by Force, Marie
“What about it?” Mallory asked, breathless.
“I wanted to punch him.”
“We’re just friends!”
“I still wanted to punch him, because he got to be there with you, and I couldn’t be.”
Her legs were feeling decidedly unsteady. “Quinn…”
He parted the two sides of her top and pressed his lips to the skin between her breasts, staying right there for the longest time, seeming to breathe her in. “That was the first time in my life I wanted to punch another guy because he got to be with the woman I wanted.” Looking up at her, he said, “You did that to me from the very beginning.”
Mallory bent to kiss him.
He wrapped his arms around her and fell back on the bed, bringing her with him, gasping when her leg knocked against his.
“Sorry,” she whispered against his lips.
“That was my fault.” Driving his hand into her hair, he brought her back to him for another of the kisses that made her brain cells fry and her body go haywire from an overload of desire. As he kissed her, he turned them so she was on her back and he was looking down at her. “I haven’t done this since I lost my leg.”
“I know.”
“I’m not sure how it’ll go.”
She caressed his face, dragging her thumb over his wounded bottom lip, which didn’t seem to be bothering him. “I don’t care. Your leg is only one part of you. I know it’s all you’re thinking about, but I promise you it doesn’t matter to me.”
“That helps to know.” He helped her out of her shirt and dragged a finger down the front of her, stopping at the clasp that held her bra together. Before he released it, he glanced at her face. “So we’re on the same page here?”
“Same page, same paragraph.”
Smiling, he released the clasp and helped her out of the bra.
She tugged on his shirt. “You’re overdressed for this party.”
“We can’t have that.” Rather than unbutton his dress shirt, he pulled it over his head and tossed it aside. Then he reached for her and drew her into his arms until her breasts were pressed against his chest. “Ah, God, that feels good. You feel good.”
Mallory caressed his back and nuzzled his neck. “So do you.”
“I want to go slow, but I’m not in a slow kind of mood right now.”
“What kind of mood are you in?”
“The fast and furious sort.”
“I can live with that.”
His lips came down on hers while he tugged on the button to her jeans and unzipped her.
She did the same for him, releasing his belt and the button to his khakis.
They pushed and pulled until the most important parts were bare. His pants were wrapped around his thighs, his cock hard against his stomach.
Mallory reached out to stroke him.
“Fuck,” he said on a low growl. “Condom.”
“I’m clean if you are.”
“I am, but are you also protected?”
She nodded. “All good.”
“This is going to be even faster than expected.”
Laughing, Mallory curled her arms around him as he made himself at home on top of her.
He gazed down at her, his fingers brushing the hair back from her face. Tipping his head, he kissed her with a kind of desperation he hadn’t shown her before.
Keeping her hand wrapped around his cock, she guided him to where she wanted him most.
He entered her in increments, giving her time to adjust and accommodate him. The whole time, he watched over her, making sure they were still on the same page. “Good?” he asked.
“So good. Don’t stop.”
Releasing a gruff laugh, he said, “I may never want to stop.”
After that, there were no more words, only intense pleasure that she felt everywhere as he moved inside her, touching off sensations she’d forgotten she was capable of feeling. The exceptionally tight fit ignited every nerve ending she owned.
Mallory smoothed her hands over his back to grip his ass, digging her fingers into the dense flesh as she pulled him deeper into her. She arched her hips into every stroke.
He drew her left nipple into his mouth, sucking on the tight tip as he pushed hard into her, triggering a screaming orgasm that she felt from the top of her head to the soles of her feet and everywhere in between.
“Oh, damn,” he whispered, dropping his head to her shoulder and riding the wave of her release into his own. His fingertips dug into her shoulders as he let himself go before dropping down on top of her.
Her heart pounding and her body tingling, Mallory wrapped her arms around him and held on tight.
“I’m going to want to do that again very soon,” he said.
She smiled, her lips curving against his neck. “Me, too.”
“I’m crushing you.”
“I like it.”
“You like me.”
“You’re okay.”
He took a bite out of her neck, making her squeal. “Admit it. You like me.”
“I wouldn’t be naked in bed with you if I didn’t like you.”
“You like me a lot.”
Mallory snorted with laughter. “You’re full of yourself.”
He pressed his hips against her. “You’re full of me, too.”
“Ha-ha, very funny. How about you get your big self off me so I can finish making our dinner.”
Lifting himself with his strong arms, he kissed her before he withdrew and moved to the side of her. He took hold of her hand and brought it to his lips. “You’re amazing.”
She leaned over to kiss him. “So are you.”
“I have a feeling this could be something big between us. Do you?”
Mallory didn’t hesitate when she said, “I do.”
He surprised her when he gave her hand a tug, throwing her off balance and propelling her right back into his arms. “Well, look at that,” he said, seeming exceptionally pleased with himself.
Before she could protest, he kissed her until she forgot all about dinner.
By the time they got around to eating, it was nearly eleven. Mallory wore his T-shirt, and he had put his pants back on, taking pains to ensure she didn’t see his leg. She hoped that, in time, that wouldn’t be a big deal to him, but she was on his timetable.
“I bet this steak was good five hours ago,” she said, enjoying the view of him in the light of the single candle she’d placed on the table.
“But the potatoes wouldn’t have been as crispy.”
“Very true. I’m actually a much better cook than this meal would indicate.”
“This is the best dinner I’ve had since the last one I had with you.” He sat close enough to lean in for a kiss. “Thanks for cooking for me.”
“You’re welcome.”
“And thanks for letting me stay here.”
“You’re very difficult to have around, but somehow I’ll cope.”
“Gee, thanks.” He took another bite of crispy potato before he put down his fork and sat back in his chair to take a scrutinizing look at her.
“Do I have potato on my face or something?”
Quinn shook his head. “I just like to look at you.” He reached for her hand and linked their fingers. “I meant what I said before.”
“What in particular? Lots of things were said ‘before.’”
“That this could be something amazing—and important. To me, anyway.”
“To me, too. It already is.”
“Why do I feel a gigantic ‘but’ lingering in the midst of it?”
“No buts.”
Raising a brow, he said, “None at all?”
“Not for today or tonight or tomorrow. Beyond that, I don’t know. I’m taking things a day at a time right now until I figure out a plan.”
He rubbed his lips on the back of her hand, and that was all it took to make her want him again. “I hope you’ll keep me informed of your plans.”
“I will. I promise.”
“I’m totally remiss in not asking how the first day at work went before now.”
“It was good. I liked it.”
“Any good calls?”
“Only one today, for an elderly woman who had fallen at home, but Mason said that’s a rare day. We’ll usually get at least two or three calls in a shift before the season begins in earnest, and then it’s anyone’s guess.”
“They must be thrilled to have someone with your level of experience working with them.”
“They are. Mason asked me to do some training for the team, which I’m happy to do.”
“Mason this, Mason that. Are you sure you’re just friends with that big guy?”
“You sound like a jealous boyfriend.”
“Maybe I am.”
“What? Jealous or my boyfriend?”
“Could I be both?”
“Do you want to be?”
“I could live without the jealousy, but I’d love to be your boyfriend.”
“I haven’t had one in a long time.”
“That works out well, because I haven’t been one in a long time.”
“Have you ever been in love?”
“Twice. Once in college and once when I was in medical school and thought I might get married.”
“What happened?”
“The college romance fizzled after we graduated, and the medical school romance fizzled when she married someone else while I was deployed.”
Mallory winced. “Ouch.”
“That was a low point, but I learned a big lesson not to let myself get too involved with anyone, which was the beginning of another low point of too much sex and not enough humanity.”
“I admire the way you talk so freely about your shortcomings. Not a lot of guys will do that, especially badass army trauma surgeons. Usually, there’s more swagger than introspection.”
His eyes sparkled with amusement. “And you’ve known a lot of badass army trauma surgeons?”
“A few here and there.”
“If there’s one thing I’ve learned from AA, it’s humility. I’m a badass in the OR—or I was at one time—but when it comes to life, I’ve been somewhat of a fuckup. I’d like to think that phase is behind me now.”
“No one gets to almost forty without a few hard knocks along the way.”
“True.” He continued to hold her hand and kiss the back of it and basically distract her with only his lips brushing up against her skin. “We ought to do something really cool for our fortieth birthdays. How often do you meet someone who was born on the exact same day as you?”
“Not very often. What would count as something really cool?”
“I don’t know. Like a trip or a big party or… something.”
“You’ll be getting ready to open your facility around the time of our birthday.”
“We could work around that. I’ll make the time. Turning forty is a big deal. It ought to be celebrated.”
“Ugh, do we have to? I’d prefer to forget all about it.”
“One thing that surviving a serious injury teaches you is to enjoy every moment and celebrate the milestones.”
“When you put it that way, forty doesn’t look so bad. Ryan didn’t even make it to thirty, so I guess I shouldn’t complain.”
“Being forty definitely beats the alternative, and besides, if you let me, I’ll hold your hand through it and make it not so bad.”
Mallory looked down at their joined hands and then up at his handsome face to find him gazing at her with true affection. “That’d be nice.”
“See? You do like me. You want to keep me around until August.”
“I never said that,” she replied with a teasing smile.
“Yes, you did.” He yawned dramatically and released her hand to stretch his arms above his head. “I’m exhausted. You’d better get me back to bed, nurse Mallory.”
Rolling her eyes at him, she got up to see to the dishes and cut up the leftover steak for Brutus, who devoured the pieces she put in his bowl. She was standing at the sink when she felt Quinn behind her.
Propped on the crutches, he hooked an arm around her waist and kissed her neck, sending goose bumps down her spine. “Thanks for such a great night.”
“Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Um, I seem to recall you doing a few things.”
His low laugh rumbled through his chest and vibrated against her. He pressed his cock against her back. “I might need you to refresh my memory.”
She would be sore and tired tomorrow, but that didn’t stop her from abandoning the dishes to follow him back to bed.
Chapter 24
The following week, Quinn led Jared and Lizzie on a tour of the now fully renovated building that would open to patients in a few short months. He was finally off the crutches and walking, albeit carefully, on his prosthetic leg again. His stump still hurt, but not like it had at first.
“Everything looks so good,” Lizzie said, taking in the new plaster, paint, tile, crown molding, doors and windows. “Mac and his company did a beautiful job.”
“They certainly did. They were on budget and on schedule.”
“Mac had the incentive of needing to be free and clear by the time the marina opened for the season,” Jared said.
“Where are we with hiring?” Lizzie asked.
“I met with the recruiter last week, as you know, and I’ve offered the director of nursing position to someone we’d be very lucky to have.”
“Anyone we know?” Jared asked.
“Maybe,” he said, smiling as he thought of Mallory. After seven nights in her bed, he hadn’t begun to sate the desire she stirred in him. He told himself the longing he felt for her had no resemblance whatsoever to the past, when he’d been all about the sex and had no regard for the women he did it with.
This was totally different because it was all about her. He didn’t just love sleeping with her—and having sex with her. He also loved their conversations about life and loss and figuring out the way forward when your whole life had been upended. They had far more in common than their birthdays and their alcoholism, and he’d found comfort in being with someone who understood what it was like to stand at a crossroads and not know for certain that you were taking the right path. He liked that they were figuring it out together one day at a time, the way they’d been taught in AA.
“Are you going to tell us, or keep us in suspense?” Lizzie asked.
“I know better than to try to keep you in suspense.”
“You’re learning, bro,” Jared said. “She’s worse than a CSI investigator when someone holds out on her.”
“I suppose that’s better than when he says I’m like a dog with a bone,” Lizzie said with a long-suffering sigh. “Now spill the beans, Quinn.”
He smiled at her feistiness. “I asked Mallory if she’d be interested.”
“Mallory, as in your girlfriend, Mallory, who you are currently living with?” Jared asked.
Quinn wasn’t sure if his brother was expressing approval or disapproval, but he honestly didn’t care either way. “One and the same.”
“She’d be fantastic,” Lizzie said. “I heard she ran the ER at one of the big hospitals in Providence for years.”
“She did,” Quinn confirmed. “Not only does she have management-level nursing experience, but she’s also a medical school graduate and a certified paramedic. In fact, she’s probably overqualified for the job.”
“We can make it worth her while, can’t we, Jared?” Lizzie asked.
“Of course, my love,” he said indulgently. “Whatever you want.”
“Seriously! We can’t let someone like her slip through our fingers.”
“I’ve made the offer, and she’s asked for some time to think about it. She was laid off in May and is still getting her bearings while she works on the rescue for the summer. I’m trying not to push her to decide anything before she’s ready.”
That was true for their per
sonal relationship, as well. In all the time they’d spent together recently, they hadn’t once spoken of what would happen at the end of the summer. He kept thinking they had plenty of time to figure that out, but with every minute—and every night—he spent with her, he wanted more. He wanted to know that what they were building together was more than a summer fling. However, as much as he wanted those answers, he knew better than to push her to make decisions before she was ready.
Patience, he thought. This situation required more patience than he’d ever needed before, except for after he lost his leg and wanted to be back up and at it right away, even if that wasn’t possible. He’d gotten through that and could be patient for her, because that was what she needed, but it wasn’t easy. After so many years on his own, he’d finally found someone who made him not want to be alone anymore, and he wanted to go all in with her.
“How are things going with you two?” Lizzie asked in a deceptively casual tone.
“Careful, bro,” Jared said as he wandered over to check out the view from one of the future patient rooms.
“Hush, Jared. I’m talking to Quinn, not you.”
Jared chuckled under his breath, but they both heard him.
“It’s going well, if you must know. I like her. She likes me. We have fun together.”
“Is that all it is? Summer fun?”
Her question struck at the heart of his insecurities where Mallory was concerned.
“I guess we’ll find out in September, won’t we?”
“Quinn…”
“It’s okay, Lizzie. I’m happy with it the way it is.” For now, he thought. Mallory had been a great help to him at the meeting with the recruiter and had been an excellent sounding board for questions he had afterward. At some point, he’d have to hold her feet to the fire about the job—and what was happening between them. Neither had to happen today or even tomorrow. But he hoped he had answers sooner rather than later in both cases.
Mallory took the stairs to the second floor, where her uncle Kevin had rented office space over the South Harbor Diner to open his psychiatry practice. She’d called to see if he had time to chat since today was one of her days off from the rescue. He’d told her to come right over, which had set off a flurry of nerves. She’d expected to make an appointment for next week, but apparently family had head-of-the-line privileges.