She took a sip of a martini, shrugging. “The ocean’s as beautiful as always.”
“You know that’s not what I’m asking.”
Sydney sighed. “What I think is that you’ll screw this up, just like you do everything else in your personal life.” She tipped her head to the side. “But Brad and Janie have a real chance.”
Quinn rubbed a hand across his face, watching as the last piece of sun sank into the ocean. “I think I love her.”
Sydney snorted. “You don’t know what love is.”
Knowing Sydney never said anything just to talk, Quinn gave consideration to her statement. He did know what love was. He loved his family. He loved Shadow. Once upon a time, he’d loved painting. Now, he loved finding ways to save the resort money and make it better.
“This is different,” he said softly. “She’s different. Sometimes when she walks into a room and smiles, I feel like an electrical jolt has zapped into my body and more of her company is the only thing that will keep me going. I get so involved in work, and then I’ll look up and see the picture of her I have on my computer screen and smile.”
“So, you’re infatuated. Didn’t you feel the same with Camille?”
“Never.”
She turned her head quickly, staring at him wide-eyed. “Never?”
“Mom and Dad wanted grandkids. Camille said she loved me.” Quinn leaned his head back and closed his eyes. “I had just made a decision to give up on my dreams because no one else wanted Dad’s job. I didn’t really care about anything for a while. Least of all who I slept with or married. Mom and Dad liked Camille. I figured if she made the family happy, I’d learn to be happy too.”
“Oh, Quinn.” Sydney’s hand rested against his arm. “You’re a damn idiot.”
“I know.”
She chuckled. “Well, for the record, I like Larissa a lot. She’s perfect for you. So sweet.”
“And spicy.”
“Gross.” Sydney shoved him, making his chair tip dangerously. “I don’t need details.”
Quinn grinned as he got the chair under control. It was always fun to shock his pragmatic sister. “It was just an observation.”
“Well, here’s my observation—if you want to keep her, you need to figure out how to make her the most important thing in your life.” Sydney stood, downing the last of her drink. “Dad told me you refused to bring her to dinner tonight at first. Working long hours in your office is not the key to making a woman fall in love.”
***
“Dinner was delicious,” Larissa said while helping Susan McCallister load the dishwasher. It still surprised her that Quinn’s parents weren’t inside a mansion with a full staff to do their cooking and cleaning. John and Susan reminded her a lot of her own parents, actually.
Susan handed over the stack of plates she’d rinsed off. “Do you like to cook?”
“Well... I’m no good at it,” Larissa admitted. “My mom’s a fabulous cook, but I’m best with a microwave.”
“You and Quinn will starve then.” Susan smiled. “He doesn’t cook either. It’s a good thing you live in paradise. Meals are available for you in Shane’s kitchen, and you never have to worry.”
“That’s certainly a plus. Shane does a great job with the restaurant.” Larissa finished loading in the last of the plates and looked around for something else to do. She wasn’t sure she wanted to have this talk with Quinn’s mother, because it sounded like Susan wanted to find out how serious things were, whether Larissa was planning on being domestic with her son.
The entire McCallister family acted as though it was a done deal—she and Quinn were a couple and Larissa would be around full time. Over the course of the evening, however, Larissa began to wonder how much of Quinn’s desire to date her was because his family expected it.
Brad didn’t have near the pressure applied on him for his relationship with Janie. While everyone was nice to Janie, they didn’t talk about the future.
Quinn’s life was a different story. Several times, someone asked when they could expect to hear wedding bells from Quinn and Larissa. Each time, Quinn had gone quiet and Larissa begged off answering, pointing out that they hadn’t known each other all that long.
It was uncomfortable, to say the least. However, Larissa was sure they thought they were doing a great job welcoming her to the family. Parker had even refrained from being his usual flirty self, a sure sign he now expected her to be Quinn’s for keeps.
Was this what it was like for Quinn when he dated Camille? No wonder he felt forced into marriage. Larissa didn’t want to be his next ex-wife.
She leaned against the counter, taking a deep breath. “I think Quinn has too much pressure placed on him.”
Susan dried out the sink with a clean towel, and although Larissa watched her face closely, the older woman didn’t show signs of anger at Larissa’s outburst.
“Quinn’s a good man,” Susan said after a few seconds, “but he takes too much on himself.”
“What do you mean?”
“We mentioned the fact that someone needed to take over the business when John retires, and none of the kids offered to do it.” Susan placed the towel across the divider in the sink and then looked at Larissa. “We planned to ask one of the cousins or find someone business minded to run things, and Quinn became upset. He said he would take the job. He threw himself into learning everything John knows, and he never looked back. I know he does love his new job, but I worry. He had plans to be an artist, and now he doesn’t paint at all. He needs to find balance in his life.”
Larissa didn’t need her boyfriend’s mother hating her, but she didn’t understand what they were thinking, trying to manage Quinn’s life like they did. “Forcing him into a relationship he might not want is your idea of getting him balanced?”
Susan frowned. “You think my son doesn’t want to be with you?”
“I’m not sure. What I do know is that he never loved Camille. He thought she was what you wanted for him.”
“And you don’t want us forcing him to be with you.”
Larissa nodded.
“That’s fair,” Susan said, surprising Larissa. “Can I ask you a question, though?”
Like she could say no. “Sure.”
“Do you love my son?”
Larissa stared at the floor. Did she? Some days, things were so perfect between them and all she wanted was more time with him. Other days, she was left confused and hurt, wondering if Quinn was using her to make his family happy when he pushed her to the side in favor of work. However, that wasn’t Susan’s question. Susan didn’t want to know what Larissa thought Quinn felt. She wanted to know Larissa’s feelings.
“Quinn and I haven’t known each other very long,” she replied, using her standard answer.
“Doesn’t matter,” Susan said. “John proposed to me one week after we met. We were married a month later. Love doesn’t follow a timeline, dear. You know your own heart. Do you love him?”
Larissa blinked rapidly, suddenly fighting tears. “I am in love with him, but I don’t think we’ll work. He’s married to this business, and I want a partner, not a paycheck with an occasional conjugal visit.”
Susan sighed and wrapped Larissa in a tight embrace. “That’s what I was afraid of. Even Camille, who was just after our money and lifestyle and never really loved Quinn, couldn’t handle his obsessions with the business after a while. He’s too dedicated.”
Larissa sniffled, feeling like her heart would break. Quinn’s mother agreed with all Larissa’s fears. Quinn didn’t care enough about her to cut back at work. It was obvious her nightly fantasies about him realizing she was more important than anything else and sweeping her in a whirlwind romance would never happen.
“I can’t settle for less than I deserve, Susan.”
Sighing, Susan pulled away. “No matter how right I think you are for Quinn, I wouldn’t want you to.”
Chapter Nineteen
Quinn drove Larissa toward he
r apartment along the dirt road, worried about her silence. She seemed different than she’d been. Thoughtful. It didn’t give Quinn a good vibe.
“Everything okay over there?”
“I’m not sure,” she said, so softly he almost didn’t hear her. She shifted in her seat to face him. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
Even though Sydney had a point about him making time for Larissa, he had too much to do. He’d already lost several hours by attending the dinner party.
“I had planned to go to sleep early. I have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”
“Fine.”
She sounded like it was anything but fine.
“Come on, beautiful. Don’t be angry. Once I get this deal settled, I’ll be all yours. It’s important that I get the numbers figured out on this green energy situation before the company comes out to install stuff.”
“I understand.”
Quinn reached across to hold her hand, but she pulled away. Maybe his family was right. Considering his father and sister both warned him he’d lose her if he didn’t make some changes, it might be a good idea to think about it.
At the fork in the road between the employee housing and his hotel, Quinn turned the car sharply.
Larissa’s head jerked toward him. “What are you doing?”
“You’ve never been for a moonlit walk on my beach,” he said. “Now that my leg’s getting better, I think it’s time we went for one.”
He held his breath, wondering if she’d argue and make him take her home, now that she was angry. To his relief, she relaxed into her seat and stared out the front windshield.
Although she didn’t speak again the rest of the drive, the atmosphere in the car felt considerably lighter. He’d done the right thing. It was lucky his family had hounded him about it. He could have so easily made the wrong decision.
After parking in his usual spot, Quinn hurried to her side of the car and opened the door. He got a grin for his trouble, and decided it couldn’t hurt to step up the romance.
He bowed over her hand, kissing the back of it. “Did I tell you how wonderful you look tonight, by the way?”
She climbed out of the car. “Actually, you didn’t.”
Damn. He was a bloody idiot. Quinn had been so frustrated about his father all but commanding him to attend the dinner party that he didn’t get into the spirit of why John wanted him to attend. The whole point was to romance Larissa, Quinn had just been too stupid to realize it.
“What a huge mistake on my part,” he said. “There has never been a more beautiful woman in all the world.”
She chuckled and bumped her hip against his. “That’s laying it on a bit thick, don’t you think?”
“No.” He pushed her against the car and tipped her chin to face him, really looking at her for the first time that night. “I think you’re perfect, Larissa, and I haven’t taken the time to make sure you know that.”
He leaned down, seeking her mouth, needing her to understand how much he cared about her. Work was important, and he had a hard time figuring out how to juggle a personal life when he had a deadline looming, but he didn’t want to lose her.
She sighed into his mouth and her body molded against his while she returned the kiss.
The taste of her, the feel of her, everything about her drove Quinn crazy. When she surrendered herself to him like that, it made his heart pound with anticipation and his groin tighten with desire.
He ran his hands through her hair, pushing his hips against hers as he drove her back against the warm metal behind them.
Her hands slid down his back and she squeezed his ass, giggling into his mouth. “I do love this rear end,” she murmured. “Does this mean I get to work on it tonight after all? I’m itching to give you a special massage.”
That surprising statement bumped his libido a notch higher. Since they returned home and she’d been massaging him every day to heal his leg, she’d never teased about giving him an erotic massage—likely not wanting to bring up bad memories of their first meeting. It was encouraging that she did so now.
He pulled away and nodded. “You can give me whatever you want, all night long. I just want to be with you.” He took her hand, leading her out to the beach access path. “I need to apologize first, and I hope you’ll forgive me.”
“Apologize? For what?” She didn’t sound as shocked as her words might suggest. She knew full well what he needed to apologize for, but he’d tell her anyway.
“For using you as a massage therapist to heal my leg, a playmate for my bed, and then sending you to your own room every night and ignoring you while I work.” Shit. Saying it aloud like that, he really did sound like an asshole. He sighed and squeezed her fingers gently. “I didn’t realize that’s how I was treating you, but I don’t want you thinking that you aren’t special.”
“Did your mom...?” She shook her head and stared out at the water.
Quinn stayed silent as he stood beside her, listening to the waves crash against the beach and watching the moonlight play against the surface of it. No one else was on the beach tonight, which suited him just fine. There were clouds in the distance, but it wasn’t supposed to rain until morning. They had time to enjoy being together with no interruptions, and Quinn hoped that could start to make things up to Larissa. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that he’d hurt her with the way he’d acted.
He bent to take his shoes off and Larissa did the same. Quinn stacked them neatly next to the path leading back to the hotel and then set off across the sand at a leisurely pace that was easy on his leg.
“What makes you think Mom said anything to me?” he asked after they had walked for a while. He needed to get everything out into the open so he could make things right with her.
“She and I spoke tonight,” Larissa answered. “I told her my worries about being with you.”
“And you told her I’d been a complete jerk who was only concerned with himself?”
“Not exactly. It hasn’t been quite that bad.”
Well, that was good. He hadn’t stepped over the point of no return, at least.
“However,” Larissa continued, “I did tell her I wanted a partner, not someone who cares more about work than he does about me.”
That didn’t surprise him. He’d known from the beginning Larissa wouldn’t settle for anything less. “I’m trying to be better about that.”
“Really?” Her wide eyes looked black in the moonlight, but the skepticism was clear in her gaze. “If this is you trying, then we’ll never work.”
She may as well have stabbed him, as much as her words hurt. “Am I not worth waiting for, while I figure things out?”
“Am I not worth figuring them out quickly for?” she countered.
What did she expect from him? It wasn’t as though he didn’t realize he’d been a jerk, but he had responsibilities.
They had made it to the secluded inlet Quinn liked to sit at during odd moments when he had free time. Stone formed a half circle about eight feet in diameter, soft sand filling the middle of the space. Even when other people walked the beach, he felt secluded and private inside this spot. It was his second favorite place on the entire island, and one of the reasons he kept living at the same hotel.
He led Larissa inside the sheltering rocks and swept away sand that had coated the best rock to sit on. He sat down and leaned against the stone wall, patting his good leg for her to sit on.
She folded her arms and stared at him, not making any moves to sit. “Well?”
She wasn’t going to let it slide. He had to answer. “It’s complicated,” he said. “Yes, you’re worth it, but I have more to think about than just what I want. My whole family depends on me to do right by them and keep this resort functional. My time is not always my own. Can’t you understand that?”
She nodded once. “Thanks for an honest answer.” She uncrossed her arms, sitting carefully in his lap and turning to snuggle her face into his neck. “I do understand t
hat, Quinn, but you aren’t the only man who works on this island. Your dad managed to run things and raise a family. Did he spend all his time away from you guys?”
Her hot breath caressing his skin made it hard to think about her questions. What was it about Larissa that always made him horny? It was time to be serious, but all he could think about was unzipping his pants, slipping up her dress, and making love to her right here next to the ocean.
“Dad was around on weekends,” he managed to answer. “But during the week we hardly saw him.”
“Fine. I’m willing to start with a compromise. Take weekends off to spend them with me and during the week, I’ll be patient.”
“It’s not that simple, and you know it.” His voice came out harsher than he intended, but he drove forward with his point. “You have massage clients on weekends so you can’t always be with me, and I have too much going on right now to take any time off. I missed a few days when we first got back from the waterfall, and I’m playing catch up. Once this deal is done, I’ll try to take one day off a week. Fair?”
“You’ll try?” She pulled away from the hollow of his neck, and Quinn was surprised to see tears on her cheeks. “One day a week is not nearly enough time with the man I love, and you can’t even promise me that one day!”
The man she loved? Time stopped for a fraction of a second, and Quinn forgot how to breathe. He knew he was falling for her, but he had no idea she felt the same way. As traditional as she seemed to be about love, and as much as her ex hurt her, he figured it would take months of courtship to win her heart. Besides that, he’d done a piss poor job of courtship so far.
“If you love me, Larissa, give me more time.” He hated the pleading tone in his voice, but she needed to know how important this was to him. “I truly want to be with you, but I have to finish this Project Green deal first. I don’t have an option.”
Her lower lip quivered, but she didn’t say what he longed to hear. She didn’t tell him to take the time he needed.
He ran his thumb down her cheek, wiping away the tear streak. “Please, Larissa. Wait for me to get this done. I need you in my life. I love you, too.”
Happy Endings Page 14
