After Hours Seduction (The Men 0f Stone River Book 1)

by Janice Maynard

  “Why this one?” Quin asked quietly.

  She shot him a watery smile. “When I was eight years old, I desperately wanted to take piano lessons. But my parents were barely getting by. I didn’t even get a maybe from either one of them. A friend of our family, down the street, owned a piano. She let me peck around sometimes after school, but she didn’t really know how to play. The instrument had belonged to her grandmother, so our friend kept it for sentimental reasons. It was scarred and out of tune, but to me it was magical.”

  “And the Renoir? Two Young Girls at the Piano?” He pulled her close.

  Katie rested her head on his shoulder, inhaling his familiar scent. Was it possible for a man as wealthy as Quin to understand a child’s vulnerability and yearning? Could a man who bought paintings or pianos as easily as a pack of gum recognize a woman’s deep need to have dreams?

  She sighed. “That same neighbor made a trip to New York one summer. She sent me a postcard of this painting. I still have it.”

  * * *

  Quin often stared danger in the face. Every time he stood at the apex of a black diamond slope, his adrenaline surged and his heart raced. He was braced for any and all eventualities.

  Today felt oddly the same but terrifyingly different. Spending so much time with Katie in a nonsexual setting these past three weeks had caused him to see her through a different lens. She was a beautiful, sexy woman. That, he had known before. Known it and been terribly disappointed when she walked away for reasons he still didn’t quite understand.

  Maybe that was the problem. He had been blinded by lust in the past—too hungry for her to see or understand that Katie was a woman of many facets. Because he hadn’t known how to get close to her, he’d used his money to woo her.

  But what he felt now was not as easily explained as lust. She had become more real and multidimensional to him. Katie was a fascinating, complicated woman. He wanted her in his life, and he liked making her happy. Could one person even do that for another?

  “We should go,” he said gruffly. “If you want to see the Tiffany exhibit.”

  Katie glanced at her watch. “Oh gosh, yes.”

  Even though she agreed, he sensed her reluctance to leave the Renoir behind.

  “We could stop by again tomorrow,” he said.

  “No.” She shook her head as they returned to the main floor. “I knew I would only scratch the surface. I’ll come back one day.”

  After a quick blitz through the incredible stained glass creations of Louis Tiffany, they grabbed a cab and rushed back to the hotel. In the elevator, Katie was subdued, her gaze downcast. He wanted to know what she was thinking. Memories of the kiss they had shared earlier kept him jittery and hungry. Would anything happen tonight?

  He could press the issue. Katie wanted him.

  But he was ruefully aware that she didn’t want to want him. The distinction was tough on a man’s ego.

  In the hallway outside their rooms, he put a finger beneath her chin and locked his gaze with hers. “It’s your decision,” he said quietly. “But I want you tonight. Think about it. We’re good together. Nothing that feels so damn fantastic could be wrong.”

  She didn’t exactly answer him. And he hadn’t exactly asked a question. They were each dancing around a conundrum.

  Instead, she took her keycard from her purse. “What time do I need to be ready?”

  “We’re meeting the guys in the theater district at six. But it will be rush hour, so we need to allow forty-five minutes at least.”

  “So five fifteen?”

  “That’s about it.”

  She unlocked her door and bumped it open with one hip. “Today was fun. Thank you for taking me to the museum.”

  “And the shopping?” He couldn’t resist teasing her.

  Katie shook her head, her expression wry. “That was mostly for your benefit, I think. But yes, it was enjoyable.”

  “Lukewarm praise.”

  “I’ll text you when I’m ready.”

  “I could wash your back,” he offered. Even the lighthearted joke made his sex lift and swell.

  Katie went up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Behave yourself, Quinten Stone. Some itches are best left unscratched.”

  After her pointed dismissal, he sulked in his room for half an hour, and then had to take the quickest shower on record. That and shaving left him little time to wrestle with his tuxedo and bow tie. It was probably too hot to get geared up in this monkey suit, but he wanted to give Katie the whole night-on-the-town experience.

  When he was ready, he glanced in the mirror. His customary tan was paler than most summers. The man in the reflection had spent far too much time indoors recently.

  Three more weeks of taking it easy. The prospect frustrated the hell out of him. He was in New York. Three airports at his disposal. He could be on a flight to Chamonix or Megeve tomorrow afternoon.

  If he was careful, he could fly under the radar when it came to the pro circuit. Try a few green and blue slopes. Test out his new hardware with no one watching.

  Two things stopped him. Number one, he had promised Farrell and Zachary that he would follow the doctor’s orders this time. And two, he didn’t want to give up the next three weeks with Katie.

  It was possible he was setting himself up for a second painful rejection. Taking Katie to bed was risky. Especially since he hadn’t a clue what went on inside that fascinating brain of hers. But he had to take the chance.

  When he knocked on her door a short while later, he shifted from one foot to the other, restless and unsettled. Why the hell had he agreed to meet his brothers for dinner? He should have locked Katie in his hotel room and kept her entertained until morning.

  Without warning, the door swung inward, and suddenly he was staring at a vision. A sexy, mouthwatering vision.

  “You look amazing,” he said hoarsely. He was gobsmacked and trying hard not to show it.

  “Thank you.” Her smile was almost shy, as if she were on the way to prom and he was her high school date.

  Her dress, however, was not prom material. It sizzled with sexual innuendo sewn into every thread. Hell, he was pretty sure Katie was naked underneath that dress Katiya had procured. In addition to being slashed to her navel in front and halfway down her back, the black gown was slit up one leg, tantalizingly high on her slender, toned thigh.

  “We could stay in tonight,” he said, deadly serious.

  “I want to see the musical.” Her brown eyes danced with humor. “And have dinner with your family. And enjoy Times Square after dark. Staying home would be boring.”

  He danced his mouth over hers, half-desperate, but waiting for a signal that she was receptive. “Not the way you and I would do it.”

  Katie blushed to her hairline and returned the kiss for a good thirty seconds, her lips soft beneath his. She broke free, panting. “I could be persuaded,” she said. “But don’t, Quin. Please. We’re all dressed up, and I want to have fun. Not in bed,” she said quickly.

  “Spoilsport.”

  He tamped down his hunger and tried to think about something other than the shape of Katie’s breasts beneath the silky black fabric. Her beaded nipples were easily visible. What was a man supposed to do? Look the other way? Wear a blindfold?

  Oops. Bad choice. Now he was seeing Katie in his bed playing the dominatrix.

  More than one male head turned as they made their way through the lobby to the car. The restaurant where they were meeting Farrell and Zachary was on the way to Midtown. It was old and filled with dark colors and leather seating and the heads of long-dead trophy animals high on the walls. Three decades ago, it would also have been filled with cigar smoke. In the twenty-first century, though, the ambience had changed. One of the city’s finest chefs reigned over the award-winning kitchen.

  Quin focused his gaze on the snarled t
raffic outside his window and tried not to fixate on the way Katie’s cute knee and smooth thigh peeked through the slit in her dress. His throat was dry. His sex was hard as stone, aching. He’d always been a leg man.

  A few moments ago, she had taken out a tiny cosmetic bag to repair her lipstick. The quick, feminine movements made him want to kiss her all over again.

  What would it take to get her into his bed tonight? He knew Katie wanted him. He would kneel at her feet if he thought it would work. How could either of them resist this gnawing attraction any longer? It was like trying to ignore the tsunami rushing toward the beach.

  At last, they pulled up in front of their destination. The doorman rushed to open Katie’s side of the car and was rewarded with a sensual, unwittingly teasing dance as she exited. The poor man nearly swallowed his tongue.

  Quin slid across the seat and followed her out. He started to take her arm, but touching her right now would be courting disaster. His control was iffy. Instead, he turned to tip the driver and tried not to think about dragging Katie beneath him in a huge soft bed and taking her over and over until morning.

  Fortunately for Quin, Farrell and Zachary beat them to the restaurant. Both men shook Katie’s hand, and Farrell even gave her a quick little hug. He and Katie were tight.

  The maître d’ showed them to their reserved spot. Quin took a seat at Katie’s right elbow. Their knees bumped underneath the table. She shot him a look that sent heat straight to his groin. “I’m starving,” she said.

  Seven

  Katie was enjoying herself, and the evening had barely started. Quin’s mood was brooding and dangerous. Sexual need hovered just beneath the surface of his debonair exterior.

  In his classic tux, he looked every inch the wealthy businessman. She wanted to gobble him up, though that was a clichéd way to describe her need to get naked with him.

  His brothers were both impressive male specimens, but Katie couldn’t take her eyes off Quin. He exuded confidence and a rakish virility that made her breath catch in her throat.

  Was it something as simple as pheromones? She’d been telling the truth when she said he wasn’t her soulmate. But Lord help her, he was gorgeous enough to make any woman reckless.

  Moments later, Zachary and Quin spotted a mutual acquaintance at the bar. They excused themselves and strode across the crowded restaurant, their shoulders broad and eerily similar.

  Farrell leaned forward, his expression harried. “I know I said six weeks, but please come back to work Monday. We’re drowning without you.”

  “I’m pretty sure you’re not serious,” Katie said, laughing. “But your flattery is much appreciated.”

  “It’s not flattery if it’s true. You run the R & D department so well, I’ve always been able to concentrate on design. Now I’m having to put out fires, too. I swear I’m giving you a raise when you get back.”

  “It’s nice to be needed. Job security and all that.”

  Farrell sat back in his chair, his amusement fading. “How’s it going? You can tell me the truth. My brother can be a pain in the ass. Has he been kind to you? Considerate?”

  She flashed back to that moment on a hot New York sidewalk earlier today. When she had felt the press of Quin’s erection against her abdomen as they kissed. “Yes, of course,” she insisted, her face heating. “Everything is going well. We’ll be completely caught up when I come back to Portland.”

  “Any signs of possible espionage?”

  “We’ve come across a few odd glitches in numbers. Nothing definitive. Most of it can be written off as random errors. So far, there’s no proof that anything out of the ordinary is going on.”

  “Good. Maybe we’re all being paranoid. And what about my baby brother’s mental state? I know he’s not chatty about his feelings, physical or otherwise, but I’m hoping he’s climbed out of that dark place he wallowed in after the skiing accident. Quin thinks anyone can do anything if they only try hard enough. That’s not always true.”

  “I know. He mentions skiing. Now and again. I’m not a mind reader, though. A man that intense won’t give up his dreams lightly.”

  “My brother is a good guy,” Farrell said. “The car accident was a tragedy in more ways than one.” He hesitated. “I know Quin can be blunt and stubborn and cantankerous. If you ever find yourself feeling uncomfortable or you simply decide you’ve had enough, call me and I’ll get you out of there, no questions asked.”

  “Farrell—”

  He stopped her. “No, I’m serious. I’ve felt guilty about you ever since Zachary and I cooked up the plan to make our lives easier. We dropped you in the middle of the woods with a man you barely know. You’re far away from your friends and your family. I’m sorry about all of it.”

  “Farrell,” she said quietly, glancing over her shoulder to make sure the other two brothers were still occupied.

  “Yes?” He leaned forward, perhaps sensing her need for privacy.

  “Quin and I dated two years ago. We were lovers,” she clarified. No need to dance around the issue. “Neither of us wanted gossip at work, so we kept the relationship under wraps. It ended abruptly about six months before your father died.”

  Farrell’s eyes widened as a look of discomfort washed over his face. “Oh hell. It’s even worse than I thought. We sent you into exile with a man who dumped you? These last three weeks must have been terribly uncomfortable. I’m so sorry, Katie. You’re a team player for sure, but I never would have asked this of you if I had known. Why didn’t you say something?”

  “Um, actually, I was the one to break it off, not Quin.”

  Farrell’s jaw dropped. “You dumped him?”

  Katie frowned. “Yes. Is that so hard to believe? I know your brother is irresistible to the female sex, but you can’t honestly tell me I’m the first one to walk away.”

  “I don’t know,” Farrell said slowly. “You might actually be.”

  “Oh, come on.” Katie stared at him. “Quin’s not great with opening up emotionally. I imagine other girlfriends have been frustrated by that.”

  “Those zeros in his bank account cover a multitude of sins.”

  She blinked. “Wow. That’s a cold, cynical outlook.”

  Farrell shrugged. “It’s true.”

  “So no one goes out with you and Zachary and Quin for your glowing personalities and sex appeal?”

  “Let’s just say it’s not the first reason.”

  “Sucks to be you,” she said. “Why don’t you give it all away and see what happens?”

  Farrell chuckled. “We’re lonely, not stupid.”

  Just then, Quin and Zachary returned.

  “Please don’t tell your brothers what we talked about,” Katie whispered urgently.

  “What did we miss?” Zach asked, sitting down and flipping his napkin over his lap.

  “I want to thank you again for the Hamilton tickets,” Katie said. “I’m so excited I can hardly stand it, but I really am sorry your girlfriend couldn’t go with you tonight.”

  Zach’s quick smile was charming and carried a lot of voltage. “Not to worry. I’ve already seen the show twice, and the lady...” He paused and shrugged. “No great loss. You and my brother will love it.”

  The waiter arrived and took their orders. Shortly after, the same older gentleman returned to pour wine and deliver the appetizers. The conversation picked up again. Quin wanted to know about the day’s meeting. While the three brothers discussed SRO business, Katie excused herself and went to the ladies’ room.

  The décor had been preserved as midcentury modern. Katie perched on a stool and repaired her lipstick. Being with the Stone men all at one time was certainly fun. But it kept a woman on her toes.

  She stared at herself in the mirror. What did she really want? Quin had booked two rooms at the hotel. He wouldn’t insist if she wanted to sleep alone.
The conversation with Farrell had only solidified her doubts.

  Two years ago, her breakup with Quin had been excruciating, even though it had been her decision. It had taken her months to get over the loss. Nothing she had seen in Quin recently told her he had changed. Was she being a fool?

  This was like the time she’d tried to give up sugar, cold turkey. She’d made it an entire six weeks. Then, on a very difficult day when was feeling low, she had eaten a Hershey’s bar, and the sugar cravings came rushing back.

  Deciding to sleep with Quin would alter her life once again. She knew it deep in her gut. Did she want a brief, exhilarating physical affair if it meant more heartbreak in the near future?

  Did she want a relationship with a man who was so besotted with skiing that he almost killed himself? The Quin who was her lover two years ago had been selfish in many ways. Driven. Unable to look beyond the moment. He’d been impulsive and wildly passionate.

  Life with that Quin had been exhilarating to a point. But he had never understood her. Or maybe they had never understood each other.

  She frowned at her reflection. Though it had taken patience and a few cusswords, she had finally gotten her hair to cooperate in an elegant French twist. With the expensive new dress and the more dramatic makeup, she didn’t look out of place in this world.

  But she was. Her menu at dinner tonight hadn’t listed any prices. She’d heard of such a thing, but she’d never actually seen it in person.

  This was a climate where money didn’t matter. Well, it mattered, duh. But not in the way it mattered in Katie’s world—where a broken washing machine or a flat tire or an unexpected car repair could send families into a serious downward financial spiral.

  That was the world she had grown up in. Those were the people she knew and loved. With her extremely good job at Stone River Outdoors, she had gradually shifted away from her community in one way. She now had a savings account and a 401(k) and fantastic health insurance.