All the Right Places (RILEY O'BRIEN & CO #1) (24 page)

Quinn leaned his shoulder against the doorjamb and gazed at the early morning sky. From his position on the suite’s balcony, he could see the stars twinkling over the dark shape of Lake Oconee and smell the distinct odor of marshy water. It was four in the morning, and the landscape was still and quiet except for the intermittent chirp of insects.

He should be dead to the world since it was the middle of the night in San Francisco, but he hadn’t been able to sleep, even with Amelia’s warm body snuggled up against him. She, meanwhile, had passed out within minutes of finishing dinner, exhausted by the flight and her anxiety about showing her sketches to him.

In fact, he’d never seen a sober person fall asleep so quickly. One minute, she had been sitting on the sofa talking to him, and the next minute, she’d been asleep with her head in his lap.

Fortunately, she had already been in her pajamas, a set printed with eggs and bacon, of all the random things that could be on sleepwear. He’d helped her to bed, and when he had joined her several hours later, she’d wrapped herself around him like a climbing vine and let out a series of tiny snores.

He’d had a hard time falling asleep, and once he had drifted off, he hadn’t stayed in the land of nod very long. There were just too many things going on in his head for him to rest.

He would officially take over a multibillion-dollar company in roughly six weeks. The transition probably wouldn’t go smoothly, despite the fact that he’d been running it in his dad’s absence for the past three years. He expected a certain level of skepticism from the board, along with some pushback from a number of employees, especially those who had been there for a while.

The denim shortage had become a bigger problem, the women’s division was a mess, and retailers weren’t as eager to sell Rileys as they used to be. On top of that, his dad had not fully recovered from his cancer, Teagan was behaving bizarrely, even for her, and Cal’s problems with Saika were still unresolved, making his usually easygoing brother a short-tempered asshole.

But those things didn’t fill his thoughts. Amelia did. There was almost no room in his head for anything but her. Even when he was working, she was there on the periphery.

He had never resented Riley O’Brien & Co. and the time he had to devote to it. But when he’d received the call from Deda last night, he had felt like throwing his phone to the floor and grinding his boot heel into it.

He hadn’t wanted to talk about how much they could afford to pay a new denim supplier. He’d wanted to be with Amelia. The whole time he had been on the phone, part of his mind had fantasized about her in the tub.

He had imagined how pink and glistening her skin would be from the warm bubble bath, and he’d wondered if she had pinned her hair up or left it down to float in the water. He’d thought about joining her, pulling her onto his lap, and sucking on her pink nipples while she rode him.

He’d had to undo his fly because the buttons had pressed painfully into his hard-on, making it even more difficult to focus on the conversation. His lack of attention hadn’t gone unnoticed by Deda, and he wondered if everyone else could sense his distraction.

Frowning, he scrubbed his hands over his face. He doubted he would regain his focus once he and Amelia were
in different states. It was more likely he’d be angry at the world if he couldn’t see and touch her.

Now that Quinn was trying to balance a relationship and work, he had far more respect for his dad. His father clearly could juggle better than a circus performer because somehow he’d managed to keep all the balls—Riley O’Brien & Co., a demanding, albeit loving, wife, and three rascally kids—in the air.

James had been a great father. He’d never missed a football game or a dance recital, and he had been home every night for dinner with the exception of the rare business event or out-of-town travel. He’d helped with homework, coached Little League, and participated in a million other things Quinn had forgotten.

He wondered what kind of dad he would be. He had always expected to have kids. Preserving the Riley O’Brien legacy for his children and grandchildren was the primary reason he worked so hard to make sure the company was successful. But he’d never really thought about how hard it would be to manage a family and the company. And he purposely had avoided thinking about the unknown woman who would bear his children.

He heard a noise, and seconds later, Amelia wrapped her arms around him from behind. She gave him a squeeze before coming to stand next to him, and he hugged her to his side.

It was too dark to see her clearly, her face just a pale smudge against the night sky. She leaned against him, her head tucked under his arm.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asked.

Her voice was husky, and it raised the fine hairs on his body. Sometimes he felt like she was lightning, and he was a lightning rod.

“No.”

She sighed softly, clearly dissatisfied with his pithy answer. “Do you want to tell me what’s bothering you?”

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d shared his worries with her. In fact, she had become his confidante, his best friend, and he wished he could talk things over with her. There was one big problem, though.
She
was the cause of his insomnia.
To be more accurate, her feelings about him, or lack thereof, were keeping him awake.

Quinn rubbed his palm up and down her arm, the flannel of her pajamas soft against his fingertips. He was in love with Amelia. Hell, maybe he’d fallen in love with her the first moment he had looked into her chocolate-brown eyes.

He didn’t know when it had happened, and he didn’t know why it had taken him so long to figure it out. Maybe he was just stupid.

He’d realized how he felt last night when she had been in the tub, and they’d been talking about work. He had looked at her, all pink-cheeked, wild-haired, and surrounded by bubbles, and his heart had given a big thump, almost like it had restarted.

She’s mine
, his heart had claimed,
mine, mine,
mine
.

Suddenly he had understood his future happiness was wholly dependent on her. She had become the most important part of his life, far more important than Riley O’Brien & Co. and even more important than his parents or his siblings, whom he loved beyond measure.

He would do anything to keep her with him.

He’d almost blurted out his feelings, but his sense of self-preservation had kicked in at the last second. For the first time in his life, he’d been terrified of his feelings for a woman, especially since he had no idea how she felt about him.

Oh, he knew she liked having sex with him. And she seemed to enjoy spending time with him when their clothes were on. But sometimes he caught her looking at him when she didn’t know he watched, and the expression on her face was dark and unhappy.

He had a strong suspicion he wanted more from Amelia than she was willing to give. The thought of her holding out on him, of not giving him what he wanted, made him crazy.

Her voice cut into his thoughts. “If you won’t tell me what’s wrong, will you at least come back to bed?”

Suddenly, he was starved for her, and in response to her question, he faced her and bent down to cover her mouth with his. Placing his hands on either side of her face, he plundered her sweetness. He was too hungry to be gentle, too eager to go slowly.

He stroked the seam of her lips with his tongue until they fell open. Plunging his tongue into her mouth, he traced her depths until he had to pull back for air.

Once he’d satisfied his need for oxygen, he headed back for more, sucking on her tongue and giving her deep, wet kisses. He licked the corner of her mouth and trailed his lips across her cheek so he could whisper into her ear.

“I’ve never wanted anyone the way I want you,” he told her, his voice little more than a growl. But what he really meant was,
I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you
.

Drawing her earlobe into his mouth, he nipped it sharply. She gasped, and he soothed the sting with his tongue before moving toward the smooth, soft skin of her neck. He caressed her throat with his thumbs as his tongue danced along the sensuous curve.

“Do you want me as much as I want you?” he asked.
Do you love me as much as I love you?

She drew in a shaky breath. “Yes.”

Palming her ass, he pulled her up against him, groaning when he felt the heat between her legs against his cock. He kissed her again, creating a delicious suction that had her whimpering in moments.

She slid her hands under his shirt and traced the muscles around his spine, kneading gently when he moaned. “You’re so tense,” she said, her lips rubbing against his as she spoke.

Yeah, she’d completely tied him in knots, and he hoped he’d done the same thing to her. He pulled away from her lips.

“Tell me how much you want me,” he demanded, but she didn’t reply. Instead, she stepped back and held out her hand.

“Come to bed, Quinn.”

A hedonist had designed the suite’s bedroom. A mahogany four-poster bed dominated the room, the king-sized mattress covered by expensive linens and a fluffy, white down comforter. Several plump pillows were pushed against the tall headboard, providing the perfect setting for what Quinn had in mind.

He stripped off his T-shirt and pajama pants before unbuttoning Amelia’s top. He pulled the edges apart, baring her pink-tipped breasts to his gaze. Cupping the creamy mounds in his hands, he kneaded gently. He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples, fascinated by the way they pebbled at his touch.

She shrugged out of her top and pushed her pajama bottoms to the floor. She stepped out of them before wrapping her arms around him. His erection pressed into her stomach, and he groaned. He was so hard it was painful.

“Touch me,” he said, a demand and a plea all wrapped into two simple words.

She stroked his torso, her fingertips gliding over his chest. He shivered when she raked her nails lightly through the hair on his stomach. Leaning forward, she licked his nipple before biting it gently.

He pushed one of her hands to his cock and wrapped her fingers around him. His vision blurred when she squeezed softly. She started to kneel, but he stopped her.

“On the bed.”

She tossed him a teasing smile and turned to crawl onto the bed, giving him an up-close view of her round ass. He saw a flash of red curls between her legs, and he couldn’t pull his gaze away. He licked his lips, wanting a taste of that sweet pussy . . . wanting to make her writhe and come against his mouth.

Rounding the bed, he settled himself against the headboard, inclining slightly against the pillows. He beckoned her toward him, and she scooted up the bed. She started to lie down beside him, but he put his hand on her arm to stop her.

She tilted her head questioningly. “What?”

He stared into her brown eyes. “Closer.”

She frowned in confusion, and he reached over and moved her until she straddled his upper chest and held on to the headboard. The red curls of her pussy were just inches from his face.

He looked up past her stomach to her full breasts before finally resting his gaze on her face. Her cheeks were on fire with a fierce blush.

Keeping his eyes locked on hers, he stroked the springy curls covering her mound. “Have you ever said the word ‘pussy’ out loud?” He traced her labia with the tip of his finger. “Is that one of your don’ts?”

She swallowed, her white throat rippling with the movement. She shook her head.

“No? To which question?”

He found her clit and rubbed it lightly between his fingers, a whisper of a touch that made her breath break. “It’s one of my don’ts,” she gasped. “I’ve never said it out loud.”

He slid his fingers through her wet folds until he reached the entrance to her body. He slowly eased two fingers inside her, and she let out a long moan.

“What about ‘fuck’? It’s one of my favorite words.” He pressed his thumb against her clit, and she jerked. “Have you ever said ‘fuck’?”

“Quinn.”

He withdrew his fingers and removed his thumb. “Tell me.”

She groaned softly. “No. I’ve never said it.”

He nodded. “Because you think only bad girls say those words.”

He could tell she was surprised by his comment, but he knew he was right. He
knew
her, and by the time the sun rose, she would understand that fact.

He had to bite his tongue to keep from telling her that he loved her. She wasn’t ready to hear it, or maybe he was too afraid he wouldn’t get the same words back from her.

“You can be anything you want with me,” he said instead. “You can be an angel, you can be a slut. I don’t care. I just want you.”

Her knees trembled, and he squeezed his hands around her waist to help steady her. “Spread your legs,” he commanded, smiling when she widened her stance without protest.

As he caressed her curvy hips, he pulled her closer to his face. Leaning forward to nuzzle the curls between her legs, he sucked in a deep breath. The smell of her arousal was tangy and sharp, and he loved it.

He loved the taste of her even more than her scent, and he slipped his tongue between her folds, lapping the silky wetness from her body. She quivered, clenching her fingers in his hair.

He slid down against the pillows so he could get a better angle, and she gasped his name. He plunged his tongue into her again and again before sucking lightly on her clit.

He alternated with strong pulls and lighter licks, building a rhythm that had her rocking against his mouth. She’d started to make those delicious little noises that told him her climax was near, and he clenched his hands on her hips to still her movements.

He drew back to look at her. Her eyes were glazed, her lips open in a rosy pout.

“Please don’t stop,” she begged.

Cupping his hands around the smooth globes of her ass, he circled the entrance of her body with the tip of his finger. “Tell me what you want.”

She blinked and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth.
He slipped the tip of his finger inside her body, sliding in and out with teasing strokes.

“Come on,” he cajoled. “Tell me.”

With a tortured moan, she tried to pull his face back to her curls, but he resisted. He pulled his fingers from her body, gently scraping his fingernail against her sensitive nub.

She shuddered. “
Please, Quinn
.”

“Where do you want my tongue?”

She closed her eyes and turned her head away, her fiery hair shielding her face from his gaze.

“Amelia, look at me.”

She slowly brought her gaze back to his.

“I’ll give you what you want,” he promised. “You just have to ask for it.”

“I can’t,” she whispered, smoothing her hand over his hair.

“Yes, you can,” he coaxed.

He’d almost given up hope when she took a deep breath and spoke. “I want you to lick my pussy,” she said, her voice barely audible despite the cocooning silence in the room.

He stared into her eyes. “Louder.”

She fisted her hands in his hair. “I want you to lick my pussy,” she repeated, and this time her voice was loud and clear. “I want to come with your fingers inside me and your tongue against my clit.”

Her surrender gave him hope he wasn’t the only person in the room who was crazy in love. “Hold on tight to the headboard, sweetheart,” he ordered, and then he made good on his promise and gave her what she asked for.

•   •   •

You can be an angel, you can be a slut. I don’t care. I just want you.

Quinn’s words echoed in Amelia’s head, while her body still pulsed with the pleasure he had given her. She rolled to her side, and he wrapped an arm around her waist to pull her back against him.

How had he known her deepest fear, her greatest worry?

She lived her life by a certain set of rules so she wouldn’t end up like her mother, and she had broken one of the promises
she’d made to herself decades ago simply because he had asked her to. He had stripped her bare, physically and emotionally, and she knew there was no hope of walking away from him in one piece.

She shivered when he sucked her earlobe into his mouth. He rubbed his big hand over her hip.

“Are you ready for more?” he asked, his penis hot and hard against her backside.

He wasn’t done with her yet, and a part of her wanted to jump up, run into the bathroom, and lock the door until she could rebuild her emotional armor. The other part of her wanted to welcome him into her body and her heart.

Brushing her hair back, he placed a string of kisses along her shoulder. He bit the tender skin where her neck and shoulder met, and the pleasure-pain of it shot straight through her.

He licked a trail up the side of her neck, stopping to suck gently on the skin below her ear. He knew exactly where and how to touch her to make her insane. He obviously was in a take-no-prisoners mood.

He moved his arm under her head, and the shift brought them even closer together. He groaned when his penis slid into the crevice between her butt cheeks.

“I need to be inside you,” he murmured against her ear. “I can’t hold off any longer.”

He reached down and canted her leg over his hip. He positioned himself at the entrance to her body and slipped the tip of his length inside her.

Placing his hand low on her belly to anchor her, he pressed into her with tiny nudges. The little teases of movement stretched her deliciously, and after several long moments, he was finally wedged deeply inside her.

She was so full she couldn’t keep quiet. She moaned, and he laughed softly, the sound brushing against her ear and making goose bumps break out all over her body.

“Does that feel good, sweetheart?”

She nodded, unable to speak. Her earlier orgasm had left her flesh sensitive and swollen, and another one was already building.

“You feel so good around me,” he rasped. “I swear nothing has ever felt so good.”

She turned her head, and he placed a kiss on the corner of her mouth. “You’re so tight. So hot. I can tell how much you want me because you’re soaking wet.”

She wiggled against him, trying to entice him to move, but he pressed his hand against her to keep her immobile. “No,” he crooned. “We’re going to stay just like this for a little while.”

She whimpered. She needed him to move. She wanted to come. She dug her nails into his forearm, and he grunted. He pulled completely out of her body and plunged back inside but stopped after one delicious thrust.

She moaned in protest. “More.”

“No,” he bit out. “Not yet.”

She was completely under his control, unable to move. Surrounded by his strong body and filled with his hardness. Her internal muscles gripped him tightly, almost vibrating with tension.

“Please move,” she begged, no longer caring she had been stripped of her pride along with her clothes.

“I’m fine where I am,” he said, but his voice sounded strangled. “Maybe you should touch yourself. Just reach down and give your clit a quick rub.”

Sweat beaded on her upper lip. She and Quinn had made love so many times she couldn’t even count, but she’d never been so turned on.

Curving her hand over his arm, she slid her fingers between the folds of her sex. As she touched the small knot of nerves, a jolt went through her whole body. It felt so good she did it again, and her internal muscles clenched.

He moaned. “
Goddamn.
” He pulled back and thrust into her but then remained motionless just like before.

She closed her eyes to focus on the pressure of him inside her and the texture of her clit against her fingers. She pinched it gently, and lights exploded behind her eyelids.

Oh, I’m so close. If only he’d move.

She knew what he was doing. She knew what he wanted from her. She could barely form a coherent sentence, but she managed to squeeze out two very important words.

“Fuck me,” she said, hoping he could hear her over the pounding of their hearts.

He stiffened, whether from surprise or excitement, she wasn’t sure. He gave a short, shallow thrust, nothing like the deep plunge she needed.

“No.” She squeezed his forearm. “
Fuck me
. Fast and deep.”

With a gasp, he pulled out of her body completely. In a flurry of movement, he removed his arm from under her head and knelt on the bed. She looked behind her in surprise. His eyes were so hot, hotter than she’d ever seen them.

“Get on your knees and bend over,” he ordered, his voice guttural.

She hurried to comply, pushing her behind toward him. Gripping her hips, he jerked her back against him, his thick cock sliding deep.

“Oh, my God, Quinn. Deeper.”

He laughed breathlessly. “
Amelia
.” He sucked in a lungful of air. “Stop talking, or I’m going to come before you get what you need.”

In response, she ground herself against him, and he surged into her. The force of his thrust sent her sliding across the bed several inches. He pulled her back roughly, thrusting into her at the same time.

Reaching beneath her, he pressed her clit between his fingers. Just like that she came apart, calling his name as he jerked and pulsed inside her. She splintered into millions of tiny fragments that would never again fit together as they had before Quinn had come into her life.