The Mighty Quinns: Thom (4 page)

She stirred slightly and he quickly stood, retreating to the kitchen. He made a pot of coffee and put breakfast on the stove. As he waited, Thom observed her from a distance. They had a whole day ahead of them. How would it end? Would they share another kiss, or would she put a quick end to his fantasies?

When the coffee was done, he poured a mug for each of them, then carried the mugs back to the sofa. He sat down next to her and set the mug in front of her nose, hoping the smell might wake her up. But Malin was obviously a deep sleeper. He tried calling her name, shaking her shoulder, tickling the bottom of her feet and pulling her hair, but nothing seemed to rouse her.

Finally, impatient, Thom gently pinched her nose shut. A few seconds later, she jerked, then waved her hand in front of her face. Thom quickly sat back and picked up the coffee mugs, clutching them in his hands.

“You’re awake,” he said, holding out the hot coffee.

Malin rubbed at her eyes and slowly sat up. Her fingers immediately went to her hair, and she ran them through the tangles before grabbing the mug with a nervous smile. “What time is it?”

“Early. Seven-thirty.”

“I fell asleep,” she murmured.

“I expected to find you curled up in front of the door.”

She smiled. “I’m not used to staying up that late. I’m usually in bed by ten.”

“Not much of a party girl?”

“I used to be,” she said with a wistful tone. “When I lived in New York, we went out all the time. But I don’t really have a lot of friends here. Most of my old friends are married and have children.”

“Same with me,” he said with a shrug.

A long silence grew between them as she sipped at her coffee. “So...so what do you do about it? I mean, how do you deal when you’re...lonely? You have family, right?”

Thom shook his head. “Sure. But we really don’t see each other that often. My brothers come to the games now and then. And we get together over the holidays at my grandmother’s place.” Thom drew a deep breath. “It’s better to be alone, I think. No complications.”

“Sometimes complications are nice,” she said softly.

He’d never been very comfortable expressing his deepest thoughts, and now was no exception. Thom wanted to try again, to make her understand. Somehow it seemed important that Malin knew exactly who he was. But he was afraid the more he talked, the more she’d start to think he was too damaged.

He quickly stood, rubbing his hands together. “So, I’ve made us breakfast. I don’t know when you need to be at work, but—”

“I don’t have to go to the office to work,” Malin said. “I can work from anywhere that has internet. But I do want to stop at home and grab a few things, like clothes and my toothbrush.”

“And I need to get a workout in and some ice time.”

“And we should talk about a plan of attack,” Malin added.

“Why are you doing this for me?” he asked, meeting her gaze.

“I thought I explained. Because the fans love you. And you belong here in Minneapolis.”

“Your father doesn’t agree.”

“He’s stubborn and a complete control freak. But I believe I can change his mind as long as you behave yourself.”

“And you’re going to see that I do?”

Malin nodded. “I’ve got a lot of ideas.”

“And you’re sure that the only way to make this work is for you to live here? With me?”

She paused. “Yes, that would be advisable. At least until I can...you know.”

“Trust me to be good?”

“Yes,” she said, tipping her chin up and meeting his gaze. “I want to help you. I think I can.”

She stood up, her body brushing against his. Their legs were caught between the coffee table and the sofa as both of them tried to avoid contact. Instead, their legs got tangled, and Malin began to lose her balance.

Thom grabbed her waist, but she was already falling backward onto the wide sofa. He landed on top of her, absorbing most of his weight with his arms. For a moment, neither one of them moved.

Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, as if her every curve had been sculpted especially for him. Thom reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Their color in the low light of the morning was stunningly vivid, a pale blue.

“God, you are beautiful,” he murmured.

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she teased.

Thom shook his head. “If I have, I’m sure I didn’t mean it...until now.”

It seemed the most natural thing to do next was to kiss her. He couldn’t seem to keep himself from touching her. But he also wanted her to trust him.

“Since we’ll be living together, perhaps we should try to defuse the...tension now,” he suggested.

“You may be right,” she breathed.

He moved slowly, giving her every chance to refuse. Nothing in her expression displayed a negative response. “Oh, hell, why not?” he muttered as he bent over her.

Thom brushed his lips against hers in a gentle test. She responded immediately. Her fingers slipped around his nape and a shiver raced through his body. Every nerve came alive and every sensation was magnified until he felt as if a simple touch could send him over the edge.

The kiss spun out like a spell around them, washing away any hesitation that either of them possessed. This was what he craved, yet until this very moment, he hadn’t known it. There was a sweet warmth in her kiss and in the way her body responded to his.

She arched against him, pressing her soft curves against his muscle and bone. And whether it was just a temporary slip or something building between them, Thom didn’t care. For now, he’d be satisfied to take anything she offered.

When he finally drew back, his gaze skimmed her perfect features. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him, wide-eyed and breathless. Her lips were damp and he stole one more kiss, sending her an apologetic smile.

Malin opened her mouth and he waited for a reprimand, but then she snapped it shut, her brow furrowing. Thom slowly got to his feet, then held his hand out for her. When she stood beside him, he distractedly smoothed her mussed hair and dragged his thumb across her lips. She tried to speak again, but he pressed his index finger against her mouth to stop her.

“All we were doing was defusing the tension. Now we can forget that happened. We don’t have to talk about it. You don’t have to be angry with me. We’ll let that one go by.” He started toward the kitchen. “I’ll just get breakfast.”

When he got to the kitchen, Thom opened the refrigerator and put his head inside, drawing a deep breath of the cold air. His head cleared, yet he couldn’t forget what he’d just done. Why should he? It was obvious there was a powerful attraction between them. As much as Malin might want to deny it, that didn’t change the fact it was there.

And why not act on it a bit more? Flirtation was a far cry from seduction. And Thom certainly had the self-control to stop before things got out of hand. He’d be the perfect gentleman.

“Can I help you with anything?” Malin stood at the kitchen island, her face flushed and her eyes bright.

“There’s juice in the fridge,” he said as he ladled oatmeal into two bowls. “And grab the blueberries from the freezer.”

She fetched a few more items for him, then perched on a stool, watching him silently. He glanced over his shoulder, then cursed beneath his breath. “Do you want me to apologize? I will if you want me to. But I’m not sorry I kissed you. I enjoyed it and I think you did, too.”

“I did,” she said.

“Do you want me to promise it won’t happen again? That would be another lie. It might happen. It might not. I prefer to leave my options open.”

“I thought we were defusing the...tension,” she said.

“It might need more defusing.”

He set the oatmeal in front of her, sprinkled the blueberries on top, then squeezed honey over it all. She stared down at the bowl and grimaced.

“It’s healthy,” he said. “I eat it every day.”

“It looks like wallpaper paste,” she said.

“What do you usually eat for breakfast?”

“I usually grab a candy bar from the vending machine,” she admitted.

He pulled the salmon from the oven and placed it on the counter. “Believe me, you’ll enjoy this. And you won’t be hungry again in twenty minutes.”

“You eat fish for breakfast?” she asked.

“Or chicken. You have to have some protein, too.” He chuckled. “You’d better enjoy it. It’s the only thing I know how to cook.”

Malin smiled and tasted the oatmeal. “It’s good,” she said. “Really. And I love salmon. I’ve just never eaten it for breakfast.”

Thom slipped into the spot next to her and dug into his cereal. He’d always wondered what it might be like to have a woman in his life, eating meals together, enjoying their time together, even outside the bedroom. Thom had to admit that it was a pleasant experience, preparing a meal for her, chatting as they ate.

He hadn’t seen the need for a personal assistant, but now that Malin was on board, he planned to enjoy every single moment.

* * *

“I’
M
REALLY
NOT
interested in having muscles.” Malin stared at the barbell and shook her head. “When I agreed to work out with you, I was thinking of walking a little on the treadmill, maybe doing a few stretches, and that would be it.”

Malin hadn’t explored the second floor of the firehouse the night she arrived, but when Thom had decided to work out, she’d followed him upstairs to a huge room at the back of the building. The entire rear wall was windows, bathing the hardwood floors in sunshine. The brick walls were exposed and the room was filled with high-end exercise equipment.

Thom chuckled. “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re one of those.”

Malin felt warmth rise in her cheeks. “One of what?”

“A woman who doesn’t sweat?”

“I—I sweat.” She’d never claimed to be an athlete or even coordinated. Working out was not her favorite thing to do. Which was why she avoided it at all costs. “I do yoga. Two or three times a week.”

“That’s not exercise,” he said. “That’s posing in pretty outfits. You need to get your pulse up to burn calories,” Thom said. “Start breathing harder.”

“Oh, so kissing you is considered good cardio?” she shot back. Only after the words were out of her mouth did she realize she’d said them out loud. A quick change of subject was in order. “Do you think I’m fat?” she asked.

He held out his hand. “Hold on. Let’s rewind to that first thing you said.”

“No, answer my question. I can take it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with honesty.” She looked down at her body, smoothing her hands over her hips. “Am I fat?”

He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. Slowly he approached her, his gaze locked on hers, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. “Are you fat? Hmm. Well, let me see. Turn around.”

Malin groaned inwardly. Was he actually going to answer the question? Oh, God, if the kiss comment wasn’t enough of a humiliation, now her physical imperfections were about to be pointed out in great detail. Well, she
had
said she could take it.

He stood behind her, and she waited for his verdict. But when she felt his hands slip around her waist, her breath caught in her throat. He splayed his fingers and then slid them down to her hips. A tiny gasp of surprise was all she could manage when he cupped her backside.

She slowly turned and faced him, her expression as calm as she could manage. “Well?”

“I haven’t finished my examination,” he teased. His hands found her waist again, but this time they moved up until his thumbs stopped at the curves of her breasts. Malin’s pulse leaped and for a moment, she couldn’t catch her breath. Would he touch her there?

“You’re perfect,” he said. “Perfect.” With that, Thom walked away and grabbed a pair of dumbbells from the rack. He began to work on his biceps, watching his reflection in the mirror.

Malin walked over to the treadmill, glancing at him every now and then. She stepped onto the machine, her body still tingling from the aftereffects of his touch. It hadn’t taken much to get her heart racing. Maybe if she exercised a bit, her body wouldn’t react to him in such a disturbing way.

Who was she kidding? Wasn’t this supposed to be how it went when you met an impossibly attractive man? Never mind the physical reactions. She was having more problems with her mind—the endless fantasies, the lack of coherent thought when he was in the room, the ability to relive every single moment of their last intimate encounter.

Maybe exercise could mitigate the physical problems, but she’d need to cut off her own head to take care of the rest. “Just focus,” she muttered as she struggled to turn on the treadmill.

She punched the buttons and the display lit up, but the belt wasn’t moving. Then she noticed the safety switch and pushed the plastic card into the slot. The treadmill yanked her backward, pulling her off balance.

Malin screamed as she was tossed off the treadmill, her arms flailing and her feet over her head. Before she hit the floor, she hit the corner of the weight bench. A searing pain on the crown of her head caused her to cry out again.

Thom was beside her in an instant. “Are you all right?”

Groaning, she pushed up on her elbow and touched her head gingerly. “I—I just slipped.”

He stood up and switched off the treadmill. “You had it set for five miles an hour.”

“Yeah? I guess that was my mistake.” Her fingertips felt damp, and she looked at her hand to find her fingers dripping with blood. The room closed in on her, and Malin knew she was about to pass out. The sight of blood had always...been...her kryptonite...

She wasn’t sure how long she was out, but when she opened her eyes, Thom was kneeling beside her, concern etched across his features.

“Hey there,” he murmured.

He held her arm as she sat up, then pressed a damp towel to the back of her head. Malin winced. “Sorry. I always get a bit woozy at the sight of blood.”

“Are you dizzy?”

“No,” she said. “Just completely humiliated.”

“Can you stand?”

“I—I’m not—”

He didn’t give her a chance to try. Instead, Thom scooped her up in his arms and carried her down the stairs. Though she felt like a sack of potatoes, he carried her as if she barely weighed a thing. Malin closed her eyes and tried to appreciate the romance of the situation.