Second Time Around (17 page)

“Forget my leg.” He bit down gently on her bottom lip, then kissed her again, his fingers still driving her mad.

It took all her willpower to pull away from him, but she managed it long enough to push him onto his back. Before he had time to protest, she swung her leg over him and sat up.

Holding her breath, she closed her eyes and eased down his length. Quinn surged to meet her, his hands clamped around her hips. As she moved, the hot scent of desire assailed her and her head dropped back.

It had been so long, too long since she’d let herself feel these emotions. Now they took control, the blaze he’d started raging into an inferno that consumed her. Body burning, she danced higher and higher, like a spark caught in the winds from a bonfire.

9Quinn’s hands caught her, pulled her down to his chest and she opened her eyes to see the flames reflected in his.

“I love you, Lanie,” he whispered, his voice hoarse.

Her mouth found his, kissing him frantically. The touch of his tongue on hers was more than she could stand. Pressure that had built with each contact shattered, her climax swamping her senses until she was barely aware of Quinn’s cry as he joined her.

She didn’t know how long it lasted. It felt like hours. Prisms of light shimmered behind her eyelids before she began to descend from the place they’d gone together.

Exhausted, she went limp, her body humming from the rapture it had experienced.

But even as she drifted into sleep with Quinn’s arms wrapped securely around her, a niggling question rose uneasily in her mind. Oh, God. What had she done?

10Chapter Fourteen

The sound of someone moving around the room woke Quinn. Tentatively, he stretched. In spite of his leg, he felt good. Real good. Had he dreamed what happened last night, or had it been real? A smile curved his lips. That was no dream. He might not have been in any shape to seduce her, but she’d taken matters into her own hands.

Lanie had made love to him.

“It’s about time.”

His eyes popped open at Duncan’s words and his smile faded. A frown took its place as another memory returned. “You ratted me out to Lanie last night. Remind me to cut your salary.”

Duncan grinned, his eyes sparking with amusement. “Unless you’ve had a few women stashed out of sight in the last five years, I think I deserve a raise.”

Quinn’s frown deepened. “What are you talking about?”

A pair of pink panties sailed through the air to land on his stomach. He stared at them a second before grabbing the silky material and shoving it under the blankets.

“Damn. Was she still here when you came in?”

“Nope.”

Quinn groaned. “That means she left so fast she missed part of her clothes. I have to get dressed and find her.”

Duncan was around the bed in a flash, pushing him back down. “Oh, no you don’t.

I’ll admit, it doesn’t look like you did as much damage as I thought, but there’s still some swelling. You need to stay off the leg for at least another day. We can do some massages and stretching to help the soreness.”

“Dunc, I have to talk to her before she does something stupid, and I can promise you, she’s not going to set foot near this room.”

“Stupid like what?” He examined Quinn’s thigh.

“Stupid, like call Harper and confess. I’d take bets that right now she’s hiding somewhere, letting guilt eat her alive.”

“Maybe you should let her call him.” Snagging a bottle of liniment, he poured some on Quinn’s leg and dug in with his fingers. “If Harper’s any kind of man, he’ll step out of the picture.”

“That’s just it. He doesn’t deserve to find out that way. No one would. And if Lanie stays with me it has to be because she really wants to, not because Harper dumped her.”

“It almost sounds like you feel sorry for the guy.”

10He winced as Duncan’s fingers hit a particularly sore spot. “I guess I do, in a way. I know Lanie better than anyone else alive, and deep down inside she understands she doesn’t love him. If she did, last night would never have happened. Her head just needs time to catch up with her heart. But Harper loves her, and I know what it’s like to feel that way about someone who doesn’t love you back.”

Duncan sighed, then wiped the excess liniment off with a towel. “Fine. I’ll get your clothes and we’ll see if you can walk, but only if you promise me you’ll hit the hot tub later today.”

“I promise.”

* * * * *

She was insane, a full-blown idiot. Lanie berated herself for the hundredth time since she’d snuck out of Quinn’s room in a panic before dawn. The roan mare she was brushing turned to look at her questioningly as dust flew into the air.

“Sorry,” she mumbled an apology to the horse and slowed her strokes. A quick check on Zack showed her he was still busy grooming his pony and hadn’t heard her.

All four pups romped around his feet while Daisy kept an eye on her brood from a short distance away.

God, she felt so guilty. Not only had she betrayed Jared, Quinn probably thought she’d decided to make this trial marriage a real one. And she couldn’t even blame him.

He hadn’t forced her. She closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the mare’s neck, inhaling the comforting smell of horse.

Forced her? If anything, she’d forced him. Her cheeks flamed at the memory. He’d tried to slow her down to no avail. So what if her body felt more relaxed than it had in months, years even? Her mind was churning like a banana in a blender.

How could she ever face Jared again? One look at her and he’d know. Maybe she should simply find him and confess. After all, there could be consequences to what she’d done that wouldn’t be apparent for months yet.

She lifted her head and took a deep breath. Why had she been so stupid as to have unprotected sex with Quinn? She knew better. A rapid calculation of the math involved had shown her she could be in big trouble.

The image of a little girl popped into her head. One with black hair and Quinn’s eyes. Angrily, she shook away both the picture and the longing that filled her. One time didn’t mean she’d get pregnant. It had taken months before she got that way with Zack.

And there wasn’t going to be another time. She’d make sure of that. Somehow.

She also wasn’t going to mention the possibility of a surprise pregnancy to Quinn.

Not unless she was sure her fears had come to pass. What she’d done last night had caused enough problems between them without adding more to the list.

“Dad!”

10At Zack’s delighted yell, the brush flew out of her hand and her gaze darted frantically to the stable doors. Abruptly, her heart was lodged in her throat, and she had to quell the urge to run.

Quinn was standing in the sunlight, dust motes glittering around him, one hand braced on the doorframe. He was dressed in black jeans and a white T-shirt that hugged his body lovingly. His hair was tousled, tumbling down onto his forehead, the white streak standing out starkly from the surrounding darkness.

His gaze was locked on her even as he caught Zack and swung him into his arms.

“Hey there, champ. How ya’ doin’ this morning?”

“Okay. Mom is going riding with me.”

“Is that right?” He hugged Zack before putting him down. “Guess you need to finish getting your horse ready.”

He grimaced as he straightened, watching Zack run back to his pony, and for the first time she realized his face was pale, covered in a light sheen of sweat. Instantly, concern overpowered her other emotions and she hurried to his side.

“What are you doing out here? You should still be in bed.”

“I wanted to talk to you.” His grin looked labored as he released the frame and draped an arm over her shoulder for support. “Don’t worry. The stairs were the hardest part.”

“You could have sent Duncan to find me.”

“Would you have come?” He arched a brow in question.

Heat flushed her cheeks. “I’ve been really busy this morning, and it’s Martha’s day off.”

“That’s what I figured.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a scrap of pink silk and offered it to her. “You left in such a hurry you forgot these.”

She’d only
thought
her cheeks were hot before. Now they had to be three shades darker than the panties. Hastily, she snatched them and crammed the garment in her own pocket. There was a bench inside the door and she ducked her head as she led him to it.

“Sit with me.” He patted the wood beside him.

“I really should get the horse ready. I promised Zack—”

“Lanie, you can’t pretend we didn’t make love last night.”

It had been too much to hope he would let this slide. Weakly, she sank down next to him, trying desperately to gather her thoughts. “I’m not, but it shouldn’t have happened. I don’t blame you,” she hurried to assure him. “It was my fault. I’ve been under so much stress lately—we both have—and what with Zack almost getting seriously hurt yesterday, and finding out what you went through after the accident, it was too much.” She realized she was running her words together the way Zack did when he was excited, and took a deep breath. “That’s why it happened.”

10He lifted his hand and curved it around her nape, forcing her to look at him.

“Don’t,” he said gently. His other hand brushed her hair back. “Don’t lie to yourself, Lanie, or to me. It’s always been like that between us, like a match to dry grass, and it always will be. Last night was too wonderful to turn it into something bad, or to feel guilty about. We didn’t do anything wrong.”

“I did.” She swiped at her eyes. “I promised Jared I wouldn’t sleep with you, and I broke that promise. But it’s more than that. How am I supposed to make a rational decision if I keep doing things like this? It’s not fair to any of us.”

“Damn.” The curse was soft as he pulled her head to his chest. “You should never have made that kind of promise, Angel. We’re still married, no matter how it occurred.

What we do together is none of Harper’s business.”

“But it is.” She tried not to let herself wallow in the comfort of his arms, tried not to remember he’d been her best friend long before he was her lover. “This will kill him, Quinn. He loves and trusts me.”

“Then don’t tell him.”

“I won’t have to,” she whispered. “He’ll know.”

“Not unless you tell him. He might suspect, but he can’t know for sure. Don’t do that to him, sweetheart.”

“It’s so dishonest. And what if—” She bit her tongue to stop the words. He knew her too well, though.

“What if you’re pregnant?”

With a sigh, she lifted her head to stare at him. “You thought about it?”

“Of course. I was pretty sure you weren’t on the Pill.” His eyes narrowed suddenly and his body tensed. “You weren’t going to bring it up, were you?”

“Not unless I was sure. But I would have told you if it turns out I really am, Quinn.

I never intended to keep Zack from you.”

He glanced at his son before his body relaxed again. “Sorry. I know you didn’t.”

His thumb traced her jaw as he gazed down at her. “Would having another baby be so bad?”

She hesitated before answering him, but she had to be honest. “Under the circumstances, it could be. I went through it alone the first time. I don’t think I could stand doing that again.”

“You won’t have to, Lanie. When will you know for sure?”

“In a few weeks.” Her lips curved in a wavering smile. “My timing really sucked.”

A laugh shook him, and before she could brace herself, he kissed her. It was an easy kiss, but it still sent sparks shooting up her spine.

“I think your timing was great.” He grinned at her. “And I wouldn’t mind a bit having another one. Maybe a girl this time.” His smile faded. “I missed so much with Zack. Missed seeing you get big as a house, missed feeling him move inside you. I’d like a chance to do all that now.”

10“Quinn, I doubt I’m pregnant, and last night can’t happen again.”

He sighed. “Not unless you’re sure you can trust me, you mean. Just tell me one thing. Is there a chance for us at all, Lanie? Do you still care about me?”

“There’s a chance,” she murmured. “As for still caring about you, of course I do.

You’re Zack’s father. But there’s Jared, too.” She rubbed her forehead. “Sometimes I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“You’re not crazy, just confused. Give it time and stop worrying so much. This will work itself out.”

“Have you been talking to Sherry?” She smiled at him. “She told me almost the same thing.”

“I knew she was smart.” He pushed himself to his feet. “Guess I’d better head back and let you two get on with your ride.”

Anxiously, she stood with him. “Shouldn’t I help you? And you probably haven’t had breakfast yet.”

Slowly, he leaned down and gave her a long kiss. “Stop worrying,” he commanded.

“I made it out here, I can make it back. And Duncan does a pretty mean omelet.

Besides, I promised him I’d spend some time in the hot tub.”

She nodded. “Okay. We won’t be gone long. I plan on riding out to the cabin to make sure Cody is settled, and then we’ll head back.”

Her heart clenched as she watched him limp slowly and painfully toward the house. If only she could be sure he’d stay. But even without Edward in the picture, there was that damn company. Five years ago she’d known he would never give it up, hadn’t really wanted him to. It was as much a part of Quinn as his arm. All she’d wanted was some kind of compromise. With today’s technology, was it so far-fetched to think he could run McAllister Pharmaceuticals from here, with only an occasional trip to Chicago?

She sighed. He’d brushed aside her suggestions then, and she couldn’t bring herself to believe things would be any different now. Sooner or later the company would call him back.

“Mom?”

She glanced at Zack then hurried to help him lift the child’s saddle onto the pony’s back, pushing her troubled thoughts aside. This was her special time with Zack, something they did every Sunday, and she wasn’t going to let anything interfere.

* * * * *

Quinn stopped inside the kitchen door and leaned heavily against the wall, taking deep breaths. Knowing Lanie was watching him had been the only thing that kept him moving across the yard.