The touch of her fingertips moving down over his pecs and lower made him groan. His fingers gripped her thigh then glided up into her core, causing a tremor to rocket through her body. She shuddered as he stroked her, exploring her wet warmth.
She curled her fingers around him.
“Oh, God, Susie,” he moaned.
She smiled at the affectionate nickname but kept her hand in place, sliding it up and down. She squealed as he pushed two fingers into her. “Oh! Quinn, please,” she begged, her eyes closing, her breath coming quickly, her hips moving in rhythm with his fingers pumping in and out.
“You ready already?” His eyes widened as his gaze sought hers.
“Please…yes…do it…,” she whispered.
He closed his hand under her knee and raised her leg as he mounted her. “Protected?” She shook her head. Quickly he opened the drawer in the nightstand and extracted a condom. He covered himself then resumed the position. “Want me now?”
“Yes!”
He chuckled as he positioned himself outside her, and then plunged in. Both lovers groaned when they were joined. Quinn kissed her lips, thrusting his tongue into her welcoming mouth. Her arms held him to her tightly as his hips achieved a steady beat. He turned his head and kissed the inside of her knee.
“Susie, my God, you’re…oh…God,” he muttered, his eyes closing.
Her fingernails dug into his back as excitement grew inside her, swirling through her body. Her back arched, heat of passion took over, pushing her to the edge. “Quinn…I…” He increased his pace.
“Do it, baby. Let go,” he whispered.
The white heat of her desire burst into tiny fragments, like fiery little stars shooting through her, bringing pleasure and release. Her body shuddered as she gripped him with all her strength. Her lips clamped down on his shoulder.
“My God,” he murmured as his hips moved faster and faster, rocking him to and fro. Sweat broke out on his forehead and back. His mouth closed over hers for a second before it ripped away to utter sounds of pure ecstasy and relief. He groaned loudly when he thrust one last time and stopped moving. Heavy breathing accompanied the faint sounds coming from the monitor.
Quinn placed a tender kiss on her lips while she combed his hair out of his eyes with her fingers. He kissed the tip of her nose before he pulled out of her and rolled off. Springing to his feet, he disappeared into the bathroom for a moment. Susanna stretched out on the bed, her arms above her head, as a sigh of satisfaction escaped her throat. He rejoined her, pulling her into his embrace before patting her on the rump.
“Let’s sleep in your bed.”
She peered up at him through thick lashes.
“Then Junior doesn’t have to wake up to an empty room.”
She bent over to plant a kiss on his cheek. “I was wrong about you.”
“Oh?” He raised his eyebrows.
“You’re a great dad.”
He shot a lopsided grin at her. “Do you think it will traumatize him if we’re naked when he wakes up?”
She giggled. “I don’t think so. I sleep nude.”
“The little slugger got to see you naked before I did?” He laughed.
They pushed to their feet, turned off the light, and padded into Susanna’s room. Quinn pulled down the bedcovers, and they got in. He spooned her from behind, folding one arm over her middle, resting his hand on her breast. She snuggled back into him an inch or so.
“You were amazing,” Quinn whispered in her ear.
“So were you. Never had it so good,” she mumbled, fighting to stay awake.
His kissed her neck twice then pulled up the covers over the two of them. A sense of safety from his strong, warm arms closed around her, nestling her into his body, put a smile on Susanna’s face. Her eyelids got heavy, her body relaxed, and sleep overtook her.
Chapter Nine
Junior’s cry woke them at six. Though Quinn wanted a repeat of their lovemaking from the night before, he knew that wasn’t possible with the baby awake and needing attention. How do parents find the privacy to make a second kid?
Skimming his hands over Susanna’s soft, bare skin did nothing to sate his arousal, but it felt damn good. He kissed her neck, whispered “good morning,” and opened his arms to release her.
She groaned. “Junior, why couldn’t you let us sleep a little longer?”
“Or do something else?”
“That, too.” She turned her head to smile at him.
“Last night was great,” he said, bending down to kiss her breast.
“Wish we could continue, but the little general there needs attention.”
Quinn backed off. “He does. Damn.” A cock-eyed, rueful smile twisted his lips.
“I’ll feed him first, then us.” She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.
“I’ll get the paper.”
“Robe first?” She lifted her eyebrows as she approached the crib.
“Duh!” He stood and padded down to his room to retrieve his robe.
When she arrived at the kitchen, coffee was brewing, and Quinn was sitting at the table with the paper, frowning.
“What?” She asked, putting Junior in his highchair.
“Nothing,” he muttered, adding more milk to his coffee.
She puttered around, gathering the things she needed for the baby’s breakfast, before taking down a mug and filling it with coffee. She mixed Junior’s cereal and spooned some into the eagerly awaiting little mouth.
His frown deepened as he thumbed through the paper. “I’ve gotta go out for a few minutes. Do we need anything?” She shook her head. Quinn ambled down the hall to his private bathroom, turned on the shower, and stepped in. A sense of foreboding permeated his body. Story was small. Have hope. He dressed quickly, loaded his wallet and phone into his pockets, and headed for the front door.
Ducking into the kitchen for a second, he kissed Susanna. “Love you,” he murmured. Her brief look of surprise made him smile as he slipped out of the apartment and down to the lobby.
“Heads up, Mr. Roberts,” Crash said their code that meant reporters were lurking. Press was outside.
“Where?”
Crash rolled his eyes toward the outside. Quinn’s gaze followed, spotting a man on the other side of Central Park West, a camera around his neck and a mic in his hand. Quinn made the thumbs up sign to his doorman, who opened the door. He walked toward the corner, watching the reporter out of the corner of his eye. The man crossed the street, following along behind Quinn.
Halfway down the block, he called out. “Mr. Roberts? Quinn Roberts?”
Quinn turned around and cocked an eyebrow. “Yes?”
“Celebs R Us. May I talk with you a minute?”
“Depends. What about?”
“A young woman. Susanna Barnes, I think.”
“What about her?” Quinn shifted his weight from foot to foot.
“Are you two lovers?”
“We’re friends, that’s all.” Quinn resumed walking.
“Come on. I saw her at the premiere last night. No guy is gonna wanna be just friends with that chick.”
“If you know the answer, why are you asking me the question?”
“So you’re confirming that you and Ms. Barnes…”
“I’m not confirming anything except we’re friends and attended the premiere together.”
“Both premieres…”
“Whatever.” Quinn continued on his way. The reporter buzzed around him, asking more questions, but he was ignored. At the candy store, Quinn purchased a newspaper before returning home. He stopped at the door and scanned the area, but the reporter appeared to have moved off.
When he entered the apartment, Susanna was sitting on the floor with Junior. While the baby chewed on a toy, she read the newspaper.
“You saw it?” he asked.
“You mean the little piece about you and me?” She looked up.
He nodded, plopping down on the sofa.
“Yeah. Let’s take a look at this.” He opened a copy of Celebs R Us. Flipping through the paper, he stopped and uttered a grunt, snagging her attention.
“What?”
“Here it is. Damn.” He handed it to her, already opened to a spread taken at the premiere. On one side was a picture of Quinn and Susanna. The facing page had Quinn’s co-star and her boyfriend. The headline read “New Number Ones for Quinn and Margo?”
“Were you and Margo Fredericks a couple?”
“Not really. We wanted to give that impression for the last movie. We went out a couple of times.”
“Were you sleeping with her?”
He blushed, avoiding her gaze. “She’s ancient history. Does it matter?”
“Not to me, I mean…what happened last night was…uh…a mis—”
“A what?” He pushed to his feet. “And don’t say a mistake or one-night-stand.”
“I…uh.” She can’t be backpedaling.
“You were, weren’t you? Going to say that? You were!” Anger colored his face.
“No, no…well maybe.” She looked at her hands, avoiding his stare.
“Sleeping with you was not a mistake, not a one-night-stand. We’ve been heading toward that for a couple of weeks. You wanted it. I wanted it…and I still want it, want you.” Don’t you still want me? You did last night.
He sank down on the floor next to her, placing his hand on her neck. His fingers gently stroked her skin. He kissed her then moved his mouth to her ear. “Tell me you don’t want me to touch you, kiss you, love you…look me in the eye and tell me,” he whispered.
She squirmed out of his grasp, slowly lifting her gaze to his. He cocked an eyebrow at her and waited. She turned her eyes away from him to Junior, who gurgled and laughed. Quinn took her chin in his hand, redirecting her face so she couldn’t look away. “Tell me.”
Anger welled up in his chest. Calm down. Your anger scares her. He took a deep breath, allowing anger to flow out of him and be replaced by his desire for Susanna’s love. His eyes stared into hers. She rested her palm on his cheek. He thought about how much he loved her, hoping it would show on his face, reassure her he wasn’t playing with her emotions. He whispered very softly, “Tell me. Tell me you love me.” He glimpsed a tiny love light shining through her eyes. She nodded. “Me, too,” he whispered. His lips grazed hers tenderly.
Junior threw the ring he had been chewing on, but Susanna let it bounce off her leg without breaking her focus on Quinn. She pulled him closer and kissed him ardently. He cupped her face with both hands and deepened the kiss. A twinge between his legs warned him to stop before he couldn’t.
He broke from her and returned to the sofa. “Celebs R Us now has us in their sights. Be careful what you say to reporters.”
“What reporters?”
“There was one asking me questions when I went for the paper.”
“What did you say?”
“I said we were only friends. I know it’s not true, but it’s nobody’s business what we are to each other.”
“True.” She returned the toy to Junior.
“Don’t let them fool you or goad you into revealing anything. They’ll blow it up, make a big deal, and you won’t be able to go to the drugstore without people bothering you.”
“Fame? I don’t care.” She shrugged and returned to the sofa.
“I’m sorry I got you into this. I should have known better than to take you to both premieres.”
“We can’t go out together…ever?” She turned pleading eyes on him.
“We can. He won’t be there forever. Crash and Stokes’ll tell us when the coast is clear.”
“A price I pay for being with you?”
“I guess so. I’m sorry.” He sidled up next to her.
She squeezed his hand between both of hers. “I’ve lived with that stuff all my life. No biggie. It’s worth it.” She looked at her watch. “Time for Junior and me to get going.”
“What’s the rush?” He slid his fingers up and down her arm.
“My friend, Max, is waiting for me.”
“Max?”
“An older guy I met in Riverside Park. He watches Junior while I shoot a little ball. I gave him some advice about his son. We’re friends.”
“Just how much older?” A jealous tone reverberated through his voice.
“Max is at least fifty. Don’t worry. He’s not competition.”
“Go then. Meet him. Play ball.”
“He brings bagels.” She dialed her phone. “Max?”
Quinn filled his mug with coffee and headed for the terrace, picking up his script for the next Joe Martin movie along the way. Susanna raised Junior high up in the air at arm’s length and nuzzled her face into his belly. He giggled and kicked his legs. As Quinn watched her, a warm feeling surrounded his heart and he smiled. She fastened the baby into the stroller, blew Quinn a kiss, then opened the door.
* * * *
It was warm and sunny, a beautiful summer day. Susanna stopped at the big, wrought iron door, shooting a thousand-watt smile at Stokes. “Is the coast clear?” she asked. He gave her a thumbs-up signal then opened the door.
Her body seemed lighter than air. She was floating, her step springy, her spirit weightless. Susanna couldn’t stop smiling. Last night couldn’t have been more wonderful. Quinn was a tender, passionate lover, satisfying her in every way. Sleeping in his arms again was heaven. The aura of safety and love surrounding her had lulled her into the best sleep she’d had since before the accident.
Her smile refused to leave, lighting up her face as she bounced down the street, heading toward Riverside Park. A singsong sound let her know a text had arrived on her phone. She checked.
Got bagels & coffee. Am in park. See you soon. Max
The thought of a toasted bagel with cream cheese made her mouth water. She picked up her pace but stopped at the red light. A creepy, tingly feeling on the back of her neck made her turn around. There wasn’t anyone standing close by but still her heart rate kicked up a little and a bit of adrenalin flowed through her veins.
When the light changed, she crossed quickly, anxious to meet up with Max. Slowed by the necessity of bumping the stroller down wide, stone steps, a reporter had the chance to catch up and was waiting for her when she reached the bottom. The clicks of the camera around his neck caused her to snap her head up and stare at him.
“Who the hell are you?”
“I’m Richard, from Celebs R Us. You’re looking very pretty today. Tell me…are you Quinn Roberts’ girl?”
“No comment,” she said and walked toward the basketball courts.
“Is this Quinn’s baby? Oh my God! You and Quinn have a child? Are you married?”
“None of your business. Now get out of my way.” He kept snapping shots of the two of them. She stopped, blocking his view of Junior. “Leave him out of this. No pictures of the baby.”
“Is he yours?”
“No comment.” She sidestepped, blocking his view again.
“So he is.”
“No!”
“Aha! Then whose is he? Are you and the little guy living with Quinn Roberts?”
Susanna pushed past him and wheeled the stroller faster than before. She saw Max about two hundred feet away and waved to him. Before continuing, she confronted the reporter. “This is it. As far as you’re allowed.”
“This is a park. I’m free to be—”
“If you don’t leave, I’ll call the police. I’ll tell them you are molesting me, harassing me, and you’ll be arrested. I’m joining my friend. Piss off.”
“Do you know—?”
“Get lost. I mean it. I’ll start screaming in five seconds.”
“But that’s—”
“Five…four…three…two…”
The reporter put up his palms and backed away. She resumed her path to meet Max.
“Who the hell was that? Not Quinn?”
&
nbsp; “A reporter. I went to two premieres with Quinn, and now they think we’re a couple, living together. And they think Junior is our baby!” She burst out laughing.
“Aren’t you lovers? If not physically, at least emotionally?” Max pulled out a bagel, unwrapped it, and offered it to Susanna.
Putting her palm on her cheek, she felt the heat of her blush. “Max!”
“We’re not children, Susanna.” He sipped his coffee.
“I know. Still. That’s kinda personal.” She took a bite out of the bagel.
“I hear the way you talk about him. I’m no kid. I know a woman in love when I see one,” he chuckled.
“Thanks for the bagel.”
“Don’t change the subject.”
“Whether or not I’m in love with Quinn…doesn’t give the media the right to pry and print all about us.”
“Get used to it. If you’re going to be in love with a movie star, you’re going to be news…at least for a while. Of course, if you two get married, then you’ll stop being news until you have a baby or get a divorce.”
She laughed. “How do you know so much about fame, Max?”
“I read the papers,” Max licked a bit of cream cheese from his lip. “Is he worth it?”
Susanna handed Junior a new toy and took a sip of her coffee, obviously avoiding his question.
“I guess you have to answer that one to yourself, not me.”
She gazed at the empty basketball court. “I don’t know, Max. I think he’s worth it, but I’m new at this love thing. Fame isn’t new to me. I know how difficult it can make life.”
“Oh? Should I know who Susanna Barnes is?” He raised his eyebrows then took a bite of his bagel.
“My dad, remember?”
“How did that affect you?” He sipped his coffee.
“The press was always watching.” Susanna chewed some bagel.
“Made it hard to grow up?”
“Little bit. Having dad gone so much was harder.” She moved her gaze to the left.
“In my case, I think my son would welcome my being home less, a lot less!” He smiled.
“You’re too much, Max,” she laughed.
“So…are you going to tell me what’s going on with you and Quinn?”
Red Carpet Romance Page 12