by Shannyn Leah
Anya didn’t smile in return. “You might not be thanking me if we continue down this path of twisting and fighting.”
The corners of his mouth rose and his humor narrowed her eyes. “There’s no other place I would rather be.”
Anya pointed at him. “That’s you twisting for a fight.”
“That’s me being honest.”
His honesty wasn’t as refreshing as she would have liked. It only added fog to her brain.
“Your timing sucks.” Anya continued walking. “Keep it to yourself. If this is going to work, then you need to keep those thoughts to yourself,” she told him over her shoulder.
“Fine,” he said.
He caught up to her and they walked to the resort’s beach where couples stretched out on the loungers staring at the sky and staring at each other...romantically.
Silently they stepped onto the boardwalk and started along the path weaving around pools, bars and sitting areas.
Quinn stopped at a sand pit where the volleyball and other games were set up for the guests. He climbed over the short two-foot fence.
“How good are you at horse shoes?” he asked.
He had no idea how good she was.
Anya grinned. “You don’t want to find out.”
“That sounds like a challenge.”
Anya left her shoes at the fence along with her reluctance to enjoy Quinn’s company. Now that they had their boundaries, and had agreed to make decisions together, why couldn’t they be civil with each other?
Chapter Thirteen
“THIS IS SO uncivilized!” Anya cried.
Quinn loved how her laughter rolled across the distance like the cooling mist of water.
He let out the laughter rumbling up his chest and enjoyed the weight that was lifted away.
“Are you ready?” he called down to her.
“Are you sure you want to ruin this perfectly gorgeous dress I am wearing?”
There was no denying the dress she was wearing was sexy as hell with her in it, but rules were rules.
“I’m pretty sure,” he called back to her.
“It’s brand new. Never been worn. Just ripped the tags off tonight.”
For me? Push that thought away.
“Are you ready?”
Anya still hadn’t stepped into the puddle of mud they’d created with the help of the lake behind them. The idea of “mud shoes” was new to him, but Anya’s smile convinced him it was worth trying. Her laughter while transporting buckets of water across the beach gave the promise of a fun experience and lightened the rift between them.
What he hadn’t known was that she was very good at horse shoes. Quinn was splattered with mud while this was Anya’s first trip to the mud pool.
“What if you hit me?” she asked.
“I’m not going to hit you.”
“What if you do?”
“I trusted you,” he said, pointing to his mud-misted pants and top.
“Yeah, but I am good at horseshoes. I am actually a champion at this game. You, you are only better−”
“Step down Caliendo.”
Anya reluctantly stepped into the mud puddle.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
“No.”
“Too bad.” Quinn tossed the horseshoe toward the stake, wincing as it landed directly in their mud pool, and sent mud flying in the air and across Anya’s black dress. She screamed as it sprayed her, holding her hands out to protect her face, but she was a good sport and kept her feet grounded.
Quinn laughed.
Anya examined the damage before looking up at him. “I can’t believe you did it,” she said. She laughed. “Okay, hurry up and throw the next one.”
Quinn did as she instructed and another round of laughter came from her side of the sand pit.
Afterwards, Quinn joined her in digging his hand into the mud to locate his horseshoes.
He stood and looked over the damage up close. Thick mud ran from the tightly-fitted dress and trickled down her bare legs to her muddy feet. He looked at the piece of bent metal in his hand.
“This is a dangerous game,” he observed, giving it a little shake. “You played this when you were kids?”
She nodded.
“Note how very good I am at horseshoes,” she pointed out.
She was better than he was.
“I didn’t really think I was going to lose to you.” She laughed. “When I suggested losers get mud dunked, I thought it would be you every time.”
Quinn laughed too. “Does that mean you’re done? Not another round? You’re chickening out because you fear defeat?”
She picked up her horseshoes. “Hell no, Barker. Prepare to meet your maker.”
Quinn couldn’t help but laugh with her.
They played another few rounds. He lost until the last one. Anya pouted her way back to the mud pool and Quinn resumed position as the winner, spraying her again with splashes of mud.
“I hate this game,” she said, when he made his way back over to her. “I was master of this game until you came around.”
He shrugged. “What can I say?”
“I say I am done,” Anya said. “I’m going to rinse my legs in the lake.” She glanced down at her dress. “I think my dress is beyond lake repair.”
Anya bent down to dig her horseshoes out of the mud. Quinn enjoyed the view of her behind bent over and her hair spilling down the sides of her body, exposing the bare skin.
“It’s stuck,” she said.
He watched her body tug a couple times before he decided to help.
“I can’t get it. It’s right here.” She grabbed his hand and stuck it in the mud. Before he touched the cold metal, a handful of mud smacked him across his face.
He heard Anya giggle as her hand slid down his cheek, his jaw line, and continued a path down his throat stopping at the opening of his shirt.
“I’m sorry.” She stifled a laugh. “You were just being so cocky.”
Him? Cocky?
He wasn’t the one bragging about being the ultimate horseshoe champion.
Quinn caught her hand and with his somewhat clean hand, he wiped the mud away from his eyes.
She smiled at him, not even trying to contain her giggles. “I’m sorry, honest.”
He doubted it.
“Truce,” she offered, holding out her other hand.
He stared at it. He could take her truce and they could both stand up and head to the lake. She only had to rinse off her legs and he just needed to splash the mud from his face. That was one alternative. The other alternative was...
With his free hand, he swiped under her crouched legs, throwing her off balance and sending her backside flying into the mud puddle.
Her surprised scream drowned out his laughter and her hands flailed for something to keep her upright. She ended up grabbing the front of his shirt and pulling him down on top of her. His hands and knees sunk into the mud and the splash of her body sent mud up their sides.
Laughter filled the air around them and settled on the wild nerves that had been on high alert throughout his body all day. It was nice to not think about what was happening between the two of them right now and to let go of the pressures of their situation. It was healthier to laugh than fight with her, although he would guarantee the make-up sex between them would be even healthier.
Bad timing. Focus on the plan.
The plan was a friendship. It was a platonic, working relationship...or at the very least a put up with each other long enough to get the files kind of relationship. He could handle this little task.
While his brain was telling him they were only friends, the platonic ambience around them departed. Quinn’s body became acutely aware of where every part of him was touching Anya. He felt her bare leg rub between his legs, her stomach press against his and her breasts arch against his chest. Their faces were close enough that he could caress her lips with a simple move.
He felt her eyes on him and, when he final
ly looked down, he saw her need. Every attentive part of his body wanted her too.
“I’m sorry.” He tried to sound as teasing as her when she’d surprised his face with a mud mask. He heard the desire in his voice and inwardly cursed at his lack of control.
“You’re sorry?” The husky craving in her voice masked the humor she tried to portray and made his body hot and hard.
Quinn wasn’t sorry at all. “I’m really, really sorry,” he lied.
Anya chuckled. “I’m sorry too.” Her teeth trapped her bottom lip and the chewing motion steered Quinn into a trance. Those luscious lips were a taunting and his mouth grew hot wanting to flavor them. As the corners of her lips lifted, he felt cold mud against his head. He sucked in a breath as her fingers dug through his hair, massaging the mud into his scalp. That was going to be a bitch to clean. The thought of a shower took Quinn from the present and into Anya’s large stone shower.
Anya’s smirk pulled him back.
“I’m really, really sorry,” she said.
Is that how she wanted to play it?
Not moving or taking his eyes off her, he slowly scooped a handful of mud and lifted the dripping liquid above her. He watched her eyes widen, daring him to do it. He pressed the cold, grainy mud against Anya’s bare chest and she gasped in shock.
She sucked in a deep breath of air and he felt her chest move beneath his hand. Slowly, Quinn rubbed the mud across her bare shoulders, digging his fingertips into her skin as he moved. Anya didn’t fight him or try to escape her position. Her breathing slowed and her lips parted.
Her hands found their way under his shirt and he felt her fingers trailing mud up his back. The desire in her eyes told him she wanted to touch him and it had nothing to do with the mud.
Quinn’s fingers slowly moved up her long, soft throat. Her neck arched with the touch, her eyes fell shut and they took their mud bath to a whole new level, one that they had both agreed not to cross.
He needed to stop and climb off of her. They needed to stand by their friend boundaries. Bringing lust into their situation kept adding confusion.
But his body didn’t listen.
Quinn’s thumb traced her jaw line and the vibration of her moan dragged the same sound from deep inside his throat.
He could kiss her. Lord knew he wanted to kiss her. Her fingers moved to his front and worked their way across his abs, begging him to make the first move.
Don’t do it.
The mud drying across his lips was the only thing keeping him from taking her mouth in his. The quick thought of wiping his face across the shoulder of his shirt and dipping into her mouth crossed his mind, but that would only result in hurting her.
So he did the next best thing.
Quinn leaned in tried to ignore how his body moulded perfectly to hers, welcoming him. He wiped the mud on his lips against Anya’s bare cheek, intending to kill the moment.
Anya’s body stilled beneath him and her eyes flew open. She stared at him in disbelief, and then her eyes lightened.
“That’s not where I thought this was going,” she said, and he was glad to find humor in her voice.
“It’s not where I wanted to go,” he admitted.
She bit her lower lip again, the humor quickly dissipating. Her eyes filled with a desire that threw him off. “Where did you want to go?” she whispered.
Quinn groaned. “You know where...”
Her hands slipped out from under his shirt and gripped the sides of his upper arms. It was sweet torture.
She licked her lips and Quinn lowered himself down, ready to ignore every rational thought in his body.
Before his lips reached hers, a voice ripped into their circle of privacy. “Are you playing mud shoes without me?”
Quinn cringed at the sound of Izzy’s voice.
He should have been thankful Miss Obnoxious was disrupting what shouldn’t be happening, but he wasn’t.
“Looks like you’ve changed the rules,” she observed.
Anya’s eyes fell shut, the embarrassment radiating from her body. “We suck at platonic,” she muttered.
Quinn chuckled as he stood, grasping her hands, and pulling her to her feet beside him.
Izzy wasn’t alone. The Caliendo mob stood on the marble path staring at them, judging them, and obviously still unsure about both of them.
Anya’s slippery and muddy hands trembled beneath his. He pulled her closer and when no one said anything, he spoke.
“Who’s up for a game of mud shoes?”
There was an exchange between the family, but Izzy dived right in, kicking her sandals off and digging her feet into the sand.
“I’m in,” she said excitedly. “We haven’t done this in forever.” She pulled Emma’s arm with her.
“Alright, me too.” Unbalanced from Izzy’s persistence, Emma kicked her shoes off and the two girls went searching for the horseshoes.
“I think we will watch,” Eliza said, glancing around for a chair to pull up.
Carl was pulling off his shoes and socks. He rolled up his pant legs. “I’m game,” he said.
“Can we play too?” was voiced from Sophia, Parker and Rosemary.
Marc glanced around, unsure, but Kate was in high gear slipping out of her shoes and helping Rosemary with hers.
When Eliza gave the Okay for Parker and Sophia, they jumped up and hollered, joining the crowd in the sand.
It was suddenly a family event.
Quinn wiped his hands on the back of his suit where there was no mud and took Anya’s hands with him. She laughed as he wrapped her arms around him and wiped the excess off.
Anya wiped away some of the mud from his face, smearing it on his jacket. When she finished, she smiled at him.
“Thank you Quinn.” She reached up and kissed his cheek before taking off with her loud family.
The men’s suit jackets and the women’s shawls were thrown over to Eliza who had found a chair by the edge of the fence.
Quinn watched the action and joined in with the rowdy crowd recapping “mud shoes” rules, making new rules for the safety of the little ones and trying to intimidate each other.
He was enjoying their excitement, but he couldn’t help wonder where Eliza and Carl had come from. Had they all just had a meal together and not invited Anya? If that was the case, was it because there was discussion going on behind Anya’s back? Suspicions about her return? Or quite possibly they had the files and knew exactly why she was back.
His gut told him that Eliza and Carl hadn’t cancelled their supper because of a prior engagement.
***
BACK AT ANYA’S suite, she prepared the guest bedroom for Quinn while he took a shower in the guest bathroom.
For Anya’s sake, she was glad he did because when she stood under the hot water of her own shower no remnants of his smell remained. As she scrubbed the dry mud off her skin, she tried to push away the images of Quinn stripping down outside for his shower, leaving only his briefs. Stripping outside had been a polite gesture, not wanting to trudge mud through her house. How thoughtful...and darn sexy of him.
Anya finished her shower in record time, especially considering the massive clumps of mud caked throughout her hair. She towel-dried her hair and slipped into a pair of silk pajama pants and a matching black tank top.
The hallway exhibited dried mud crumbles all the way to her bedroom.
Ugh. The aftermath of mud shoes. It was no wonder her mother hadn’t liked or encouraged the game when they were children. Another reason why they’d often been sent to the lake to wash themselves off before coming home.
But Anya smiled. It had been fun casually hanging out with her family and forgetting why she was here. Like old times.
Quinn emerged from the kitchen, sweeping the trail of mud down the hallway. Freshly showered, water still glistened on his bare torso. Sweat pants hugged his waist and his muscles flexed under each movement.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Anya said, as he sw
ept right to her feet. He pulled the dustpan from under his other arm to collect the remains. When he finished, he stood.
“This was all my mud,” she said. “You stripped down before we got in the house, remember?” She would never forget.
He grinned and his eyes told her he’d hoped she would have joined him.
Anya swallowed hard.
“I don’t mind.”
Anya followed him into the kitchen and found herself standing awkwardly, not knowing what they were supposed to do next. Two years ago, they would have showered together and still been making sweet love against the stone walls. Now, she didn’t know. She should retire for the night. Although they’d almost kissed in the mud hole, he wasn’t pursing anything further with her.
“I warmed up some apple pie,” Quinn said. “And added a scoop of ice cream.”
How long had she been in the shower?
He carried two bowls from the kitchen and Anya followed him to the couch. She sat beside him, fully aware he still didn’t have a shirt on and nibbled at her food.
Quinn hadn’t touched his dessert. Her excitement heightened as she considered that he was thinking about them−he was still half-naked after all. But when he spoke, his thoughts did not coincide with her own.
“I got a call while you were in the shower,” he said.
Anya immediately caught the implication behind his words. She heard his silent apology, but he’d gone behind her back and prodded into her private life. Of course he did. Did she really believe he wasn’t going to? A team, ha! Quinn was a lonesome wolf and there was no team in that.
She lost her appetite. She set her plate down on the coffee table with a clang that echoed as the fork fell off.
“I thought we were doing things together,” she snarled, preparing for another brawl. Fighting with him was exhausting, so when Quinn touched her hand to keep her from standing, she stayed in place. His explanation wouldn’t lessen the sensation of betrayal he was so keen on her not feeling.
“I had a source run your licence plates the night at the cabin. They gave me your current address and I had someone look into it.”
She shook her head in disbelief. “Does that make it okay?”