by Jane Cousins
He could make a written record of those memories. Know in the future that he had lived fully, loved deeply... love? No, there would be no time for love to develop, but it might be nice to pretend with Quinn Bennett before the potion failed and he returned to his fishbowl.
For that he’d be willing to pay any price.
“I’ll go grab it. It’s in the safe.”
“Nico, you deserve happiness also. To know you had someone in your life, that would make me happy.”
Nico shook his head. “You and Copper are my most immediate concern at the moment. There will be time for me later.”
“I’ll be making a note, so don’t think I will forget.”
Nico laughed softly. “Fine. Now let’s get you wired so that I can head back to the hospital and check on our only physical link to Copper.”
Matias’s gut clenched in anticipation. Tomorrow he would be seeing Quinn Bennett again. And the chase could begin. Damn, for once tomorrow couldn’t get here soon enough.
Chapter Twelve
Matias grinned broadly as he eyed Quinn Bennett’s butt in deep appreciation. How could he not? She was bent over presenting it to him. He couldn’t think of a better way to greet the day. “Well, good morning to you too.”
Quinn gasped, standing up fast and spinning around. Her heart racing. Matias, here? In her garden? Standing there looking gorgeous as the first rays of sunlight played over his chocolate dark curls.
Matias ever so slowly drank in the sight of her, from head to toe. Whoa. Sign him up for yoga classes stat. Matias was an instant fan. Especially when the practitioners looked like Quinn did this morning. The recently risen sun kissing her alabaster skin, making it glow and look oh so touchable. And there was a lot on display, thanks to the short black stretch pants and the hot pink strappy tiny top that showcased her taut abs and defined arms. For a head shrink, the woman was kind of buff. And yet still soft. He couldn’t help but catalogue the fullness of her breasts or that nicely rounded ass of hers.
“You?... What are you doing here?” Quinn fought the urge to squirm, she felt conspicuously on display.
“You did say first thing this morning.” Matias looked over at the pink streaked sky. “This is first thing.”
“How did you find me?”
“I was doing laundry earlier.” In fact, he’d done four loads. Cleaned his apartment. Oiled and polished the bar. And re-arranged the wine cellar.
Then he’d gone for a very long run on the beach. Everywhere he’d looked he’d been reminded of Quinn. Her moon kissed hair. The dazzling array of shimmering stars filling the sky looking lost without the blue canvas of her eyes. He’d been so distracted he’d even gotten one sneaker briefly wet as a wave snuck unexpectedly up the beach.
Once the sun cleared the horizon he hadn’t been able to wait another moment. “I found your crumpled up business card in my jeans.”
Quinn frowned. “But it doesn’t have my address on it.” All the family knew where to find her, what would be the point.
“I inherited excellent instincts for hunting down treasure.”
Flustered, Quinn scooped up her long-sleeve black yoga top and hurriedly pulled it on. So much for donning an armour of prim professional clothes and a white coat. Here she was, facing Matias, wearing barely anything. Her hair was messily plaited. She was sweaty. No make up. Oh, drat, and her feet were bare, showcasing her flamingo pink toenail polish.
And yet, still the man looked at her with that disconcerting heat in his eyes. Wait! What? “You know who I am? How?”
“If I don’t sleep, I don’t reset.”
“Matias, no. Sleep is vital for cognitive functioning, reasoning ability and overall well-being.”
“A few lost hours isn’t going to kill me, Quinn. And what we’re trying to achieve is important. Build that trust. Find out what happened on the coast road the other day. Maybe uncover something new about that day on the Merry Maverick.”
Damn, she’d been about to demand he leave but now she’d look selfish and small. There were bigger things at stake here than her shaky self-control and fear that Matias Yanez might be the first step on her slippery irreversible slide into chaos and madness.
“You got anything to eat around here?” Matias rubbed his stomach. Drawing Quinn’s attention to the worn dark grey sweat soaked t-shirt that clung to his chest and upper arms. And then there was those running shorts he was wearing, show casing his strong thighs and toned legs. The man was caramel all over, she could have lived without that information. “Something wrong?” He glanced downwards, following Quinn’s gaze.
Heavens, and now he’d caught her staring. “Sand. You’re covered in it. There’s a shower over by the pool if you want to clean up. And there’s plenty to eat in the kitchen; yoghurt, fruit, cereal.”
“Is that what you normally have?” Matias looked unimpressed at her offering.
“There’s bread for toasting.” The man was a few inches over six foot, no doubt he needed more fuel than she did.
“I’ll tell you what. Why don’t I make us breakfast?” Matias smiled. “My treat.”
No, no, hell no. The man no doubt intended to whip up something sinful and all too tempting. “I’d really just prefer some yoghurt and fruit.”
“Rabbit food. Bland and boring. Food should be an adventure. An experience.”
Watching those rich toffee eyes sparkle with life, Quinn felt her knees begin to melt. His warm honey accented tones sliding over her skin and sinking in to heat her blood. Okay, big deal, so her body reacted to the man. Didn’t mean her mind had to follow. She would be cool and calm. She would block every attempt he made to become intimate or trespass into her personal space utilising logic and detached reasoning.
Starting with his offer to make her breakfast.
There was no point in getting worked up, this was her kitchen they were talking about here. She knew exactly what was in her pantry. Hiding her smile, she shrugged. “Knock yourself out, Bubbles. I’m going to take a shower and get changed.”
Matias watched Quinn saunter past him. Something in the sway of those gorgeous hips, she seemed to believe she’d just won some kind of battle. Hmmm, he’d just see about that.
What to wear? What to wear? Twenty minutes later Quinn was surveying the contents of her wardrobe and muttering curse words under her breath. No, breathe. Calm as the ocean. Yeah, right. She was more tempest in a teacup right at this moment.
She looked longingly over at all her smart, professional, work clothes. She’d look ridiculously uptight if she donned anything from that range, given the disreputable running gear Matias had turned up in.
She needed something casual, but not too casual. Something that covered her appropriately. But not too much as the temperatures promised to be warm today. It might be a few weeks into Autumn but this was Queensland.
Hmmm, no, too filmy. Too strappy. Too short. Too red. Grrr, and now she was dithering like some teenager over what to wear on her first date.
Okay, she was thinking about this too hard. Closing her eyes, she flung her hand out, determined to wear what ever outfit she touched. Oh, hell no. Damn. Damn. Pity she couldn’t don the bridesmaid dress she’d worn to Gaia’s wedding. That thing would have drawn blood if Matias tried to get too close to her. But the dress had snatched up a velour tracksuit hoodie and disappeared into her roof cavity a few months ago.
So not thinking about what it was doing up there.
Enough with the procrastinating. Scooping up some lightweight khaki cargo pants, Quinn donned them quickly and yanked on a plain bra, covering it with a white, long-sleeve top. There. She brushed out her hair and braided it back, restoring order to the chaos. Excellent, almost there. Footwear? Nothing fancy. Ah, white espadrilles. Practical and they covered up her flamingo pink painted toenails.
Phew. Glancing at the full length mirror, Quinn gave herself a mental pat on the back. She looked sensibly dressed and casual. Approachable but not too approachable. And best of all,
she didn’t look like she’d spent ten precious minutes panicking over what to wear.
Okay, it was official. She was calm. Her pulse steady. Her shoulders relaxed. There was nothing Matias Yanez could do to provoke, discombobulate, or destroy this level of serenity she had managed to attain.
Now, let’s go see what her early morning guest had managed to whip up, given the highly nutritious, low fat, low sugar contents of her kitchen. She was betting right about now he was regretting invading her home so early.
Um... Quinn’s serenity began to wobble slightly as she rounded the corner and the kitchen came into view. Okay, so Matias was barefoot. Not a problem. Really, given the sandy state of his running shoes, his gesture was, if anything, thoughtful.
Her eyes travelled up his frame... oh Goddess... there was something she needed to remember to do... oh, yes, breathe. Um.... and something else... oh, blink. Hmmm, but something even more important... come on think... Heavens, of course, close her mouth so she wouldn’t drool.
Matias Yanez was standing in her kitchen wearing nothing but running shorts.
Even after she managed to tear her gaze away the after images kept bombarding her. All that smooth, touchable, caramel skin. The impressive definition of his abs. The flat stomach and the fine trail of hair leading down from his belly button. Strong muscular arms and those large capable hands.
Damn, in less than a heartbeat her composure had been torpedoed to hell.
“Surprise.” Matias glanced up, having heard Quinn’s approach.
Quinn’s eyes narrowed abruptly. Given her carefully ordered world and balanced lifestyle there was nothing more she loathed than surprises. Oh sure, she spent a lot of her time with her clients talking about techniques on how to deal with the unexpected. But she’d been diligent in arranging her own world so she wouldn’t have to.
It’s why she kept both a business and personal day planner. Stuck to a rigid fitness regime. Drank herbal tea by the gallon. And allotted herself a weekly points allowance when it came to food and alcohol. Even treats were carefully planned for.
Quinn struggled to regain her level of calm serenity but deciding that was a lost cause went with cool composure that she was determined to hold on to, even if she ended up strangling someone in the process. Someone like the man standing in her kitchen, currently adding large dollops of natural yoghurt to a blender full of sliced fruit.
“I hope you like fruit smoothies?” He flashed a grin her way. Scooping up a jar of honey and proceeding to dump half the contents into the blender.
“Did your t-shirt do or say something to offend you?”
“Sorry.” Matias turned off the blender. “What was that?”
Quinn forced a small smile. “I was just wondering if you weren’t cold, without your t-shirt?”
Matias shook his head full of damp, dark chocolate curls. “I’m good. That shower by the pool was great. My t-shirt was soaked through anyway so I thought I’d better wash it.” He glanced past Quinn out to the sunshine filled back garden. “It’ll dry in no time out there. So, breakfast. Why don’t you take a seat?”
Quinn clenched her hands, digging her nails into her palms. Let it go. Composed. Cool. She would not let this invader under her skin.
Turning, she stopped abruptly. The alcove off to the side of the kitchen where she ate was normally a soothing spot. The round wood table complimented by neutral coloured cushions and heavy blinds rolled down to keep the harsh sunlight at bay. That was until hurricane Matias had arrived.
She recognised the bunch of cheerful bright yellow gerberas in a vase in the centre of the table as being from her garden. The blinds were up, letting warm golden sunlight stream in, making the cutlery Matias had laid out sparkle. He’d also placed several of the cream cushions decorated with small yellow dots that she normally kept by the pool on the padded bench seat. The breakfast nook suddenly looked annoyingly bright, fresh, and completely alien.
She would not let it get to her. No. Taking a seat she forced a smile through gritted teeth as Matias plunked down a large glass in front of her.
“One fruit smoothie to start.” He flashed her a brilliant smile but there was something in those toffee coloured eyes of his. Watchful? Calculating?
The bastard, he was deliberately trying to get a response out of her. Why? Oh, of course. Classic deflection. Matias might know he needed to be here, but that didn’t necessarily make him eager to share intimate details of his life, did it?
She should have recognised the signs the moment he greeted her this morning. Oh, suddenly she felt better. She needed to stop thinking about Matias as a man and think about him more as a twenty-four / seven client... a conflicted and reluctant one, despite the very good reasons they had for conducting these sessions.
Quinn’s smile was much more genuine this time as she picked up her glass and contemplated the contents. It might look decadent but all it contained was fruit, yoghurt and honey. And it was delicious. Wow. The man had a way with a blender.
“You like?” Matias grinned.
“It’s good. Very good.” Quinn stared down at the plate he placed in front of her. Damn, another surprise. “How did you...?”
Matias sat down across from her. “Potato latkes topped with smoked salmon, sour cream and capers.”
Wow. He’d really managed to pull this amazingly decadent looking meal from her kitchen? Dazedly, Quinn picked up her cutlery. The delicious food helped keep her attention focused on her plate and not on the more than half naked man sitting across from her. “This... this is really good. I bet you’d be the perfect person to get stranded on a desert island with.” Oops, that might have come out wrong.
“What a charming thing to say.”
“I just meant you obviously know your way around a kitchen and seem to have been gifted with the ability to create a feast out of very little.”
Matias’s eyes roamed over Quinn. The good doctor was up to something. She’d been visibly perturbed to find him invading what she considered her domain. But now she was acting extremely cordial and relaxed. As if she had him figured out, assigned him a pigeon hole and had determined how to effectively hold him at bay. Well, they’d just see about that.
“I like your home. The pool. The gardens. And the view from here is impressive. What beach is that?” He glanced out the window, down to the distant sandy shore line.
“Hideaway Cove.” Quinn took another sip of her smoothie.
“And every morning you do your yoga outdoors?”
“Sun salutations.”
“To be done correctly, aren’t they supposed to be performed naked?” Matias’s lips quirked upwards.
“My version also combines elements of Jiu Jitsu, so, no.”
“You know how to defend yourself?” The beautiful Quinn just grew more and more interesting.
“I may not be an Enforcer, but given all the monsters I have witnessed thanks to my professional interactions with them, I thought it prudent that I was prepared for any eventuality.”
“Don’t you ever get lonely up here in your beautiful house on the bluff?”
Quinn shook her head. “If anything, it can get a little too congested. Family often drop by on social calls.” Unannounced, no matter how many times she gently encouraged them to call ahead to ensure her calendar was free. “And then there’s those that come here for therapy. I set my home office up to be a little slice of tranquillity away from the hectic demands of day to day life. Speaking of which... if you’ve finished, we should go through and get started?”
And just like that, she slipped through his fingers. Neatly putting him firmly back in his place. “It’s such a nice day, why don’t we sit out by the pool?” Matias countered.
Hmmm, Quinn wasn’t averse to doing a session outside. And it would get Matias a lot closer to his discarded t-shirt. Maybe a miracle would occur and he’d actually put it back on.
It took barely three minutes to clean up the kitchen. Given that Matias had been pre-soaking all
the dirty dishes whilst they ate.
“Is that a habit you picked up from living at sea?” Quinn followed Matias out to the square table located next to the pool. “Cleaning up after yourself?”
Matias adjusted the large yellow and white striped umbrella to provide more shade for Quinn before taking a seat. “Mess can get out of hand pretty quickly when there are ten people living in close quarters. Plus, on the water, if you don’t put things away they tend to wind up broken or lost.”
Quinn opened up the notebook she’d brought outside, pen poised. “What were you chasing that last day?”
“No dancing around the topic today?”
Quinn sent him a bland half smile. “You were the one who reminded me we are on a clock. So, tell me about the treasure you were hunting down?”
Matias’s gut roiled, all Quinn asked about was the wreck, not what happened that day. Come on, you can do this. “To talk about the wreck, we need to back up fourteen months. There’d been rumours of a Spanish Galleon full of Mayan gold lost in a devastating storm in 1522. But no one had been able to come up with any credible clues to its name or location until Kristiah tracked us down and showed Mama the notes she’d found in her deceased father’s office.”
“Kristiah?”
“Doctor Kristiah McKeen, archaeologist, following in her parents’ footsteps. Her father and my mother went to University together in Aberdeen. Kristiah spent years trying to find a clue to the whereabouts of the Santa Maria Rosa based upon her father’s notes. Frustrated, she contacted my mother and requested her help. Showed her the journal she’d found amongst her father’s things. It was a priest’s diary, in it he mentions a colleague returning home on the Santa Maria Rosa, carrying a treasure that would ensure Spain would rule the world for eternity.”
“Sounds impressive.”
“Gold and jewels powered armies and the armadas in those days. The more wealth you had, the bigger military presence you could afford. So long story short, Kristiah joined us. And after thirteen months of dogged research we finally had a definite lead. We...” Matias felt his throat begin to close up. The words were suddenly hard to form, he swallowed with difficulty.