The Best Part of Me (29 page)

“Really? I could have sworn last night you were begging me to stick my—”

“Oh, my gosh.” She interrupted him quickly, covering his mouth with her tiny hand. “First of all, I was
requesting
, not begging. And secondly, I was drunk.”

He smiled at her underneath her hand before he quickly touched the tip of his tongue to her fingers. She pulled her hand back with a squeak, making him chuckle.

“A request preceded by please, please, please and followed by announcing that you'd do anything for it is universally known to be begging.”

“Whatever,” she muttered, rolling her eyes. “Are you ready to go?”

“Only if you beg.”

“You're definitely full of shit.” She headed for the door but not before he saw her smile.

They hopped into his truck and headed south toward the Blue Hills. As predicted, the clouds rolled over the hills, shutting out the sun.

“What type of hike are you interested in today?”

“How about a mix of challenging and leisurely. Is that possible?” Quinn asked.

Ewan thought over the trails that he knew, which weren't very many.

“Of the two trails I'm familiar with, one is about a four-and-a-half-mile hike called the Breakneck Ledge Loop and it's really steep. There's also a Forest Path that's less rocky with more woodland views, but it's six miles. Both begin and end at the headquarters.”

Quinn smiled. “I'd love to try both.”

“We only have time for one today,” Ewan said, already dreading the second hike.

“How about the six-mile hike for today then?”

Ewan nodded, relieved that she'd picked the easier hike that didn't involve scaling cliffs and steep hillsides.

After a short drive, they pulled into the parking lot and started down the gravel path to the head of the trail. The sun peeked out between some dark clouds, making the depth of the forest they were headed into look darker in comparison. If it did start to rain, they would at least be covered under the trees' canopy for most of the hike.

Once inside the forest, the terrain stayed level, but the path narrowed. They walked single file for a while before the gravel path gave way to a paved road before veering east back into the woods. They followed the wooded path as they climbed over large roots and boulders, the rustling of the leaves and their breathing being the only sounds they could hear.

“This place reminds me of Cook Forest, the place my family used to go camping every year.” Quinn's voice, although barely above a whisper, sounded loud as she broke the silence. “I don't think the tree cover is as thick here as it is at Cook Forest, but the terrain is similar.”

Ewan could imagine Quinn as a little girl, climbing over fallen trees, lifting up rocks to check underneath. She was in her element, and it showed even now as she trudged up the trail ahead of him.

“There are a couple portions of this trail that will wind up to some higher elevations. They're toward the end.”

“How many times have you been on this trail?” she asked.

“Once or twice. But this is my first time as a tour guide.”

She bit her bottom lip playfully. “If you're good, I just might give you a big tip.”

“I hope you're not one of those fifteen-percent-across-the-board tippers. If I provide excellent service, I'll expect a little something extra.”

“I guess we'll just have to wait and see how good your service will be.”

“I think you'll find that I
service
quite well.”

She rolled her eyes for the hundredth time that morning, but this time, she laughed out loud.

They walked silently for a while. The sunshine had been chased away by a light mist that found its way down through the trees. The mist had stopped a couple miles back, but they were both still damp and cold. It was the kind of dampness that went straight to your bones.

Ewan tried to imagine what the park looked like through Quinn's eyes. Even though he'd seen it a few times before, it was surely one of the most beautiful places on earth. The narrow dirt path led them through dense forests and across wide-open clearings of tall grass. He had to admit that the serenity of the place was a nice change. Still, there were lots of other things he'd rather be doing.

Quinn stopped often to marvel at the countryside, especially when they started on the toughest climb of the trail and the trees began to thin out.

“My goodness, this is a hike,” Quinn huffed between heavy breaths.

Ewan smiled at her good-natured complaining. “I think we're almost to the overlook.”

“Is it all downhill after that?”

“As far as I can remember.”

“Thank God,” she muttered, stopping for a second to stretch her back.

“You aren't getting tired on me yet, are you?”

She grinned at him and trudged on up the path. They pushed up the steepest part of the climb, where the road peaked between two towering rock faces. When they had made it to the top, Quinn stopped in the middle of the trail.

Ewan stood behind her and took in the view. The valley opened up before them. The gray, rocky sides cradled the valley where the path snaked its way down the hill. The view stretched on for miles, and in the distance you could see the gray buildings of downtown Boston. The sweet air smelled of wet earth and was thick with moisture.

“Amazing,” Quinn whispered.

Although he'd walked this trek before, he'd never felt its stunning beauty like he did at this moment. And he knew that the woman in front of him had everything to do with it.

They stood there for a few more minutes taking in the grandeur of the scenery.

Quinn finally looked up at him over her shoulder and smiled.

“You catch your breath yet?” she asked.

He grinned as she moved ahead, and they started their trek down the hill back into the forest. It was slowgoing at first. The road wound its way through several hairpin turns before it leveled off.

“My mom mentioned this place a few times. She said it was like stepping into a picture book,” Quinn said. “She was right. This place is stunning.”

“I'm glad you like it.”

“She wanted to bring me here.”

Ewan kicked a stone to the side of the road. “Had your dad ever been to Ballagh before?”

“Once. They came here to collect my mom's things before they moved to Pittsburgh. He didn't get a warm welcome from my aunt and uncle, but I'm sure that doesn't really surprise you.”

“Why's that?”

“My Dad was German. He was born and raised in Frankfurt. I think he suspected my aunt and uncle gave him the cold shoulder because he was foreign.”

Guess Maura Hughes hadn't changed much through the years. And to think Ewan had thought he was the only one the old lady hated.

For the tenth time that day, she silently thanked God that she'd brought her raincoat with her. The wind had picked up and was now blowing against their faces, making Quinn's ponytail dance behind her. With the wind came the mist as it crept down over the tops of the hills to settle around them.

Still, it was gorgeous, and Quinn was content. Content in the peacefulness and stillness as they wound their way down the valley. Even more content to have Ewan beside her.

The past couple weeks had been total ecstasy. Ewan was not the type of man that anyone could overlook. His presence, albeit quiet and serious, loomed large in any room. Sometimes Quinn couldn't believe that at the end of the day, she was the one in his bed. Sometimes she'd watch him while working behind the bar. She watched the way he moved, the way his shirt would stretch across the muscles in his back while he reached for a bottle. The way his eyes would narrow slightly as he listened to a customer place their order.

To the town, he was Ewan McKenna, manager of their local pub. Quinn had to pinch herself because he was so much more to her. She knew what his skin felt like underneath his clothes. She'd practically memorized the wide expanse of his chest and how it felt to run her fingers along the curve of his spine. She knew the feel of him, the taste of him. The noises he made right before he'd plant himself deep inside of her with his release.

There was no stopping her train of thought, even in the serenity of their surroundings. Quinn saw his long, powerful legs stretch out next to her with every step he made. His gait was steady but slow so that she could keep pace with her much shorter legs. The man who walked beside her was arguably the hottest, most desirable man she'd ever seen. Not to mention a certified sex god. Not the kind of certification that you got from an online course with a quiz at the end. The God-given-talent type of certification.

In the two weeks since they'd had dinner at his aunt and uncle's, Quinn had been introduced to alone-in-the-middle-of-the-woods sex, a truck-tailgate quickie, and round two in her garden shed. Round two, although amazing on top of the potting surface, still fell to second place behind round one against the cottage wall. He'd tried his hardest to make it happen in her creaky twin bed in her bedroom, but thank God she'd withstood his relentless harassment when her cousin's voice had called from the hallway announcing he was home early from work.

She'd also felt pretty good about herself when she surprised him one evening with a few tricks she could do with her mouth. From the way his eyes had burned into her while she was showing him, she was pretty sure he'd liked them.

Although thrilling as it might be, Blue Hills Reservation sex might be pushing it. It almost seemed like blasphemy in such a reverent place. Still, the thought had crossed her mind.

They walked for quite a while in silence, listening to the gurgle of the water somewhere off to the right of the trail in the forest.

“Did your aunt and uncle bring you here when you were little?”

“Yeah, once.” His smooth voice sent a shiver up her spine.

“They seem like really great people.”

“They are.”

She smiled as she recalled their dinner some weeks ago.

“Did you and Sean fight when you were little?”

The tips of his mouth turned up. “Oh, yeah.”

“I bet. You two were probably always in trouble.”

He shrugged slightly. “Surprisingly, my aunt was the strict one. She was the disciplinarian between her and my uncle. The only time my uncle really gave us shit was when we didn't do our chores.”

Quinn laughed. “What kind of chores did you have?”

“I was responsible for doing the dishes. That and getting the mail.”

“Since how old?”

“Since I was nine.”

“What were Sean's chores?”

“He mowed the yard and took the trash out once a week.”

“And Megan's?”

“She set the table and then cleared it after we were all done eating.”

Quinn smiled, thinking about the three of them completing their daily chores.

“I had to set the table and do dishes when I was growing up. I also had to keep my room clean or I wasn't allowed to hang out with my friends on the weekends.”

He nodded. “I shared a room with Sean until I was about thirteen, then I got my own room when my uncle built on to the back of the house. It was a lot easier to keep clean after that. Sean's bloody messy,” he said, his Irish brogue accenting the word
bloody
.

She'd heard as much from Darcy. That Sean's place in Boston needed to be cleaned by a hazmat team.

“He's been thoroughly pampered his entire life,” Ewan continued. “He's the baby. He always got whatever he wanted.”

There was no animosity or resentment in his statement. He said it as simply as if he were telling her the sky was blue and the grass was green.

“Are you an only child?”

Ewan was quiet, and their easy conversation hit a pause.

Apparently, Quinn had stepped over that invisible line between allowable questions to off-limits.

Ewan was a closed book. Hell, he was a locked book. Quinn knew that his past was a sensitive topic, and she'd always been respectful of giving him space. She knew that some things were painful to talk about. But she'd always hoped they'd get to a point in their relationship when he'd open up a little more. She thought they'd passed that point after he'd spent the night holding her in his truck while she sobbed about her mother.

Something had changed that night. He'd proven time and time again that he could take care of her physical needs, but that night he'd taken care of her emotionally. Her heart had been lying open in front of him, and he'd helped her mend it. She desperately wanted to do the same for him. But he had to open up to her first.

“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” she tried again.

After a few seconds, he looked over at her. And surprisingly, he nodded.

“Are you the oldest?” she cautiously asked, trying to keep the excitement out of her voice at his willingness to share.

“Youngest.”

“So you're the baby in your family too.”

He didn't respond, just continued walking, eyes forward down the path.

“How many siblings do you have?”

He took a deep breath. “One brother,” he answered shortly, without looking at her.

“What's his name?”

He cleared his throat. “Darren.”

Quinn watched as he shoved his hands in his front pockets. His shoulders were back, and she could see his brow was furrowed, even though he was still staring ahead.

She decided to take the little information he had just given her and not push her luck.

“Thank you for bringing me here. It's absolutely stunning.”

He looked over at her then, and she smiled at him. His eyes turned warm once again.

“You're welcome.”

They heard the crunch of bike tires on the path, and Ewan took Quinn's arm and pulled her to the side of the road to let the two bikers pass. Quinn stood snugly against him for a quick second before he released her arm and stepped back on the path. After resuming their walk, they fell into an uneasy silence. He'd opened up a little, but it was obvious it was a struggle for him to do so. She was trying desperately to think of ways to bridge the gap between them, thinking that if she kept talking, he'd keep sharing.