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Stepping into the large glass shower cubicle, I stood just out of the stream of deliciously hot water. Then I filled my fingertips with foam and liberally spread it around my female hair. Quickly soaking the razor, I set about removing my short black curls. After taking off the ones that made up the neat triangle above my pussy lips, I spread my legs wider, bent my back like a contortionist and carefully removed the 33
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thinner, paler ones lining the way to my entrance. When the job was done, I rinsed off and set the razor on the shelf.
Filling my palms with strawberry shower gel, I began to rub suds over my breasts, which were bigger now than when I’d first met Liam and Quinn. After having the girls they’d stayed a whole cup size larger. My nipples were darker too. Instead of pale pink they were a deep russet color. They were so much more sensitive too, so much more responsive. I twirled the shower gel around them, watching them turn to stiff peaks.
Spreading the fragrant gel into the dip of my waist and over the curve of my hips, I sent my hand down to my pussy, assessing the job I’d done. My plump lips were smooth and soft, the skin sensitive and bare. I smiled. Liam would approve.
After dressing in jeans and a fleecy top, I headed downstairs and flicked on the coffee machine. I swallowed my birth control pill with an inch of water and let the dogs into the yard.
They galloped out, barking and tussling with one another. Grabbing a scoop of seed from the utility, I slipped on my boots and followed them. I let the hens out of their coop, scattered seeds over the cobbles and watched as they clucked happily around my ankles like a group of gossipy old women.
“Morning, girls. You laid any eggs yet?” I went over to the nesting box at the side of their coop and lifted the lid. “Oh, well done,” I cooed, reaching in for the clutch of four eggs. Liam and I would have an omelet for breakfast.
Putting the warm eggs into the grain scoop, I headed back to the kitchen, shut the door, keen to keep the heat from the Aga in, and set the eggs next to the hot plate. “Oh, Betsy,” I sighed, lifting her down from the pine table where she was sniffing the buttery crumbs left over from Quinn’s discarded breakfast plate. “Will you never learn?” She meowed in complaint and darted out of the kitchen, no doubt to go and lie on the bed with Liam.
A scrap of paper next to the breadboard caught my eye. I picked it up, recognizing Quinn’s untidy scrawl.
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I’m taking you dancing tonight.
I read it again.
I’m taking you dancing tonight.
Quinn had never, ever taken me dancing. Not in all the years we’d been together. I folded the paper in half and slipped it into my jeans pocket. Why on earth did he suddenly want to take me dancing? He liked to come home and relax. He liked it when it was just us. The quiet life, no demands and no expectations to be the super-controlled doctor he was at work.
I stared out the kitchen window at the sun stretching over the yard like long golden fingers. Where was he planning on taking me dancing? Had he enrolled us in a salsa class? We’d watched a TV show about it being the new craze sweeping the country and I’d made a passing comment that it looked like fun.
The coffee machine clicked off and I poured a mug and climbed the stairs to my studio. I would just have to wait and see what he had in mind, because with Quinn, nothing was ever guaranteed.
Early evening, Quinn appeared in the kitchen doorway dressed in smart black pants and a crisp black-and-white-checked shirt, the top two buttons undone, showing the start of the dark hair that coated his chest. “Ready?” he asked, rubbing his hands together and giving me a half-smile.
I surveyed him. He looked good. Like, seriously good. For a moment I considered suggesting we make our own music and try out some naked dance moves. But he grabbed his wallet and pager, slipped his feet into black leather shoes and headed to the door.
“Yes, ready.” I stood, straightening the sleeveless silver-gray top and short red skirt I’d teamed with long, black leather boots. They were new boots, a birthday present from Liam. The tops sat just above my knees and the heels were precariously thin silver 35
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spikes. They made me feel incredibly sexy and it was great to have someplace to wear them.
Quinn’s gaze dropped down my body and the corner of his mouth tilted. “You look good enough to eat,” he said in a darkly sensual tone.
“So do you.” I walked to him and kissed his cheek.
He’d showered and shaved, his skin baby-smooth and warm on my lips. He smelled divine, his freshly applied aftershave peppery and spiced, settling in my nose like a scented treat.
He smoothed his hands from the hollow of my back over my butt and touched my forehead with his lips. He breathed in deep too and I guessed he was filling up on the new perfume he’d bought me. Night Seduction it was called, an orchid-and frangipani-based fragrance, light but exotic.
“Are you sure you won’t come with us?” I asked, turning to Liam who sat at the kitchen table with the newspaper spread before him. Betsy was curled on his lap and I could just make out her trailing tail.
“Nah, I’m good.” He didn’t look up.
“I wish you would,” I said with a frown.
“Well, where are you going ‘dancing’?” He glanced at Quinn.
“A new bar opened near the hospital. There’s a band playing tonight, a good one apparently.”
“How do you know?” I asked, feeling a little disappointed it wasn’t salsa after all.
“They might be rubbish.”
“The scrub nurses were talking about it yesterday. One of them knows the drummer and they’ve just signed a record deal. Their songs are really good for dancing to. It’s not all that hip-hop stuff.”
“What’s given you the sudden urge to dance?” I asked, unable to suppress a smile.
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Quinn couldn’t stand rap or hip-hop. If it ever came on the radio he flicked it straight off.
“I haven’t especially. But I thought you’d like it. The nurses go out dancing all the time and I realized I never take you.” He sighed. “I just thought since we don’t need babysitters we should make the most of it. Plus…” He grinned. “You needed a chance to wear those boots.”
I smiled up at him. “It’s a lovely thought. And I do want to dance.” I turned to Liam again. “Please change your mind. We won’t stay long and it will do you good to get out.”
“Yeah, come with us, we won’t be late,” Quinn added. “I’ve got early rounds tomorrow.”
Liam touched his fingers to his forehead and rubbed over his right eyebrow.
“You don’t have to get changed, jeans are fine if it’s just a bar,” I said, jutting out my hip. “And besides, you haven’t been off the farm for three weeks.” He dropped his hand to the table. “I have,” he said indignantly.
“When?”
“I came with you to the horse show in Pendine.”
“Oh yes,” I said. “Well, apart from that you haven’t been out for three weeks.
You’re turning into a recluse.”
“I like being a recluse,” he muttered, shut his newspaper and scraped back his chair. Betsy jumped from his lap with a disgruntled meow. “But if you want me to come, Ariane, I will.”
“Great,” Quinn said. “Let’s get going then.”
Liam stood and slipped his feet into faded black trainers, shoved a hand through his hair and sighed.
I shrugged into a fitted black jacket with a faux fur-lined collar and stepped out into the dark yard.
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“I’m glad you’re coming,” I said to Liam as we waited for Quinn to lock the door.
“I’m sure you’ll have fun once we get there.”
“If I’m with you then it will be fun,” he whispered, wrapping an arm around my waist and urging me across the cobblestones.
I leaned into him, glad of his body wa
rmth and the support as we hurried through the cold. Liam had been quiet all day. Quiet as if lost in thought, so I was doubly glad he wouldn’t be sitting on his own all evening.
“Are you missing the girls?” I asked, thinking back to Quinn’s preoccupied thoughtfulness the night before.
“Yeah,” he said, opening the back door of Quinn’s Mercedes for me. “Yeah, I miss them. It’s always strange when they go, isn’t it?” Quinn navigated through the narrow, winding lanes effortlessly and soon we reached the main ring road around the city and were plunged into the amber glow of streetlamps. The traffic was heavier, but we didn’t travel with it far before he turned off and negotiated the backstreets near the hospital. I gazed at the small town houses with their high front steps and thought how lucky we were to have so much space on the farm and what a wonderful environment we’d provided for the twins to grow up in. I’d always been a country girl at heart and although I enjoyed my time living on the bay with Liam and Quinn, relocating to the outskirts of the city had been a great move. The peace and quiet, the lack of neighbors, the fresh air and the animals all suited me very well. It certainly suited Liam, and Quinn was used to it now. His twenty-six-minute commute to the hospital was acceptable if he was called on an emergency―which he frequently was.
“Here it is,” Quinn said, slotting his car into a small space.
The building before us was wide and modern and set between a restaurant and a beauty parlor. Huge windows with heavy red drapes stretched on either side of a glass door that had Hanrahan’s written above it in slanting black letters.
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Quinn killed the engine and jumped out of the car. I hadn’t seen him so enthusiastic about going anywhere for a long time.
“Come on,” he said, opening my door and offering me his hand.
I looked into his sparkling eyes. “What time is the band due on?” I asked, stepping onto the sidewalk.
“I think they’re already on,” he said, “judging by the sound of it.” Standing in the cool, dark air I understood what he meant. There was a deep thudding bass coming from the building and I could just make out singing. I glanced back into the car. Liam had made no move to get out.
“Come on,” I said. “Come and dance with me.”
He looked over his shoulder, glanced at me, then Hanrahan’s, took a deep breath and nodded once before opening his door and climbing out.
Quinn flicked his key fob at the car and it flashed and winked as he pushed into the bar. Thumping music and thick warmth wrapped around me. Liam pressed in close behind and I reached for his hand. He didn’t like loud music and this was way above his decibel level. I felt bad for persuading him to come at all. I should have left him quiet with his newspaper and Betsy on his lap, but I’d wanted to dance with him as well as Quinn. It had been selfish of me and a sudden pang of guilt tugged my heartstrings.
Turning, I looked up into his handsome face. “Sorry,” I mouthed as we pressed through a crowd in order to keep up with Quinn.
His eyes were narrow and he tugged at his bottom lip. “It’s okay,” he said. “Really, it sounds like a funky band. We’ll have a nice time.” I squeezed his hand, pleased that he was making an effort.
We drew up to the bar next to Quinn, who’d already caught the barman’s attention.
A glass of white wine appeared in front of me, along with a lager and a cola. “What do 39
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you think?” he asked, looking around at the people lining the bar, his gaze keen and interested. “They’re good, aren’t they?”
“Yes,” I agreed, nodding and straining to see the band on stage. “They sound great.”
Hanrahan’s was clearly popular and a crush of people were dancing and talking, drinking and laughing. The band was on a small, raised stage, the cute lead singer clutching a microphone and singing about emotions eating him alive. The air was hot and sticky. I slipped off my jacket and Liam took it from me, folding it over the crook of his elbow.
“Are you glad we came?” Quinn asked, returning his attention to me and running his finger down my bare arm.
“Well, I will be once we’ve had a dance.” I grinned up at him.
“Sure thing,” he said, taking a quick sip of his drink and grabbing my hand.
I turned to Liam. “Back in a minute.”
“Take your time, baby.” He reached for a black tray farther up the bar. “I’ll take our drinks and go sit by the door.” He nodded at a vacant table against the closed curtains.
It was away from the denseness of the crowd and a small red candle flickered in the center.
Quinn coiled his fingers with mine and tugged me deeper into the crush of people.
He was so much taller than I. All I could see were shoulders and shoes.
He found us a spot at the front and began to dance to the fast beat. His hands reached out for mine, he pulled me close and our hips jigged together. I looked up into his face. Lights danced on his skin and his eyes flashed down at me. In a sudden flourish he spun me right around and caught me against his chest. He laughed at my surprise and I joined in, grasping for his shoulders to steady myself.
Three energetic songs later I was hot from dancing and glad of the sleeveless top I was wearing. My forehead and cleavage were damp and I thought of Quinn’s glass of 40
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cola on the table. I was just about to say so when the fast song we’d been jigging to ended and after a burst of clapping the cute singer began to croon slowly about lost love.
Quinn turned me and wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. His head dropped to my ear. “You dance great,” he murmured and began to sway us to the music. “I can’t believe I haven’t brought you here before.”
“Have you been here before?” I asked.
He hesitated. “Once.”
“When?” I twisted my neck to look up at him. “I thought it had just opened.”
“It has.” He paused. “I came in a couple of weeks ago.”
“Oh, you didn’t mention it.”
“Didn’t I?”
“No.”
He pressed his lips against my ear. “It was nothing,” he murmured. “A drink after a particularly complicated surgery with the anesthetist and a few of the surgical staff. It was a good way to debrief.”
I turned within the circle of his arms and hooked my hands behind his neck. “But you never go for a drink with the staff.”
His forehead creased. “Well, I did once. Why is it such a big deal? Why isn’t it okay?”
“Of course it’s okay.” I was as shocked by his sudden irritation as his admission.
“And it’s not a big deal. I just thought you would have mentioned it when you got home, that’s all.”
“I told you last night I’ve got a lot on my mind at the moment. I guess I just got in the car, drove and started thinking about something else. The grant probably.” 41
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I pushed to my toes and touched my lips to his. “I’m glad you came out with your staff,” I said gently. “They understand what you’ve been doing all day. It’s good to be able to talk about it.”
His forehead relaxed. “Yeah,” he said. “They do understand.” His gaze left mine and he stared over my right shoulder—his attention suddenly dragged away from me.
“Have you seen someone you know?” I half turned to look into the crowd.
“Er, yeah, there’re several faces here I recognize.” He tightened his hold and ran his hand into the small of my back. I pressed against him, delighting in his lean body moving gracefully to the music.
“Well,” I said with a smile, “I bet they’ll all be talking tomorrow about the big boss dancing like a pro at Hanrahan’s.”
“More likely they’ll be gossiping about how my dance partner was stolen away by a blond hunk.”
“What do you mean?”
A big hand curled over my shoulder. I turned and looked up at Liam.
Quinn released me and sidestepped out of Liam’s way. I missed his hands on me, his touch, his body’s movements against mine, but it was instantly replaced by Liam’s tall, solid body. He wrapped his taut, muscular arms around me and pulled me close. I slid my hands around his waist, tucking my fingers beneath the bottom of his t-shirt and smoothing into the dip of his back.
“Mm, you’re all warm and soft,” he said down into my ear. “Dancing suits you.”
“I’m enjoying myself,” I said, breathing in his delicious citrus scent. “I don’t really know where Quinn’s sudden urge to be sociable has come from but it’s a nice treat.” Liam huffed as though he only half agreed with me.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Are you really not enjoying it at all? Not even a tiny bit?” 42
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“I am now I’ve got you in my arms,” he said. “And the beat to this song isn’t as pounding as the last one.”
“Has it given you a headache?”
“No, I’m fine,” he said quickly.
I tilted my head. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure.” He brushed his lips to mine. “I’m just starting to wish there was no one else here so I could strip you naked, take everything off you except those sexy black boots and watch you dance around all hot and soft and giggly.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Oh yeah, that’s the plan when we get home. I’m going to light the fire, get the room cozy, get you all turned-on, then I’m going to shave off that little curly bit of hair that’s getting in the way of me tasting and feeling every delicious fold of your pussy.” My heart rate sped up at the erotic image he’d created. “I’ve already done it,” I whispered. “In the shower this morning. I wanted to show you this afternoon but you were so wrapped up in work.”
His brows lifted. “There are certain things I don’t object to being interrupted about.”
I molded my body to his, wishing I had indeed risked interrupting him. My heels meant I was taller than usual and my mound touched just below his crotch, my mouth hovering just below his ear. “Beneath this little skirt is the tiniest pair of knickers you could ever imagine, Liam, then there’s just my pussy, waiting for you.” I pressed my hand into his back, squeezed his body closer and felt him hardening beneath his jeans.