The Mighty Quinns: Eli (9 page)

Lucy tipped her head back and closed her eyes. “Mmm.”

The warm water sluiced through her hair and spattered on the plank floor of the porch. The sensation was exhilarating and soothing all at once, and in an instant, she felt as if the last traces of her illness faded into the haze of her memory. She held out her hand. “Shampoo.”

“I'll do it,” he said.

Lucy opened her eyes. “You're going to wash my hair?”

“Yeah, I can give it a try. How hard can it be? It's not that much longer than mine.”

She closed her eyes again and lost herself in the feel of his fingers gently massaging her scalp. If he was trying to seduce her then he was doing a damn fine job of it. Right now, she didn't require any sweet words or soft kisses. A man tending to her most basic needs was a much more powerful aphrodisiac.

“That feels so good,” she murmured.

“Why didn't you call for help when you got sick?” he asked. “You could have died.”

She shrugged. “I guess I didn't want them to make me leave.”

“It's that important for you to do this?”

“Yes,” she murmured.

“So important that you would put your life in danger?”

“I guess I didn't think my illness was that serious. I've been sick before and recovered. If you hadn't arrived this morning, I probably would have gotten up and made myself something to eat and continued on. I really am much better today.”

“I should call your producers and tell them how sick you were. Maybe they'd rewrite those damn guidelines.”

She looked up at him. “Please don't do that. I have to finish this. The right way.”

“And how is that?”

“By myself. On my own.”

“What's driving you to do this? Just give me a clue.”

She didn't respond, and Eli shook his head, then turned to pick up the other bucket. “Close your eyes.”

He rinsed her hair with the other bucket of warm water, then picked up the empty buckets and disappeared behind the cabin.

She had an answer to his question but it was so close to the core of who she was that it wasn't so simple to explain. She'd already lied to him about her teenage years, and though she trusted him, Lucy knew that he would look at her differently if she told him the real story. When pressed, she'd always said she was the daughter of a postman and a schoolteacher. But Eli wouldn't believe that lie anymore.

Lucy sighed softly. Maybe it was time to give him the truth.

When he returned with two more buckets of warm water, she sat up and watched him as he kneeled in front of her, took her foot in his lap and began to lather up the washcloth with soap. He didn't realize that her foot was resting on his crotch, but Lucy was keenly aware that there was only a layer of denim between them and a very intimate touch.

“I've always needed to prove something to myself, to prove that whatever I want to do, I can do—alone.”

“All right,” Eli said. “That's part of the explanation. There's more to it than that, right?”

“Yes, it's what I expect once I accomplish something on my own.”

“And what is that?”

“I expect to be happy with myself. Satisfied.” She drew a ragged breath. “Maybe even...content.”

“And you're not?”

“No.”

He gently began to wash her foot, massaging the arch with the soapy washcloth. Gradually, he worked his way up her calf and over her knee. When he started on the other foot, Lucy sighed. “I lied,” she said.

“About what?” he asked.

“At this moment, I'm completely content.”

Eli chuckled softly. “It doesn't take much to please you.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet, then started to massage her back and shoulders.

Lucy clutched the sheet above her breasts as she bent her head forward. The thin cotton was damp and clung to her skin, making it nearly transparent, but she was beyond caring. His touch had lulled her into a state of perfect pleasure.

Her fingers toyed with the knot of fabric that held the sheet to her body. What would he do if she simply let the sheet fall to the ground? Would he stop what he was doing or would he continue on, as if nothing had happened?

Lucy loosened the knot and the sheet suddenly dipped low on her back, the edge coming to rest just below her spine. His fingers stilled for a moment and then, he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. “Don't even try it,” he murmured. “The last thing on my mind right now is seducing you.”

“What is on your mind?” she asked.

“Finishing your bath. Making you something to eat. And getting you on the road to recovery.”

“So you can seduce me?” she asked.

“Funny. I think the fever has messed with your brain. You've been too sick to have sex now.”

Reconsidering, Lucy tightened the knot on the sheet. Maybe it was best to wait until she'd regained more of her energy. Every muscle in her body ached, she was still a bit light-headed and it felt like she had a sliver in her hip from the plank floor. But she still had an undeniable need to be close to him.

For so long, she'd refused to relinquish control. But here, in the middle of nowhere, all the rules she lived by no longer applied. With Eli, she could be weak and nervous and silly. She could indulge her every whim and no one would see her weakness. So why not?

She drew a deep breath, turned around and opened the knot on the sheet, letting it drop to pool around her feet. What he chose to do with her naked body was up to him now. Lucy smiled. And in truth, she was curious what he would do. Would his altruistic motives overwhelm his physical desires? Would nice or naughty win out?

He smoothed his hands over her shoulders and then down her arms. “I'm going to go get some more water.” He handed her the washcloth and soap. “You can take care of the rest.”

He was being strong for her sake, Lucy understood that. But sooner or later she would weaken his resolve and she would finally be able to make all of her fantasies come true.

* * *

“C
AN
I
HAVE
another cup of tea?”

Eli smiled to himself as he walked over to the bed and retrieved Lucy's mug.

After her bath the previous day, he'd helped her dress then changed the linens on her bed. She'd spent the afternoon curled up in the sun, reading one of his grandmother's Agatha Christie novels. After a light dinner of soup and bread, he'd tucked her into bed. She'd fallen asleep almost immediately and slept for nearly twelve hours.

“You look much better today,” he said as he walked to the kitchen. “You have your color back.”

“Are you saying I looked like a zombie before?”

“You're always beautiful.”

Eli filled her mug with hot water and dropped a tea bag into it, then rummaged through his pack on the table until he found the satellite phone. When he returned to the bed, he handed her the mug and set the phone on her lap.

“What's that for?” she asked.

“I want you to have it,” he said, sitting down on the edge of her bed.

“For what? I have the radio.”

He nodded. “Yes, but the guidelines restrict how often you can use it. This phone comes free of guidelines. You can call me. I've programmed my cell phone number into the memory. You just hit Star-One.”

“And then I can talk to you? Anytime I want?”

Eli nodded. “Anytime. Day or night. For any reason at all. If you call, I'll answer.”

“Maybe I should give it a try,” she said. Lucy set her mug down on the bedside table and picked up the phone. She pretended to push the buttons, then put the phone to her ear. “Ring, ring,” she said.

Groaning, Eli reached into his pocket and pulled out his cellphone. “I don't have coverage up here.”

“I know. Ring, ring.”

“Hello,” Eli said.

“Hello,” she said in a playfully sexy voice. “It's me.”

“Hello, you.”

“What are you wearing?”

Eli chuckled softly. “A flannel shirt and jeans. What are you wearing?”

“Nothing,” Lucy said. “Why don't you take off all your clothes and come over here. We can have a little fun.”

With a soft curse, Eli grabbed the phone from her. “I'm serious about this,” he said.

“So am I,” Lucy said. “Take your clothes off.”

He smoothed a strand of hair from her forehead and tucked it behind her ear. Though he knew she needed more rest and seduction was out of the question, that didn't stop him from needing to touch her at every opportunity.

He was afraid to leave her again, certain that the moment he did, something horrible would happen.

In all the time his grandmother had lived in this cabin, he'd never really worried about her safety. Even when his mother had taken off on one of her crazy adventures, he'd known that she was able to care for herself.

Lucy had proved that she was up to the task of living in the wilderness. So why was his brain always conjuring disastrous scenarios for her?

But he knew why. There was a vulnerability to Lucy, one she tried so hard to cover up. And that drew him. He wanted to heal whatever had hurt her so much in the past that she no longer trusted in anyone but herself. And he wanted to protect her from ever being hurt again.

“I'm going to stay another night,” he said. “I just want to make sure you've completely recovered.”

To his surprise, Lucy nodded. “I think that would be best.”

“You do?”

She nodded. “I like having you here. And I've decided we can bend the guidelines a bit. Now will you take off your clothes?”

Eli gave her a gentle nudge and she slid across the bed, giving him room to lie down beside her. “I really should call air rescue and take you to the hospital to get checked out.”

She reached up and smoothed her hand over his cheek. “I
am
feeling better. I promise, I'll tell you if I'm not.”

He pulled her body closer and pressed his lips against her forehead. “I trust you. But I'm finding it harder and harder to leave you here alone.”

“I'm perfectly capable of—”

He stopped her protest with a long, deep kiss. When he drew back, he nuzzled his nose against hers. “You don't need to remind me. This isn't about you. It's about me.”

“How is this about you?”

“I enjoy being with you. One day a month doesn't seem to be enough anymore. I spend my days in town counting down the time until I get to see you again. And it's ridiculous. You're here and I'm there, but there's some silly reason why I can't just drop by for dinner every few days.”

“It's a three-hour hike.”

“Maybe I'll buy myself a helicopter.”

She closed her eyes and pulled him closer. “This is all very strange.”

“What is?” he whispered. He hooked his finger beneath her chin and turned her head so that she raised her gaze back up to his.

“I'm used to being on my own. I've never really had a—a relationship.”

Eli frowned, staring at her in disbelief. “You've never been in love?”

“That, too. But I've never even had a boyfriend. There have been men, but it was just very...temporary. I don't—I haven't wanted to get involved—that way. Romantically.”

Eli saw how hard it was for her to admit this truth and he didn't question her honesty. But he had to wonder how a woman as beautiful and smart as Lucy had never been in a relationship.

“My story is pretty much the same,” he said.

Her eyes went wide and she smiled. “Really?”

Eli nodded. “And it seems to be genetic. The people in my family have an aversion to marriage and commitment.”

Her fingers splayed across his chest and a long silence descended around them. Eli waited, sensing there was something she needed to say. He covered her hand with his, holding it to his heart. “Nothing you say to me is going to change how I feel about you,” he whispered.

“I think it might,” she said.

What could she be hiding? Did she have some scandalous past? A criminal background? Maybe she'd been married once. Maybe she still was. His mind started to spin with all the possibilities until the sound of her voice interrupted him.

“Remember how I told you that my father was a postman and my mother was a teacher?”

“I remember.”

Suddenly, she pulled out of his arms and sat up beside him, breaking the physical connection between them. He reached out to take her hand, weaving his fingers through hers, but it was the only contact she'd allow. “That's not true. It's a big fat lie I tell when people ask about my family. I've said it so many times that it almost seems like the truth.”

“What is the truth?”

“I've never said it out loud to anyone. And I'll understand if it changes everything for you.”

“Is that why you're telling me? Because you want it to change everything?” He pushed up on his elbow and tried to catch her gaze, but Lucy refused to look at him. “For the good or for the bad?”

“Your childhood might have been strange, but mine was tragic. My mother died of a drug overdose when I was five. And my father went to prison for armed robbery when I was seven. My grandparents didn't want me, so I ended up in foster care. I ran away when I was fourteen. I lived on the streets for two years before I found a job with a production company and was able to afford rent and food.”

“Jesus, Lucy, I—”

“I'm not telling you this so that you'll pity me. There was nothing I could do to change it. I'm telling you so that you'll understand why this, what's happening between us, is all so...impossible for me. I don't know how to be someone's girlfriend or lover or wife. I can't. And I'm just warning you ahead of time that you can't fall in love with me. It would never work.”

Eli gave her hand a squeeze, then drew it to his lips and pressed a kiss to her fingertips. “I suppose I could give you the same warning. I don't exactly understand the whole happily-ever-after paradigm, either.”