She stared up at him as his hand rubbed across the spot on his chest she’d poked. His eyes were still darkened with pain. She didn’t want to hurt him. She didn’t want to see him upset. She only wanted to…to…
What?
Fix what was wrong between them? Heck, figure out what was even wrong between them? Curl her arms around him and draw him close? Even with the lingering fear of his death from her stupid dream? He shouldn’t be asking about personal things. She only talked about personal things when she wanted to. She didn’t like having to defend herself, her friendships, or…holy smoly—her feelings. She was a mess. And she hated that Quinn was the only man that had ever affected her this way and had completely knocked her out of her comfort zone. And from the looks of Quinn’s strained expression, she was doing the same thing to him.
What had they done to reach other?
Her hands came up to her face. She was completely unprepared for all these feelings. All these doubts and questions. These were things she wasn’t supposed to have in a casual relationship.
“I’m sorry, Piper.” His voice settled her. His hands stroked down both her arms as he knelt. “I didn’t mean to…”
The sharp intake of his breath made her fling open her eyes. The uncertainty floating in his wounded gaze pulled at her. Deeply. Painfully.
“I’ve never felt like this before,” he continued. “And I don’t know what do with these feelings.”
He had feelings he didn’t understand, too? At least she wasn’t suffering alone. Not that that made her feel any better. She didn’t want either of them to be suffering. They should be focused on the physical aspect of their relationship and nothing else. There shouldn’t be anything else to worry about. No strings.
She groaned inwardly. They had strings. Lots and lots of strings. Over the past few weeks Quinn had wound himself in her life in a safe and shocking way. And because of that, Piper had tossed out a few her own strings around Quinn. And now the strings were getting tighter. More real. Exactly what she didn’t want.
“There’s nothing for you to be jealous of, Quinn.”
Brow furrowed, he drew his bottom lip into his mouth. “There is, Piper. And I didn’t realize it until recently. And it’s more than jealously. When Maddie died, I spent a great deal of time figuring out if I would ever want anyone else in my life. I knew from the start I would never marry again, but I needed to know if there could be something special with someone again. Someone to love.”
Cheese and crackers, she did not need to hear anymore. Her hand flew up. “Don’t. Please don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
Don’t tell me you love me because you’ll ruin everything. Tell me you want to go back to having fun and great sex. No emotions. No strings.
“You promised…” Was all she could say, voice shaking.
His grin was unsure. “I know what I promised you, Piper. And I’m going to keep that promise.”
Thank chocolate.
“But because I haven’t felt this way about anyone in a long time, I need to cope with certain things I’m not used to. Seeing you with other men—happy with them—is driving me nuts.”
“I told you—”
His fingers to her lips silenced her. “I know. But there’s history there. I can see it in your eyes. Along with all those other people you spoke with on the way up here. You are different with them, Piper. Free. And it hurt me because you told me aren’t like that with anyone. I want you to be like that with me.”
She eyed him carefully, digesting his words. Keeping her voice level, she tried her best to make him understand. “Quinn, these people deal with death daily. They know the pain of others. Many of them have felt immense pain themselves. We all shared a kindred connection that no one will understand. We can be open and free with each other because we know how cruel life is. How quickly the end can and does come. There are no pretenses with us. No years of learning about each other’s families or lives. All we have is this. Death, Quinn. We have death. And that makes us one.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “And Mitch?”
“Our history is a little more complicated. His father and my father were good friends. They almost went into business together until Mitch’s dad got sick.” She looked quickly up to the ceiling, willing the tears to stay away. “His dad died, then mine died, and we were there for each other, in the way that only morticians can be.”
“But…” His eyes searched her face. “You showed them all such compassion. That same compassion I’ve been telling you you’ve been missing from your life. The one you hide away—even from me.”
“It’s not compassion, Quinn.”
He frowned. “Then what is it?”
“Understanding. Acceptance.”
He drew in a slow breath through his nose. Did he get it?
“Piper, you have shown me different sides of you. I have seen firsthand the Business Piper and the Caring Piper.” His shoulder lifted. “I think there is more compassion to what you’re saying than you think. I thought I had all of what you had to offer and I don’t think I do. Now I want to see that Piper with me, too.”
“Oh.” She drew back, thoughts spinning. He wanted her to accept him? How? Understand him at a deeper level? Why? Her stomach dropped.
You would have to let your feelings for him be known.
Was that what he was asking? If it was, he was asking far too much.
Without seeming to nervous, she gave him a soft smile. “How about this. Why don’t you observe me around these people over the next several days and see if you don’t change your mind? You might come to the conclusion that we’re all mad, you know.”
His grin was slow. “I doubt it. But okay.” His fingers danced up her thigh. “So are we okay now?”
“Yeah.”
His hand swept under her shirt.
A fire grew in her belly. She bit the inside of her lip. “Should we eat, rest, or put together our presentation thing?”
Readjusting, his long, lean body came closer to her. His words brushed her cheek. “I think you should let me touch you for a while, then we can go from there.” Nibbling her neck, he pulled her tight against him. Her legs were spread apart and his hard length was pressed directly at her core.
Who cared that she had issues with her tangled emotions at the moment? As his fingers splayed across her back, toying with the clasp on her bra, Piper didn’t care about anything else. She cared about Quinn, his unnerving comfort and care of her. And she loved the way he made her feel like she was his with no more than a touch, a look, a simple taste. It was something she could get used to. Someone that made her feel safer than she’d ever felt.
Which was something very, very dangerous.
But as his lips traveled across her neck and up her cheek, all thoughts of how scary close they were getting were swept aside by tingling sensations all over her skin. Her thoughts shattered when his lips met hers. All Piper could do was hold Quinn tight, knowing she was in trouble, but not really caring at the moment.
Chapter Nineteen
“Rise and shine, sleepyhead.” Quinn kissed her forehead.
She blinked, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “It’s too early.”
“You’re the one who kept us up all night.” Another kiss, this time at the corner of her eye. And he couldn’t stop his hands from wandering across her bare stomach, teasing the underside of her breasts.
“If you keep that up, we’ll never leave the room,” she murmured, playfully pushing his hands away.
“If that’s what you want.” That would be fine with him. He was still very concerned about what he would learn about Piper on this little trip. Her words the night before had comforted him slightly, but he could tell she was still hiding. Hiding the truth, even from herself.
“I’d like that,” Piper replied, sitting up in bed. Her hair was wild around her face, and she wasn’t the least bit shy that her breasts were on display.
Quinn’s
eyes swept over her once, and then again. He moved in.
“Wait.” She held up a hand, glancing at the clock. “Registration starts in forty-five minutes and opening ceremonies are right after that.” Shoving herself off the bed, she gave him a wink over her shoulder. Her entire naked backside was visible to him. He suppressed a groan. “And we don’t want to be late.”
Refocusing, Quinn hopped out of bed. “Can we go over the presentation for the foundation one more time?” He wasn’t nervous, he wanted to make sure all the i’s were dotted and the t’s were crossed. They’d gotten a little sidetracked the night before, and it was obvious they still had some things between them that caused some friction, but Quinn would do his best to smooth his side over. And he could help Piper smooth hers so long as she let him.
“Sure.” Piper sauntered across the room, hips swinging beautifully. “Let me shower, then you can, then we’ll have a bit of time.”
He rushed toward her. With her taught body pressed to his, he was hard in two seconds flat. “How about we shower together, saving time?”
“I don’t think that will save any time,” she countered.
“It will if I promise to behave.”
Her brow arched. “Do you?” Her grin was infectious.
He swept her off her feet. “Yes, ma’am.”
<<<<>>>>>
Quinn didn’t behave as well as he’d hoped and they were twenty minutes late leaving for registration. Judging by the color in Piper’s cheeks and her glittering eyes, she didn’t mind one bit.
“We still need to go over the foundation stuff,” Quinn said as he led her to the elevator.
Piper shook her head, a look of bemusement sweeping across her delicate features. “Let’s see. I’ve arranged for us to head three breakout sessions. Starting tomorrow, one every day for three days. I was surprised I was even able to do that. I really figured they wouldn’t have any room anywhere for us.”
He tugged her close. “You’re persuasive.”
“I think that’s you.”
He chuckled, kissing her cheek as they stepped into the elevator. “True.”
“Are you comfortable with the outline I gave you? I mean, for your speaking part. Did you want to go over that really quick?”
Jabbing the button for the lobby, he shook his head. “No, I think I’m good. It’s pretty cut-and-dry, really. I tell everyone the history of the foundation, the mission, how we have helped people so far, and most importantly, how we want to expand the original vision—with their help.”
She touched his nose, sending shocks to all the right places. “And you’ll do it all with your charm.”
God, he loved hearing her talk, especially when she was like this: easy, playful, and carefree.
“Yes,” he agreed, “although I do save the best of my charm for you.” Her cheeks reddened. Man, he wished he had the rest of the day to explore the rest of the color on her touchable skin.
She cleared her throat. “And after that, I’ll go into the details about how the foundation can help their business. While we all strive to provide the best service, sometimes we lose money when people decide they can’t afford certain things. Either we lose the business altogether or like me, we do something drastic so someone can afford the funeral they want for a loved one. So what they’ll be doing, if they work with the foundation, is serving those who served our country and maintaining their bottom line. It’s a win-win.”
“And Grandpa will get what he always wanted; the foundation growing and helping those who need additional help.”
Piper’s brow drew together as the door slid open on the ground floor. “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there? When I spoke to George, I could tell that he has a vision.”
Quinn took her hand and led her through the lobby. “Yes, there’s more to it than that.”
“I’d like to learn more about it.”
Quinn almost stopped, wondering where this sudden interest in his family and the foundation came from. He was used to Piper closing herself off and not really wanting to know personal details that would draw them closer together. Then again, she’d told him about her parents and the boy named Steven, right? Surely she was making progress with him. Letting him see sides of her that no one had ever gotten to see. That thought suddenly made his heart swell. Perhaps the whole love thing would be possible, after all. Quinn was dying to tell her how he felt.
And the more she learned about him, the foundation, and his family, the more he thought she was letting herself feel. And for Quinn, being next to her at this conference, learning about her and the many layers she had, would only strengthen the way he felt. Hope blossomed in his chest, and he suddenly wasn’t afraid of falling in love with this bewildering and beautiful woman. He could see the flicker of hope at the end of their journey.
Before walking into the registration area, Quinn drew her in for a quick, lasting kiss. “I’d tell you anything you want to know.”
<<<<>>>>>
After registering, getting their badges and itineraries, and sitting through the opening ceremonies in a large auditorium, Piper watched Quinn in wonder as he navigated this new world full of people who dealt with death every day. She’d been worried about him fitting in, but she shouldn’t have been. He was so easy with people, amazingly capable of reaching them on a personal level, and before she knew it, they were sharing their life stories.
As they meandered through the booths and displays showcasing everything from airline cargo rates to printing services, caskets to autopsy services, Piper quickly realized that although she knew most of these people, she didn’t know the half of what Quinn was learning in a few moments.
The thought bothered her. She’d told Quinn the night before that she shared kinship with these people. That she understood them on a level that no one did because of what they did. That was why she seemed different to Quinn around them. Because she felt like she fit in. Like she belonged. Suddenly that didn’t seem like the case.
“Piper!”
She stopped at the Torrent’s Cremation Services booth at the shout of her name. Quinn bumped into her.
His hand came to rest on the center of her back. “Duty calls,” he whispered.
Smiling, she spun about, coming face to face with Bud, proprietor of the business.
“Bud,” Piper acknowledged, giving him a friendly handshake and genuine smile. “How’s business?”
Bud Torrent rubbed a hand over his thinning gray hair. “Good, good. It’d be better, though, if you let me install the newest model in your establishment.”
Piper laughed. “No. Sorry. Like I’ve said a million times before, there’s no room. Not to mention I don’t want the hassle of having to get certified for cremation services or hiring someone who is. I like to keep what I do small, but personal. All that other stuff is but a phone call away.”
Bud’s chubby face folded into a frown, but humor still lit his brown eyes. “I’ll never get you to change your set-up, will I?”
She gave him a soft smile. “Of course not. Dad built it the way he wanted it, and I intend to keep it that way.”
Bud finally recognized Quinn standing to her side. “New employee?” he asked, the confusion on his face evident. “You’ve never brought anyone to one of these shindigs.”
Quinn took it in stride and chuckled, holding out his hand. “Macy Quinn Oliver,” he said, his voice that wonderful timbre that Piper loved so much. “I’m not Piper’s employee. I came more as a business associate.”
Bud’s fluffy brow rose as he shook Quinn’s hand. “Eh? Business associate?” His eyes narrowed in on Piper. “I thought you said you wanted to keep things the way they were?”
Piper shook her head, amused. “It’s not like that, Bud. Quinn’s Grandpa has a foundation—Warriors with a Cause—that helps injured veterans with medical services, counseling, and other help not fully provided by the VA once they return home. More recently, they expanded the foundation to include the costs of burial service
s for veterans and their spouses.”
“Ah.” A quick grin split the aging man’s face. “Sounds like a wonderful idea. But the VA pays veteran death benefits, right? For the spouse, too. I knew someone who received them a long time ago.”
“That’s right,” Quinn answered, dropping his hand. “The VA pays a substantial amount only if the person is buried in a National Cemetery. But when my grandma passed away, my grandpa discovered that most National Cemeteries are closed, which greatly increases the cost for the surviving spouse. In those cases, Grandpa saw a need for supplementing the benefits veterans and their spouses receive to have a proper—and affordable—burial.”
“Oh, I see! Excellent. And are you here with a booth to spread the word?”
“No, we are talking about the foundation through some of the breakout sessions,” Piper answered.
“When are they? I didn’t see anything like that on the original itinerary.”
“It was a late addition,” Piper assured him. “The first one is tomorrow at one, and the other two will be the following two days at the same time. In one of the break-out rooms.”
“I’ll be there,” Bud answered. “Can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“Grandpa would love your enthusiasm,” Quinn added, smiling. “I hope everyone else does as well. We hope to spread the word so more people benefit.”
“This is the perfect place to get the information out,” Bud said. “This organization has needed something different like this for a long time. I’ll tell everyone I see. It’ll help business and cut down on those awkward moments when people realize they can only afford to have their loved ones turned to ashes.” He laughed. “Not that I’m complaining. That’s good for my business.”
Piper glanced at Quinn, wondering how well he would take jokes about death. From his amused expression, he took it well.
Until Next Time Page 23