“I agree, Quinn. Whatever this is between us, it did happen fast. But I don’t want to wait any longer. The way I feel about you? Those feelings override any qualms I might have about how many days we’ve known each other.” A pink blush bloomed across her cheeks. She lowered her voice. “I want us to have sex—tonight.”
“Thank god.” His shoulders slumped as the tension left them. “Promise you’ll keep talking to me. If at any point, you want anything, even if you want to stop, say so and we stop.”
“Really? Any point?”
He groaned. “Almost any point.”
Her blue eyes darkened in response to his promise. “Now that we’ve talked this to death,” she whispered, “Could we move along?”
A sudden fear that he might never see Dee again after this week stabbed his heart. With one arm under her knees, he swept her off her feet and carried her into the bedroom.
At the edge of the bed, he set her back on her feet. Tossing his wallet on the side table, he closed his mouth over hers in a gentle kiss. And successfully banished his fearful thoughts.
Dee opened, inviting him in. The kiss escalated as their tongues met and explored. The slick wet of her mouth, the scent of the lei on her heated skin drove him crazy. When she reached for the zipper on her dress, he touched her wrist. “Let me.”
“Good,” she sighed against his lips. Once more sweeping her tongue through his mouth, her hands went to work unbuckling his belt.
Still kissing her, he lowered the dress zipper. Removed the flower lei, and tossed it on the pillow before easing the top of her dress down. And revealing a strapless bra. Hands on her shoulders, he gently eased her back. He had to look. “Let me see.”
Lace cupped the plump mounds and barely covered her nipples. “You’re perfect.”
Unhooking the front clasp, he released her breasts. His hands moved to stroke the undersides, and she made a humming sound of approval. His thumb brushed over one taut peak and Dee moaned. With a slight movement, she bowed her back, arching her breasts toward him, offering them.
Quinn registered the fact that his pants slid down his legs to his ankles. But when Dee stroked the straining bulge trapped in his boxer briefs, he stopped her hand. “Let me finish getting your clothes off.”
He slid the rest of the dress over her hips and let it pool at her feet. His mouth captured one breast, and he sucked on the nipple.
“Don’t ever stop,” she moaned, gripped his arms to steady herself. “Oh, your shirt.” Dee fisted clumps of his sleeve. “I want to feel your skin.” She tugged, pulling the shirt over his head.
When they were both naked, their shoes and the combined piles of clothing kicked aside, he jerked the bedspread out of the way. Scooping her up again, he settled her on the sheets.
Damn, she was beautiful. His chest pounded at the glorious sight of Dee open to him. With curves in all the right places, her skin smooth and tanned. Lying beside her, inhaled her unique fragrance. The potent combination of her warm skin, the flower lei, and lotion made him dizzy.
Like some wanton goddess, she opened her arms and curled them around his neck. Enthralling him. Dee threaded her fingers through his short hair, caressed his scalp. Finally, increasing the pressure, she pulled him slowly down to her.
For a split second, the meeting of their lips was gentle. Sweet, almost poignant. Until a raging inferno burst inside him and he crushed his mouth to hers. Devouring, demanding. Dee responded with fiery demands of her own.
His hands were frantic, needing to touch her everywhere at once. Her fingers stroked his body, tantalized, enflamed.
Returning to her breasts, he licked and suckled, while she writhed and moaned. And held him to her with an iron grip. When one nipple was wet and hard, he moved to the other one.
My god. Dee was unbelievably responsive. Her passion worked on him like gasoline on a flame. Much more this and he’d explode.
Leaving a trail of kisses down her torso, he explored the backs of her knees with fingers and tongue. When he kissed the inside of her thigh, Dee protested. “I need you inside me—now.”
He raised his head, looked carefully into her eyes. “Come for me once, before I chance it.”
“Eddie. Don’t make me beg.”
He nudged her legs farther apart and ran his fingers along her intimate folds. When he lowered his head, and his tongue began to stroke and tease her nub, a quiver ran through her body. He eased one finger into her and then a second one. Wet and tight.
His fingers thrusting faster, and deeper, her body went rigid. Dee’s hips came off the bed. Her inner muscled tightened, pulsed against his fingers. As the orgasm gripped her, she screamed his name.
He stroked and kissed everywhere on her body he could reach. Until she heaved a sigh and relaxed against the pillow.
“Lord,” she gasped, “That was amazing.”
Tearing open the condom packet, he rolled on protection. Crawling over her on hands and knees, when he got close enough, she grasped his straining erection and guided it home. They groaned in unison.
Dee wrapped her legs around his hips and nipped at his bottom lip. “Major?”
“Yes,” he said through gritted teeth. “This time, we come together.”
CHAPTER 11
The orgasm sent hot waves of shuddering release through every molecule of DeAnna’s body. “Ed,” she screamed, “Oh god, Eddie.” Spots danced in front of her eyes while her heart tried to pound its way up her throat.
Bent forward on her knees, hands braced for dear life against the headboard, she fought to catch her breath. As the tremors began to quiet, she collapsed flat on her stomach. Behind her, Quinn caved in on top of her.
“Ooof.” What little air she’d regained whooshed out of her lungs.
“Sorry.” Quinn rolled his long, heavy body partially off to one side. Terrific. Now only half of his body weight was squashing her. Then again, what a way to go.
Sucking in a deep breath, DeAnna sighed. The man had mad skills. After back-to-back multiple orgasms, she’d lost track. Talk about endurance. He could recover faster than—
Quinn’s warm lips moved over her shoulder. Again?
She shook her head, attempting to bat him away. “Break time,” she announced. “Let’s have a glass of champagne and I need a snack before round four.”
Eddie—or Quinn—she’d better figure out which to call him, shoved up to sit beside her sprawled body, and kissed the middle of her spine.
“Don’t move,” he said, his breath tickling her skin. “Be right back with the bubbly. What do you want to eat?”
“Surprise me,” she mumbled into the pillow.
“That’s my girl.” After dropping a butterfly kiss on the back of her neck and a noisy smacking one on her bare butt cheek, he trotted off to the bathroom.
She uttered a contented hum and snuggled deeper into the pillow.
Soon, from the living room, the wine bottle made a distinct popping sound, and a few moments later Quinn stood beside the bed.
“Honey,” he said, “if we’re eating in bed, you need to sit up.”
Starting to roll over, Dee remembered she was naked. One eye open, she noticed he was, too. He was holding a tray, but she’d ask him anyway. “Could you hand me my robe?”
“And pass up the view? Hell, no. Besides, my hands are full.”
She tried to shoot him the stink eye but failed. In a series of awkward gyrations, she turned over while stretching her arm to grab the sheet and yanking a pillow around to cover herself.
Ed laughed so hard he shook. So did the champagne bottle. In the interest of safety, Dee abandoned modesty, and reached for the tray.
His hands now free, Ed snapped the sheet up, covering most of her. Tugging the hem of the top sheet under the tray, he commandeered the pillows. “Let me fluff these, tuck one behind you.”
Moments later, they sat up against the headboard and pillows, the wine bottle on the bedside table, food plate on the mattress between them. Ed
lifted his champagne flute. “To us.”
Tapping her glass to his, she repeated the toast and drank. The wine fizzed on her tongue. For the next few moments, Quinn was unusually quiet while she struggled to read the expression on his face.
Taking another swallow, she asked, “Where did you go?”
“I’m here. The champagne reminded me. I know a couple honeymooning in Hawaii right now,” he said, glancing over to her.
“On Kauai?”
“Not sure. My roommate Steve went to their wedding in Tokyo. Came home in love with the maid of honor.”
DeAnna squirmed. “A woman he knew before?”
“Met her on the flight over,” Quinn said. “Steve claims love at first sight.”
“Sounds shaky, doesn’t it?”
“You think so?” His voice low, Quinn’s tone was dead serious.
Sitting straight, she speared a large pineapple slice with a toothpick and chewed slowly. In the few days she’d known Quinn, she hadn’t fallen in love, but she couldn’t deny being deeply in lust.
She twirled the toothpick between two fingers. What female wouldn’t be crazy about a gorgeous, intelligent man like Ed Quinn? An honorable, athletic guy with a sense of humor who’d spent the last several hours proving he was a generous and extremely talented lover?
Nice description, her inner voice turned snarky. If he’s so damn perfect and you’re so crazy about him, why haven’t you been honest? She should at least tell the sex god her real name. Or come completely clean. Admit to him she’d been his baby sister Olivia’s close friend since their sorority days.
Unable to meet his eyes, she changed the subject. “Does everyone call you Quinn?”
“Not everybody.” He gave her a sly wink. “I like the sound of Ed or Eddie. Especially the way you say them.”
“Be serious for a minute.”
“Okay, here’s the deal. My mom, dad, and little sister Olivia all call me Eddie. Since junior high, everybody else uses Quinn.” She could feel his stare. A blush crept up her neck and across her cheeks.
“In middle school,” he said, “the guys made fun of Edmund so I switched to Quinn and made it stick.” He ran a fingertip down her bare arm. “Honey, you can call me any damn thing you want.” Goose bumps sprouted in the wake of Quinn’s finger and his words.
“Seriously,” he continued. “Coming from you, I like Ed, Eddie, or Edmund. You make them all sound special.” He leaned across the plate of food and kissed her.
After another pause, Quinn offered to top off her wine glass. She shook her head. Finally, he twisted to face her. “I’m becoming expert at hearing the wheels turn in your agile brain. I suspect this is about more than my name. What’s bothering you? Is there something else you want to ask me? Or tell me?”
“I can’t help thinking about your friend Steve…” Her voice trailed off. Damn. What was she doing? She’d just re-introduced the topic of Steve?
“Dee, telling you about Steve falling in love with Kari at first sight, I didn’t mean for it to sound like a comparison. It’s not. Whatever we have going, whatever this is, between you and me? I know it’s happened fast, but it has nothing to do with them. This is strictly about you and me.”
“Alright.”
“I suggest we take each day, and night, one at a time. See what happens. Tonight’s been, I’d say amazing except that word isn’t nearly strong enough.”
She kissed him. “Tonight’s been beyond amazing for me too. With lots of other adjectives.”
Without another word, Quinn set both their glasses and the empty food plate on his side table. Sliding her down the bed until she was flat on her back, he put his talented hands and magic mouth to work on her body.
In minutes, he managed to drive all rational thought from her brain.
THE SOUND of an incoming message pulled DeAnna from a deep sleep. She grabbed her phone, muted the sound, and glanced at Quinn. The man was sound asleep.
Slipping carefully out of bed, she tiptoed to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The glowing screen indicated a text message from Olivia. A list of questions that ended with a demand for immediate answers. Olivia had never been a model of patience.
As much as she’d love to hear Ollie’s voice, better not take a chance calling her back right now. Not with big brother in the next room. DeAnna sat on the edge of the whirlpool tub, hit reply and typed a text.
“Can’t answer all your questions now. On assignment in Kauai, probably through the weekend. Please be patient!! Promise to call, tell you everything the minute I get back to Honolulu. Many hugs!”
She sent the text, then sat staring at the phone. Shit. Once again, she’d forgotten to leave the phone on vibrate. What if Quinn decided to call DeAnna Drake again? She wanted to tell him herself. Not have him find out who she was by a fluke.
The walls seemed to close in. It was past the point when she should have told Quinn her real name. An event that should happen before she revealed to Ollie that she’d met big brother. But she also needed to keep her promise to Mr. Martin.
When her sleepy eyes blurred, she blinked them back into focus. She’d deal with all this tomorrow. DeAnna snorted. My god, now she sounded like Scarlet O’Hara. But there was a grain of truth in that old saying about a situation looking better in the light of day.
Flipping off the light, she cracked open the door and tiptoed to the bed.
“Hi,” Quinn whispered. “Everything okay?”
“Fine.” She crawled into bed, snuggled against him.
“I missed you.” Quinn pressed her onto her back, rolled on top of her. He supported most of his weight on his knees and forearms. She felt the hard, thick proof of his words between her thighs.
“Show me,” she groaned. “Show me how much.”
CHAPTER 12
Q uinn’s mouth curved into a proud grin the next morning when he and Dee arrived at the elevator within seconds of each other. God, he loved a punctual woman.
“Perfect timing,” he murmured in the middle of a kiss. She looked terrific and smelled even better.
“Frank decided to meet us elsewhere?”
“Yep.” Early this morning, after enjoying a long, hot shower with Dee, Quinn had returned to his suite to shave and dress. “When I got to the room, he was already gone. The note said to meet him at the buffet.”
In the dining room Quinn spotted Frank standing in line for a custom omelet. After they shared a back-slapping man-hug, he introduced Dee. The two of them exchanged a handshake, and Frank pointed to the table he’d staked-out. “Let’s meet-up there.”
Quinn gave Dee a grin. “May I escort you to the fresh-fruit and healthy food section?”
“Don’t be silly.” Dee grinned back and shooed him away. “Go get something you want to eat. I can make it to our table.”
After they were all seated, Frank broke out his most charming smile and flirted with Dee. “It’s great to finally meet you. The beautiful mystery woman who knows so much about the hospitality industry.”
“Hey.” Quinn showed teeth but didn’t bother to growl at his friend. Once he’d been waved-off, Frank could and would still flirt with a lovely woman who wasn’t his. But only up to a point. Their friendship ensured Frank could be trusted to never cross the line.
She added half and half to her coffee. “Nice to meet you, too, Major Whitney.”
“Please, call me Frank.”
“Frank, you’re stationed in Idaho?”
“That’s right. Mountain Home Air Force Base.” He glanced out of the floor to ceiling windows to the azure sky and sundrenched view. Then took a long swallow of his Mimosa. “A week in Hawaii is one hell of a great break.”
“How’d you like Maui?” Quinn asked.
“What’s not to like? The golf courses are primo.” Frank turned to Dee. “Had to high-tail it here to Kauai to check up on my buddy, Quinn. He and his fancy reports to Dad were making me look like a slacker. Until I discovered you’re both the beauty and the br
ains behind this operation.”
“Wait—” Dee’s eyes grew round.
“That’s enough, Whitney,” Quinn kept his voice low, “Stop teasing.”
“Quinn and I are working separately,” she insisted. “There was never—”
“He knows that.” Quinn patted her hand. “Just ignore him.”
“Are you sure?” Dee shot back a warning look, while under the table, the toe of her sneaker kicked Quinn’s ankle.
“Sorry.” Frank lifted both hands in surrender. “Just enjoying a little joke. I understand it’s a sensitive area. Associating with employees of rival companies. Learned those rules of confidentiality at my father’s knee.”
The timely arrival of the server to top off the coffee mugs silenced all three of them. Distracted, Quinn lifted his steaming mug. Before he could scald his tongue, Dee touched his wrist. He plunked the coffee back down, took her hand instead. For good measure, he sent Frank a meaningful glare. And spoke directly to Dee.
“To be clear. What I said to Frank was, my reports on the Fragrant Garden also include ideas and suggestions because, thanks to you, I’m looking at my assignment differently. You’ve inspired me. Instead of simply listing problems, I’m also thinking about solutions and enhancements.”
“Glad I could be of help.” Dee smiled at them both, then she faced Quinn. “What’s on our agenda for today? Were you able to get Frank included in all the remaining tours and reservations?”
“Yep.” Quinn had suffered mixed feelings when he tasked the butler with including Frank in the already combined itineraries. Especially for today. He’d put thought and effort in planning today’s surprise. A special tour, just for Dee and himself.
“First, Frank, let me give you some background.” He explained the Dolphin SMART program. Including the details Dee had shared with him, and added the research he’d done.
“Besides the corporation doing the right thing,” Quinn said, “any hotel or chain of resorts that comes down on the side of the wild dolphins, can cash in big. After checking around, I created my own mini questionnaire. It should help us get the most out of today. On the way, we can grill the driver for details. Ask about similar tours or appropriate alternate destinations.”
Tropical Tryst: 25 All New and Exclusive Sexy Reads Page 88