Under the Boardwalk

by Carly Phillips

  Without hesitation, she placed her palm in his and followed him to the elevators that took them back down to the casino. He exchanged money for chips, refusing to accept any cash she offered. “The night’s on me, remember?”

  “I suppose you’ll expect payback later on?” she asked in a deliberately sultry, teasing voice.

  “I’m certain I won’t say no.” He laughed but the sound was strained, his body was so overheated and hard. “So what will it be? Craps, baccarat, blackjack…”

  “Slots?” she whispered, obviously embarrassed by her moderate choice.

  If she expected him to tease her, she was in for disappointment. He merely turned back to the change windows and collected rolls of quarters instead.

  He opened them into a bucket and handed her the large tub. “Let’s go pick a slot machine.”

  He pulled two stools up to her chosen machine, then settled in to watch her in action. Popping one quarter at a time, Ari won some and she lost some, and gained confidence as time wore on. She yelled, cheered, and groaned, and an hour later, she was still almost even. She was a determined gambler, the adrenaline from hoping for that next big hit keeping her parked at the machine, refusing to move.

  “Ready to switch to the tables?” Quinn asked. No matter how much he enjoyed watching her, he was ready for a different kind of action.

  She bit down on her lower lip as the question took on enormous proportions. Finally she shook her head. “Nope. Can’t do it. Can you imagine if I walk away and somebody else sits down and this thing spits out millions?”

  He shot her an amused gaze. “I’d hate to see how competitive you’d be if you actually rolled the dice at the craps tables.”

  She shuddered at the thought. “Oh no. I can see those cigar-smoking men eating me alive.”

  “Honey, they’d love you.” Hell, he was afraid he already did.

  Love her. Stunned by the impact of the thought, he reeled back, leaning against the heavy metal machine. Loving Ari wasn’t part of the equation. Not if he wanted to walk out of this assignment whole.

  “Quinn?”

  It wasn’t the concern in Ari’s voice but the reminder that he was still on assignment that jolted him back to reality. Quinn latched onto the idea of work. Hell, it was as convenient an excuse as any to not deal with his emotions, and he pushed thoughts of his feelings for Ari aside, to be dissected later when he was alone.

  “I got distracted. Let me prove to you that you can handle the tables.” He tugged on her elbow, urging her to make the move, and to help him shift his attention, too.

  She glanced down. Four quarters remained in the machine’s tray. “Just let me have one more try here first.”

  She inserted all four pieces into the machine at once-the first such daring move she’d made all night-then pulled the handle. Without glancing back, she rose and started to walk away from the machine, obviously certain she’d tossed away a dollar.

  The bells, lights, and whistles caught Quinn off guard and he turned. Her machine was glowing with flashing lights and a loud siren as accompaniment.

  He blinked, stunned. “You won!”

  “Who won?” she asked.

  She pivoted toward him and he grabbed her around the waist, spinning her around in midair. “You did!”

  She let out a shriek. “How much did I win?” she asked, oblivious to the fact that she was starting to draw a crowd.

  “I’d say about five thousand dollars. You’re a lucky lady.”

  Damon’s voice killed Quinn’s pleasure and he turned to face the other man. “It’s nothing in comparison to the night’s take,” Quinn said, wanting the boss to leave.

  “Actually it means nothing without the right person to share it with.” Ari came up beside him and placed her hand around his waist, squeezing tight. “Quinn’s been showing me a good time,” she explained to Damon, gazing up at Quinn with adoring eyes.

  But tension radiated from her in waves and he sensed the fact that she was acting. For his benefit, she was following directions and being cozy and nice around Damon even if she wanted to throttle the man.

  “He’s a loyal employee,” Damon said. “I hope you enjoy your winnings.”

  “I wish my sister was here to share them,” she added pointedly.

  Quinn winced. “I was thinking of taking this celebration up to my room,” Quinn said to Ari, opting for a subject change before she could get any deeper into conversation with the man who’d ordered her sister killed.

  “I’ll have a bottle of our finest champagne sent right up,” Damon said. “On the house.”

  “You really are as kind as my mother said.” Ari fluttered her lashes for effect. “Thank you. But I was thinking of going home after this.” She squeezed Quinn’s waist.

  “Sounds like a good plan.” He wasn’t about to argue with her, even if he didn’t know what she had in mind.

  Damon nodded. “Then I’ll make sure a chilled bottle is ready to go with you… as well as your winnings. You can pick everything up at the window.”

  Around them, security guards gathered to escort her to the cashier’s window.

  Damon turned to Quinn. “Remember we’re meeting before I leave to go over the weekend plans?”

  Quinn nodded and Damon took off without looking back.

  Quinn let out a slow exhale. Every day was another day closer to getting this nightmare over with and being able to go home.

  Only one unanswered question remained, Quinn thought, pulling Ari close. What the hell would remain of his life once the end came?

  “Why don’t you want to go upstairs?” he asked, forcing himself to push reality aside in favor of Ari, his ultimate fantasy.

  “You gave me a special night and I don’t just mean winning,” she said, gesturing to the slot machine behind them. Genuine appreciation glowed in her cheeks and sparkled in her eyes. “I want to do the same thing for you, and I want to do it away from here.”

  She leaned so close her cheek nestled perfectly against his. He inhaled, taking in her perfume and her heat. “I can understand you wanting to get away from reminders of Damon.”

  “It’s not for me.” Her hands stole around his waist and she pulled him close. “It’s for you. I want you to have a night away from this place and its tensions. I want you to have a night where you can completely be yourself.” She hugged him tight, her cheek still resting against his.

  And with that innocent gesture, his heart slammed hard against his chest. She understood him in a way no one ever had. She knew, even without his explanation, that the man he was here wasn’t always the man he could be away from the job. Appreciation for her insight and gratitude for her caring overwhelmed him, and a desire that far outweighed the need for sex grew inside him.

  “What do you say?” she asked softly, as if afraid she’d stepped over the line.

  He separated them long enough to gaze into her eyes and stroke her cheek. “I say we go home.”

  • • •

  Nobody had ever told Ari that buying a sexy garment was one heck of a lot different than waltzing out of the bathroom wearing one. Especially when the guy she wanted to impress waited on the other side. And he was probably naked. Magnificently so, and not the least bit insecure about showing off his… assets. Which meant she shouldn’t be either.

  Ariana might worry about what Quinn would think, but Ari wouldn’t. Not anymore than Quinn would be disappointed. Squaring her shoulders, she pushed aside any insecurities and reminded herself he cared for Ari. A lot.

  With that thought in mind, she marched out of the bathroom and into Quinn’s bedroom. He waited in bed, but to her surprise, he’d turned off the overhead lights, leaving one small lamp on, more for mood than vision, while music played softly in the background.

  “Only a confident man would play the Lion King soundtrack at a time like this.”

  “And only a confident woman would model an outfit like that.” He eased himself up against the pillows. The white sheet fell to
his waist, revealing his muscled chest and the dark sprinkling of hair that tapered down low on his abdomen, sexy and inviting.

  “It’s not as easy as you might think.” She forced a laugh as she crossed the carpeted room. His words registered and she forgot all about feeling self-conscious. “What do you mean, modeling the outfit?”

  He patted the mattress and she lowered herself beside him, close enough to see his eyes dilate with a now familiar need. “Do you really think you’re going to have this thing on long enough to consider it any more than a quick modeling opportunity?” He slid one fingertip beneath a single, thin strap. Teasing her, he edged it down her shoulder until it dangled there, evidence of just how easily he could divest her of this expensive but flimsy outfit.

  As he maneuvered closer, his thick erection brushed against her thigh and her insides curled in delicious anticipation. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me how long I’m going to be wearing it?” she asked in an attempt to push him to the edge.

  “You’re playing with fire,” he warned her, his voice low and barely controlled.

  “I’ll take my chances.” Because she wanted to see him lose control.

  His unabashed desire dispelled her worries and allowed her to experiment with the ultimate power her femininity provided. Quinn did that for her. He allowed her to revel in her abilities to affect him and toss any cover or facade out the window. He saw the real woman.

  He’d taught her to begin to see Ari again and to embrace her. From his smile and pleased expression, he obviously knew it, but he didn’t know what else she had in store for him.

  She let her fingertips trail along his skin, taking a direct path to the sheet hovering so temptingly over his stomach. She watched in fascination as the sheet moved, his response to her teasing touch obvious. “Should I put you out of your misery?” she murmured.

  He let out a strained laugh. “Either take me out back and shoot me or have your wicked way with me.” He lifted his arms above his head, sank backward into the pillows, and gave her complete, unfettered access to his body.

  Talk about trust, she thought, and sucked in a shallow breath, concentrating on Quinn and nothing else. She pulled the covers off him, revealing his naked body for viewing.

  He was a pure hard, erect male, yet when she wrapped her hand around his straining shaft, embracing his length and learning every rigid inch of him, she was mesmerized by the silken softness beneath her fingertips. And when her thumb came in contact with moisture, blocking out emotion and feeling was no longer possible. Not when faced with the very essence of Quinn.

  He’d given her so much, she wanted to give back. That decision came easily and she lowered her head, taking him into her mouth. She ran her tongue down his shaft and he let out a groan that reverberated through her. A swell of desire took hold as she worked him, both with her lips and her hands.

  His hips bucked, his body trembled, and suddenly he pulled her upward, flipping her onto her back and coming over her in one deft movement.

  Her breath left her body in a hard whoosh of air. “Pretty slick move,” she managed to say.

  A slight grin tipped up his lips. “I’ve been trained to respond in any situation. And I wanted this to last a lot longer than it would have if you’d continued-” He cut his words off as he sealed his mouth over hers.

  He thrust in his tongue hard, mimicking the action with his hips, his erection tempting against her mound. Moisture slickened between her legs and a distinct heaviness pounded there, too, while above her, Quinn’s body rubbed insistently between her thighs and a low groan rumbled from deep in his throat.

  She shut her eyes, reveling in the knowledge that she’d sent him over the edge, pushing him to take control. And he did. With one easy yank of his hand, he snapped the flimsy strap of her teddy and pushed it down over her breasts, hips, and thighs until she kicked the garment aside. Cool air rushed over her and her nipples puckered harder. She lay naked beneath him, her skin becoming even more sensitized as awareness and anticipation took hold.

  His gaze never leaving hers, he hooked one foot around her ankle and spread her legs wide so she opened before him, vulnerable and ready. Yet there was no one she trusted more than Quinn, with both her body and her mind. And it was her heart, which beat hard in her chest, that she refused to take into the equation.

  “You feel it, don’t you?” Quinn asked, taking her off guard.

  “Feel what?” She was afraid he’d been able to read her mind. Afraid he would ask her things she wasn’t ready to face just yet.

  He brushed her hair off her forehead with a too gentle touch and a lump rose in her throat. Instead of answering, he lowered his head for a soul-searching kiss that culminated with him entering her in a long, deep motion. He filled her in so many ways and she wanted more.

  Bending her legs, she took him deeper, as far as he could reach inside her body. And when he moved, he took his time, sliding in and out, starting slow so she felt every hard, solid inch as her body molded and joined with his. Then just as she began to build toward climax, he started to pump inside her faster, accommodating her need and taking her upward on a high, spiraling ride.

  One she never wanted to end.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Quinn realized he hadn’t used protection at the same time he accepted that he loved Ari. He was still buried deep inside her body, his breath coming in shallow gulps and his weight pinning her to the mattress. Rolling off her was the last thing he wanted to do, but he forced himself to move. No matter how happy his body was, his mind screamed he needed distance.

  He was in love? He nearly snorted aloud. He had finally opened his heart, and who did he choose but a woman who picked up and left the people she cared about too damn easily. Just like the other people in his past.

  “I’ll be right back.” Quinn pushed himself to the edge of the bed.

  “Don’t be long,” she murmured, her fingers trailing over his back.

  “Oh hell.” He could search for some walls to erect to protect himself from her later. Right now he wanted to be with Ari again, he thought, and rolled back into her arms.

  An hour later, they were sharing Ben & Jerry’s ice cream in bed. Dozer lay on the edge of the mattress snoring and Ari was trying to decide what to do with her winnings.

  She licked the spoon, her tongue lapping over the cool steel just as she’d taken him into her mouth earlier. He nearly groaned aloud at the memory.

  “I could put the money in savings,” she said, bringing him back to reality. “Or I could see if my parents need help with the spa.”

  As much as he loved her generous spirit, he wished she’d put herself first for a change. “Would it kill you to splurge a little? Treat yourself to something and put the rest away for a rainy day.”

  She nodded. “Maybe that’s not a bad idea.”

  He persevered. “What would you spend it on? If you could buy anything you wanted, what would you pick?”

  She laughed but he heard an almost desperate longing in the sound. “I couldn’t afford my fantasies. Not even with my winnings.”

  “Let’s hear it.” He pushed himself up against the pillows and rested on one side. “Come on, spill your vices.” He reached over and twirled her hair around his finger.

  He wanted to know what secrets lurked in her heart. What yearnings she refused to admit aloud.

  “It’s nothing I can buy. It’s just a sense of something that I’m looking for.” She closed her eyes and curled into his arms. “I love this house. It’s so cozy and warm.”

  “Same feelings I had the first time I saw it. I bought it at auction and did the renovations myself,” he said, unable to disguise the pride in his voice. “This house was the one thing I splurged on.” Ironic that when he asked Ari what she’d do with her money, her wishes were much the same as his.

  Obviously she needed a place to belong as much as he had.

  Just as obviously they needed each other.

  “You made a good cho
ice. It’s on the beach and you can hear the surf,” she said softly. “I feel good here.”

  Quinn buried his face in her hair. “You do feel good here.” She also felt right here, in his house, among his things, and in his arms.

  He knew better than to trust it would last. She was drowsy and her defenses were down. No doubt she’d feel differently very soon. When she learned the truth about her sister, when he’d finished wrapping up Sam’s foster-care situation and the teenager was settled and Ari no longer worried about where Sam would end up. Then she’d have to decide who she was-Professor Ariana Costas or his Ari.

  Quinn shuddered to imagine which one she’d choose. And he could think of only one thing that might help her decide. “Ari? Are you up to taking a ride?”

  She rolled her head to the side and met his gaze, suddenly more awake-and more wary than before. “A ride? Now? To where?”

  “To see your sister.”

  • • •

  Still trembling inside at the thought of seeing her twin, Ari walked into the garage. She waited as Quinn held open the door to his truck. Once she was settled, he slammed it closed behind her before getting in on the driver’s side.

  He glanced her way, questions in his eyes. “Are you okay?” He placed a hand on her thigh.

  His touch was reassuring, but she fidgeted in her seat anyway. “I’m not sure what to say.”

  “I understand, and I’m sure you’re going to be even more speechless as the night goes on. But Ari…”

  She shivered at the sound of her name on his lips. She liked the familiarity and the intimacy it evoked, especially after the time they’d just shared. And especially now when she needed his support. “Yes?” she asked, swallowing hard.

  “I’m breaking every rule I’ve ever lived by tonight.” He cut off his own words with the sound of the engine turning over as he started the truck.

  Her heart beat harder in her chest. Why was he breaking those all-important rules? Why do it for her? And why now? But she was too afraid to ask, more afraid of the answers.