by Cathryn Fox
She moved with him, her pelvis banging against his, and as they came together her heart swelled. She’d missed this. Missed him.
His mouth came down hard and she tugged until she freed one hand, needing to touch him. Thick muscles jumped beneath her roaming hand and he cursed under his breath. She sucked in air, loving how he reacted to her touch. But as much as she wanted him in her bed, she didn’t want to hold him back from what he really needed. His hand slipped between their bodies and her thoughts fragmented as he applied pressure to her clit.
She closed her eyes, reveling in the sensations. He brought her higher and higher, until an orgasm was only a breath away. A cry lodged in her throat.
“That’s it, kitten. Come for me.”
The second she heard her pet name roll off his tongue, she gave herself over to her orgasm. Her muscles spasmed, clenched around his thickness, the tension in her body easing.
“So good,” she murmured, squeezing tighter.
Quinn positioned both hands beside her head, holding them there as he drove so fast and deep she feared the bed was going to break. He pounded harder than ever before, the way he was taking her far more intense than anything she’d ever felt. His eyes searched hers, and she wiggled one hand free to put her palm on his cheeks. His gaze bore into hers and when she saw the want…need…the responsibly he was shouldering, the pain he was carrying, her heart squeezed.
“Quinn,” she murmured. Tears pricked her eyes. She loved him for wanting to be what she needed, but it wasn’t fair to him. Why should he be punished for something Felix had done?
He threw his head back and growled as he jettisoned his seed high inside her. He collapsed on top of her, perspiration sealing them as one. His heart pounded against her chest as they both struggled to breathe. He buried his face in her neck and she held him to her, running her fingers though his damp hair.
“Hey,” he said. He lifted his head, his eyes meeting hers. He frowned and looked her over. “Something on your mind?”
She swallowed against the tightness in her throat. “We can’t do this.”
His brow furrowed. “Rebecca, don’t.”
She touched his face. “I know you think you can, but it’s not who you are, and you shouldn’t change for anyone.”
“You’re not just anyone.”
Her heart ached. “Quinn—”
“It’s what I want.”
She nodded, but unease crept through her. He was trying to be something he wasn’t. Sooner or later he’d see that, and then they’d have no choice but to go their separate ways. Her whole life people had left her. She cared about this man, and each minute with him, she was falling more and more in love. How would she ever handle him walking out of her life?
He rolled and pulled her onto his chest. She cuddled into him and he drew up the blankets. He adjusted his pillow and sank farther into it.
“Damn,” he murmured and started to get up.
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“To get the bathroom light.”
“Leave it on.”
“You sleep with the light on?”
“I don’t really like the dark,” she explained.
He shifted until he faced her and tucked her hair behind her ears. “What is it about the dark that frightens you?”
Instead of answering, she said, “We should get some sleep. I have a busy day tomorrow.” She rolled onto her back and fixed the blankets around her.
He went up on one elbow. “Rebecca?”
“Yeah,” she said quietly.
“If you didn’t know your mom, who raised you?”
“I was in foster care,” she said quietly. “I was tossed around a lot and raised by many different people. It wasn’t so bad…until I hit thirteen,” she said. A shiver moved through her and she wondered why she was sharing something so personal.
“What happened when you were thirteen?” he asked.
Rebecca stared at the ceiling, her heart pounding wildly. She’d always tried to be so good, hoping one of the nice families would keep her, but they never did. “What happened, Rebecca?”
“They stopped moving me. I stayed in the same place until I was eighteen.”
He gripped her hips and rolled her toward him, and when she caught the tenderness on his face, her heart missed a beat.
He ran the backs of his fingers over her cheek. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, it’s behind me.”
His eyes moved over her face, and she wished he couldn’t read her so well.
“That must have been hard. It’s not normal for a little girl to grow up without a mom.”
A deep sadness entered his eyes, and, wanting to wipe it away, she forced a smile and said, “Nothing about me is normal, Quinn.”
He pressed his forehead to hers. In a breathless whisper, he said, “We’ll do normal, Rebecca. We’ll do normal because that’s what you need.”
Chapter Five
Quinn dropped Rebecca off at work, and, after kissing her for a good twenty minutes, he made his way home. He let himself in and when he heard a familiar voice coming from his den, he walked down the hall to find his baby brother, Josh, with his feet on Quinn’s desk, chatting loudly on his cell phone.
Quinn folded his arms and glared at his brother, even though he could never really be mad at him. “Come on in. Make yourself at home.”
“Gotta go,” Josh said into the phone, then dropped it onto Quinn’s desk. A smile spread across his face. He climbed to his feet, arms wide as he crossed the room. “Hey, big bro.”
“I told you I was fine,” Quinn said, making his voice hard even though he was happy to see his brother. He gave him a hug, holding him a little longer than necessary. It was a twin thing. They were always able to sense when one needed the other, able to give comfort the way no one else could.
Josh eyed him. “You don’t look fine.”
“Then I guess you must not either, considering we look the same.”
“You know what I mean.”
Quinn exhaled and crossed the room. He plunked himself down on his leather chair just as Eloise, the head of his staff, came in with a fresh pot of coffee and a plate of muffins.
Josh gave her a smile and she practically fluttered out of the room. “Leave my staff alone,” Quinn said. He shook his head at his brother’s antics. Jesus, they might be twins, but Josh, a brilliant software analyst out in Silicon Valley, was like a damn magician when it came to the opposite sex. One look from him and women’s panties disappeared. Even his elderly, married, caretaker wasn’t immune to his brother’s charms.
“So I take it you heard?” Quinn asked. It was only a matter of time before the news of what had happened to Rebecca, and Felix’s removal from the island, would trickle through the grapevine and reach his brother’s club out in California.
“Yeah. Is she okay?”
He scrubbed his chin, in desperate need of a shave. “Not really.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to quit the lifestyle.”
Josh planted himself on the edge of Quinn’s desk and doctored a coffee. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No, I’m not. I’m in love with her, Josh.”
Josh gestured toward the velvet box with the diamond collar inside. The piece he’d called a friend to commission when he was at the resort.
“I take it that was for her, then?”
Desperate for caffeine, Quinn took a drink from his cup and set it on a coaster. “Was, yes. But not anymore.”
“And you think you can just—” Josh paused and snapped his fingers, “—turn off that side of yourself.”
“I don’t have a choice. Felix scared her, and now she doesn’t want any part of the lifestyle. If I want to be with her, it’s what I have to do.” He recalled the blindfold, and something buzzed in the back of his brain. Jesus, Rebecca had that same distant look on her face, the same lost look in her eyes, when he asked about her upbringing. The two had t
o go hand-in-hand. He knew she’d told him something very private, something he assumed she’d never shared with many, and while he wanted her to trust him with her secrets, he had no choice but to use the information if he wanted to help her.
Josh peeled the paper off a muffin. “Felix is an asshole.”
“I know. I talked to his father, and he was furious. We won’t be seeing him around the resort anytime soon.”
His brother turned serious. “The lifestyle aside, Quinn. You know our past. You think you can be loyal to one woman?”
Since meeting her, she was all he’d been able to think about. “I’m not my father. I’m my own man, and it’s time I realized that. You too.”
Josh went quiet, thoughtful, then he grinned. “So, when do I get to meet this girl who’s got my brother whipped? Or rather, not whipped.”
“Very funny. And for the record, you’re the one who likes to get whipped, not me.”
“True.” He nodded and chewed on his muffin. “So when do I get to meet her?” he asked again.
“This weekend. There’s a party for one of her friends who just made partner at the firm.”
“Cool. Are you able to take a few days off, spend some time with your favorite bro while I’m in town?”
“There’s nothing I’d like better.” He booted up his computer and did a search on Rebecca Andrews. “But first I need to do a bit of work.”
Josh grabbed his phone. “I have a few calls to make myself, anyway.”
His brother sauntered out of the office. Once he was out of earshot, Quinn picked up his phone and called an old friend. It rang twice, then Mike picked up.
“Mike, it’s Quinn. How are you?”
“Better than you.”
“What makes you say that?” Quinn asked.
“Because you’re calling me.” He laughed, a big boom of a sound that fit the man’s personality. “Who is she, and what do you need to know?”
Quinn grinned. Mike was the best private investigator in the city, and if he couldn’t find out about Rebecca’s past, no one could. “Rebecca Andrews, and everything you’ve got on her.”
He hung up and made his way to the shower, desperate for a shave and a change of clothes. After cleaning up, he met his brother in the den. His phone pinged as he entered and he grabbed it from his desk. He checked the name and swiped the screen.
“That was fast,” he said.
“When you’re the best, you’re the best,” Mike said, laughing. Then his voice dropped, became serious. “I have the information you’re looking for.”
Quinn grabbed a pen and jotted down an address. He spoke to Mike for a few more minutes, then ended the call and looked at his brother. “Want to go for a drive?”
* * *
With Sophie’s party in full swing, Melanie popped an olive into her mouth, her eyes opening wide as she looked past Rebecca’s shoulders. “Am I seeing double or is that guy Quinn’s twin?”
“Maybe you had one too many of these,” Lilliana teased, gesturing to Melanie’s empty glass.
Rebecca’s body buzzed to life, the way it always did when Quinn was near. She turned in her chair and her mouth dropped when she saw Quinn walking into Onyx with a man who looked just like him.
“He never told me Josh was his twin,” she said, smoothing her hand over her skirt.
“Dibs,” Melanie yelled over the cacophony of sounds in the lounge, and the girls all laughed.
“Hey, it’s Sophie’s night,” Lilliana said. “She gets to call dibs first.” She wagged her eyebrows. “That is, if she wants.”
They all looked at Sophie and she grinned. “Oh, she wants.”
“Damn,” Melanie said, and Lilliana nudged her. “He did say he had three brothers, one for all of us.”
Melanie’s smile returned. “You’re right. He’s all yours, Sophie.”
As her friends discussed their dating options, Rebecca watched the way Quinn commanded the room, the way all the women responded to him and his brother as they cut through the crowd. The two oozed rugged sex appeal and testosterone as they made their way toward her table. She looked them over and admired their perfectly cut suits that showcased their athletic bodies. Rebecca shifted in her chair and squeezed her legs tighter. Honest to God, ovaries had to be bursting all over the lounge tonight.
She hadn’t seen him since he’d slept over at her apartment earlier in the week and knew it was because his brother was in town.
“I thought you weren’t going to invite him,” Sophie said.
“I didn’t.” She might not have invited him, but there was a part of her that expected him to show, especially after Rick’s parting comment about seeing her Friday night. Rebecca toyed with the top button on her blouse and remembered what she was wearing under her skirt, or rather what she wasn’t wearing. Even though Quinn had insisted they do things the vanilla way, she cared about him and wanted to do something just for him.
Quinn’s eyes met hers, and the smile fell from his face. Her heart skipped. Why the hell was he so tense? As anger poured off him in waves and undulated toward her, a hand landed on her shoulder and she turned to see Rick standing over her.
“How about a dance?” he asked, looking at her in that familiar, wolfish way that made her feel cold inside.
“I…I…” As Quinn closed the distance, she couldn’t seem to keep her thoughts focused. The things that man could do to her without even trying was downright ridiculous.
“She’s with me,” Quinn said, his jaw seesawing as he glared at Rick.
Rick shrugged. “Hey, it’s just a dance.”
Quinn’s glance dropped to Rebecca’s shoulder. His nostrils flared and in a voice that belied the tension in his body, he said calmly, “Take your hand off her.”
In a show of allegiance, his brother stepped up beside him. “Everything okay?”
Rick hesitated for a moment, laser eyes going back and forth between the two brothers, then removed his hand. Smart move.
“I need a drink,” he said, and disappeared into the crowd.
Rebecca opened her mouth and closed it again, and Quinn’s face softened the way it always did when he turned to her.
“Quinn,” she began, not knowing whether to thank him or punch him.
He put his mouth close to her ear. “I don’t like the way he looks at you.”
“You can’t go around scaring people off. It’s not…normal.”
“I’m sorry. I just…it’s in my nature to protect you, Rebecca. I’m afraid that’s not something I can change.”
“It’s not something you should change,” she said softly.
That brought a smile to his face. He looked at her friends, his gaze stopping on Sophie. “I hear congratulations are in order.”
Sophie smiled. “Thanks.”
“And I see you brought her a gift,” Melanie piped in, much to Rebecca’s mortification. Rebecca glared at her, but the comment didn’t seem to bother either Montgomery brother.
Without missing a beat, Quinn said, “This is Josh. My little brother.”
“Little?” Melanie questioned. She blatantly looked him over, her gaze lingering a little too far south.
Rebecca was just about to kick her under the table when Josh laughed.
“Don’t worry. Not in the ways that count,” Josh teased, his smile so devilish and charming, if her friends had tails they’d all be wagging.
“Aren’t you twins?” Lilliana asked.
“Yeah, Quinn was born one minute before me, and thinks he wears the Montgomery crown because of it.”
Quinn laughed and turned his attention to Rebecca. He reached for her hand. “Dance with me.” She stood and without wasting a second, Melanie waved her hand toward Rebecca’s now-empty chair.
“Have a seat, little brother,” she said.
“You okay, bro?” Quinn asked.
Josh sat down and gestured for the bartender. “I think I’m in pretty good hands.”
Quinn turned to Rebecca. “They�
�re going to eat him alive, aren’t they?”
“Like sharks. But something tells me your brother can handle himself.”
Quinn laughed and led Rebecca to the small dance floor. He pulled her into his arms and she melted against him. She’d missed him so much this week. Missed his touches, his kisses, the way he made her feel like the most important woman in the world.
“Still friends?” he asked.
“After that stunt with Rick, I’m not so sure you should get any benefits.”
“I don’t like him.”
She crinkled her nose. “Truthfully, neither do I. He’s always groping.”
“Stay with me tonight,” he said, catching her off guard.
“What?” she asked.
“Friends sleep over.”
Her body warmed. “What about your brother?”
Quinn angled his head and looked at Josh. “He’s a big boy.”
“So I heard.”
“But remember, I’m bigger.”
Unable to help herself, she laughed out loud. She put her hand over her mouth when she the attention she was drawing.
He pulled her hand away and, in a commanding move, held them behind her back. “Don’t. I love your laugh.”
He pulled her in tighter, and she enjoyed the feel of his hard body against hers. When the song ended they made their way back to the table and spent the remainder of the night chatting as members of the law firm came up to congratulate Sophie. She saw Quinn check his watch, then caught Sophie’s eye. She wanted to be alone with Quinn, but didn’t want to leave her friend’s party.
As if sensing her dilemma, Sophie came to her rescue. “Thanks for coming. It was good to see you both tonight. Let’s catch up over lunch next week.” Rebecca gave her friend a smile full of thanks.
Quinn stood and put his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You coming?”
“Eventually.” He picked up his full bottle of beer.
“I’ll see you later then.”
Quinn guided Rebecca out the door, and after they climbed into the backseat of his car, Quinn instructed the driver to take them to his place.