Quin looked up when she entered. “Everything okay?”
She wanted desperately to bury her face in his chest and let him comfort her. But she was too embarrassed to talk about the current situation. Quin had been so vehement in the past about her penchant for rescuing her family and especially Jimmy.
Would the new Quin be any more receptive? His father’s interference hung in the balance, as well. Katie wanted to unburden herself, but was it fair to dump the whole truth on Quin? It was bound to hurt him, or make him angry, or both.
She swallowed her desperation and her disappointment. “Everything is fine. I was thinking it would be fun to go outside for a bit. While we still can.”
He dried his big masculine hands on a dish towel. “Whatever you want, Kat.” How such a simple motion seemed so sexy, she couldn’t say, but she melted inside.
They ended up sitting barefoot on the top step of the front porch, looking for stars. Earlier, on the beach, the sky had been clear all the way to the horizon. Now clouds were already rolling in.
When Quin moved, it took Katie by surprise. He laid her back on the porch so gently she barely noticed the hard boards beneath her back. She cleared her throat. “What are you up to, Quin?”
It was hard to read his expression, but the amusement in his husky voice came through loud and clear. “If you have to ask, I’m probably not doing it right.” He leaned over her and kissed her. “I’m all for modern conveniences, but the idea of making love to you by candlelight during a storm has a definite appeal, my Kat.”
He pressed a second kiss to her throat, right where the shallow dip of her top bared her skin. Then he moved to the shell of her ear, his breath warm and scented with wine.
Katie’s lungs struggled for oxygen. “The storm hasn’t started yet,” she muttered. The stars began moving in dizzying arcs. “Do you even own any candles?” That sound she heard was embarrassing. A cross between a ragged moan and a plea. Definitely her voice, not Quin’s.
He chuckled, though he was breathing awfully hard for a man who was sitting still. Her activewear pants had an elastic waist. Quin’s big hand trespassed beneath the band. His fingers splayed against her stomach. His thumb inched south.
“You can tell me to stop, Kat. I have several good beds inside the house. I could take you in every single one if you like.”
She urged him lower—telepathically—but he didn’t get the hint. “Do you have protection? Here? Outside?”
That frustrating thumb moved another millimeter in the right direction. With his free hand, he delved into his pocket. “Actually, I do.” He waved the strip of packets in the air.
Katie wanted to laugh, but she could barely breathe. “Okay, then.”
He tugged her to her feet. “I want you naked, Kat. There’s no one here to see us but the coyotes and the raccoons.”
Her nerve endings felt both numb and tingly at the same time. Quin wasted no time in dispensing with her shirt and bra. Her pants and undies met the same fate. Suddenly, she found herself bare-assed naked.
While Quin stripped off his own clothes, Katie wrapped her arms around her breasts. He possessed not one ounce of self-consciousness about being nude outdoors. She, on the other hand, felt exposed. As if at any moment a helicopter might hover overhead and pin them down with a giant spotlight.
Quin read her nervousness. “We’re alone, Katie. Relax.”
“I’m trying, believe me.”
He sat down on the top step and patted his knees. “Come here, beautiful woman. Let me hold you.”
At first, she wasn’t exactly sure what he was suggesting. A sexy cuddle? Something more?
He didn’t leave her in suspense. He tugged her ankle. “Straddle me. Before we get serious.”
She gulped inwardly. This wasn’t serious? Moments later, he moved her into position, his erect sex between them in the V of her legs.
Quin smoothed his hands over her bottom, squeezing.
Katie grimaced, though she doubted he noticed. “I could stand to lose a few pounds.”
“Women are so dumb.” He repeated that same motion, caressing her ass, stoking the fire in her abdomen until she squirmed.
“It’s not nice to call me dumb.”
“Then don’t criticize your body again. I happen to like it exactly as it is. Soft and curvy and perfect.”
The utter sincerity in his voice seduced her as surely as his magic touch. Did he really believe that? She was just an ordinary woman.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “What are you thinking about? I can tell when you zone out on me.”
“Sorry.” She slid her fingers through his silky hair, tracing the lines of his skull, playing with his ears. “I was wondering how long you were going to make me wait.”
His breathless laugh held equal parts humor and male satisfaction. “Soon, Kat. Soon.” He leaned back on his hands. “Touch your breasts.”
“Excuse me?” Her sex tightened.
“You heard what I said. Touch your breasts. I want to watch.”
Her mouth gaped. They had never played these kinds of games. Not two years ago, and certainly not since she had come to Maine. Did he think she was too inhibited to meet his challenge?
The night air was cool on her heated skin. The way she was sitting made her feel open. Exposed. Stingingly vulnerable. Already she was hungry for him. Damp. Needy.
Slowly, she lifted her arms and cupped her hands around her breasts. His muffled curse emboldened her. “Like this?”
There was enough ambient light from inside the house for him to see her every move, especially now that their eyes had grown accustomed to the dark. She squeezed and plumped her own curves, deepening the valley between them. With her thumbs, she fondled her own nipples.
Quin sat up abruptly. “That’s enough,” he said gruffly.
“Why? This feels so good.”
He grabbed her wrists and held them away from her body, then leaned in and suckled her breasts one at a time. His teeth raked sensitive flesh. His tongue left her skin sheened with moisture. When the wind picked up, gooseflesh covered her body. The ache in her pelvis deepened to the point of pain.
She struggled. “I want you,” she cried.
Quin cursed and reached for a condom, rolling it on with a single smooth movement that left her in awe of his grace. “You’ve got me, Kat.” He lifted her with two strong arms and settled her onto his erection.
The slide of soft female sheath against hard male shaft was more than she had expected. Every time with Quin was different now. As if they were climbing a scale she couldn’t see. Had it been this good before? Or was the long time they spent apart magnifying her reaction to him?
“Don’t stop,” she whispered. He felt huge inside her. The sensation was incredible.
“You’re in this, too, Kat. Ride me, sweetheart.”
She felt embarrassed at first. What did she know about pleasing a man like Quin? She was not sexually adventurous. But what if she concentrated on pleasing herself?
Slowly she slid upward until their bodies were barely joined. Her bare feet felt chilled on the wooden steps. Any residual heat from the day was gone. Her hands ended up on Quin’s shoulders. For balance.
She could actually hear his labored breathing and feel the rigid strain in his arms. “Now?” she asked, teasing.
He nodded, mute. Palpably desperate.
When she pushed downward, Quin groaned softly.
With her thigh muscles protesting the unaccustomed exercise, she rode him slowly, torturing both of them with the exquisite pleasure. Up and down. Take and retreat.
Why didn’t men and women have sex outdoors more often? This was amazing. She felt free and wild. And though her climax rushed down the pike, she held it off, wanting more of this sweet, wanton experience.
Quin’s hands were everywher
e. Stroking her back. Gripping her butt. Sliding into her hair and dragging her close for hungry kisses.
If she listened hard enough, she could hear past the sounds of their bodies connecting forcefully. In the distance, an owl hooted a mournful cry. The rising wind bent the trees and made a song of branch and twig.
Quin buried his face between her breasts and kissed her curves, over and around, up and down. “Damn, woman. You’re killing me.”
She cupped his face in her hands, trying desperately to read his expression. “What a way to go,” she whispered.
In that instant, she felt a sharp spike of grief. She loved him. Deeply. Irrevocably. What was she going to do with that information?
He shifted his hips and thrust upward, deliberately holding her against the base of his sex. The extra stimulation sent her reeling. Her cry of completion echoed on the breeze. The orgasm went on and on, both terrifying and electrifying. She had no defenses against this. Against him.
Whatever happened would happen. She no longer had the strength to fight the pull he exerted over her emotions, her life.
Quin held her close as she shuddered in his arms. “Will you be okay with me on top, Kat?”
She nodded, lax with pleasure. “What’s a few butt splinters between friends?”
His chuckle was raspy. “That’s my girl.” Carefully, he disengaged their connection and laid her back on the porch once again. With her knees bent, her feet rested on the first step.
Quin moved over her and into her. His guttural moan when he shoved all the way to her cervix made the hair stand up on her arms. She wanted to say something, but her throat had closed, swollen with impossible, careening emotions.
As she held him tightly, he found his own release. His body was beautiful in its power and dominance.
She stroked his hair for hours, it seemed, listening as his galloping heartbeat finally settled back into an ordinary rhythm.
When he finally moved, it was to lift up onto one hand and swipe his face with the other. “Are you cold, Kat?”
She nodded slowly. “Yes. Let’s go to your bed.”
Fourteen
When Quin thought his legs would support him, he stood and held out a hand to Katie. “No need to get dressed. We might as well shower and hit the sack. The next forty-eight hours may be challenging.”
He winced inwardly. What kind of asshat lover discussed the weather after a cataclysm like that?
Despite his clumsy segue, Katie followed his lead. They each gathered up their own clothes. Once they were inside, he locked the front door and set the alarm. When he turned around, Katie was already halfway down the hall, her cute, naked, heart-shaped backside drawing his gaze.
When he entered the bedroom, she bent and took a T-shirt and underwear out of her suitcase. “I’ll shower first,” she said, not meeting his gaze.
Though he had a quip at the ready, his tongue wouldn’t work. His lips couldn’t form the words. He and Katie had moved into some new dimension he didn’t recognize. Maybe it was only the newness of the situation. Tonight was auspicious. His Kat was going to share his bed.
When she exited the bathroom, he strode past her, pretending he didn’t notice the way her casual nightwear made her look like an innocent college girl ready to cuddle with her favorite teddy bear.
The thought of sleeping with her all night and again tomorrow and the next night and the next threw him off balance. What were these odd feelings assailing him? His beautiful home was possibly about to get pounded by a tropical storm. He had finally accepted that his professional skiing career was over. Someone might have tried to kill his father and Quin both.
As he examined his current life, there was damned little to be glad about. Yet here he was, grinning inside, because the woman he wanted was climbing into his king-size bed.
His shower was hot and quick. He toweled off, inhaling the scent of Katie in his bathroom. When he was dry, he wrapped another towel around his hips. No sense in tempting fate by waltzing out of the bathroom naked. He and Katie had been up early and had a very long day. He would let her sleep... If he could.
When he returned to the bedroom, all the lights were off except for the two small bedside lamps that cast a cozy but narrow glow. Katie was propped up against the headboard with a pile of pillows, reading a paperback novel. Mystery? Romance? Grisly police procedural? He couldn’t be sure, because she slipped it under the sheet.
“That was fast,” she said, her smile shy.
He shrugged, dropped the towel and climbed into bed. “I didn’t want to waste any time getting back to my best girl.”
She rolled her eyes. “Are we going to the sock hop after we stop at the soda fountain?”
“Don’t make fun of me.” He dragged her closer and kissed her slowly, smiling when she melted against him.
Her arms went around his neck. “Are we really having sex again?” Her yawn was either genuine or for effect. He couldn’t tell.
“Fix your pillows, woman. We’re going to sleep.”
She gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”
When they were both settled under the covers, he spooned her. His yawn was definitely the real deal. “This is nice, Kat.”
“Ditto, Quin.”
The last thing he remembered was Katie lacing her fingers with his and sighing as they both crashed into unconsciousness.
* * *
Quin jerked awake at 5:00 a.m., sickly certain that something was wrong. He reached for his phone, rolled away from Katie so the screen wouldn’t disturb her and checked the weather. His heart sank and fear dug claws into his gut. He wasn’t worried about himself, but he couldn’t let anything happen to Katie, not when she had come to Maine so cheerfully to be of service to the Stone family in general and Quin in particular.
Despite his careful silence, his movements in the bed must have disturbed her. She raised up on one elbow and shoved the hair out of her face. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
He set the phone aside. “Go back to sleep. We’ll deal with it in the morning.”
Fortunately, Katie was too tired to argue. In moments, she was breathing deeply again. Quin wasn’t so lucky.
Eventually, exhaustion claimed him, despite his unease.
When morning finally dawned, he slid out of bed, threw on sweatpants and padded to the living room. Might as well use the TV while they still had it. Soon, the outside world would be a mystery.
The news was about as bad as it could be for the Pine Tree State. Hurricanes always lost power over these colder waters, but Tropical Storm Figaro was bearing down on coastal Maine with a vengeance. It had picked up speed during the night, wreaking havoc all over the mid-Atlantic seaboard and getting ready to pound southern New England.
Katie appeared in the doorway. She crossed the room and curled up in his lap. “How long do we have?” she asked.
She still smelled like his bed, her body warm and cuddly in his embrace. His arm tightened around her. “Hard to say. We’ll probably get hit with the worst of it around midnight, give or take.”
“I hate having storms at night. It’s not so scary in the daytime. I want to see what’s coming for me.”
He grinned. “Don’t tell me you want to stand out on the rocky overlook and let the spray wash over you?”
“If I had a guarantee that I wouldn’t get hurt, I would love to experience a storm like that. The power and the fury of Mother Nature. It has a certain appeal.”
“You’re a crazy woman. I like it.” He picked up the remote and silenced the TV. “No sense in depressing ourselves. We might as well carry on as usual until dinnertime.”
“I agree.” She stood and stretched. “I’m very close to finishing two time-sensitive reports. I’d feel a lot better if I got those done.”
“Sounds good. When you’re finished, how about filling all the bathtubs with wate
r. And the sinks, too. We can boil water later, but we’ll need a supply. I’m going to make sure I haven’t missed anything outside. All the vehicles are in the garage. I found a spot for yours, too. And don’t forget to charge your devices.”
Katie wrinkled her nose. “This is really happening, isn’t it?”
When Katie disappeared to get dressed, Quin called Farrell. “Where are you, buddy?”
His older brother sounded stressed. “I’m still in Portland. Zach is, too. We shut down the plant and the office building this morning. Sent everyone home. It’s too late for us to come north now. I hired a local guy to head up to my place and Zachary’s and do basic storm prep.”
Quin frowned, though Farrell couldn’t see the grimace. “I’d have been happy to handle that for both of you.”
“I know. But you’re supposed to be taking it easy for a little bit longer. I’m sure you’re tied up with taking care of your own place. Did Katie decide to go home?”
Quin felt his face heat. He’d never even contemplated that. “No,” he said. “She’s still here.”
Long silence. Farrell sighed. “Tell her to call me, and I’ll stop by her condo this afternoon.”
“You and Zachary hunker down.”
“You, too. I don’t imagine cell service will survive. We’ll check on you when we can. Love you, bro.”
“Same here.”
“Quin?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s the story with Katie? I’d like to have my A.A. back sooner than later. Please don’t screw with her.”
“I’m guessing you don’t mean that literally.”
Farrell muttered a curse. “I didn’t, but I do now. Be smart about this, man. Katie is important to Stone River Outdoors.”
“She’s important to me, too.” Quin sat down hard on the arm of the sofa. Saying those words had him feeling a little dizzy and a lot queasy. He wasn’t ill. But he sure as hell was confused.
“I’ve never heard you say that about any woman,” Farrell said, his tone a combination of shock and concern.
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