by Amy Brent
“Well, remember that property I was telling you about?”
“The one on the edge of town? Sure, I remember.”
“Well, Quinn here has this crazy idea to fix the place up and turn into some sort of motel.”
“Actually, it’ll be a bed and breakfast,” Quinn interrupted, and the sound of her voice shot throw me. It took every ounce of willpower I had not to look at her.
“Is that so? Sounds like a lot of work.”
“Exactly. You know I work at the construction firm in Tolima but I’m swamped right now with a new job sight. You said you’ve worked construction before, right?”
My stomach sank at the implication of his words but like a dumbass, I still opened my mouth and found the truth spilling out.
"Uh, yeah. I worked with a construction crew for about a year and a half but I–.”
“That’s perfect. Just want to make sure at least one person there knows what the hell they’re doing.” Jonah said with a grin, driving in the last nail of my coffin, “So, you’ll help her out?”
I don’t know who was more surprised, me, Quinn, or Jonah when I nodded my head, “Sure.” Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad, “I can help out.” What the fuck am I doing? “I’d be happy to.” That’s it. I’m a dead man.
Chapter 10
Leo
I was still trying to figure out why the hell I’d agreed to any of this as I drove up the long, gravel driveway. I parked my old pick up in front of the sprawling house and looked it over with a dubious expression on my face. What the hell did I get myself into?
The place was even worse than I had expected. The entire front porch had collapsed, blocking the front entryway completely. Even from where I was I could see the way the roof sagged precariously in the middle and way the siding was rotted through. It would all have to be torn down and replaced.
“Hell, Quinn. What did you get both of us into?” Never before had I seen more of a lost cause. Better to just tear the whole thing to the ground and build again. But I’d seen the look of determination in Quinn’s bright green eyes. She wasn’t about to back down. I didn’t admit to myself how much I admired that. Her spirit. Her unwillingness to waver even when things looked bad. And fuck, this looked really bad.
"Maybe the inside isn't as bad as the outside," I muttered to myself as I got out of the truck and headed around to the back. It was the only accessible way in since the front door was blocked off.
I shook my head at the state of the rooms as I continued walking, searching for Quinn. In my head, I rehearsed all the things I was going to say to her. Quinn, you know I would love to help you out but I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to spend any more time together. Your brother made it pretty clear how he feels.
A grimace slid across my face as I stepped over a sodden pile of something I didn't want to look too closely at but smelled atrocious. I kept walking, still thinking of what I would say.
We had fun together, but that’s all it was. I really don’t want to be on the wrong end of Jonah’s temper, and if anything sets him off, it’s men messing around with his little sister.
She’s a grown woman. She can make her own decisions. The last was interjected into my thoughts. They might be true, but that sure as hell not how Jonah saw it, and it was Jonah I was worried about.
We should just stop things now before they go any further. We’ll pretend like we don’t even know each other, and maybe I can even help you out now and then around the place.
I glanced around at the crumbling wallpaper peeling off the hallway walls in long strips all by itself. She could really use the help. I had no idea how the hell Quinn was planning on fixing this place up in six months. Shit, six years still might not be long enough to get rid of that smell. I’d never seen anything in worse shape than this dilapidated old farmhouse.
I was just about to reach out and poke at a suspicious looking spot on the wall when the soft sound of humming hit my ears. I tilted my head to one side, enchanted by the sweet sound and followed it the rest of the way down the hall until I made it to the entrance to the front room and froze.
There she was, down on her knees in short shorts and a loose t-shirt as she tugged at a piece of shag carpeting that looked straight out of the seventies. Her blond hair was pulled up in a bun but tendrils still fell loose to cling to the sweat that soaked her forehead. She was covered in dust from the dirty work but damn if she wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d ever seen.
As if sensing me standing there in the opening, Quinn looked up and as soon as her green gaze met mine bolts of lightning struck through me. I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but then closed it again when no sound came out.
I called myself ten types of fool, but it didn’t stop my feet from moving towards her, almost as if on their own accord. My body knew what it wanted, even if my brain was hollering for me to turn right back around and run in the opposite direction. The rest of me didn’t listen.
I stopped just a barefoot away from where she'd risen up to her knees and watched in silence as she got slowly to her feet, wiping the sweat and dust from her brow as she did. Well, she tried to anyway. More than anything, she just smeared it even worse but I didn't care. Jesus, she was so fucking beautiful, dirt and all.
The tension was so thick in the air around us that I swore I could reach out and feel my fingers pass through it like butter. It made it hard to draw a breath or calm my racing pulse. It made it damned impossible to remember all of the things I’d been meaning to say. Something about staying apart and forgetting what happened between us. Moving on.
Why the hell would I want to move on? The thought skittered through the back of my mind and sure as hell I couldn't come up with a good enough answer to keep me from closing the distance between us. A part of me knew I was making a mistake. Not just because Jonah would skin me alive, but because of other reasons. I never stayed with the same woman long. It wasn't my style. I didn't get attached. It was easier that way. Always had been.
But nothing was easier than leaning forward, closing the distance between us, and kissing her. Quinn’s kiss was a rush that flooded my system. I was an addict and that was my drug of choice. It would have scared the hell out of me if I’d had thought about it, but at the moment I couldn’t think of anything but the softness of her lips and the delicious taste of her as I slid my tongue against hers.
Quinn’s hand grabbed mine and then she was moving away, dragging me with her. I followed in a daze. She didn’t stop, pulling me along with her up the narrow, precarious stairs, stopping every few steps to place another kiss on my lips and took everything she would give me.
We stumbled into a room and I pushed her up against the nearest wall before pulling back enough to meet her eyes. They were like twin green fires, burning me up where I stood.
"We probably shouldn't," I mumbled the words and Quinn nodded in agreement, but her hands never stopped moving as they tugged furiously at the button of my jeans.
“You’re right, we probably shouldn’t.”
It didn’t stop either of us.
***
Quinn
What is it about this man that drives me so crazy? I can’t control myself when I’m around him. It was just a background thought, barely registering past the need that burned through me. That was all I could focus on. It threatened to overwhelm me.
It had only been a few days since we’d spent the night at his apartment but it felt like an eternity since I’d felt Leo’s hard body beneath mind. And on top of mine, and inside mine.
I shrugged off the thought. It didn't matter. I needed him. That was the only thing that I could pay attention to. The all-consuming need for him. It was like an ache deep inside me and I knew that there was only one thing that could satisfy it.
“Leo, help me. I can’t get these damn jeans off. Are they superglued or something?” I muttered the words through panting breaths, struggling with the closure and Leo chuckled warm and deep in h
is throat before reaching down and stilling my trembling hands.
“Slow down a minute, sunshine. I’m not going anywhere.” His whispered words hit me harder than I would have imagined. Because I knew he just meant right then, right there in that moment. But one day, probably sooner rather than later, he would be gone. I shook off the thought. I didn’t want to think about that now. Now, I had more pressing matters to attend to. Like the burning need growing into a wildfire inside me.
I shot him a wicked, hungry look and saw the answering desire in his dark eyes. “I don’t want to slow down. I want it fast and hard. Got it?”
"Yes, Ma'am." Leo said with a grin, "Your wish is my command."
He was kissing me then, hard and fast, just like I had asked and it was just as delicious as I’d known it would be. He pushed my struggling fingers away, quickly popping open the button and sliding down the zipper of his jeans before shrugging his pants and boxers down his hips.
My shorts were next and he made quick work of those too until we were both a tangle of arms and legs, panting breaths and needy moans.
“Now, Leo. I don’t want to wait.”
He didn't either. I could see the strain on his face, in the tightness of his jaw. But he still waited, taking the time to sweep one hand in between my shaking thighs, dipping into my wetness to make sure I was ready for him. We both groaned as one finger slipped easily inside me. He added a second, stretching me, teasing me.
"I swear to god, Leo. I can't wait. Take me right now, right this minute or I'll–." My words cut off with a cry of pleasure as he lifted my legs around his waist and sank deep inside me in one quick movement.
It stole my breath away. The feeling of being completely filled by him. Every inch of his hard cock was as deep as it could go and at that angle, he hit every hypersensitive nerve ending as he pulled back just enough to ram deep once more.
The wall was cool at my back and his hands were rough on my thighs where he held me in place. There was nowhere I could go. All I could do was cling to him and take everything he could give me. Hard and fast, his thick cock slammed inside me, spreading my thighs wide and brushing my clit every time our bodies met. It was everything I needed. It was perfect.
“That’s it, sunshine,” Leo growled harshly against the curve of my neck as his strong body worked in and out of mine. “Take it all. Take every inch of my cock. That’s it. Just like that.”
I could barely hear his words over the sound of my cries but I could feel every wicked syllable against my skin and it had chills racing down my spine straight to my pussy. The chills grew, bigger and bigger, each one rippling over the next as my orgasm tore through me like a summer storm.
It lasted forever, lightning and thunder flashing behind my eyelids as Leo continued to fill me with his cock, feeling the way my body tightened possessively around his, trying to hold him in place as pleasure wracked me.
A sound overhead tried to catch my attention but I was so lost in the sensations Leo had wrought in my body that I didn’t notice until it was too late. A moment later, a pile of loose plaster covered us both as a part of the ceiling above us disintegrated and a cloud of plaster dust filled the room.
We both froze, confusion filling me as my satisfied body warred with my questioning mind. Slowly, Leo pulled back, letting my legs drop to the floor but I had to lean against the wall for a long moment before I was confident I could stand on my own with melting into a pool of jelly on the floor.
I looked around in disbelief at the new hole above our heads and then back at Leo. He looked like a ghost, his hair and face was completely covered in plaster and bits of the stuff clung to his shoulders. I could only imagine how I looked. Probably just as ridiculous.
I could feel the grin breaking across my face at the same time laughter burst from Leo’s mouth. A moment later we were both laughing helplessly until I had to wipe tears from my eyes. It didn’t help that I could feel the dirt and plaster dust smearing across my face.
“You are a mess.” Leo finally said, pulling up his jeans and re-buttoning them before helping me do the same with my shorts. His hand skimmed the skin of my hips as he did, sending another wave of pleasure through my hypersensitive body and I shivered. He noticed. I could tell by the way eyes grew even darker.
"Speak for yourself," I managed to get out, even though my voice was more breathless than I would have liked. I ruffled his dark hair, now white with dust and it sent another cloud of it rustling lose.
“We can’t let Jonah know what’s going on between us,” I said suddenly and Leo let out a deep sigh.
“No, we can’t.”
“I’m serious. He’ll kill you.”
"I know," Leo said simply before leaning forward and giving me a soft kiss. It shook more dust free and we both ended up coughing and laughing again. But in the back of my mind, I was still worried. I knew just exactly how crazy Jonah had been about my previous boyfriends, and none of those had been serious.
What makes you think this is serious, a soft voice whispered in my thoughts by I ignored it as I tried to clean myself off as best as I could, examining the damage we’d just done to the plaster overhead.
It seemed pretty hopeless. Bits of plaster and duster were everywhere but it was fun to try and help clean off Leo. All of him. I was just considering giving it another go, maybe against a different wall when a deep, masculine voice sounded from downstairs. I shared a wide-eyed look with Leo. Oh, hell. So much for keeping us a secret.
Chapter 11
Quinn
Fear spiked through me thick and potent as my shocked gaze met Leo’s.
"Damn it." He whispered, echoing my own thoughts, "Jonah?" He mouthed that last as if the bare mention of his name would be enough to conjure my overbearing brother. I shrugged, unsure. But who else would it be?
“I don’t know, just…” My mind raced for a solution to our sticky situation. “You just stay up here and I’ll go down and see what’s going on. Maybe it’s nothing and I can send him on his way.”
“Alright. Just make it quick. Don’t leave me trapped up here all day.”
We shared one last look before I turned to rush down the stairs. I was braced for the worst. It was Jonah. He’d somehow caught us together and was seconds away from murdering his best friend and then I’d have to help hide the body, that was unless he decided to just kill me right along with Leo.
We both should know better, I got that, but…there was something different about Leo. Something that made him worth the risk. You better hope so, that small, rational part of my brain murmured snidely.
That is really not helping.
Neither is sleeping with your brother’s best friend, even when you know how he’ll react. Even when you know he’s just going to up and leave. He’s practically said as much.
You don’t know that, I shot back. This was ridiculous. Now I was arguing with myself! And what was worse, I was losing.
"Hey! I wasn't expecting you, Jo–." I cut the word off short as I stared in surprise at the ragtag group standing in the front room of the house.
“Quinn! There you are! We were too afraid to explore this death trap– I mean house any further than the main floor.” Lily’s voice reached her from behind the small group and she politely made her way forward before giving me a quick hug before glancing at the crew behind her dubiously.
"Quinn, I'm sure you remember the Brewers, Henry, Luke and that tall one over there is Danny," Lily made the introductions and I nodded to the boys in turn. Of course, I remembered them. They all had the same reddish brown hair and freckles. We all went to high school together. Luke used to have a crush on me but he'd been too terrified by my big brother to ask me to the school dance, even after I told him I wanted to go with him.
I waited a moment for any of those old feelings to come rushing back but none did. It seemed so long ago now as if it was a different lifetime. A tiny flicker compared to the bonfire that rage inside me whenever I
thought about Leo.
“Of course. Hi guys. Thanks for offering to help out.”
“Well, we didn’t exactly offer,” Henry started, shrugging uncomfortably under Lily’s stern glare, “I mean, sure. No problem Quinn. Happy to do anything we can for a friend.”
Lily nodded before continuing. “The vampire clad in all black over there is Charlotte.”
“Call me Char. Everyone does.” The goth-like girl with the nose ring and jet black dyed hair to match her wardrobe shot me a surprisingly cheerful grin and I smiled back.
"And of course you know Finn." Lily's voice faltered nearly imperceptibly as she said his name and I had to fight not to give her a sympathetic look. She'd been friends with Finn Hunter since the eighth grade, but little did he know, to Lily it was much more than friendship. She'd just never found the courage to tell him how she truly felt.
Finn was tall and good looking with a face that screamed ‘nice guy’. I almost shook my head. I never saw the charm but Lily was different. She was nice guy bait. Just not this particular nice guy. The only one she’d ever wanted to give her a second moment’s notice.
“Again, thanks everybody for lending a hand. I’ve already started in this room. I’ve made pretty good progress already–.”
Charlotte interrupted with a dubious look around the great room, “This is progress?”
