Happy Endings (11 page)

“Not exactly.” At least she was in good humor again after her scare. Chuckling, Quinn grabbed the kerosene lantern off the top shelf and the plastic bag holding a box of matches. Within seconds, he lit the wick and turned up the flame, illuminating the area.

“Oh, my goodness.” Larissa stepped closer, inspecting the shelves. “Did you paint these?”

“Yes.”

The clear plastic covering the canvases made it hard to see the details, but all his best work was here, just as he’d left it the last time he made the trip to the cave. The day he decided to give up his dreams of being an artist to follow in his father’s footsteps.

“It’s been a long time since I even picked up a sketchpad,” he admitted while Larissa studied each painting. “It used to be an escape for me, one I loved very much.”

She ran her fingers over the plastic protecting Quinn’s favorite picture. “This is Shadow standing by this waterfall, right?”

“I think that’s my best work.”

Larissa reached out blindly, grabbing his hand as she continued studying the paintings. “Why don’t you have these hanging in your house? Or heck, put them in an art gallery. These are great, Quinn.”

Warmth flooded through him at her praise. It had been a long time since anyone appreciated his talents, at least talents that didn’t deal with expense sheets or hiring and firing employees. “I’m glad you like them.”

“I love them.”

An idea struck him, but he didn’t know if she would agree to it. He fumbled his hand across the bottom shelf, pulling out the sketchpad and set of charcoal pencils inside yet more plastic bags. Even if the paper was a bit yellowed with age, it would serve his purpose.

“Larissa, can I ask you for a favor?”

She nodded.

“It’s been a long time since anyone was interested in my art, but I really have the itch to draw right now. Can I sketch you?”

“Me?” The flickering light from the lamp shone in her widened eyes. “I’d be honored.”

“Excellent.” He pointed at the blanket. “Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to go grab the chocolate-covered strawberries and bottles of water. We might need a snack before I finish.”

***

L
arissa plumped the blanket against the wall, waiting for Quinn to return. She’d known she was falling in serious like with this guy almost from the moment he showed up at the massage studio this morning to rescue her from Mr. Skinner, but this? There was certainly a romantic side to Quinn, hidden away but definitely there. Seeing his secret self, learning who Quinn really was, Larissa knew she could fall for him—hard.

It was obvious Quinn liked her too, since he kept trying to move things far past the realm of mere friendliness. The only question that remained for her was the biggest one. Would Quinn be critical once he saw her body? Would he decide she wasn’t worth the risk once he heard how high the chance was for her breast cancer to come back?

Perhaps it wasn’t fair to judge Quinn based on the way Jacob had reacted, but her relationship with Jacob lasted four years before the breast cancer diagnosis. In fact, Jacob was the one who pushed her to go with the breast-conserving therapy instead of the total mastectomy, and then he’d been unhappy with the resultant scars and increased risk for her cancer to recur.

When he started pulling away and getting secretive toward her, Larissa broke things off. He went away without a complaint, proving her hunch had been right. Jacob couldn’t handle having a sick wife, and didn’t love Larissa enough to take that chance and marry her.

Larissa had a hard time trusting anyone after that, especially handsome men. In fact, she’d only dated a few times, and nothing progressed to the bedroom. She was afraid to find out how someone else would react when they saw the scars and realized she’d had cancer—turning away from her in either fear or pity. Especially if that someone was Quinn. She liked him too much already.

“It’s looking like rain out there,” Quinn said as he popped back into the cave, arms full of the saddlebags. “The horses are huddled together beneath the trees and clouds are building. I’m going to use some of the plastic bags I left in here to cover Shadow’s saddle and get everything else secure before it hits.”

Larissa frowned. “I thought the rains wouldn’t start until Monday.”

He flashed a grin and a wink. “Relax. My conjuring up this rainstorm was a great way to get you to myself longer.”

Yes. He certainly acted like a man interested. If only she could know how he’d react. If only she wasn’t too afraid to find out.

“Maybe we should pack everything up and hurry back to the resort,” she said. It wouldn’t be smart to let herself get trapped with him. Who knew how long the storm would last? It could be all night, and she wasn’t sure she could hold him at a distance that long.

Unfortunately, Quinn shook his head. “We can’t. It’s not safe. This storm is coming up too fast to make it back in time. The hills will be too dangerous to travel down if the ground gets slick.” He dropped the saddlebags in the back corner and pulled a roll of plastic garbage bags off a shelf. “Let’s stick to my plan. I really want to sketch you, and the storm might pass over by the time I’m finished.”

“But what about the horses?” she protested, searching for any reason she could think of for them to leave.

“Trust me, they can handle the rain. They’ll be fine.” He strode toward the cave entrance. “I’ll be right back.”

As she watched him disappear through the waterfall, Larissa knew there wasn’t much she could do. The only reason she felt so much anxiety was because she didn’t trust herself to be trapped with Quinn. She wanted him. There was no questioning that. Hopefully the storm would pass as quickly as he promised and she wouldn’t have to test her willpower.

Knowing he had a sensitive, artistic side made him that much more desirable. She needed to keep on the opposite side of the cave while he did his work... and try not to be too impressed with whatever he drew.

***

Q
uinn darted his gaze between the sketchpad and Larissa. She had lain out on the blanket, head leaned against one arm and the other arm resting against her hip. He was just finishing the last touches on her face. She’d struck a pouty, playful look that made her appear more beddable than wholesome. He loved it.

The rainstorm raged just outside, enough that Quinn felt chilled. He hoped it ended soon. There was no way they could start home in this, and judging by the way Larissa hadn’t wanted him touching more than her back earlier, she probably wouldn’t be up to cuddling for warmth if they were trapped overnight.

And that was a depressing thought.

Shading in her cheeks on the sketchpad a touch more to give it depth and suggest the flickering light from the lamp, Quinn leaned against the wall, judging his work. “Maybe not the best picture ever,” he said, “but passable considering how long it’s been since I did anything.”

“You’re done?” Larissa sat up and patted the blanket next to her. “Let me see.”

It seemed he’d misjudged her willingness to be close to him. Perhaps it was the art project that swung her more in his favor. She had seemed impressed by the paintings. Maybe his sketch was the key to earning more kisses from her.

Standing up, Quinn stretched his back with a groan. Hard stone was not the most comfortable place to sit for such a long time. At least Larissa had the blanket to protect her delicate curves.

He crossed the area and sat beside her, holding the picture out of her view when she made a grab for it. “I don’t want you to be disappointed. This doesn’t do you justice, but maybe now that I have a subject worthy of drawing, we could try this again until I get things just right.”

She shook her head, brushing her hair against his arm as she bumped her shoulder into his. “I bet it’s great. Let me look.”

Knowing this could either score him major points if she liked it, or relegate him to the category of dating hell, Quinn reluctantly passed it over.

She was silent for what felt like an eternity. Just when Quinn became concerned that he made dating hell ranking with all their date mishaps, she let out a happy squeal.

“This is awesome!”

She turned her head unexpectedly, catching his lips with hers. Her tongue darted out, caressing the crease of his lips, and Quinn readily opened up, tasting a hint of chocolate on her mouth from the food break they’d taken shortly before he finished.

Who knew a drawing could help him get to second base?

She broke off the kiss to look at the sketch. “Can I keep this?”

Quinn studied it again, trying to be objective. “It’s not my best work, Larissa. Why don’t I practice drawing for a while and then try again. How about a nice painting of you on the beach or something?”

“If you think I’m a good subject, I’ll willingly pose for you, but I want this.” She kissed him again, though didn’t deepen it, to Quinn’s regret. “This is special to me, because it helps me see who you really are.”

“And you like this? The person I really am instead of the high-powered businessman?”

“I’ve been thinking things over the entire time you were drawing this. I’m nervous about what’s happening between us, but...” She set the sketch aside and then ran her fingers against his chin, nodding. “Yes. I’m glad you showed me your art.”

Her light touch caused sensations of pleasure to rip through his body.

“I can’t refuse you,” he said, his voice deepening to a husky tone. “You can have anything you want.”

She stared in his eyes intently, and he got the feeling she searched for some sort of answer. After a moment, she brushed gentle fingertips against his chin, again filling him with needy sensations.

“I really like you, Quinn.”

Wrapping his hand around the back of her neck, Quinn pulled her close so their lips nearly touched. “And I really like you. In fact, it goes past like.”

“But you don’t know everything about me.” Her soft protest caused her mouth to brush against his, and it was all Quinn could do to stop from pushing her down onto the blanket and going further than second base.

“I don’t need to know everything about you, beautiful. I just need to know that our attraction is mutual. Discovering each other is part of the fun of a new relationship.”

To his surprise, the flickering lamplight shone onto moisture against her cheeks. He was pouring his true feelings about her out. She wasn’t supposed to cry.

Quinn relaxed his grip so she could back away if she wanted, using his other hand to wipe away the tear. He hadn’t read her wrong. She shared his attraction, so the tears made no sense. “What’s wrong?”

She sighed and pressed her forehead into his. “Good heavens. Talk about the sexiest thing I’ve ever done. Bursting into tears when you admit your attraction. Bet you can’t wait to have sex with me now.” She sobbed slightly. “Damn it. I guess at least I’m chasing you off before you reject me.”

Normally a crying woman turned him off. Quinn didn’t go for drama, and tears were drama with a capital D. However, rather than annoying him, Larissa’s outburst made him feel macho and protective. He wanted to make things better for her.

“You aren’t chasing me off, and I’d never reject you.” He backed away but took her hand. “What makes you think I would?”

Larissa leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes as if she couldn’t stand to look at him. “I used to be engaged. After a four-year relationship, we broke things off. He couldn’t handle it after I got sick.”

“Sounds like a real asshole,” Quinn said without thinking.

She laughed, but another tear leaked from her eye.

He refrained from wiping it away, but only because he had a feeling more would fall before they finished talking. “You mentioned before that you’d been sick, but didn’t want to talk about it. Are you ready to tell me what happened?”

“I had breast cancer.”

Breast cancer? But she was so young! He didn’t know what he’d expected her to say, but that wasn’t it. “That must have been difficult for you, especially if your relationship ended because of it.”

She released his hand, folding her arms across her stomach. “Aren’t you going to ask if my boobs are real?”

“Why would I...?” Quinn shook his head, feeling sick to his stomach. “Is that why your ex left? Because you had to get implants? If so, I stand by my asshole remark.”

“Oh, no. They’re real, but I have a horrible scar on the left side. Jacob admitted it was too much for him to deal with.” She snorted. “Too much for him. Sure, like he went through anything other than having my boobs no longer perfect for him.”

That must have been why she got so upset when he began massaging her sides, even though she’d sighed and trembled in a way that had encouraged him to push the limits with the massage. It all made sense now. She hadn’t wanted him feeling the scar. How could someone who’d been with her for four years decide that was a reason to leave? Quinn didn’t want to say it to Larissa, but her ex must have been looking for a reason out of the relationship before the cancer.

That idiot’s loss could be Quinn’s gain.

“None of that matters to me, Larissa, and won’t chase me away. It isn’t your fault you got sick, and you’re a survivor besides. Think of those scars as badges of honor. In my opinion, that just shows your strength and makes you even more beautiful.”

She bit her lip, opening her eyes. They were still shiny in the light, looking as though she had more unshed tears, but he also saw something different in her gaze. It looked like hope.

“Thank you,” she whispered. “This is all kind of heavy for a first date, I know.”

Quinn slid his arm between her back and the wall and pulled her close. “Third date.”

“Third date,” she agreed. “And now that we’ve got that conversation out of the way, and you are okay with things, it’s time for me to return that massage you gave me. It’s all I’ve been able to think about since you said we had to stay until the rain passed.”

Quinn’s groin tightened, just hearing the sexy lilt in her voice. Larissa wasn’t talking about a regular massage.

She caressed his stomach with gentle fingers, moving down to graze her hand across the already hardening bulge in his pants.