Touching his forehead to hers, he whispered, "Shelley." He was so awestruck by her beauty, by her scent, by her bravery--by every single thing about her--that he almost couldn't remember how to form words, could only remember how to say her name.
She whispered his name back, and when she pressed her body to his mouth and hands and hips, he couldn't stop himself from lavishing her skin with feverish kisses and caresses.
"You're stunning, Shelley. The most beautiful woman I've ever seen. Beyond beautiful."
She pressed her lips to his chest, kissing a path along his pecs, and when she swept her tongue over his chest, the animal in him took over. Took them both over, as their mouths crashed together, tongues slicking, hands groping. He stroked her where she was slick and hot, and her head tilted back with a sexy little noise that short-circuited whatever synapses he had that were still firing.
Desperation rode him, the desperation to take her right then, right there beneath the stars. But even more than that, he wanted to pleasure her. Needed to see her come apart for him. Needed to feel her quiver, hear her gasp, taste her pleasure on his tongue. He wanted her to remember his caresses, his kisses, when she woke up in the morning.
And he wanted her to crave them when she closed her eyes at night.
Quinn wanted to take the time to explore, to arouse, to pleasure her like no other man ever had. He drank in her flushed skin, her tantalizing scent, as he ran his lips from the gorgeous swell of her breasts to the sensitive dip beside the ridge of her hip, over her stomach. She arched her hips up into his hands, into his mouth, but he hadn't had enough yet. Hadn't given her enough anticipation, enough yearning, enough desperation yet.
He moved back up her body, feasting on her soft skin, loving her uninhibited response to the slicking tease of his tongue at the underside of her breasts, to the tug of his lips over her nipple, to the gentle scrape of his teeth over her pulse point. Intensity grew by the second, the moon shining brighter above them, the water going darker beneath them, as what was left of his control gave way to need that he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fully quench. Not even if they had a thousand nights like this.
Following the path of his hands down her torso with his mouth, he traced her hips with his hands, wanting to memorize every lush curve. And when her legs fell open wider, welcoming him, beckoning him, Quinn brought his mouth to the inside of her thigh. She gasped a breath as he teased her with his fingers, and she met each tease with a lift of her hips.
Needing more, wanting to see her so full of desire that she thought she might burst, he slid two fingers into her velvety heat, sinking deep inside.
So good. So, so good.
The blood was rushing so loudly through his brain that he might have missed her sweet words if he weren't so utterly attuned to every breath she took. To every degree that her skin was heating up as she gave herself over to him more and more by the second. To the trembling of her limbs as he took her higher. Took both of them so damn high that he didn't ever want to come down.
Her words echoed everything he was feeling, both of them gasping with the pleasure of their connection. He whispered the same thing against her skin--so good, so, so good--and then he lowered his mouth to her sweet, hot center. The first taste of her was pure heaven, and he couldn't stop himself from taking more, and then more still.
When she panted out his name, he nearly lost it then and there on his boat, even with his pants still on. And the way her body responded eagerly to every stroke of his tongue, to every caress of his fingers over her, inside of her?
Nothing had ever been hotter.
Nothing.
She was so sexy, rocking into him as she got closer and closer to the edge, her head thrown back so that moonlight bathed her gorgeous curves in a warm glow. Her muscles tensed and her nails dug into his shoulder as he licked and loved her until her body shuddered, her inner muscles pulsating around his fingers as she cried out his name. Lifting his mouth back to hers, he took her in another hard kiss, needing to brand her as his as she rode out the last of her climax against his hand.
His heart was beating faster than it ever had as her eyes fluttered open, and she looked sated and so incredibly beautiful. "That was..." Her lips curved up into another one of those smiles that made him want to do any and everything he could to keep her smiling. "That was amazing."
"You're amazing." He kissed her again, intending it to be a sweet press of their lips this time, but he was unable to hold back his passion for her. "Your body's so responsive and you're so damn beautiful. I need to see you come for me again, Shell."
"I need it, too," she said. "And I need to make you feel as good as you just made me feel."
Holy hell, she wasn't the only one who needed that. But as she reached for the button on his jeans, he gently took her wrist. "Tonight..." He held her gaze, made sure she could see what her pleasure did for him, that he could easily survive on nothing but a steady diet of her gasps of pleasure and the feel of limbs wrapped around him. "Tonight's for you, sweetheart."
And this time he wanted to be right there, watching her, holding her as she found her release. Needed to be right there as he laced his right hand with hers and held it up by her head as he used his left to stroke her again. It didn't take long for her breathing to become shallow, especially when he slid lower to take her breast in his mouth, grazing his teeth over her nipple as his fingers entered her.
"Oh...God...Quinn..."
"That's it. Come for me. Let me see how beautiful you are when you're giving yourself to me, Shell." Every word was raw with need. He knew he had no right to ask for this--not yet, not until he'd proved to her that she could trust him always--but he still had to say, "Everything, sweetheart. Give me everything."
Her hips rose off the bench, and her free hand gripped his biceps so tightly he was sure she'd cut deep moons with her nails. But he could watch her come all night long and would gladly carry her marks on his body into the next day.
He held her close, loving the feel of her heart beating against his as both of them worked to catch the breath they'd just lost. Her cheeks were flushed in the moonlight and her eyes were bright when she looked up at him.
"Make love to me, Quinn."
He couldn't speak for a long moment, couldn't do anything but press his mouth to hers and wish their night didn't ever have to end. Wish that there wasn't a real world to return to. And most of all, wish that he'd never hurt her.
But he had, so nothing was simple, not even when desire rode this hot between them.
Every ounce of him throbbed with need as she lay naked beneath him, open and so very trusting and beautiful that it made reining in his desire even more difficult. But Shelley deserved more than a few nights of fun, and he knew he should pull back, give her time to be sure before they went that far.
This was new territory, and it came wrapped in new feelings that scared him and excited him in equal measure. He wouldn't do one more damn thing to blow it, even if slowing down the pace for at least another night was nearly going to kill him.
"I've never wanted anything more than I want to make love to you. But I want you to be sure. To make this decision to be with me with a clear head." With her taste still on his tongue and the heat of her skin still tingling on his fingertips, it was hard to get his synapses to fire all the way. But this was too important to screw up, so he worked to find both his focus and the right words. "This feels real between us. More real than anything I've ever felt, and I don't want to mess that up. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret being with me. I hurt you once. I can't risk doing that again."
"But I'm leaving soon."
She was obviously as desperate to be closer to him as he was to her, making this an even more difficult--and even more right--decision. But what he felt for her was too big, too real, separating tonight from every sexual experience he'd ever had. He reluctantly sat up, gathered her in his arms, and gave her the truth.
"I know. Trust me. I've got the d
ate you're leaving ingrained in my mind. I'm leaving, too, possibly sooner." The light in her eyes dimmed, and he had to pull her closer again. "That's why I want you to be sure. I don't want you to regret being close to me."
"I thought guys loved no-strings-attached flings."
"We usually do, but this...you and me. Do we feel like a fling to you?" He felt like he was already in too deep to turn away.
"No," she whispered. "Maybe it started out that way. Maybe we were both just wanting to have some fun together. But today, tonight, it feels bigger to me, too."
"I'm glad," he said, showing her just how much it meant to him with a kiss that went deep again. But knowing he needed to take her home before he went back on his promise to give her more time to be absolutely sure, he made himself draw back and reach for their clothes. "Are you free tomorrow night around seven?"
"Like I said, I'm not a big planner when I'm on vacation." She smiled and asked, "What did you have in mind?"
"I'd love to watch the fireworks with you at the cove. And then we can see how you feel about everything tomorrow night."
The fireworks were a big event on the island, and Quinn knew his family and the whole town would turn out to watch them at the resort. But he and Shelley would have privacy at the cove.
"I love fireworks," she said just above a whisper. "I even have the perfect dress already."
He pressed her hand to his lips, knowing that if he took her mouth again he wouldn't be able to stop. "Good, then it's a date."
As they sailed back to the dock, Quinn knew he was putting himself in a difficult spot by committing to meet Shelley when he had been putting off his work for so long already--but right now he just didn't care.
Shelley's bright light filled all the empty spots he hadn't known he had. She made him feel something beyond stress and irritation and made him see a world beyond the walls of his office--a world filled with vibrant colors, unbridled laughter, and boundless pleasure.
And only a total fool would miss one single second of the time an amazing woman like Shelley was willing to give to him.
Chapter Fourteen
SHELLEY LAY IN bed early the next morning replaying her date with Quinn over and over in her mind. Being intimate with him had felt so unbelievably good, so natural, so right. And yet, when he'd stopped them from going further, despite the fact that she'd been ready to tear his clothes off, she'd felt herself falling even deeper for him.
She could only imagine how difficult it was for him to stop short of making love to her, but the more she thought about it, the more she was glad that he had. Because things between them felt real to her, too. Real and wonderful. And not just because he'd known exactly how to kiss her to make her gasp with pleasure, exactly where to touch her to make her sizzle with heat.
Being with Quinn last night had been even more wonderful than she'd expected because he had obviously sensed that a part of her was still wary. It meant a great deal to her that he instinctively understood that until she could fully trust him not to hurt her again, she would need to be careful with both her heart and her body.
She couldn't stop smiling as she hugged her pillow to her chest and replayed his thrilling words: This feels real between us. More real than anything I've ever felt, and I don't want to mess that up. I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret being with me. I hurt you once. I can't risk doing that again.
And the honest truth was that his pulling back last night before they made love on his boat truly did help her get closer to fully trusting in him again.
A tapping sound on her window caught her attention. The pillow fell out of her arms as she jolted toward the sound. When it rang out again, she gathered the blanket around her and bolted upright.
"Shelley?"
"Quinn?" She jumped from the bed in the silk pajama top she'd put on after her bath and pulled the curtains to the side.
His baby blues smiled up at her. "Morning, sunshine. I haven't watched a sunrise on the island since I was a kid. Care to join me?" He held up a small brown bag and two to-go cups. Over his shoulder was a thick blue throw blanket.
Her heart skipped a beat. A sunrise with Quinn? What could be more romantic?
Yet again he was proving to her that he was nothing like her workaholic father, who would never have been up before sunrise unless there was a plane to catch or a meeting to attend. Another layer of wariness fell away, replaced with the warmth of trust.
"I'll be right out." She didn't even take the time to change, just stepped into a pair of jeans and threw a cardigan over her top, then hurried out to the porch.
Quinn smiled as she came through the door, his eyes moved slowly over her, lighting sparks all across her skin. "You're so sexy," he said in a raw voice right before he took her mouth in a kiss so full of unfettered desire that he stole her breath completely away.
She grabbed his shirt and tugged him closer, deepening the kiss. She wanted to kiss him all day long, wanted to start at sunrise and just keep on kissing him until it set again. He wrapped one strong arm around her waist, his body heating her from knees to chest and every delicious spot in between.
"God, I love kissing you." He pressed another wild, desperate kiss to her lips. "But if we keep kissing, we'll miss the sunrise."
Sunrise? She could hardly remember what that was anymore, when all she wanted to do was drag Quinn back inside, lock the door behind them...and spend the rest of the day making love.
"Won't there be another one tomorrow morning?"
His laugh vibrated through her, along with the wonderful heat of his body. "I'm trying to woo you, you know, but you're not making it easy."
"I do rather like the sound of being wooed." And she truly did, especially when she knew that Quinn wooing her rather than just thoughtlessly taking her to bed was yet another way of showing her that he could be the man she needed him to be. The man that she deserved. "So let's go see that sunrise, after all."
The sand was cool between her toes, and the predawn air still held the chill of the night, but she was warm tucked beneath his arm. Being with him this early brought back memories of the mornings she and her aunt had watched the sunrise from her aunt's deck. They'd cuddle up under a thick blanket and watch ribbons of color thread through the sky, bringing a new day, and always a new adventure, too.
"There's a house down this way that I'm thinking of renting," she said as they passed the resort.
"You really are serious about coming to the island, aren't you?"
"I'll have to look into space in town for the cafe and talk to my suppliers, but yes. I think I am."
Shelley pointed to the cottage on the dunes. "That's the house. It's got a gorgeous view, and it looks like it hasn't been lived in for a while. I'm going to call the Realtor today. I haven't been inside it yet, but when I peeked in the windows it looked really nice and open. I like open floor plans. It has a fireplace for the winter and--"
"A beautiful stone mantel," he finished for her as he handed her his coffee cup so he could spread out the blanket. At her surprised look, he said, "I know the house well. When I first opened my business and came back for the holidays, I almost bought it."
He sank down to the blanket and guided her down beside him. She was already addicted to the weight of his arm around her, the feel of his body beside her. She thought about how quickly her feelings had become real. Her memory of the night she and Quinn had met was still a little fuzzy because of the champagne she'd drunk, but the feel of that night wasn't fuzzy at all. And since spending more time with him, she felt him every time she thought of him, from the way his eyes washed over her skin and felt like a caress, to the warmth of his hands on her. Even the way he called her Shell made her heart go pitter-patter. Plus, whenever she thought about how hard he was working to prove himself to her in the aftermath of their one awful night, Shelley could feel herself relaxing into him more and more by the second.
"Why didn't you buy it?"
"My business ramped up faster than I
expected, and I knew I'd rarely come home for long enough to enjoy it. I've had my eye on it for a long time, though. It's a fine property."
"I won't rent it if you want to buy it."
He opened the brown bag and handed her a chocolate croissant. He must have been listening to what she'd said on the boat about loving them, even when she thought he was too sidetracked. He scooted closer as they bit into their pastries.
"If you want to be here, Shell, you should rent it. Besides, my business is busier than ever, so I'm in pretty much the same position I was before with it."
Namely, she thought, that he was rarely on the island long enough to be able to enjoy the cute cottage. Reality came back with the weight of a dark cloud, and her perfect morning suddenly felt just a little less perfect with the realization that even if she did decide to fully trust him with her heart, he was going to be heading back to Annapolis soon. Even the chocolate melting on her tongue didn't taste quite as good anymore.
She tried to distract herself from the way her stomach dipped at the idea of him leaving. "How are things going with your grandfather and his plans for the resort? Have you had any resolution?"
"We're still waiting. My grandfather will likely take his sweet time and give us his answer when he's good and ready and not a second before. He gave us his demands and then we gave him back ours. I know that sounds harsh for family, but..." He didn't look particularly happy as he said, "But, unfortunately, that's the way it's always been with him."
She wondered again about Chandler's intentions. Why would anyone want to drive a wedge between themselves and their family? Then again, she thought with a little inward sigh, her parents did it every time they spoke, didn't they?
Still, she couldn't help but try to find a silver lining somewhere in the hopes that she could bring the smile back to Quinn's face. "Do you think there's any way that your grandfather has better, or different, intentions than it seems on the surface?"
"I overheard something that got me thinking that maybe there could be more layers to the situation than the rest of us think. But, honestly, that's probably just wishful thinking on my part. Everything is about control to him. Always has been. And probably always will." He cupped her cheek and brushed it with his thumb. "But I don't really want to talk about the resort or my grandfather, if you don't mind. I'd rather hear about where you are with your big plans to change your life."