He’d already fantasized enough about that mouth the night before, and he had to shove down a groan.
She smiled. “How about I bring Zena over? Anna returned to work for some important case about a rogue Santa. I don’t have more details than that.”
That sounded like his cousin. He sighed. “Are you sure? It’s a drive even without an injured ankle.”
“I can drive,” she said, her face lighting up. “My good ankle and foot are what I use for the gas pedal and braking. Zena and I would love to get out of here and see you. I mean, if you want.”
The hesitation in her voice did him in. “Of course I want to see you. Just be careful on the drive.” Wait a minute. “Why do you need to get out of there?”
She rolled her eyes and filled him in on the situation with Jack at his motel a few days ago. By the end, his ears were hot.
Quint swallowed. “How about you, Anna, and Nonna leave the investigations to the police?” What in the world had they been thinking? At least they’d had the good sense to take Zena with them.
“We decided the same thing,” Heather said, her cheek creasing. “Although you should’ve seen Jack’s face when he hit the credenza. He’s going forward with the vandalism charges, though. I wish he’d just leave town.”
If not, Quint would take that time to have a talk with the man. It was time. So getting Heather out of town was actually a good idea. “Okay. Please wait until it’s light outside tomorrow morning before heading this way. I’ll text you directions, and you text me when you leave the house.” They’d need to check in every hour, but he would be out at the fire for some of the time. “Are you sure you want to do this?”
“Of course.”
He settled back on the bed. “All righty, then. So. Want to talk dirty?”
Her face cleared, and then a soft blush filled her cheeks. “I’ve, um, never done that.”
He grinned at the interest in her green eyes. “Let me show you.” Then he relaxed and eased her into goofing off with him long distance.
The woman was a fast learner.
The morning broughtheavy snow and freezing rain. Heather made sure Zena was comfortable in the back seat of her SUV and then settled herself into the driver’s seat with her crutches next to her. It was only a four-hour drive, mostly on I-90, which should be plowed already. “Let’s do this, puppy.” She slowly drove onto the icy road and headed through town and to I-90.
Quint called every hour to check on her, and by the time she pulled into the parking lot at his lonely side-of-the-road motel, she had decided the friend zone sucked. In fact, there was no way she wanted to keep him there.
He met her, dressed in jeans and a thick T-shirt with a slight burn down the side of his neck. His dark hair was back from his face, his brown eyes were soft at seeing her, and a dangerous looking scruff covered his jaw. Everything inside her went all gooey when he opened her car door. “Hi.”
“Hi.” She stood and was careful to keep her balance on one foot. A slight smoke fog still hung in the frozen air. “I missed you.” Crap. Why had she said that?
He ran his knuckles down the side of her face. “I missed you, too.”
Okay. That was good. Then she caught the shadows in his eyes. “Is everything okay?”
He whistled for the dog. “Yeah. We just have a job to do. There are at least three missing hikers in the fire area, and there’s no way they made it out.” Zena jumped out the front door and immediately ran over to an ice covered bush to take care of business. “I’m not usually in a decent mood afterward.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to be,” she murmured. Had everyone put pressure on him to wear a bright face when he was dealing with death? “Just be you, Quint.” She couldn’t say it any clearer than that.
He paused and looked at her. Really looked at her. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” She patted his strong chest. “Be as quiet or cranky as you want. I’ll give you the space.”
Something shifted in his eyes. She wasn’t sure what, but it felt like something big. He took her hand and led her inside a shabby but clean looking motel room. “I’ll get your bag.”
She looked around while he fetched her bag from the car. The shag carpet had seen better days, but a window out the back showed snow-covered trees and a chilly looking river. The sound was soothing and would help her write while she waited for him.
He set her belongings by the door. “I, ah, should’ve asked if you wanted two rooms. We should only be here a day or two. Tops.”
After phone sex? She faced him head-on. “I want one room.”
His grin was slow and way too sensual. “Me, too.” A truck rumbled to a stop outside, and he glanced over his shoulder. “That’s my ride. I left the menu from the pizza place—the only one around here—by the door. Just order whatever you want. Zena and I will be back right after dark.” Then, he hesitated only briefly before stalking across the room and planting a hard one on her mouth.
She grinned. “Be careful.”
