Love Walks In

by Samantha Chase

  “Keep your hands to yourself,” Aidan chided. “Three of her friends from Arizona are flying in for the weekend. They’ll get one of the bedrooms next door. Then Aunt Rose and Uncle Ryan will have one, Uncle John and Aunt JoAnn will have one, the Hannigans will be over there, and Bobby snagged the last bedroom. It’s a kiddie space and we’ve all gotten a good laugh at that one. Can’t wait for him to get here and see his reaction.”

  “Man, that’s going to be good,” Quinn laughed. “So everyone else is over here? In this house?”

  “Yup. It will be like old times.”

  Quinn groaned. “Oh…good.”

  “What? What’s wrong with that?”

  “I’m sure it’s not a big deal for you—you get to share a room with Zoe. But I’m going to have to share a room again with Riley and Owen. It’s like I’m twelve again.”

  “Actually, you’re sharing a room with Dad.”

  His eyes went wide. “Why?”

  “Riley’s people didn’t want him traveling alone—he’s made the news lately with his plans to take an extended break from singing and the press is hounding him. They’re sending a bodyguard with him.”

  “So the bodyguard gets my space in the room?”

  Aidan nodded. “So you’ll be spooning with Dad.”

  Quinn groaned even louder. “Oh, man, come on! Why me?”

  “Because you’ve always bitched about sharing a room with the twins. Your entire life! So I figured you and Dad would be a better fit. It’s only a couple of nights. You can handle it.”

  “Dad snores.”

  “Trust me, bro, so do you. It’s like a match made in heaven.”

  Turning, Quinn picked up his suitcase and slammed the trunk shut. “Screw you. This sucks. Please tell me there’s at least some beer in the fridge.”

  Aidan nodded. “Go around back. Zoe’s out by the pool, and she’ll give you the grand tour and show you your room—and where the beer is.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “I’m picking up Riley, Owen, and the bodyguard from the airport. They’re landing at one of the smaller ones to try and avoid some of the drama and bypass the press.”

  “Well, just give me a few and I’ll go with you.”

  Aidan shook his head. “It’s going to be tight in my car as it is and I have no idea what kind of luggage any of them are bringing. You hang out here and get settled in. Hugh and Aubrey should be arriving in about an hour, and Dad and Darcy shouldn’t be too far behind.”

  “Fine,” Quinn grumbled. “I’ll stay and be the welcoming committee. Thanks.”

  “It’s that sparkling personality of yours that helped make the decision.” He gave Quinn a friendly pat on the back. “Keep on smiling, sunshine.”

  Quinn cursed a little more colorfully this time and gave his brother the one-finger salute before turning and heading for the house.

  “If this whole situation didn’t suck before, it certainly does now.” He stepped away from his car and made his way toward the gate on the side of the house. Aidan said he’d find Zoe back there. Maybe he could convince her to give him a sofa to sleep on rather than sharing a room with his dad.

  It held little to no appeal.

  Okay, fine, he’d share the room with his father and smile when he was supposed to and be nice to people. It was only three days and there were going to be three single, out-of-town girls here for him to entertain.

  Maybe it wasn’t going to be such a bad weekend after all.

  * * *

  “This is how life was meant to be lived.”

  “You got that right.”

  “Why don’t we live this way?”

  “Because we’re poor and have to work.”

  “Oh yeah. I temporarily forgot about that. Thanks for the reality check.” Anna Hannigan stretched out on her belly on the chaise lounge by the pool and simply sighed with happiness. Her best friend was getting married, she had the weekend off, and the sun was shining. Life didn’t get much better than this.

  “It’s what I do,” Zoe said from her chaise beside her. “Although, all this sun is going to give me a very freckly look soon.”

  Anna raised her head and looked at her friend. “You’ve got on a hat with a brim as wide as a UFO, and we’ve coated you with enough SPF one million to keep you safe. And, might I add, you’re practically in the shade thanks to that giant umbrella.”

  Zoe sighed. “You have no idea what it’s like to be a fair-skinned redhead. I just want to look perfect for tomorrow.”

  “Zoe, you could be freckly, blotchy, and have no makeup on, and you’d still be stunning.”

  “Ha! Clearly you have not seen that look on me before. Trust me. It’s not pretty. And honestly, neither has Aidan. I’m saving it until after the wedding, when it’s too late for him to turn tail and run.”

  “Good plan.” They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes. “I love this.”

  “The beach?”

  “The peace. It’s so quiet and relaxing. I just feel all of the tension of the workweek rolling away.”

  “I thought things would be a little less intense for you since quitting the pub. Real estate isn’t quite the same frantic pace.”

  “No, but it’s a different kind of tension. It’s all on me now, you know? Before, I collected a paycheck whether the pub was busy or dead. Now, I have to earn a commission and that means getting sales. I’m still settling in to the whole thing.”

  “Yeah, I know the feeling. Working essentially for yourself is never easy. But you had saved up enough to carry you through all this in the beginning, right? We went over your budget.”

  “I know and I appreciate you helping me with it.” She paused and then looked at Zoe. “Can you keep a secret?”

  Zoe nodded.

  “Part of me really misses the pub. Maybe…maybe I made a mistake.”

  “Why would you say that? You just got started. It could just be nerves.”

  Anna shook her head. “No, it’s more than that. You see…I didn’t really make the career change for the right reasons.”

  “Uh-oh…”

  “Yeah,” Anna sighed. “I…I wasn’t getting anywhere. I was meeting the same people and doing the same thing day in and day out. I want what you and Aidan have—to be in a relationship, to be in love, to know the rest of my life is just getting started and there’s a future to it that includes a husband and kids and a happily ever after.”

  Zoe was quiet for a moment. “Why didn’t you tell me any of this before? And you think leaving the pub and going into real estate is going to help you achieve that dream?”

  “I don’t know.” Anna shrugged. “But at least I’m getting out and meeting new people. Everyone who came into the pub has pretty much known me my entire life. I was never going to find my future husband there.”

  “Maybe you already know him and you just haven’t realized it yet.”

  Anna made a face. “Please. I think I would know by now. It’s the same old crowd in there, and they all still look at me like I’m the tomboy they knew in high school. They come in and talk sports with me and want to relive a little of their glory days. It’s kind of sad.”

  “Quinn doesn’t do that.”

  “Yeah but…maybe not to all of it. Quinn likes to talk about himself mostly. But at the end of the day, he still sees me as Anna, the girl he grew up with and played baseball with and who kicks his ass at basketball. I’m one of the guys to him.”

  “Maybe because it’s all you let him see.”

  Anna put her head back down and sighed. “There isn’t much more to see. This is who I am.”

  Zoe started to say something but cut herself off. “Um…I’m going to get something to drink. You want something?”

  “Some water would be great.”

  Standing, Zoe took her
oversized hat off and placed it on the back of Anna’s head. “Watch this for me, will you?”

  Anna laughed. “Sure. Whatever.” She wasn’t sure why Zoe tossed the hat on her, but it didn’t matter—she was too relaxed. Wiggling slightly, she got more comfortable and sighed. This was good.

  “Hey, you made it,” Zoe said quietly to Quinn as she approached him. “I didn’t expect you here so early. I figured we’d have to send out the search party to get you.”

  “Yeah, well…I decided to skip work today and head down here and see if you needed help with anything.” He looked past Zoe’s shoulder and spotted someone lying on one of the chaises.

  Zoe followed his gaze. “Well, why don’t you come inside? I was just about to grab a couple of bottles of water and then I can show you your room.”

  Quinn shrugged. “Sure…yeah. Um…is that one of your friends from Arizona? Aidan didn’t mention anyone being here yet.” He took a couple of steps past Zoe, a grin slowly appearing on his face as he appreciated the curvy, half-naked woman on the chaise. She was wearing a tiny blue bikini and was all tanned limbs.

  “Uh…Quinn?” Zoe began.

  “You go and grab the drinks. I’ll go and introduce myself.” He continued to walk.

  Rather than do as he suggested, Zoe followed slowly behind him, anxious to watch what was about to unfold.

  Quinn sat down on the chaise Zoe had vacated and cleared his throat. “Hey,” he said smoothly. “I’m Quinn, Aidan’s brother. Zoe’s going inside to grab some drinks and I thought I’d come over and…”

  Anna turned over, the large, floppy hat falling behind her.

  Quinn quickly stood and stumbled and fell backward over Zoe’s chaise. “Holy shit! Anna?” He slowly came to his feet. “What the hell?”

  She shaded her eyes and gave him a sour look before looking over at Zoe. When Zoe started to come forward, Anna held up a hand to stop her. “I got this.” Once her friend was gone, she returned her focus to Quinn. “Is there a problem?”

  Quinn helplessly looked around and grabbed the towel from Zoe’s chaise and threw it at Anna. “For crying out loud, what are you doing?”

  “Um…sunbathing? Lying out? Getting a tan? Really, take your pick.”

  He straightened the chaise and sat down, but his eyes stayed focused on the ground. “Well, maybe you’ve had enough sun for today and should…you know…put some clothes on.”

  A small laugh escaped before she could help it. It would seem she had finally managed to get Quinn Shaughnessy to notice she was a girl. Well…a woman. Great. It only took her being practically naked for it to happen.

  When she stayed silent, Quinn lifted his head but kept his eyes firmly on hers. “I’m serious, Anna. You need to go and get dressed.”

  It was the tone that did it. Anna was used to him being bossy and condescending most of the time—it was who he was—but right now, all of her good humor and thoughts of teasing him went right out the window. “No,” she said firmly and made herself more comfortable by rolling over onto her back.

  He said her name again. This time it was nearly a growl.

  She turned her head and looked at him. “If you have a problem, maybe you should go inside. I’m staying right here.”

  A stream of curses was his immediate response. “Any minute, my brothers are going to be showing up here. Is this how you want them to see you?”

  Now she reached for her sunglasses that were tucked away under the chaise and put them on. “They’ve all seen me in a bathing suit before, Quinn. Why is this such a big deal?”

  He stood angrily. “Because it is! This…this isn’t a bathing suit,” he stammered, waving his arms over her. “This is indecent!”

  Zoe came sauntering back over with a huge grin on her face. “I know, isn’t it fantastic? Who knew Anna was hiding such a rocking figure under those T-shirts and jeans?” She handed Anna a bottle of water and then a beer to Quinn. “I figured you might appreciate one of these.”

  Quinn took it from her silently and opened it, muttering the whole time under his breath about people being stubborn. He took a long pull of his beer before turning to Zoe. “Would you please tell her to go and put something on before everyone gets here? I mean, she’s being stubborn.”

  “Aidan was here with her earlier and everything was fine. I don’t think anyone’s going to have a problem with her,” Zoe said evenly and gently moved Quinn out of her way so she could resume her position on her own chaise. “Can you hand me my hat, Anna?”

  “No problem,” Anna said sweetly and smiled at Quinn as she picked up the hat and handed it over to Zoe.

  Quinn rolled his eyes and looked around for a place to sit. “At least roll back over. Or put on more sunscreen or…something!”

  “I just got comfortable, Quinn. Now either be quiet, or go away. Go unpack or watch TV or just…stop being annoying.”

  “I’m annoying?” he asked sarcastically. “I ask for one simple request and I’m the one being annoying.” He huffed. “When does your brother get here? I bet he’ll back me up on this.”

  Anna lifted her sunglasses and glared at him. “I wore this exact bathing suit to the beach with Bobby last week. No issues. So why don’t you unclench and…again…go away.” Putting her sunglasses back in place, she wiggled a little—unnecessarily—and got comfortable. Was that a groan she heard coming from Quinn? She smiled to herself.

  “You know, Anna,” Zoe began, “it really has been a while since you’ve put on some sunscreen. You’re probably due.” Then she picked up her phone and began to furiously type something.

  Anna looked at her quizzically.

  Zoe nodded while Quinn wasn’t looking and then nudged her head in his direction with a thumbs-up. “Yeah. I definitely think it’s time. Especially on your back. Your shoulders are getting a little red.” More typing.

  Anna still wasn’t sure what Zoe was up to. “Oh…um. Okay. Can you help me?”

  “Sure, let me just grab…” And then her phone rang. “I really need to get this. Quinn? Can you help Anna? I need to take this inside. Wedding stuff.” And then she was on her feet and walking away.

  If Anna wasn’t mistaken, Quinn was actually blushing. “You don’t have to help me,” she said quickly.

  “No…no,” he grumbled. “It was my suggestion, so…” He came and stood beside her. “I don’t know…roll over or something.”

  She rolled her eyes and did as he requested. Why was he being such a jerk? And why did it only seem to make him more appealing? Clearly she needed to get her head examined. Or get a boyfriend. Or just get some relief from the sexual frustration that was dominating her life right now.

  She’d always been in love with Quinn. Ever since they were kids. She just…she knew. He was the one for her. Her soul mate. The only problem was Quinn didn’t feel the same way. She was his pal. His buddy. There’d never once been anything romantic between them, and if he even suspected how she felt, he’d never let on.

  With a sigh, she relaxed back on her belly with her arms folded under her head. And now, even if he did suddenly notice she was a woman, it still didn’t make a difference. He was still surly and difficult and not impressed. Lying here in next to nothing, rather than making him maybe be a little more charming—like he always got with other girls—he was angry and trying to cover her up.

  Quite the ego boost. Not.

  And then his hands were on her and…oh. Slowly, those big, work-roughened hands started at her ankles and began a journey upward. Oh my…

  She almost wanted to turn and watch him work. With his sandy-blond hair, blue eyes, and rough hands, he was her every dream. All the Shaughnessys had dark hair except for Quinn. It used to bother him, and by the way he normally wore some sort of hat or beanie, Anna could tell it still did. But he wasn’t wearing one now, and with all the sensations he was creating in her, she wanted to
roll over and rake her hands through his hair and pull him down toward her.

  It was never going to happen, but the imagery kept her smiling while he touched her.

  Quinn was completely silent and Anna seemed unable to breathe. She couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe…she could only feel. And, boy oh boy, was Quinn making her feel. His hands skimmed the backs of her knees, and when they hit her thighs and one finger came close to her bottom, she had to stifle a moan of pleasure.

  His hand stopped for a moment as if he realized what he was doing—and what he almost did. Anna almost lifted her head to look at him but thought better of it. And then his hands were on her again—this time on the small of her back. And then upward—circling, rubbing, massaging. She wanted to purr.

  When they hit her shoulders, his motions seemed to slow as he went into what could only be described as a deep tissue massage. All of the tension from a few minutes ago completely faded away as his hands—those magnificent hands—worked on her. On any given day, Anna was all for a good massage, but this was beyond good. It was almost a religious experience. And this time she couldn’t stop herself from purring.

  His hands instantly were gone.

  She didn’t bother to look up. Didn’t bother to question it. No good would come of turning around and seeing the look of horror on his face at her reacting the way she just had to him.

  Idiot.

  Beside her, Quinn cleared his throat and stood, the bottle of sunscreen hitting the ground. “Um…yeah, so…that should do it,” he croaked. “You should be good for now. I’m going to go and find Zoe and get settled in. I’ll see you later.”

  Again, Anna didn’t bother to respond. The man was clearly running away because she had been foolish enough to let her guard down for a minute. She waited until she heard the sliding doors to the house open and then close before she allowed herself to lift her head and look around.

  Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zoe stepping back outside shaking her head. When she got closer, she said, “What did you do to him?”

  “Me? Nothing! I just laid here and let him put sunscreen on me. Why?”

  Zoe laughed as she sat back down. “He ran in the house as if he were on fire and demanded to know which room was his. I offered to show him, but he was already halfway up the stairs yelling for me to just tell him which one!”