ChapterFour
Quinn couldn’t rememberthe last time he’d been this amped foradate.
And it was definitely a date. Their second one, by hiscounting.
Lunch had been glorious. Fun and easy to start, and then heated and dirty at the end. Just a tease. Leah knew how to play all the good games and wasn’t interested in any of theawfulones.
He put a couple of strips of condoms in a backpack, along with a bottle of wine, a corkscrew, two plastic cups, and a spare t-shirt. Just in case his got wet…orsomethingelse.
After he left his room, he swung past the dining room. His brother Will was in the bar, hitting on Mick’s fiancée’s friend who was trying to pour drinks. Quinn cut him a wide berth and aimed for Brayden, the third member of theirposse.
Unlike his brother, Quinn had no interest in leaving the SEAL teams for private industry. Not even a security training firm headquartered in a Caribbean paradise, although it sure looked good on theotherguys.
Well, Mick andBrayden.
Will was looking a littlerough.
“He’s not gonna quit with her, is he?” Quinn askedBrayden.
The other man just shrugged. “Keeps himoccupied.”
“Speaking of which, I’ve gotadate.”
“Fastwork.”
“That’s how I roll. So I’m not going to be around for dinner.”Or much of anything else this week, he silentlyhoped.
“Gotcha. I’ll pass on theintel.”
“Thanks, man. Might see youtomorrow.”
“Makes no difference to me. And Will’s got a one-track, Daphne-track, mind right now. Mick and Cara only have eyes for each other. You’re all good, bud. I’ll see you around. Just make sure you’re here for the wedding onSaturday.”
They bumped fists, then Quinn took off down the beach without a secondglance.
Leah was waiting at the small marina they’d passed the day before. He’d liked her in the pink bikini yesterday, and the black one-piece covered in a purple sarong earlier today. But tonight, in a white crepe dress that just hinted at her gorgeous body beneath, she was breathtaking. Her hair was long and loose, her waves shiny and carefree in the late day sun, and those sunglasses were still firmly inplace.
The lady liked herarmor.
And Quinn was going to enjoy the challenge of easing her outofit.
He stopped in front of her. She didn’t hide her up and down glance, and he didn’t miss the little smile that turned up the corners of her lush mouth at his snug white tank top and black boardshorts.
“You look good,” hemurmured.
“That’s my line.” She pushed to a stand and handed him a basket that had been hiding behind her. “A dinner packed for us by theresort.”
He took it with his right hand, then pointed to his backpack. “I brought us wine.”And condoms,he added silently. Maybe she read his mind, or maybe she just had a dirty imagination—he hoped maybe it was both—because her eyessparkled.
“All theessentials.”
“Exactly.”
She brushed her fingertips against his upper arm, just above his elbow, and guided him down the dock to a modern sailboat in the end slip. “Thisisus.”
He gave a low whistle as he took in the details of the watercraft. “This is prettysweet.”
“I took a refresher lesson the day I arrived. Impressed my instructor enough he agreed to let me rent it as much as I wanted this week, provided he didn’t have any otherlessons.”
