by Karin Baine
‘Of course you do,’ she said with a great big grin.
All the signs were pointing to a brother and uncle who took his family duties very seriously even if he didn’t want people to know. He was a loving family man whether he liked it or not. It was the idea of taking on someone else’s which was the sticking point for him, and prevented any notion of a relationship between them.
‘I’ll just nip in and turn on the one in the bedroom so we can hear if he gets up. I’ll be two seconds.’
Quinn took a seat on the sofa to wait for him coming back, fidgeting with the hem of her dress and unable to sit still, thinking about what was going to happen next as if she was waiting for her first kiss.
Things with Matt had gone far beyond that. This would be the only quality time they’d spent together alone and she was afraid it mightn’t live up to the hype of that fevered embrace in the dark corner of the zoo.
He wanted her to stick around. He’d told her there was more to come. Surely the next step they were about to take wasn’t all in her head?
‘Would you like a drink?’ Matt was back, padding into the kitchen.
‘A glass of water would be nice, thanks.’ Suddenly, her tongue was sticking to the roof of her mouth and her hands were clammy. Just what every guy was looking for in a hot date. Not.
She thought of all those other women he’d had here who’d never seen the kitchen. They were probably too busy ripping his clothes off in a frenzy to get to the bedroom to care. She must seem so dull in comparison but she no longer saw herself as sexy, spending her days watching cartoons and washing dirty clothes, lucky if she’d had a chance to brush her hair that morning, so why should she expect a man to?
At least with advance warning she’d be spending the day with Matt, she’d been able to put an effort into her clothes and make-up today. It couldn’t hurt to try and reconnect with her inner sex siren, who’d disappeared under a mountain of paperwork and rejection.
The sofa dipped as Matt sat down next to her and handed her a glass of water. She took a sip and flicked her tongue out to wet her parched lips, fully aware he was watching her every move. He reached up to rub the back of his neck and Quinn seized the opportunity to get physical.
‘Turn around and I’ll give you a quick massage. You’ve earned one after all the carrying you’ve done today.’ She set her glass on the floor and kicked off her shoes so she could kneel on the couch beside him.
‘I probably should have stretched before I started bench pressing dead weights.’ He turned around so she was faced with the solid wall of his back. She bit back the comment about bench pressing her anytime in case that bordered more on the side of desperate and crass rather than sexy and irresistible. This too-long abstinence had really brought out the worst in her.
With trembling hands she kneaded his shoulders, the thick muscle resisting her attempts to manipulate the tissue.
‘Perhaps you should...er...take your shirt off. You’re really knotted up in there.’ Not very subtle and as bold as she dared but he complied nonetheless, shrugging the shirt off over his head.
‘Wow,’ she mouthed as she got to see the impressive physique beneath for the first time in the flesh, albeit from the back. If only she could find the excuse to start massaging the pecs she knew would be on the other side of that muscular frame.
She worked her fingers over his warm skin, smoothing her hand down the length of his spine until she reached the waistband of his jeans. With a sudden burst of bravado, or lust, she slid her hand beneath and reached around until she felt that smooth V of taut skin leading down to...
Matt sucked in a sharp breath and clapped his hand over hers, stopping her pathetic seduction attempt dead in its tracks.
‘I’m sorry...I...’ What? How the hell was she going to pass this off as anything other than a blatant grope?
She rocked back on her heels, contemplating a commando-style roll onto the floor so she could crawl away without having to look him in the eye again, but he had too firm a grip on her wrist.
He spun around so she had no option but to face him. Okay, it wasn’t all bad; she’d got a sneak peek at the goods, but she would need something good to remember anytime she replayed this humiliation in her head. For the record, she was pretty sure they’d used a mould of his chest and abs for those superhero costumes with the fake muscles.
‘You don’t have to try so hard, Quinn.’ He was smiling, not recoiling in disgust, which she took as a good omen.
‘Wh-what do you mean?’ She tossed her hair back, aiming for the nonchalance of a woman who stuck her hand down a man’s pants whenever she felt like it.
‘You don’t have to force this. Let it happen naturally.’ In slow motion he moved closer until his breath whispered on her lips, turning her to a rag doll liable to slip off the furniture in a cascade of molten limbs. She closed her eyes and let nature take its course.
He captured her in a soft kiss, leaned her back against the cushions as he took possession of her. It was true—there was no need for planning or acting out a part she thought she needed to play when chemistry did all the work.
Quinn was lying flat out beneath him, clinging to him, although there was no chance of going anywhere with his weight pinning her down. They were both where they needed to be.
She’d surprised him by taking the lead when, to date, she’d been the one reluctant to let this go further than snatched kisses. It wasn’t unwelcome, parts of him were throbbing with delight, but he’d needed to take back some control. Not of her, or the situation, but of himself.
He was getting too caught up in her and Simon. Although bringing them back here had been more of an intervention than an invitation into his personal life, the result had been the same. They were invading his personal space, and his heart.
He’d raged inside today after Simon had been bullied by those kids, ached for him, and Quinn, who’d had to deal with the fallout. All he’d wanted to do was take some of that pain away, regardless that it meant compromising himself in the process.
If he took his own advice and simply let this thing take its natural course he could find himself saddled with more parental duties he hadn’t asked for. That’s why he needed a clear head, to focus on something other than his own pleasure—Quinn’s.
These big blue eyes peered up at him with such trust and longing it was a test of strength not to take the easy route to instant gratification and sod the consequences. Even though it was killing him, this self-punishment would serve as a reminder to him not to start something he couldn’t finish. Like getting involved with a single mother.
Quinn didn’t have any such reservations as she pulled him ever closer until his chest was crushing hers, her soft mounds rubbing against him and undoing his restraint bit by bit. Eager to feast his eyes on her naked flesh, he slipped the shoestring straps of her dress down her arms and peeled away her strapless bra. Her cherry-peaked breast fit easily into the palm of his hand, so ripe and ready he couldn’t resist a taste. He took her in his mouth and suckled her sweetness.
He shifted his position slightly so the evidence of his arousal wasn’t so uncomfortable for either of them but Quinn tilted her hips so it nestled between her thighs instead. He released her sensitive nub with a groan as his resolve eroded by the second, clearly underestimating the effect she’d have on him even with his trousers firmly buttoned up. A fact which hadn’t gone unnoticed by a partner who was doing her best to address that problem, popping his buttons open one by one.
This woman was driving him crazy and if he wasn’t careful his good intentions would soon give way to lust, a short-term solution to his current predicament but undoubtedly with long-term consequences. He needed to bring this to some sort of conclusion which made her feel good without giving too much of himself in the process.
He inched his hand up her thigh and, with a quick
tug, divested her of her undies. Her giggle as he tossed them onto the floor only spurred him on in his devilment. With a trail of kisses, over her clothes this time, he made his way down the centre of her body and ducked his head under the skirt of her dress.
‘Matt—’ she gasped, her hands immediately lighting atop his head, but she didn’t ask him to stop.
He took his time savouring that first taste of her, teasing his tongue along her folds before parting her to thrust inside her core. She bucked against him, drawing him deeper between her thighs. He cupped her buttocks, holding her in place so he could direct his attention straight to that sweet spot.
He circled that little nub of flesh, sucking and licking his way to heaven until her breathy pants almost brought him to climax too. She tightened around him and he could sense that impending release. Her fingers were digging into his shoulders, her body rising and falling with the clench and release of her inner muscles.
She was slick with arousal, inviting him to join with her on the climb to that final peak but he couldn’t take the chance he’d never want to come back down to earth. He withdrew, only to plunge back inside her again, and again, until she came apart beneath him. It was a shame he couldn’t hear her cries of ecstasy as she slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. There was nothing he wanted more than to hear and see her completely undone, not holding anything back and without a trace of self-consciousness, but he understood why she couldn’t turn off that mothering instinct. When he was long gone, she still had Simon to think about.
He sat back, giving Quinn space to recover as she fought to catch her breath, and a chance to regain his own composure. Not an easy task when her face was flushed, her pupils dilated and she was still half naked.
The lights on the baby monitor flashed, accompanied by the sound of rustling sheets, saving Matt from himself. Simon was stirring and he’d made a vow to get them home the minute that happened. It was his get-out clause before he did something even more stupid than falling for this beautiful woman he’d just ravished on his sofa.
‘I’ll go check on him,’ he told her, keen to get a minute alone to gather his thoughts now both of their worlds had been rocked.
‘Thanks.’ Quinn sat up and adjusted her clothes to cover her nakedness, suddenly bashful. She’d no need to be embarrassed. He was the one who’d screwed up.
Whether he’d given in to temptation or not he’d still fallen for the one woman he couldn’t have. Quinn came as part of a package deal, and although he was fond of Simon, there was every chance her foster brood could expand later on and he wasn’t signing up for that. He hadn’t left his family to move out to London only to have his longed-for independence curtailed by someone else’s children.
He and Quinn were on completely different paths but they couldn’t seem to stop intersecting and complicating things. Something had to give and it sure as hell wasn’t going to be his freedom. Whilst he was treating Simon, cutting off all contact was out of the question, even if he thought he could.
The whole day had been an eye-opener for him but his resistance had been stretched to breaking point for now. If he didn’t get his house guests back to their own home soon, he’d find this slipping into a long-term arrangement and this was supposed to be his time, a new start. He wasn’t going to fall into the same old trap.
Matt McGrory was young, free and single, and that was the way it would stay. He just had to keep chanting that mantra to himself so he’d start believing it, or find someone else to take his place in Quinn and Simon’s affections.
CHAPTER NINE
THE LAST FEW days had passed Quinn by in an out-of-body, did-that-actually-happen? daze.
There had to be a catch somewhere in a man who’d spent the day piggybacking a five-year-old around the zoo, and at night had made her pleasure his sole purpose. At this moment in time she didn’t care what that flaw might be when her body was still glowing from the after-effects of his attentions.
Even now, another delicious shudder rippled through her at the memory of his lips on her. The only problem was, she hadn’t seen the man of the moment since. She’d convinced herself it was because he was so busy at work, too invested to believe what they’d shared could be ignored so easily.
She turned her face away from the patients and staff walking towards her in the hospital corridor in case they read her X-rated thoughts. Her infatuation with the surgeon was probably there on her smiling face for the world to see and she could do without lectures from do-gooders who might take it upon themselves to warn her off a man committed to bachelorhood. They couldn’t tell her anything she hadn’t already told herself.
You’re going to get hurt. He won’t commit.
She didn’t want to hear it when it was all too late anyway. She was in love with Matt and for once she didn’t want to think about the consequences. That day had shown her how important it was for her to take some time for herself and that didn’t always have to include getting naked with Matt, as enjoyable as that had been. The smallest thing such as a chat, a meal or a walk without stressing about Simon’s issues had made her feel lighter than she had in months. A state of mind which would benefit them both.
Simon had been much more content the next morning than usual. The day’s exertions had meant he’d slept through the night, even after Matt had driven them home, and the rarity of his uninterrupted sleep had improved the atmosphere between them.
To date, she hadn’t availed of any outside help to care for her boy. She’d wanted to prove she could manage on her own and turned down any offers of respite care in case it disrupted Simon any further. There was also the fear that it would highlight her inadequacies even more. Now she was beginning to rethink those ideas of extra support.
That was how she’d come to be at the hospital now without her little bundle of curls in tow. He’d been excited when she’d suggested he could spend some time with Mrs Johns, as had her widowed neighbour when she’d broached the subject of babysitting. She was on the list of approved contacts with the authorities as she’d volunteered to help from day one when she found out there’d be a little one in the street. Quinn had only given her name in case she needed someone at a moment’s notice in an emergency but perhaps she and Simon needed to venture beyond the bubble they’d created for themselves since the fire.
No doubt he’d be spoiled and filled to the brim with home-baked goods by the time she returned, but a young boy should have doting elders, playdates and adventures. A grown woman should have coffee mornings, gossip and a love life where possible. It was time to bring some normality back into their lives.
Of course, she’d seen to her other responsibilities before she’d gone in search of the man who’d convinced her she didn’t need to remain celibate in order to be a good mother.
She’d added her voice to the ongoing protest out front for the first shift of the day and she’d had a ball this time with the knowledge that Simon was safe and happy. There was a rush of feel-good endorphins from volunteering her services to a good cause and they didn’t come any greater than trying to save this iconic building from decimation. Perhaps she could make this a regular thing and when Simon went back to school permanently she might think about volunteering somewhere else that might need her help. They were already in the process of rebuilding the school and she would need something to distract her when it was time for him to go back there.
For now, she was collecting personal statements from some of the parents she’d seen coming and going on a regular basis.
‘That’s fantastic. I really appreciate your help,’ she said, adding another paper bullet to the committee’s arsenal of weapons against the board’s decision.
‘Anything I can do to help. We’d be lost without this place and we’ve made so many friends here I can’t imagine starting over somewhere new.’ Mrs Craig’s daughter, Penny, was a regular feature aro
und the Castle’s corridors, an outpatient but still dependent on oxygen at all times. Quinn had heard on the grapevine she was waiting for a life-saving heart transplant.
‘Neither can I.’ She’d spent those first days after the fire praying Simon would pull through, not eating or sleeping until she knew for sure he was going to survive. What Mrs Craig and Penny had been through, still had to go through, didn’t bear thinking about. For her treatment to be transferred elsewhere away from the staff, who’d probably become like family, would be a wrench. Quinn knew how it was to rely on these people, get closer than she should, and how devastating it would be when they were no longer part of her life.
This was exactly the kind of emotional impact the money men didn’t stop to consider when they were cost-cutting and paper shuffling.
‘Are you Simon’s mum?’ The little girl in question wheeled her way in between the two adults, demanding attention, though she was difficult to ignore dressed in her pink tutu anyway.
‘Yes. I’m his foster mum, Quinn. Pleased to meet you.’ She held out her hand to shake on their introduction.
‘I’m Penny and I know everyone here,’ she said matter-of-factly.
‘And quite the celebrity, I believe.’ Quinn gave the mother a knowing smile. All of the kids had their own way of coping with life on the wards but Penny’s integration into the hospital community and her self-confidence was something she envied on Simon’s behalf.
‘Nosy, more like,’ Mrs Craig muttered under her breath.
‘You’re seeing Matt, aren’t you?’ Penny tilted her head to one side to study her.
Quinn’s cheeks were on fire. She hadn’t been able to keep her feelings hidden for long. Goodness knew how he’d react when he saw her again if it was plain enough for a child to see she was mad about him. He probably wouldn’t be renewing any local contracts again soon, that was for sure.
‘Er—’
