Lindsey giggled like a schoolgirl and nodded.
“Okay, well, if I’m her partner,” he continued with flushed cheeks, “then we should move forward and leave this behind us.”
Quinn leaned back and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you,” she said, hoping he could see how sincere she was.
Martin stretched his hand out over the table. “Friends?”
Quinn shook it. Friends might be a stretch, she thought, but if Martin was willing to extend an olive branch, she’d happily embrace it. “Friends.”
Lindsey sat at the end of the table, beaming like a talk-show host who had just resolved a lifelong feud, but the only thing Quinn and Martin had in common right now was that they were both irritated with her for lying to them.
“Lindsey told me you’d moved into Aster House,” Martin said. “You’re dating the New Yorker—is that right?”
“Yes, Riley Moore. She’s my girlfriend.” Quinn wondered if Martin might be worried that she’d take off with Lindsey too. Obviously, that would never happen; they were friends and not in the slightest attracted to each other, but it wasn’t unthinkable that he might still see her as a predator and keeping his enemies close. More than anything, she wanted to reassure him. “I love her,” she added. “I hope we’ll grow old together.” She meant it from the bottom of her heart, and Martin’s expression softened.
“I’m happy for you.” He eyed her curiously. “I didn’t take you for the settling-down type.”
“I never met someone I wanted to settle down with.” Quinn bit her lip and internally scolded herself. She didn’t want to give him the impression she’d stolen his wife just for fun. “Rebecca and I were never meant to be,” she finally said. “But she was gay, trust me, and although what we did was wrong, it would have happened sooner or later, only with someone else.”
“I know.” Martin straightened himself and took a deep breath. “And that chapter of my life is over now. I want to start with a clean slate, with Lindsey.” He scooted his chair over, put an arm around Lindsey, who was visually melting on the spot, and leaned into her. “So from Lindsey’s partner to her best friend, let’s bury the hatchet.”
72
RILEY
“You know what I’m thinking?” Riley pulled Quinn into the hallway and smiled at her suggestively. They’d just waved off Jane, her father, and Mindy, and a blissful silence had settled over Aster House. It was the silence she’d hated before, but now she welcomed the privacy after a month of visitors. Due to her heart problems, Jane and her father had decided to stay longer, and although she loved them dearly, she was glad they had the space to themselves again, especially when Quinn was looking the way she was.
“Whatareyou thinking?” Quinn turned them around and pushed her against the wall.
“I’m thinking you look yummy in those shorts and that tiny bikini top,” Riley said, teasingly wedging her fingers between Quinn’s hard stomach and the waistband of her shorts. She’d missed being able to be so free with her, to flirt and play throughout the house. It was sinful for Quinn to dress like that while she was lounging in the yard, and she’d longed to touch her for hours, anticipating the moment they’d be alone.
“Yummy?” Quinn arched a brow.
“Yeah. I want you.” Riley’s breath hitched when Quinn ran a hand under her tank top and over her breasts, skimming her sensitive nipples that immediately rose to her attention. She shivered, and her eyes fluttered shut for a beat.
“I want you too…” Quinn bit Riley’s bottom lip softly and tugged at it. “Right here, right now,” she whispered, trailing kisses down Riley’s neck, tracing a path to her collarbone.
The wetness of Quinn’s mouth left a zinging sensation on Riley’s skin, and needing to feel the pressure of her body, she tugged Quinn closer and bucked her hips forward. Every time with Quinn still felt like the first time, and her heart was racing with intoxicating desire.
Quinn tugged at the hem of Riley’s top, and she lifted her arms so she could take it off. Riley unbuttoned Quinn’s shorts in return, then clumsily fumbled with the zipper that got stuck halfway. “Take them off,” she begged. She needed to feel her skin, to feel her close, but pushed her back so she could look at her.
Quinn was a vision of strength and grace, her body barely covered by a cobalt-blue triangle bikini that accented her sculpted form. Her arms were toned and strong, hinting at a sensual power she could unleash at any moment. Her abdomen was etched, her waist trim and slender, her physique a result of years of physical labor. Subtle muscles graced her thighs, firm and defined, and Riley couldn’t wait to have those muscles between her legs. She was a woman who embodied both strength and femininity, but what Riley loved most about her was that look in her eyes and that captivating aura of sexual energy that told her Quinn wanted her just as much.
“God, I love looking at you,” she murmured, knowing she’d never grow tired of the sight.
“You’re beautiful.” Quinn pulled down Riley’s shorts, and Riley stepped out of them, basking in the sensation of skin on skin as they came together, their lips meeting in a sensual collision.
Riley cupped the back of Quinn’s neck, pulling her tighter against her as their tongues met in a passionate dance. Every kiss, every touch, every caress heightened her desire. She had so many years to make up for. Perhaps that was why she always felt insatiable around Quinn, who had awoken a whole new side to her; a side she never knew she had.
Quinn’s hands roamed over her behind, following the path of her curves. Anticipation was swirling between them when Quinn stepped back to catch her breath and look at her. “Lie down,” she said, pointing to the rug in the hallway. “Unless you prefer the bed?”
“No.” Riley bit her lip and grinned as she inched away and lowered herself onto the rug. She didn’t care where they were as long as she didn’t have to wait. Lying in her white, lace bra and panties as Quinn’s eyes caressed her body, she yearned for closeness and release from the throbbing sensation between her thighs that left her trembling.
Closing the distance between them, Quinn’s small breasts rose and fell with every breath. Standing over her, she looked Riley up and down, then tugged at the drawstrings of her bikini until it came undone and fell off her.
Breathless while gazing at her, Riley was burning to have her close. “Come here.”
Quinn bent down and crawled over her, steadying herself on her hands and knees. “I still can’t believe you’re mine,” she said, inhaling against Riley’s temple before she shifted her mouth to her lips. “It blows my mind every time I’m with you.” She shifted so her knee rested between Riley’s legs, putting pressure right where Riley needed it before she brought her full body weight down.
