The mighty Quinns: Liam (12 page)

Though she tried everything she could to relax, nothing worked. At first she thought it was the upset over her apartment, but after considering all that had happened during the day, Ellie decided that the reason she couldn’t sleep was lying in a bed just a few short steps away.

After an hour of tossing and turning, Ellie threw the comforter off and sat up, cursing softly in the dark. She walked to the small kitchen at the back of the flat and pulled open the freezer door. When she couldn’t sleep, a pint of gourmet ice cream always did the trick.

“Oh, my,” Ellie murmured. Half the freezer was stacked with frozen pizza and the other half with a variety of ice creams. She pulled one carton out after another. “Rocky Road, French Vanilla, Cookies and Cream.” Ellie grabbed another carton. “O-oh, Chocolate Chip Mint. I love that.” She rummaged through the drawers until she found a spoon, then opened the first carton, leaving the freezer door ajar so she could gaze at her selection.

Ellie had never trusted herself with more than one pint of ice cream in her freezer at a time. The temptation was just too great and ice cream was her drug of choice when she felt depressed about her social life. She opened the carton of Rocky Road and scooped out a spoonful, then let it melt in her mouth.

“This is better than sex,” she murmured.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

A tiny cry slipped from Ellie’s lips, as she spun around, her spoon clattering to the floor. Liam stood in the kitchen, wearing only a pair of boxer shorts that rode low on his hips. A wave of mortification washed over her and she quickly turned and stuck the ice cream back in the freezer. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I just thought something to eat would…”

He raked his hand through his dark hair. “No, it’s all right.” He reached around her, his chest brushing against her arm, the heat of his skin against hers making Ellie feel a bit dizzy. “I came out for the same thing.”

He grabbed the open carton and handed it back to her, then selected Chocolate Chip Mint for himself. Ellie handed him a clean spoon. Liam scooped a spoonful out of the carton and held it out to her. Hesitantly, Ellie leaned forward and let the ice cream slide onto her tongue to melt in her mouth.

“Mmm. Good,” she said.

Liam grinned, then took a bite himself. “What do you have?”

He reached over and scooped out some Rocky Road and held it out to her. But as she took the spoon into her mouth, a bit of melted ice cream dribbled down her chin. Liam reached out and caught it, then held his finger in front of Ellie’s lips.

She took his finger in her mouth and only then realized what she was doing. Ellie glanced up at him and slowly pulled back. “Yum,” she said, her voice cracking slightly.

They stared at each other for a long moment and Ellie held her breath, waiting, wondering what would happen next. Then suddenly, Liam tossed the carton to the floor, grabbed her Rocky Road and threw it down, as well. In an instant his hands were on her body, cupping her face, spanning her waist, slipping beneath the football jersey and smoothing over her bare skin.

He kissed her as if only her mouth could satisfy his hunger, delving deep, tasting fully. Ellie’s head spun and her limbs felt weak, his kiss like a drug, wiping away the last traces of inhibitions. She’d never wanted a man as much as she wanted Liam. The need was so intense, it frightened her. His lips moved to her throat and Ellie tipped her head back, sighing softly. Her fingers furrowed through his hair and she sank against him.

Skimming her hands over his chest, she reveled in the way he was made. She’d always admired the male physique but had never experienced a man quite as perfect as Liam Quinn. Every inch of his body was taut and toned, muscle and sinew covered by smooth skin.

When he pulled away for a moment, Ellie took the chance to explore. She kissed the hollow at the base of his neck, the few soft hairs there tickling her lips. Then she marked a trail across his chest with her tongue, circling his nipple. She didn’t want to leave any doubt at all about what she needed from him.

He sighed softly and Ellie pressed her body against his as his mouth came down on hers again. She felt his need, hard and hot through the thin silk of his boxer shorts. With deliberate intent, she moved her hips, tempting him with pleasures that they had yet to share. He couldn’t refuse her. Every movement, every subtle reaction, told her that he wouldn’t.

Ellie had never considered herself a highly sexual woman, but with Liam her inhibitions seemed to vanish. She wanted him, his body above her, beneath her and inside her. She wanted to lose herself in the rhythm of their joining and then experience his release, the ultimate surrender. Yet she couldn’t bring herself to ask out loud.

She moved her hand along his belly but he grabbed her fingers at the last moment and brought them back up to his chest. “We should go to bed,” he murmured, his breath ragged against her ear.

A stab of disappointment shot through her. But then Ellie realized that maybe he was offering her an invitation, not calling an end to this seduction. She took a shaky breath and swallowed hard. “Your bed or mine?”

L
IAM GAZED DOWN
into Ellie’s eyes, watching the doubts and insecurities flicker there. He couldn’t deny the need he had, this irrational yet overwhelming desire to possess her body. But it wasn’t just a physical need, a desire to lose himself in warmth. He didn’t want just any woman. He wanted Ellie Thorpe.

In his mind there was no other woman, no one more beautiful or clever or interesting just over the horizon. He’d reached the horizon and he’d found a woman who satisfied him in every way. And now he wanted to satisfy her. But he felt as if he were out of his league. This wasn’t just sex anymore. It was something new…unfamiliar…and completely unexpected. “Are you sure?” he murmured.

A tiny smile touched her lips and she ran her hand down his chest, her fingers leaving a warm trail on his skin. “That I want you? Yes, I’m sure. I don’t think I’ve ever been more sure of anything in my life. If you’re sure, that is.”

Liam hooked a finger under her chin and forced her gaze away from a careful study of his chest. She looked up at him, wide-eyed. “I’m sure,” he said.

Ellie frowned. “We are talking about sex, right? And not about sleeping in the same bed?”

“One usually follows the other,” Liam replied. “But that was my interpretation of the conversation.”

Ellie sighed softly. “Good. All right. So that’s settled, then. I think you should take me back to bed.”

God, she was sweet. He loved how she just spoke her mind, refusing to play the coy little games that had been so common with women in his past. It wasn’t hard to know what Ellie Thorpe was thinking. She usually said it the moment it raced through her head. Liam reached out and slipped his hands around her waist, tugging her near.

He bunched the hem of the football jersey in his fists as he kissed her again, lingering over her lips, giving her a chance to respond. Unlike their last encounter, Liam was determined to take it slow this time, to enjoy every moment…every caress…every long, deep kiss.

A tiny sigh slipped from her throat and Liam felt his control waver. In truth, he wondered if he’d have any control at all once they reached the bedroom. Maybe they should just stay in the kitchen. The bathroom had been good in the past and the kitchen also worked well. But, in the end, Liam picked her up and carried her to his bedroom, her legs wrapped around his waist, her backside cupped in his hands.

Liam had never brought a woman to his own bed. It had been an unwritten rule of his, far easier to leave her place than his. But now all the rules seemed to be falling by the wayside with Ellie—and Liam was glad to see them go.

He set her softly on the bed, then reached down and tugged the Patriots jersey over her head. His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her, her narrow shoulders and her perfect breasts, the way her skin shone in the light from the moon filtering through the bedroom window. Slowly he reached out and ran his hand over her shoulder and down her arm. Ellie caught his fingers in hers and gently pulled him down on top of her.

He was already hard and ready and Liam knew he’d have to be careful. And when Ellie reached to run her hand over his shaft, her fingers warm through the silk of his boxers, Liam knew he was lost. He groaned and she took it as encouragement, wrapping her fingers around him. Suddenly he was grateful for the barrier of fabric between her touch and his need.

He pressed his mouth against her neck and then her shoulder, slowly moving down her body, exploring her flesh with his mouth. Her nipple peaked as he teased at it with his tongue. But this time she didn’t give over to her own passion, but matched him kiss for kiss, caress for caress.

They took turns, each of them slowly tracing a map of seduction over limbs and down bellies, around nipples and under earlobes. He’d never taken such time with foreplay, but Liam found himself more aroused than he’d ever been before, constantly teetering near the edge of release.

Through it all, she spoke to him, moaning his name, teasing him, telling him what she liked and asking him what he wanted. At first Liam had been uneasy voicing his needs, but after a while it became so arousing that he couldn’t help himself.

When he slipped his hand beneath her panties, she moaned softly. “Oh, yes,” she said, her words coming out on a breath. “Oh, there.”

While he touched her, Ellie’s fingers delved beneath the waistband of his boxers. As he found the damp entrance between her legs, she stroked his hard shaft, her touch cool and tantalizing against his heat. Liam knew if he just let himself ride the wave of sensation that he’d find his release in her hand. But that wasn’t where he wanted things to end. There was so much to share with Ellie and, tonight, he wanted it all.

“Slow,” he murmured. “God, Ellie, I’m too close.”

Determined to continue, Liam had no choice but to stop the torment. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her on top of him. Then, he fixed his gaze on hers and slowly skimmed his hands over her body. Ellie smiled at him, leaned forward and kissed him, her breasts brushing against his chest, her nipples hard. “Tell me what you want,” she murmured.

“You. All of you.”

“I think we might be overdressed.”

“Maybe you’re right.”

With a sly smile, Ellie hooked her fingers around the waistband of his boxers and slowly tugged them down over his hips, sliding back as she pulled until she sat at his feet. And then she moved back up, sliding her body along his legs. When her breasts brushed against his erection, Liam moaned softly. But then Ellie backtracked and began to tease him with her lips and tongue.

Liam tried to keep a grip on his control, but this new torment was almost too much to bear. “Ellie, don’t.”

Still, it was as if she could read his reactions, knowing just when to slow or to stop her gentle assault. She caressed him with her mouth and he arched toward her, lost in a wild storm of sensation. And then she would retreat, leaving him hanging on the edge, his desire building until it threatened to explode without warning. “Oh, Ellie. Don’t do that,” he murmured.

But she didn’t heed his request, taking him closer to the edge again, then letting him slip back. It was as if she wanted to prove herself to him, to return the pleasure that he’d given her that night in the bathroom. Her hair tickled his belly as she continued her sensual torture and Liam clenched his teeth, sucking in a sharp breath and holding it. And just when he didn’t think he could stand another second of torment, she stopped.

A moment later she was lying beside him, her body curled against his. Ellie kissed his shoulder. “I’m feeling a little tired,” she teased. “Maybe we should go to sleep now.”

Liam growled playfully, then pulled her beneath him. “You’re the kind of woman my da warned me about,” he said, pressing his hips against hers, his erection hot on her belly.

“Do you always listen to your da?” she asked.

“Never,” Liam said.

“Then make love to me, Liam Quinn.”

Liam opened the drawer of the bedside table, grabbed a box of condoms and handed them to her. “We should probably take care of this first.”

She pulled out a foil package and tore it open with her teeth, then slowly sheathed him, turning it into a little game. Liam felt a knot of desire tighten in his belly. He slid her panties down, and when she’d kicked them off her feet, he knew he couldn’t wait any longer. He pulled her back on top of him, anxious to bury himself in her warmth.

Ellie bent and kissed him, sliding along the length of his shaft as she did. Liam grabbed her hips to keep her from moving. But Ellie wasn’t content to wait. She rose on her knees and then slowly came down on top of him, taking him inside her until he was buried to the hilt. A soft sigh slipped from her lips and she closed her eyes, settling herself above him.

They stayed like that for a long moment and Liam watched as a smile curved the corners of her mouth. He felt the knot tighten and he reached between them and touched her. Ellie’s smile intensified and she began to move, slowly at first and then with greater abandon.

Liam’s pulse pounded in his head and he lost himself in the feel of her body, the wet heat driving him closer and closer to his release. Every thought was focused on their joining, every nerve poised to explode. He wanted to possess her, completely, to touch her soul and share her release.

Though instinct drove him, Liam was still acutely aware of what he was feeling. And it was like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Their joining was beyond just two bodies engaged in the heat of the moment. They’d stripped away the barriers and they were two souls merging into one.

Ellie moaned softly, then murmured his name. Liam knew she was near her own orgasm and he wanted to wait and experience it before taking his own release. But then she was there, contracting around him, and Liam knew he couldn’t wait.

He murmured her name, spanning her waist with his hands and driving into her one last time. His release was so shattering, so intense, that he wasn’t sure it would ever end. Spasms of pleasure rocked his body and he lost all sense of who he was and what he was doing.

And when Ellie finally collapsed on top of him, he ran his fingers through the hair at her nape and tried to slow his breathing. It had never, ever, been like this before. He wanted to tell her that, to make her understand what they had shared, but he couldn’t find the words.

“You’re the kind of man my grandmother warned me about,” Ellie murmured, nuzzling her face into her neck.

“And what kind is that?”

She pressed her palms against his chest and smiled down at him. “The kind of man who makes me forget what a good girl I am.”

“You are a good girl,” Liam said. “But you can be very, very bad.”

Ellie giggled. “And I can be a lot worse. Just give me a few minutes to recover.”

S
HE FELT HIS LIPS
on her shoulder and then on her neck. Ellie slowly opened her eyes to the morning light. Liam lay next to her in bed, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. A tiny smile curved the corners of her mouth as she stared into his eyes. “Morning,” she murmured.

“Morning,” he said, stealing a quick kiss.

“What time is it?”

“A little after nine. Go back to sleep.” He brushed a strand of hair from her eyes. “God, you’re pretty in the morning.”

Ellie felt a warm blush creep up her cheeks. She knew quite well what she looked like in the morning and he was definitely too charming for his own good. But then, that’s what she loved about Liam. He made her feel like the most beautiful woman in the world.

“Until I brush my hair and have my first latte, I’m a monster,” Ellie teased.

“Then I better go out and get you coffee. I’ll bring us something to eat, too.”

“Maybe I’ll take a shower.”

Liam grabbed her waist and rolled on top of her, pinning her hands at her sides. Then he kissed her softly. “If you wait for me, I’ll wash your back.”

“Deal.”

He kissed her again, then scrambled off the bed. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. Don’t go anywhere.”

Ellie watched him leave, then moaned, turning her face into Liam’s pillow. Last night had been so wonderful. She’d known it would be. How could it be anything else but mind-numbingly incredible with a man like Liam Quinn? He was so beautiful and sexy, and the things he’d done to her were just so…

She moaned again, then bolted upright, brushing her hair out of her eyes. She’d be waiting for Liam when he came back, but at least she had time to brush her teeth and comb her hair. She hopped out of bed and grabbed the Patriots jersey, tugging it over her head. Then she found her cosmetics bag and headed to the bathroom.

But instead of opening the second door on the left, Ellie opened the first and stepped into a room lit only by a red bulb on the far wall. She quickly turned around to leave, but then her curiosity got the best of her. Photos hung from wires stretched above tables and the single window in the room had been painted black. This was Liam’s darkroom!

Her curiosity piqued, she walked inside. Photos plastered the walls and she stared up at the odd mix of images, hoping to find some piece of Liam in each. His portraits of everyday people were the most striking—waitresses, garbage men, traffic cops. She’d viewed photography in art galleries in New York and Liam’s work was as good as any she’d seen there.

He was talented, and from the photos, she could see a tiny bit of his soul. He saw something through the lens that an ordinary observer would never see, a beauty in the simplicity of everyday life, an honesty that spoke more of him than his subjects.

She turned to examine the photos hanging from a wire above the table. They were strangely distant and a bit unfocused. Leaning closer, she tried to figure out what made the photos so special. And as she looked, a sick feeling twisted in her stomach. Ellie snatched a photo from the wire, then walked to the door and flipped the light switch.

“Oh, my God,” she murmured. This was not a photo of an everyday Bostonian. This was a photo of her! In her robe! In her bedroom!

She hurried back to the table and began to pull each photo off the wire. Each was of her, some of her in her apartment, some of her in front of her building, ranging in various states of dress and undress. For a long moment she couldn’t take a normal breath. Her mind was numb and her heart had ground to a stop. Liam Quinn might be a very talented photographer, but he was also a sick, perverted, peeping Tom!

Ellie sucked in a long and ragged breath, that action serving to galvanize her. She raced around the darkroom, grabbing every photo and negative that even resembled her, determined to steal the last image from his possession. When she was finished, she headed for the bedroom.

She’d been so damn concerned about her safety that she’d never even recognized the true danger. In less than two minutes she’d dressed, packed her bag and snatched up the pile of photos and negatives from the end of the bed. Then the front door creaked and she heard footsteps in the living room. Ellie groaned softly. She’d wanted to leave without having to confront him. After all, a guy who took covert pictures of a woman might be downright dangerous. She’d tear up the photos, toss the scraps in his face and walk out, adding a threat to call the police if he ever came near her again. “That will do it.”