Red Carpet Romance (20 page)

“You all right?” Quinn took her
hand, planting a quick kiss on the palm.

“Better than I thought.” She smiled
at him.

“How so?”

“Guess it’s time for me to move on.
Now I won’t have any ties here. The house will be sold. Annie and I will split
up his trophies, and I’ll get a job in the city. Back to where I was.”

“What about your sketching?”

“That’s just fooling around. I can’t
make a living with it. Besides, I’m not very good.”

He leaned over and kissed her. “So
work at it and become better.”

“When the estate is settled, I
should have enough money to do what I want for a while. But in the meantime,
I’ve got to find a job.” She took a sip of her Cosmo.

“Don’t.” He put his hand on her
forearm.

“Don’t what?”

“Get a job or find your own place.
Stay with me.” His voice was soft and persuasive.

“After Junior leaves?” She put down
her drink.

He nodded.

“I can’t…do…”

“Why not?”

No
reason. No reason at all.
“Do I have to decide now?”

“Take your time.”

She looked up into his eyes. The
true blues hypnotized her for a moment.
How
can I leave him? Don’t.
A warm smile crept into his eyes, and she smiled
back.

“Uh…excuse me…” the waiter stood
blushing, trying to put plates on the table. The lovers sat back.

* * * *

Susanna rested against the leather
seat and slept most of the way home. Quinn put the top up and played classical
music. Today had been a day to get to know Susanna better, and he had learned a
great deal.
An unpretentious girl from a
small town, honest, real, smart, and sexy.
The perfect formula for him.

A smile of satisfaction sat on his
lips as he maneuvered the car over the dusky highway. With little traffic to
impede him, he sped down the road, lost in thought about his life.

Once
I get a producer for BLIND LOVE, my career will take a different direction.
Then my personal life will follow.
Happy thoughts bounced through his head.
She might be the one.
Doesn’t get any better than this.

When they arrived at Maggie’s house,
all was quiet. The heat of the day had intensified. The air outside hung thick,
hot, and heavy. Ceiling fans created a welcome breeze, but even in the baby’s
room where Junior slept peacefully, the heat was oppressive. At ten o’clock,
the adults went to their rooms. Quinn tiptoed across the hall to crack
Susanna’s door open an inch.

“Psst!” He called. Then throwing
open the door, he grabbed her arm, pulling her into his room. He tossed a towel
to her. “Come on,” he whispered.

“I’m not dressed.” She was wearing
only her pink bra and matching panties.

“Where we’re going, clothing is
optional.” She tucked the towel around her chest, slipped her hand in his, and
followed him silently down the stairs. They crept quietly out the back door.
Guided by the light of the moon, Quinn led their way to his house.

“Skinny dipping in the moonlight.
Last one in is a rotten egg,” he said, stripping off his boxers and running off
the end of the dock. When his head bobbed up, breaking the surface of the lake,
he motioned her to join him.

“Come on. The water feels great.”
Cool water swirled against parts normally protected by a bathing suit. He loved
the free feeling of being naked in the lake. Susanna hesitated on the end of
the dock, still wearing the towel around her. He swam closer.

“There’s no one out. No one can see
you. Come in. It feels great.” Moonlight glowed off the black water, giving it
a golden sheen. He smacked his hand against the water, sending a splash her
way, but it missed.

“No splashing.”

“Don’t be a fraidy cat.” Shimmery
beams shone on her body, highlighting the curves and giving her skin a warm
glow. The planes of her face were hidden in shadow, adding mystery to her look.
He became horny looking at her barely-clad body, with a subtle radiance shining
off a light coating of perspiration on her chest and abs.

He watched her tentatively unhook
her bra.
My own personal striptease.
A
twinge between his legs sprang from the pleasure he was getting just looking at
her. Susanna stopped before removing the bra completely. Her gaze zeroed in on
him.

“Take it off, baby,” he called. She
began to dance slowly, lowering first one side of her covering to bare a breast
then putting it back, then lowering the other. He catcalled from the water,
swimming closer so he could hold on to the ladder and see better. The twinge
had become a growing pressure as her top finally came off. She turned her back
to him, wiggled her butt, then turned her torso halfway so he got a peek.

His eyes were riveted to her body,
viewing every movement as if he hadn’t seen her naked before. A wanton rhythm
replaced Susanna’s shyness as she began to hum a tune while she shook her hips.
She bent over and touched the dock with her fingertips, shifting her weight
back and forth so her bottom moved up and down, teasing him.

The pressure between his legs
increased. Bumps and grinds with fingers laced behind her head and panties on
preceded an agonizingly slow stripping of her underwear lower then lower. Now
Quinn was completely hard and war-whooping.

“Take ’em off!” he called.

She shoved the panties down and
daintily stepped out of them, her back facing him. He was slapping the water as
applause, growing more and more excited. She turned to face him, spreading her
legs wide and bending at the waist, her breasts bouncing. He stood on the
ladder in silence. Raising her head, her eyes made contact with his before she
dove into the water.

When she joined him, he snaked his
arm around her waist and pulled her up hard against his body. His mouth sought
hers in hunger as the heat of his desire rapidly became unbearable. His hand
squeezed her breast a bit hard, and she gasped. “Easy.”

“That was amazing. I’m hard as a redwood,”
he whispered.

She raised her mouth to his and he
took it, eagerly. He pulled away, lifting her up until her chest was above the
water, and lowered his head to nip at her peak. His free hand traveled down
between her thighs. Inserting a finger inside her, he found her wet and
willing. “Turned you on, too.”

“The dance?”

He nodded.

“Yeah.” She grinned. “I got into
it.”

“You sure as hell did.”

She closed her fingers around his
erection and moaned as he pumped his finger in and out of her. Her forehead fell
to his shoulder, dripping water from her hair onto his chest, as he removed his
finger and stroked her center with circular motions instead. “Oh, God. Quinn,”
she moaned.

He placed his hand on her waist.
“Ready, Susie?”

“Take me,” she whispered.

He lowered her onto his shaft with
one hand while holding the ladder with the other. “Holy Hell,” he muttered,
closing his eyes for a moment as she guided him into her. Susanna clung to him,
her fingers digging into his shoulder muscles, her nipples rubbing against his
chest, her legs wrapped around his waist as he moved her up and down.

Then she took over, pushing down on
his shoulder then letting go, sinking back down on him. As she increased the
pace, his free hand slid up over her breast. He squeezed, his fingers pinching
her peak gently. Hearing her groan as he worked her soft flesh, heat flashed
through his body. Quinn fought for control.

Knowing he couldn’t hold out much
longer, he whispered in her ear, “Come for me, baby.” As if on cue, she closed
her mouth on his shoulder to muffle her cry as pleasure swam through her veins.

She tightened around him and
fluttered, her wetness increasing. The sensations he felt inside her busted his
control, and Quinn grunted when his release washed over his body and hot satisfaction
shot through him from head to toe. He gripped her body, crushing her against
him, his hands running up and down her back. Love filled his heart as he
nuzzled her neck. “Susie…oh…I love you.”

* * * *

His soft words enveloped her richly,
like a cool satin sheet. Satisfaction poured through her body as she sat in his
lap, still connected to him. He held her tight, raining kisses on her neck.
Rivulets of water ran down from her hair to her back, tickling her momentarily.
A shiver shook her spine, causing him to raise his head.

“Cold?”

She shook her head, emotion blocking
words in her throat.

“You okay?” His hand stroked her
hair.

Unexplained tears slipped out of her
eyes and down her cheeks as she nodded to reassure him she was all right, when
in fact, she wasn’t.
What’s wrong with
me? Guys confess they love you after sex all the time. It’s just a knee-jerk
reaction. He doesn’t mean it.
The angle of the moon hid his eyes from her
view, but she felt the heat of his stare on her body.
Does he really love me? I want him to, but do I love him? So many
questions.

“Have you ever made love in a lake
before?” he asked.

“This is the first time. You?”

“Well…”

“I see. Do it all the time, do you?
Bring dozens of women here?” She was only half-joking.

“How many women do you think I’ve
had?”

“Hundreds,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, right! Not! And none as
responsive as you,” he whispered into her hair.

“Good way to avoid the question.”
Gentle waves lapped up against her bare skin.

“Do you want a résumé?”

“Just an answer.” Loosening her
legs, she eased away from him a little.

“Not hundreds but…my share, I guess.
Enough.”

“Suddenly shy?”

“What about you?” His eyes stared
into hers.

“Nice. Adroitly turning it around.”

“I gave you an answer, sort of.” He
shrugged.

“You didn’t. How many? Are you a shy
guy or Casanova?”

“Neither. Normal guy here. Maybe a
dozen?”

“Like eggs?” She laughed.

“Now you. How many men?”

“None that can hold a candle to you.
Good enough?” She narrowed her eyes.

“Good enough.” He kissed her
tenderly. She rested her hands on his shoulders, her thumbs on his neck.

“All those groupies and
star-screwers…must be tempting.”

“In the beginning. Then you get
burned and you learn.”

“I’d never burn you,” she whispered.

“Promise?” he asked so softly she
wasn’t sure if what she heard was his voice or the night breeze in the trees.
He cupped her cheek, drawing her face closer. She planted a gentle kiss on his
lips then shivered. The wind had picked up, and the air turned chilly. Sitting
half in and half out of the water cooled her body more than enough. He sensed
her trembling.

“You’re cold. Let’s go.” Quinn
climbed the ladder quickly then extended his hand down to Susanna. He fastened
a towel around his waist and covered her shoulders with the other one. After
winding it around her, she tucked it in between her breasts.

They slipped flip-flops on their
feet and padded across the street. Once inside, Quinn took Susanna in his arms
for a lingering goodnight kiss, then the lovers parted, retreating to their
separate rooms. She lay in bed, wide-awake, energized by the late night loving
and swim.

Thoughts of Quinn swirled in her
head. Soon Junior’s mom would claim him, and her life would again be one big
question mark. Would she claim Quinn, too? If he were the man she thought he was,
leaving him would be painful. She sighed.
Don’t
have to have all the answers now. I’ll enjoy whatever time I have with him.

She snuggled down, wrapped in a
soft, light, fleece blanket. Listening to Junior’s even breathing soothed her.
Soon the little guy will be gone. I’ll miss
him.
As her breathing fell into a rhythm with his, she relaxed and was soon
sleeping like a baby.

* * * *

The next day was busy. Quinn took
Junior and Susanna on a drive around town, remarking on points of interest.
Junior gurgled and laughed before the steady movement of the car rocked him to
sleep. The baby’s presence brought her closer to Quinn. Every day they drew
together more like a family.

She loved the feeling of being the
three of them, but was afraid of it, too.
Don’t
fall in love with the baby and the man. He’s not your baby. He’s not your man.
And this isn’t your family, even if you want it to be.

Melancholy settled in her heart as
she strove to lock every word, every experience, into her memory. This wasn’t
only a job, but a special time. Being mom for a month, or two, had changed her
life, and she was in no hurry to change it back again.

Sitting on the front porch,
sketching in her small sketchbook, Susanna studied the shrubs and flowers
hugging the house. Junior lay in a playpen near her, gumming a rubbery toy and
babbling happily. She could hear Quinn on the phone, probably with another
producer about the book. She frowned when she thought about his unsuccessful
struggle.
Wish I could help.

The lawyer from Willow Falls called.
He had everything straightened out with the police. He had moved her father’s
trophies to a secure storage facility, and the search for a buyer for the house
had begun. She thanked him and wondered why she didn’t feel upset about the
loss of her family home. Though her future was far from certain, she had faith
that good things awaited her.

“Ready?” Quinn’s voice interrupted
her reverie.

She nodded, shoving her book into
her purse and handing her bag to him.

“I’ve loaded the little slugger’s stuff
in already. Can you grab him?”

She picked up the baby then said
goodbye to Maggie and Cal, who came out to see them off.

“Thank you for everything.”