Midnight Lies: The Wildefire Series (25 page)

“Is that right? Want me to challenge you on that in front of everyone here? Because,
believe me, I will.”

With the appearance of a hairy, furious blowfish, Clark muttered something unintelligible
and twisted away. He took two strides and then turned around again, a smirk back on
his face. “Tell Zach that my sister, Lindsay, is living with us again. That money
he gave her ran out. Reckon he’ll give her some more?”

Samantha knew nothing about Zach giving Lindsay
Milan, Clark’s sister, money. If he did, it was most likely to help her get away from
her creep of a brother and father.

“Give Lindsay my condolences.”

He opened his mouth, she was sure to issue another put-down, but was stopped by the
tall, broad-shouldered Faye, who stood inches from his face and said in her harsh,
no-nonsense voice, “You either sit down and behave or I’ll kick your ass out of here.
Your choice.”

No one challenged Faye, especially not in her own place. His mouth pursed in a pout,
like a little boy who’d been punished unfairly, Clark stomped off. Samantha had to
give him credit, though. Instead of leaving the restaurant, he went to the back booth
and sat down. But then again, Faye’s delicious food overruled hurt feelings or embarrassment
a thousand to one.

“Thanks, Faye.”

Grunting an acknowledgment, Faye turned and headed back to her station behind the
counter.

“That was interesting.”

“Yeah, Clark has an unpleasant history with the Wilde sisters.”

“Seems like Faye’s got his number.”

Samantha grinned and took a giant bite of her delectable pancakes. “Faye’s got everybody’s
number.”

“Can I ask you a question?”

His face had gone serious again. Samantha tensed and said, “Sure.”

“I know you don’t want to stay at the Hartley house and oversee repairs, but would
you consider checking on it from time to time?”

“I still can’t believe you bought the place. Did you remember it from what I told
you?”

“That if there was one place in the world you could live forever, it was this beautiful
old house on a small lake right outside your hometown. And the man who
owned it would never sell it piecemeal.” He nodded. “I remembered.”

“Why, Quinn?”

He leaned forward and murmured in a soft, delicious growl, “You sure you want to have
this discussion here?”

That was the voice that could get her thinking about hot, sweaty nights, silk sheets,
and multiple orgasms. A shiver of arousal went through her. Quinn must have seen it,
because his gaze focused on her mouth as if he were seconds from devouring her.

Leaning closer, she whispered his name in a way that left no doubt what she wanted.

Quinn’s deep voice was low, intimate. “I’d really like to kiss you without an audience.”

So immersed in the man across from her, she had paid little attention to the other
restaurant customers. Tearing her gaze away from what she wanted most in the world,
Samantha looked around the room. Of course, everyone was staring. She even saw a few
leaning closer, trying to hear their hushed conversation. And they weren’t being subtle
about it, either.

Quinn caught her attention again, using that same growling tone. “We need to get out
of here. Now.” He went to his feet. “I’ll pay the check.”

The instant Quinn stood, an amazing thing happened. The entire restaurant turned their
attention back to their own tables and meals. For the first time in her memory, they
seemed satisfied with what they had learned. Samantha had no real clue what that was.

While Quinn paid for their food, Samantha spotted Inez Peebles sitting at the counter
and made a beeline for her. Instead of doing her job and getting the lowdown on possible
newcomers to Midnight, all of her focus had been on Quinn. Talking to the most knowledgeable
busybody in town would remedy her need for information in seconds.

“Inez, how’re you doing?”

Whirling around in the stool like a teenager, Inez grinned up at her. “Better than
most, not as good as a few. What about you, Sammie?”

Inez was one of the few people outside her family who called her Sammie. As the oldest
resident of Midnight, the elderly woman believed her seniority came with special privileges.
And Samantha supposed it did.

“I’m doing just fine. I—”

“You ever figure out who tried to run you down the other night?”

Samantha resisted the urge to roll her eyes. No secrets in Midnight. Since everyone
in town seemed to know everything before it happened, maybe she should be asking people
their opinion on who it was.

As if she’d read her mind, Inez cut her eyes over to Clark Dayton, who was openly
glaring at Samantha. “That one would do it, completely sober and for free, too. Just
for the hell of it.”

Now, there was a thought … she hadn’t considered Clark. There was no love lost between
him and the Wilde family. And Zach’s firing him hadn’t exactly improved relations.
And that kind of cowardly act would be right up Clark’s alley. Little to no risk to
him, limited exposure, and if he didn’t succeed in killing her, at the very least,
he could scare the crap out of her.

“You’re a wise woman, Inez.”

“Course I am.” Inez jerked her head over at Quinn, who was carrying on a one-sided
conversation with Faye. “He fix what he broke yet?”

It would do no good to pretend she didn’t know what the elderly woman was talking
about. Nor would it help to ask her how she knew about Quinn. Sometimes she swore
there were psychics in this town. Instead Samantha shrugged and answered vaguely,
“He’s trying.”

A cackle erupted from Inez, bringing with it the ever-present
odor of garlic. “Honey, it’s my experience if a man tries to fix what he screwed up,
you gotta give him points just for trying.”

“I’ll remember that.” Samantha turned the attention to another issue. “So, what’s
going on around Midnight? Anything new?”

Eyes narrowed in suspicion, Inez leaned closer. “What’re you looking for?”

“Nothing. Just making conversation.”

The elderly woman snorted and guffawed at the same time. “Samantha Wilde, you can’t
lie worth a damn. But to answer your question, nothing new that I heard of. Just the
same old stuff.” Excitement brightened her face. “Should I be looking for something?”

Samantha almost laughed at the question, then abruptly swallowed her laughter. There
was no one more knowledgeable about Midnight happenings than Inez Peebles. Why not
enlist her help? “If you hear something interesting, like perhaps a stranger in town
or someone asking odd questions, can you let me know first?”

Looking both intrigued and delighted, she whispered, “I’ll not tell a soul but you.”

Considering that sharing gossip was Inez’s favorite thing in the whole world, Samantha
felt humbled at her promise. “Thank you, Inez. You’ll be a great help.”

Blushing like a teenager, she patted Samantha’s arm. “You can count on me, sugar.”

Samantha walked away from the elderly woman with the strange feeling that she had
just hired a new employee for the Wildefire Agency.

Samantha settled into the passenger seat of the car and waited for Quinn. She hadn’t
lasted very long, had she? Only one day had passed since they’d made the pact about
nothing physical. So far they’d shared a deliciously steamy kiss, along with a few
quick ones. The heated look he’d just given her in the diner said he wanted a whole
lot more. So did she.

Major issues remained. There were still things they didn’t know about each other.
And their relationship—how would that work with her in Midnight and Quinn in Atlanta?
But the issue that had torn them apart had been resolved. Now, more than anything,
she wanted to rejoice in that with the man she loved.

Just as Quinn walked in front of the car, the door of the diner opened and Clark Dayton
swaggered out. He said something to Quinn, and though she couldn’t hear his words,
she knew they weren’t friendly. In an instant, Quinn had Clark pushed up against the
diner’s window and was in his face.

Quinn Braddock was all about control. Having him lose his cool meant one thing: he
was more than pissed—he was furious. Clark Dayton had finally shot off his mouth to
the wrong person.

She’d put her hand on the car door handle to get out when Quinn swung his head around
and gave her a hard,
telling look. The message was clear. With a small nod, Samantha settled back into
her seat and quite happily waited for Quinn to handle the imbecile. She trusted him
to know what to do.

Apparently satisfied she wouldn’t interfere, Quinn turned around and devoted his full
attention to the man plastered against the diner window. Whatever Quinn said made
an impressive impact. Clark’s face was crimson red, his eyes so wide they were almost
bugged. No doubt about it, Quinn was scaring the crap out of the jerk.

It was over in seconds. Quinn took one step back, nodded at the dozen or so people
who were unashamedly gawking at the confrontation, and then headed to the car.

When he got inside and shut the door, she glanced over at him and asked mildly, “Feel
better?”

The twitch at his mouth told her he was fighting a grin. “Much.”

“Good. Let’s go before he shows his stupidity again and one of us has to slug him.”

Starting the engine, he pulled out onto the road and then threw her a concerned look.
“Did you want me to step in the first time? I got the impression you wanted to handle
it on your own.”

“No, I appreciated your self-control. As much as I’d like to slap the smirk off his
face, I refuse to lower myself to his level.”

“Sorry I don’t have the same restraint.”

She grinned. “Actually, I thought you showed incredible restraint. I expected blood.
You want to tell me what he said?”

“No.”

She didn’t push it. Whatever it was, she knew it had been uncomplimentary and, from
Quinn’s reaction, most likely about her. Clark Dayton’s opinion of her meant nothing.

They were at the Hartley place before she knew it. Though she guessed she needed to
start referring to it as Quinn’s place from now on. Yes, that definitely had a nicer
ring.

Quinn parked in front of the house. She opened her car door but he was there before
she put her foot on the ground, holding his hand out for her. “Let’s go christen our
new home in the right way.”

Our new home
. Her heart pounding at his words, she took his hand and then gasped when he pulled
her from the car and into his arms.

A rush of emotion overwhelmed her, and Samantha sighed with delight as Quinn’s mouth
smothered hers in a soul-deep kiss she felt all the way to her toes. Oh, how she had
missed these kisses.

Way too soon, his mouth lifted. “Let’s get inside before we get arrested for indecent
exposure.”

Hand in hand, they walked to the house. The instant the door closed behind them, Samantha
went back into his arms. Quinn cupped her butt in his hands and lifted her. “Wrap
your legs around me.”

Samantha lifted her legs and locked them together at the ankle behind his back. Kissing
her as if he would never stop, Quinn carried her up the stairs. She knew they were
probably heading to his bedroom, but her mind was on other things, like the hard length
that ground into her in rhythm with his steps, causing a fire within her to burn out
of control. While Quinn ate greedily at her mouth, Samantha lost herself to sensation
after sensation as she climbed to the peak of pleasure.

The movements abruptly stopped and she was dropped onto a soft bed.

“No,” she whimpered. She was on the edge … she didn’t want to let go yet, not until
she’d reach that insurmountable, exquisite moment of ecstasy.

“Shh, baby, I’ll take care of you.”

When he released her and stepped back, away from her, she knew he meant something
different from what she’d thought. “Wait … what?”

Heat rippling through her, she watched beneath her lashes as he pulled her shoes off
and then stripped her jeans and panties down her legs. Before she could fathom his
intent, his mouth was on her, his tongue delving deep. As she arched upward, climax
crashed into her like a meteor and then completely shattered around her. Her mewling
scream of ecstasy echoed through the house as she soared into another dimension.

Long seconds later, she landed softly back to earth to find Quinn still loving her
with his mouth and tongue. With each gentle, thorough lap, arousal became more urgent
and fierce. But this time, she wanted them to ride that spectacular wave together.

“Quinn?”

Not lifting his head, his voice muffled, he said, “Yeah?”

Before she could answer, his tongue speared deep again, and instead of answering him,
her body arched off the bed as she found herself back on the edge of orgasm. Gritting
her teeth to hold back the pleasure, she spoke, quickly, urgently: “I want you inside
me.” And in case he didn’t understand her need to have him with her, she said, “Now.”

He stood, his gaze sweeping over her, deep blue eyes smoldering with intent. “I love
it when you tell me what you want.”

Thankfully he didn’t make her ask again. As he stripped off his shirt, jeans, and
shoes, Samantha lost her breath. How could she have forgotten? When dressed, Quinn
was a striking man, causing men and women to follow him with their eyes. Without clothes,
that beauty became something different. She had never gawked at a naked body before,
but she could stare at his for hours. He was
every woman’s fantasy of powerful masculinity. Broad shoulders and arms, muscular
without being bulky; hard, flat stomach; long, lean legs that revealed the hours he
spent running.

How wonderful it felt to be with him again. To see the desire in his eyes, his beautiful
body aroused and ready to give and receive pleasure.

He crawled onto the bed, but instead of giving her what she wanted immediately, his
mouth moved up her body, kissing, licking, nibbling. First a kiss on both feet, then
the inside of each calf and thigh, then one tender, lingering kiss on her mound. From
there, his mouth traveled to her stomach, then midriff, and then stopped at her breasts.