin rose and walked out of the bedroom. He flipped on the hall light and stepped into Jenny’s room. A night-light lit the room and, along with the hallway glow, gave him a good view of the baby.
She slept on her back, as Quinn had explained to him was necessary, and every so often, little baby sounds escaped from her mouth. She was perfection, from her flawless skin to her tiny nose. Even so, he made a mental note to make an appointment with a pediatrician and have her looked at. The first week had been too full of adjustments for him to have even thought of taking her to a doctor for a checkup. But he wanted to make certain she was as healthy as she appeared.
He drew in a deep breath, watching her sleep, and a warm feeling flowed through him, settled in his chest, and remained. He stayed for a good twenty minutes, aware of the thoughts going through his head, what they meant for his life and his future, waiting for a feeling of panic to surface. None did.
And as he headed back to his room and settled in with Quinn, pulling her into his arms, he was still sure he planned on doing the right thing. Even if it cost him the woman he was certain he loved.
* * *
Quinn rose to the sound of the baby crying. She paused for a brief moment, cataloguing the good aches and pains in her body. She’d even woken up in the middle of the night to find Austin’s head between her thighs, his mouth on her sex, his tongue toying with her clit. He’d been voracious. She’d been his plaything, and all he’d cared about was her pleasure.
She moaned at the memory and Jenny cried once more.
Austin lifted his head and met her gaze.
“Diaper or bottle?” she asked the usual question.
That had been their routine. One of them would choose who took what job and they did it. Together.
“Bottle,” he said.
She knew he’d become an expert at either making one from scratch or warming it up from the fridge, and she was impressed with his new skill. In fact, she doubted he even needed her to help anymore, whether his mother was back or not, but she was reluctant to bring up the question. She wasn’t ready to leave him just yet. Soon. But right now she wanted to enjoy what little time she had left.
“I’ll get her.” Quinn pulled on one of Austin’s tee shirts and walked barefoot to the baby’s room. Austin headed for the kitchen.
“Hey, little girl. Good morning.” Sunlight had just begun to stream through the blinds, and Jenny’s little face looked up at her. “Are you ready for the whole family to descend for football Sunday?”
According to Austin, it was a family tradition to watch the games together whenever they could when Damon or Jaxon was playing. Damon was at the end of preseason and he probably wouldn’t play much. The teams tended to protect their better players, keeping them unhurt until the season officially began, but he’d told Austin he expected to have some playing time. But Jaxon would be on the field.
Quinn picked Jenny up and cuddled her against one shoulder. “Austin’s mom will be here if she’s better, and his uncle Paul and Ron. Bri is coming, too. You remember Bri, right?” She babbled to the baby and walked to the small makeshift changing table they’d put together on the dresser. “I think I’ll call Evie and invite her, too.” Quinn wouldn’t mind having her best friend by her side today.
“Let’s change you, okay?” Quinn diapered the baby, the actions coming automatically and by rote.
She lifted Jenny and patted her little behind as they walked to the master bedroom, and she lay back on the mattress, propped against the pillows, keeping the baby in her arms.
Jenny smelled like baby powder and her shampoo. Closing her eyes, Quinn took in the sweet scent, torn by how much she already loved this child and how different a future she envisioned for herself. Even her feelings for Austin ran counter to what she’d been telling herself she needed from life for years. She wanted to be self-sufficient and have a career, not a family that demanded all her time and attention like her siblings and cousins had.
Thinking back over her teenage years, she remembered missing a date she’d been looking forward to because her niece had been sick, her uncle had been working, and her aunt turned to Quinn to watch her other kids. No one ever considered asking Quinn’s siblings, and they had been younger. Quinn had always been, as Austin had called her, the baby whisperer. As for her canceled date, the guy had gone on to be with another girl he’d remained with throughout high school, and she heard they’d actually gotten married after college. Quinn had missed her chance.
Jenny gurgled and Quinn smiled. Even waiting for her morning bottle, Jenny was good. Once she was picked up, she tended to stop crying and wait for whatever came next, a diaper change or a bottle or her swing. She’d even adjusted to Austin, not shrieking whenever he came near. She was one of the most sweet-natured infants Quinn had ever encountered.
Austin walked back into the room, gray sweats riding low, showing off the vee on either side of his hips, his muscular chest bare and sexy. The bottle in his hand somehow merely added to his appeal.
He slid into the bed, and before she could hand the baby over, he scooped Jenny up, settling her into the crook of his arm and popping the bottle into her moving lips like a pro.
He grinned, obviously proud of himself. “I think she likes me.”
Quinn laughed. “I’m pretty sure she’s come around.”
He looked down at the infant, a warm, adoring expression in his eyes. “I’m not giving her up,” he said in a low, determined voice.
“What?” Quinn wasn’t sure she’d heard him correctly.
He met her gaze. “If she’s mine, obviously I’m going to fight for full custody. Hell, I want the bitch who abandoned her to sign away any legal rights. But I’m talking about if she’s not mine. I’m not giving her up so some foster family can take her.” He squared his shoulders, as if readying for a fight. “If she isn’t mine by blood, she’s mine now, and I’m going to make damn sure my lawyer does whatever he needs to do so I can keep her.”
Quinn’s heart thudded so loudly in her chest she could swear she heard the sound. “Oh, wow. I…
Wow.”
She hadn’t seen this coming, although she should have. Despite faltering in the beginning, Austin had stepped up and taken care of Jenny, learning everything he could from Quinn. She’d even caught him reading up on babies on his laptop, not that she ever called him on it. She’d found it endearing.
“Austin, do you realize what you’re in for?” she asked tentatively, not wanting to sound discouraging. “We’re not just talking sleepless nights for a short time.”
He nodded, his gaze somber and serious. “It’s a lifetime commitment. A baby, a toddler, a kid, teenager… I know. And this may not be what I imagined for my future, but she’s been given to me for a reason. And I’m keeping her.” He pressed a kiss to the baby’s head, as if to say, and that’s that.
Quinn tried to swallow but her mouth had gone dry. A painful lump rose in her throat, because if she’d harbored any secret fantasies about being with Austin after the baby thing was settled, he’d just destroyed them with one brilliant, sweet, selfless decision.
Chapter Eight
“Quinnlyn Stone, why haven’t you returned any of my calls?” Quinn’s mother, Penelope, asked, her tone annoyed, over the phone.
Quinn sighed. “I’ve been tied up at work, and as you know, I’m helping out a friend with his baby. I’ve been busy,” she said to her mother later Sunday morning.
As she spoke, she measured and put powder into the row of bottles on the counter in the kitchen. Austin had gone out to pick up food for the family, who would be here soon, and Jenny was in her swing.
“Yes, and I find that interesting considering you made it a point to tell me how much you didn’t want to be a nanny or have your own children.” Her mother’s disappointment in Quinn’s choices rang clear.
Although her mother had a career, she believed her children, her daughters in particular, should want to have babies. Lots of babies. Even if Penelope had turned baby duty over to her oldest.
Quinn blew out a breath. “You’ll get grandchildren from Matthew, Chloe, or Jeff,” she assured her mother. “I certainly wasn’t going to leave Austin alone with a baby he didn’t know how to take care of.”
“Speaking of babies…” her mother began and Quinn stiffened, her shoulders tight with tension. “Matt mentioned that Daniel’s wife is pregnant. You realize if you hadn’t ended things, that could have been you, having his baby.”
Closing her eyes, Quinn slowly counted to five before answering in an attempt to calm down. “And didn’t you just say that I told you I didn’t want kids? Maybe if you hadn’t forced me to be everyone’s babysitter, I’d have had more of my own life and wouldn’t resent so much of my childhood,” she said, her voice growing louder.
A gasp sounded and Quinn spun around, shocked to see Austin’s mother standing in the kitchen.
Quinn blinked in surprise, at the same time, flushing with embarrassment at being overheard. “Mom, can we not rehash the past or argue? Listen, I need to go. I’ll call you later,” she said, softening her voice and disconnecting the call before her mother could reply.
She placed her phone on the counter and forced herself to look at Christine Prescott. “I’m so sorry you had to hear that.”
The other woman appeared embarrassed, her cheeks flushed. “I knocked in case the baby was sleeping, but I didn’t want to ring that loud bell. I just let myself in, which I probably shouldn’t have done. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop.” She placed her handbag on a chair at the table. “But since I did hear … are you okay?”
Quinn swallowed hard, ashamed she’d been caught arguing with her mother over things she usually kept inside. “It’s nothing. I just—”
“Had an argument with your mom? Believe me, it happens.” Christine walked across the room and took over with the bottles. “I’ve had more fights with my kids than I can remember. Prescotts are hardheaded,” she said, and Quinn knew Christine was trying to lighten the mood. “Now that said, I take it being thrust into the role of caregiver for a baby was a trigger for you?”
Quinn sighed. “Come sit. You don’t need to make formula. I’ve got it. Please.” She put a hand on Christine’s back and led her to the table and chairs.
Before they settled in, Christine stepped over to the baby, paused the swing, and brushed her fingers down Jenny’s cheek. “Has she been good?”
“Yeah. She’s delicious. Such a sweet baby.” Quinn smiled. “And you’re feeling better?” she asked Austin’s mom.
“Much. Thank you.”
Did that mean Christine planned to stay and help Austin, making Quinn an extra set of hands he no longer needed? She gripped the counter, surprised at the pang of something that went through her at the thought.
Christine lifted Jenny out of the swing and kept her cuddled against her as they sat down across from each other. “Now back to my question. I left for my cruise without really knowing what was going on here. Did I put you in a bad place?”
Had watching Jenny been a trigger? Quinn thought back to Christine’s earlier question and sighed. “I come from a big family, and I was always good with the babies and the kids. The adults worked, and it fell to me to watch my siblings and cousins, which would have been fine except nobody ever stopped to wonder if they were interrupting anything in my life.”
She closed her eyes at the memories. Friday nights with friends missed. Dates unimportant. “There were events I had to skip, assumptions made, and my parents even wanted me to become a full-time nanny instead of going to school.” She pulled in a deep breath. “I adore kids but that’s not the point.”
Quinn waited for Austin’s mother to criticize her for resenting the fact that she had to help out her family, but Christine’s understanding smile knocked the wind out of her.
“Honey, when you have kids, they’re your responsibility. I’m not judging your parents. I’m sure they had their reasons and did the best they could, but it wasn’t your job to raise the other children in the family. And frankly it seems unfair of them to have asked it of you. Or not looked at what you wanted out of your own life.”
Tears threatened to fall because of Austin’s mother’s innate understanding. When was the last time anyone had looked at Quinn and comprehended the basic fact that she’d just wanted her own life? To make her own choices?
“I love my parents, but I’m a little jealous of your kids right now,” Quinn said, managing a smile.
Christine blushed and grinned. “Well, the way you stepped up and helped my son, I consider you family. So no need to be jealous. I’m here any time you need me.” As she spoke, she patted Jenny’s back.
“Thank you,” Quinn murmured. “I should finish the bottles before Austin returns with all the sandwiches and food. The game starts in an hour.” She didn’t want to sit here and discuss her family’s shortcomings and end up crying on this woman’s shoulders.
“So about Jenny. Austin said there’s been no word from her mother?” Christine obviously got the message and changed the subject.
Quinn shook her head. “No, and nothing from the private investigator, either.” If his guys didn’t get anywhere, she intended to offer up Evie’s services. Her friend was damn good at her job, even if she wasn’t the top PI firm in Miami.
“What kind of woman abandons a baby and doesn’t check in?” Christine asked, cuddling Jenny closer.
Since there was no answer to that question, Quinn merely shrugged.
“Can I take her into the family room?” Christine asked. “I saw a little blanket and a mobile hanging over it. I’ll lay her down and let her play.”
“Of course. Can I get you a cup of coffee or anything to drink or eat?” Quinn offered.
“I’m fine. You don’t need to wait on me, honey.” Christine rose from the chair with Jenny in her arms. “Come on, baby girl, let’s get to know each other.”
Quinn watched as the capable woman headed off with the baby. Now that Christine was feeling better and able to take care of Jenny, Quinn realized her time there was coming to an
end, and she didn’t like the way that made her feel.
* * *
Austin arrived home to a full house. He unloaded the subs and the bottles of soda, the chips, and the wings he’d picked up from his favorite place at the last minute. He loved Sunday football.
When he’d played, he’d given the sport his all. But now he loved being a watcher and having a stake in the outcomes thanks to the players he agented.
He was glad to see his mom’s car at the top of the drive, letting him know she was feeling better and up to seeing the baby. He hated when his mother got sick, but he didn’t want Quinn to have an excuse to leave.
The bitch of it was, in just a week, he felt comfortable taking care of Jenny. He had the routine down pat, and she didn’t scream at him anymore. Whether or not he wanted to handle her without Quinn was another story.
With the food in the house, everyone pitched in and helped set up. A little while later, Damon’s game was on the big screen, the Miami Thunder playing in New York, and Jaxon’s baseball game was on the smaller screen Austin used for dual games.
The doorbell rang and Austin went to answer it. So did Quinn and they met up in the entry hall.
“I invited my best friend,” she said, reaching for the door and opening it.
“Quinn!” A woman with long almost-dark hair and tanned skin, wearing a Thunder jersey, pulled Quinn into a hug. “Thanks for inviting me.” She stepped inside, her gaze going to Austin. “And this must be the man of the house?”
Quinn grinned. “Evie Wolfe, meet Austin Prescott, my boss and the baby’s father,” she said. Obviously Evie knew the situation Quinn found herself in.
“It’s nice to meet you.” Evie held out her hand and he shook it. “He’s hot,” she said in an overly loud voice.
Quinn’s cheeks flamed red. “Evie, you promised you’d behave,” she chided her friend, then sheepishly glanced at Austin. “Evie speaks her mind.”
Dare to Resist Page 12
