“I didn’t come to check you out.”
“So this was a bonus for you.” He motioned to his sculpted chest.
Her face burned. “Oh my heck! Conceited much?” She should have been upset or offended, but this was Quinn. He was notorious for teasing her, and she teased right back. They had always done this … Though now it felt more like they were flirting. She stepped forward and did a 180 so that she was next to him and it was much harder to be distracted by small water droplets sliding down his tan skin. “Your PA invited me,” she said to explain away her sudden appearance in his life.
He looked up and sighed. “That man is so fired.”
“Rude.”
“Not because he invited you, but because he didn’t tell me you were coming.” He made his way to a chair and picked up a tee shirt, which he slid on.
“Would that have made a difference?” Ginny tried not to let her disappointment show. She hadn’t been this attracted to a man at first glance in … well, ever. She’d seen a lot of good-looking men, but the chemistry just wasn’t there. She’d even dated a few. When their kisses hadn’t lived up to Quinn’s, she’d moved on before their hearts were tangled.
Why did Quinn have to be the one to stir up those hormones?
“No. I would have made sure to meet you out front.”
She melted. “That would have been nice.” She glanced around. The girls were playing happily. There were lifeguards patrolling the pools and slide. She hadn’t really thought about what she was going to say to Quinn. There wasn’t exactly protocol for telling a man you want your best friend back in your life after leaving without a word for ten years. “Can we … talk?”
Quinn ran the towel over his hair, drying it but also making it stick up in all directions. “I’m supposed to keep these three busy while Ben proposes.”
Ginny smacked him across the belly. “Are you serious? That’s huge.”
Quinn laughed. “Yeah, so shush! They aren’t supposed to know.”
She threw her hands over her mouth. “Sorry.” With a quick look to make sure the girls hadn’t heard them, she asked, “Are they triplets?” If they were, then they were fraternal, because they didn’t look at all alike.
“Nope. Best friends. That’s my niece, Savannah, and that’s Margo and Sophie.”
Ginny’s hands moved to her heart. “They are so sweet.”
“Don’t let them fool you. They’re vicious at Uno.”
Visions of these three ganging up on Quinn in a card game warmed her from the inside out. The fact that he’d take time to play with them had her feeling things she didn’t want to identify. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Ben and a beautiful woman with dark brown, curly hair and vivid blue eyes appeared on the deck. Ben had tucked her close and stared at her like she was the only person on the planet. She, in turn, looked at him with such adoration it was palpable.
“Mission complete.” Quinn waved to his brother to let him know that he was leaving. “Come on. We’ll go inside.”
He took Ginny’s hand in his as if it were the most natural connection in the world. Energy hummed up her arm and made butterflies take off in her stomach. Which was silly, because this wasQuinn—her friend and confidant.
She told the butterflies to behave themselves and concentrated instead on her beautiful surroundings. They entered the house through a set of French doors. The sitting room inside was tiled and filled with wicker furniture. It looked like home base for pool days, where chlorine and water wouldn’t do any damage. Still, the feeling was one of expensive items made to last. An open door revealed a full shower and locker room to their right.
Quinn took her through the archway to the left. A large projector hung from the ceiling, and a movie played on the wall. No one was here to watch, but she supposed it was a good place for preschoolers to have some downtime during the party.
A closed door sectioned off the public area of the house from the private space. Quinn walked right through without stopping and dragged her with him. Ben wouldn’t mind. At least she hoped not.
They passed a library and sitting room, each with lots of leather and wood paneling. A pool hall was next, and then an arcade with classic games like Tetris and Mario Kart.
A short hallway and a right turn took them past a dream kitchen with so many beautiful appliances that it was a work of art. The dining room was spacious and overwhelming with light fixtures that drew the eye and large windows overlooking a rose garden.
She was so busy gawking at her surroundings that she almost ran into Quinn when he stopped at a dead end. He flipped on her and put his finger over his lips. She nodded, wondering what mischief he was getting them into, but not really caring because being with him was so awesome. She’d closed in on herself at the office, and he allowed her to bloom just by taking her hand.
He moved aside a light switch. She double blinked. The light switch wasn’t real; it hid a button.
“Do you live here?” she asked in a whisper, wondering if they were trespassing on his brother’s private space.
“I have a house next door. But I helped Ben design this place.” He pressed the button, and a secret door opened up to a staircase that led down, down, down.
