He stayed inside her. The rise and fall of her chest matched his own as they slowed. He placed a tender kiss on her lips. “Donae move.”
She smiled. “Are you telling me what to do?”
Collin moved the dress to where she was holding it in her hands.
“I donae want you to ruin your dress. Donae move until I clean you up.”
Collin pulled his boxers up and refastened his jeans before going to the bathroom and returning with a washcloth to clean her up. The move was as intimate as when he’d been inside of her. If he didn’t hurry, he’d be hard and taking her again, and they’d never get to the party.
Collin lifted her off the dresser, letting her soft curves slide down his body, kissing her lips when she was on her feet. “Give me fifteen minutes and we’ll go down together.”
“Take your time. It’s going to take longer than fifteen minutes for me to get my hair back up in that clip.”
“You should wear it down. You look like an angel.” He winked, unable to walk away. He kissed her plump lips again before getting in the shower.
Quinn Thatcher was growing on him. The American had not only returned his family’s emerald but she'd also chipped away at his guarded heart. He couldn’t deny that he was falling for her. The thought of her leaving left a sour taste in his mouth. He didn’t wish her pilot ill, but hoped he’d take a bit longer to recover. Collin dressed in his kilt and stepped out of the room to find Quinn sitting on the bed. The news article that had been inside his desk was in her hands, and his heart stopped.
“Where did you get that?” He knew the answer, yet still he asked.
“It was stuck to the wall in my bedroom this morning.” She handed it to him. The picture in the article had her eyes cut out and a red mark across her throat. Someone had altered the picture he’d tucked away.
Collin’s entire body tensed as he crinkled the paper in his hands. “Someone’s been in my office.”
“What?” She bolted up. “You knew? Why didn’t you say anything?” Quinn crossed her arms beneath her breasts, lifting them even higher.
She snapped her fingers and pointed to her eyes. “Answer me.”
“It was no’ important. Did you expect me no’ to know who was staying beneathmy roof? Besides, the article says you dinnae know he was going to die.”
“I did know.” Her face pinked as she narrowed her eyes. “I knew the precise moment he was going to die. It was the only premonition I’ve ever had. I can’t explain how I knew; I just did, and I warned him. For weeks, I begged him to cancel his trip and not get on the plane. I tried everything I could to stop him, but he wouldn’t listen. He thought I was crazy. He didn’t understand, and he left, and just like in my vision; his plane ended up on the side of a mountain.”
Collin’s heart ached for the pain in Quinn’s eyes. The vulnerability she was gifting to him was rare and contradicted the strength she portrayed.
He cupped her cheek and rested his forehead against hers. “I promise you that I will always listen and believe you no matter how crazy you sound.”
“Someone is trying to kill me.” Her voice wavered.
“Aye, and I willnae let them.”
“I willnae let them,” she echoed with a Scottish lilt. The resolve returned to her voice, the vulnerability she’d just showed replaced with determination, and that scared him worse.
Collin put on his boots and watched her in the mirror as she fastened the ruby to her dress. It didn’t matter that the rubywas Ian’s colors, but the reason why she’d put it on did matter. She was trying to anger a killer.
Bending her over the dresser, and taking her from behind until she agreed to take it off, might have entered his mind, but even then, he knew his victory would be short-lived. She’d find a way around her promise. Better to do it with him at her side than on her own.
“Ian will be pleased you’re wearing his color.”
Quinn rolled her eyes and met Collin’s gaze in the reflection. “We both know why I’m wearing it, but I’m more a green kind of girl.”
He stood from the bed and held out his hand. “Good answer.”
Chapter Fourteen
Quinn pastedthe best debutant smile she could muster on her face as she eyed everyone as a potential enemy. Soft music played in the ballroom as men and women dressed in red and green plaid danced on the floor.
She hadn’t expected so many people in green. Where had they been hiding this entire time?
Collin led her to a table up on a dais. Ian was already seated, along with a white-haired woman to his right. He locked eyes with them as they approachedand gave a lopsided grin. “Is that little spec of red on her dress your way of saying Quinn is fair game?”
