“And I reminded her that if you hadn’t stayed together, there would be no Angus. A world without Angus would be a terrible place. Things worked out the way they were supposed to, Quinn.”
His gaze was intense and searching, as if trying to determine the validity of my belief in those words.
“Kiera …” I reached for the pint and took a gulp, lubricating my suddenly dry throat. “Kiera told me that it was obvious to her over the course of your marriage that you never fell out of love with me. That she asked you straight to your face and you couldn’t deny it.”
Quinn tried to speak but had to clear his throat. “That’s … nothing I haven’t already told you.”
“I know.”
Suddenly, he touched me, his fingers gentle on my chin as he turned my face toward his. The hair on the nape of my neck rose as our eyes locked, that otherworldly awareness that existed between us tingling over me.
“So you believe me now?”
It would be so easy to lose myself in him again. So easy. And maybe right. But there was this barrier inside me I just couldn’tquite get past, and I didn’t know why anymore. I just knew there was fear and it wasn’t letting go.
“If … if I say I do, it doesn’t … it doesn’t mean …” I curled my fingers around his and eased them from my chin. I gave them a squeeze, trying to soften the blow. “It doesn’t mean I can be with you.”
Something dimmed in his eyes, but he nodded. “I can wait.”
Over the next hour, we discussed that morning’s attack, the possibilities, what we would do next. We talked about the charity shop and our plans for that. We chatted about anything but our relationship and yet it hung over us. I had to concentrate hard on what Quinn said because every time his arm brushed mine or his leg shifted against me, my mind fogged over withneed.
It had been so long since I’d had sex.
But nineteen years was a long time since I’d had the best sex of my life with the man sitting right next to me, teasing all my senses with his mere presence.
At one point, a flash of memory hit me so sharply, it was like it happened yesterday. It was from a night the summer before I left for uni. Quinn was walking me home late through town and no one was on the street. I was teasing him because we hadn’t had sex that night, and he was about to lose his opportunity once I was safely ensconced in my house. Quinn had dragged me down the lane at the back of the antiques store and I thought he was joking at first.
He wasn’t.
We’d had sex in the middle of Leth Sholas, down a dark alley, and the excitement and taboo thrill of it had been intoxicating. I could still remember the vague discomfort of the brick wall atmy back, the quick, thick drag of him inside me, the smell of the sea air, and the way he’d kissed me breathless to stop me from looking out toward the street. We’d both come so hard, we’d barely stifled the sound of our release.
The memory was an aphrodisiac.
“I should head to bed,” I announced abruptly, my skin flushed because I was definitely wet from the memory.
Flustered, I practically shooed Quinn out of the booth.
His intense gaze fixed on me as he slid out to let me up. Our bodies brushed and I stumbled away from him, my cheeks on fire.
“You all right?” I recognized the deep rumble of his voice.
Bloody hell, he knew I was turned on.
Unfortunately, our rooms were on the same floor, and I had to share the narrow lift with him.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Quinn pressed as we stepped inside the small steel box.
“Uh-huh.” I stared determinedly at the lift doors as we rose upward because I was afraid if I looked at him, all sense of reason would leave me.
“You’ll be all right after everything this morning?”
“Yup.” The doors opened, and I hurried off it like the lift was on fire.
I thought I heard Quinn making a choking sound, but when I glanced back at him, there was no amusement in his expression. His eyes blazed with an intensity that incited a deep tug in my lower belly.
Oh no.
“This is me.” Quinn nodded at his door.
