The Best Part of Me (28 page)

But Ewan knew the world wasn't fair. And in reality, a woman like Quinn didn't belong in the same room with the messed-up shit that he had.

As Quinn sleepily tucked a hand under her chin, Ewan made a vow to himself. No matter how hard it was or how much he didn't want to, the moment that things got real between them, he had to end it. Even if it hurt her. Even if it killed him.

A noise somewhere way off in the distance woke Quinn from a perfect dream. In her dream, big, strong hands were making their way up her legs, pushing under her dress, grazing the outsides of her thighs. And just as they hooked under the sides of her panties, her eyes popped open.

It took her a second to realize that she was in Ewan's room. She was still wearing the same clothes she'd worn all day, but somehow she was in his bed, underneath his comforter, where it was nice and warm. The alarm clock on the side of the bed said it was nearly three in the morning. But she was the only occupant of the bed. And judging from the dim light coming from the kitchen, the broody, handsome man who was tempting her in her dreams couldn't sleep.

Sliding out of bed, she tiptoed to the door to peer into the kitchen to find Ewan pouring himself a glass of milk.

Ewan was wearing only pajama bottoms that hung low on his waist, and his bare back and shoulders were drawn taut. The aftereffects of her naughty dream were still lingering around, making Quinn want to run her tongue along the curve of Ewan's spine. To kiss every valley and swell of his muscular shoulders. To run her hands in his inky black hair.

She could look at him like this forever.

Ewan tossed back the glass, closed up the carton of milk, and put it back in the refrigerator. She watched as a deep breath made his tight shoulders rise and fall as his head fell back.

She knew he was probably expecting a fight from her. He'd acted like a complete ass after they left his aunt and uncle's place. She knew whatever they'd been talking to him about had worked him up. She had questions, but she wasn't going to bother with them now. She had other things in mind.

“Hey,” she whispered, trying not to scare him.

He turned his head in her direction and ran his eyes shamelessly down her body.

“Hey.”

“Rough night?” she teased, looking at the empty glass in his hand.

He huffed out a laugh, looking down at the last few drops of milk in his tumbler. “Long night.”

She slipped into the kitchen to stand beside him, leaning one hip against the counter.

“Wanna talk about it?”

He looked at her for a second before shaking his head.

She reached out and ran her hands along his perfect chest.

“Anything I can do to make you feel better?”

His lids lowered as her hands reached his shoulders. He stared at her intently while she watched the desire play across his face. It was a heady feeling knowing she could affect him that way.

“I should be the one to ask you that after I acted like a complete dick earlier.”

“Is that an apology?”

“Yeah.”

She smiled. “Apology accepted.”

She wrapped her fingers around his neck before pushing one hand up in his damp hair. And to think, he'd been naked and in the shower just steps away from where she'd lain in bed.

“Well, there is something you can help me with. You see, I'm having trouble sleeping.” She pressed against him. She could feel his very hard body growing warmer against hers as his hands wrapped around her waist to rest on her bottom. With her nose at his neck, she pulled in his warm, clean scent.

“Trouble sleeping, you say?”

Nodding slowly, Quinn rose on her tiptoes, so that their lips were only inches apart.

“Any ideas?” she asked, gazing into his eyes.

A low rumble left his throat before he pressed his lips to hers. Quinn could feel the chill in his mouth left from the milk and the undeniable taste that was Ewan as their tongues slid greedily against each other. Heat spread quickly through her body, pulsing through every cell. She tightened her grip in his hair, pulling him closer.

Leaving one hand on her ass, pulling her against his rock-hard erection, Ewan slid the other hand up to grip the back of her neck. Quinn moaned into his mouth. The hot, wet assault on her lips was nothing short of mind-blowing.

The man could kiss.

Her breasts felt heavy and swollen with desire as her nipples tightened against the friction between their bodies. Lifting her easily, Ewan walked her into the bedroom, never once breaking their kiss. He was devouring her mouth as if it were the last morsel of food he'd ever eat.

As if this was his real apology.

Standing next to the bed, he hooked one of her legs around his waist. At this angle, her swollen sex was pressed snugly against him. She could feel her heartbeat there as he pushed his hips forward. The blood was rushing quickly through her veins, making it sound as if an entire army was marching past her ears.

Wrapping her other leg around his waist, she had to tilt her head down to keep the contact with his mouth. He took her bottom lip between his teeth and bit down ever so gently. The pain was exquisite. Quinn involuntarily gasped and arched into him.

Turning them around, he sat on the bed with her straddling his lap on her knees. His hands still firmly gripping her ass, her fists pulling at his hair. She couldn't get close enough to him. If she could, she would have crawled inside of him.

“I missed you,” she groaned as his lips started a hot trail down her neck.

He momentarily hesitated, then nipped at the taut cord of muscle leading behind her ear. He slid both of the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders before pulling the fabric down to bare her breasts.

“Jesus, you've been walking around all night without a bra on?”

She bit her lip and grinned.

He leaned down to latch his mouth on to one of her nipples. The tight suction from his mouth pulled all the blood to the tip of her breast, sending sharp, aching bliss straight to the apex of her thighs.

“Oh, God, Ewan.” Her breathy voice was barely a whisper.

“Mmmm,” he hummed against her breast. “You're talkative tonight.”

“I told you I've missed you,” she said as she watched his attention shift to her other nipple and he circled it with his wicked tongue.

“I've missed
this
. How you feel against me. How you respond to every fucking thing I do to your perfect little body.”

That was the most he'd said to her during sex, and it turned her on so much she was about to implode. His growls and moans were hot enough. But throw in some dirty talk and she was putty in his hands.

She pulled the drawstring on his pajama pants and tried to use her knees to push her ass off his lap enough to pull his pants down. His cock, hard and fully erect, throbbed between them.

She couldn't wait another minute. She had to have him inside of her.

Quinn's dress was already hiked up around her waist, allowing Ewan to run his fingers along the crease of her ass as he followed the fabric of her thong to where she ached for him. With a sharp tug, Ewan ripped her thong in two.

Pushing up onto her knees on the edge of the mattress, she forced him to lean back on the bed. His eyes burned into her as she raised her dress over her head, leaving only her ruined thong circling her waist. Leaning forward, she positioned herself over him, willing herself to go slow as she watched every movement affect him.

His beautiful full lips were parted, and his breath was pulling rapidly with each rise of his chest. His grip on her waist tightened as she slowly took the head of his cock into her welcoming body. She bit her bottom lip and moaned, trying to keep her eyes open to watch his face.

Her pulse was still marching past her ears as the blood raced through her veins. Inch by inch she lowered, feeling every glorious hard ridge enter her. With a patience that was probably killing him, Ewan remained still with a death grip on her waist, not moving his hips.

He was letting her set the tempo. This was her show.

Finally, her ass rested against his legs, and she closed her eyes at the intense feeling.

After several long breaths, her body adjusted to his size. He felt a lot deeper with her atop him. She felt Ewan trembling beneath her, and when she opened her eyes, she gasped. His eyes blazed with desire.

Red. Hot. Fuck-her-into-oblivion desire.

She arched her back and started to move, running her nails up the hard planes of his torso.

Her movements were slow and timid at first, but with every passing second, her wetness increased, making it easier to pull farther up on his cock before pushing back down. Ewan raised his hands to knead at her swollen breasts. All the while, his smoldering gaze never left hers.

He was the epitome of breathtaking. And he was lying beneath her, inside of her.

The idea that it could be like this forever flittered across her mind.
They
could be like this forever.

She continued to ride him with increasing intensity. Ewan pushed up onto his elbows, changing the angle of his entry and creating a sweet friction against her sensitive clit. She moaned his name as the fire spread out from her core. Her tempo increased, and she could feel her release building.

Ewan's head dropped back, finally breaking eye contact. “Jesus,” he groaned.

His irreverent prayer pushing her faster toward her approaching orgasm, Quinn reached behind her and gently palmed his balls.

“Fuck,” Ewan moaned as his whole body coiled with tension.

Brilliant white light filled Quinn's vision as she plummeted over the edge. Her body quaked, and she breathlessly whimpered his name over and over. She tried to continue her movements, but they became jerky and erratic. When Ewan's back dropped to the bed and he gripped the tops of her thighs, she knew he'd found his release as well. He spilled deep inside of her as his body shook. Concentrating on him, she flexed and tightened around his cock and evened out her rhythm, prolonging his pleasure.

The pure ecstasy on his face was the biggest blue ribbon she'd ever received.

I do this to him. I make him feel this way.

Quinn watched as his body relaxed beneath her. And when he opened his eyes to meet hers, something happened inside her chest. It was a physical reaction. An actual precise moment that resonated through her entire body with such clarity that she almost cried.

She was in love.

Sean was right. Ewan was a textbook masochist.

Scientists who studied human behavior would have a fucking field day with him. Maybe he was being a bit dramatic. Walking through the Blue Hills Reservation with a beautiful woman wasn't exactly painful. But being in close proximity to Quinn was enough to make his body ache and his mind get all gooey.

Unfortunately, it wasn't just his body's reaction to her that was the biggest problem. His mind was tormented because as much as he'd like to ignore it, he could see tiny changes in the way she acted. And those changes spelled big problems if his goal was to keep their relationship from getting serious. Those changes hinted that she was thinking about the future.

One that included him.

He'd spent nearly every day with her in the two weeks since she'd come to dinner at his aunt's house. She was like some horribly addictive drug. Every time he dropped her off or said good-bye, he swore to himself that he'd slow things down. But damn it if he wasn't itching to see her again the next day. To feel her smooth skin under his fingertips, to smell the sweet lavender that seemed to seep from her pores. He always gave in to his need for her.

Which was exactly why he was knocking on Maura Hughes's porch door on a fucking Sunday morning, getting ready to hike in the goddamn Blue Hills.

The door swung open suddenly, and he saw Quinn with a toothbrush hanging from her mouth.

“I'm so sorry,” she said, the words slurred and almost unrecognizable as she continued to brush her teeth. “My alarm didn't go off!”

Quinn fluttered her hand at him, waving him into the house. She was in a pair of dark green cargo pants and a long-sleeved white T-shirt that hugged her slim torso like shrink wrap.

She turned and hurried down the hall, disappearing into the hall bathroom. He heard the water come on, and after a second, she yelled, “Aunt Maura's gone to mass. If we hurry, we can get out of here before she gets back.”

He walked over to the dining table and sat down to wait, having no idea how long it was going to take her to get ready, but seriously hoping they could avoid an unpleasant chat with her aunt.

The sun was shining now, but there were clouds on the horizon, which meant that it could be raining in less than fifteen minutes. It was on the chilly side today, so he'd opted for a sweatshirt instead of a jacket, but probably should have still brought one along.

“Quinn, you should grab a jacket.”

“Okay!” she yelled back to him. He could hear her quick footsteps taking her from the bathroom to her bedroom. “Do you want something to drink? Coffee?”

He looked over toward the kitchen but didn't notice a coffeepot. “Did you make some?”

“No,” she yelled from her room. “There's instant coffee in the pantry. Help yourself!”

Yuck. Forget that. Instant coffee wasn't coffee. It tasted like dirt. “You don't have any real coffee?”

Quinn entered the room, pushing her arms through her windcheater. “Nope. Instant is all I have. Beggars can't be choosers.”

He rose and went to her as she shrugged her last arm through her jacket. Reaching down, he started the zipper and slowly raised it, making sure to skim his hand over her stomach and up over her breasts. “I can do without coffee. And besides, I don't beg. You, on the other hand…”

He let his sentence hang in the air between them as he stopped the zipper under her chin. She smiled but narrowed her eyes at him.

“You're full of shit.”