The Mighty Quinns: Thom (9 page)

He was like a man starved for the taste of her, his tongue delving deep. Malin felt her limbs go weak, and she reached up to wrap her arms around his neck.

Thom pulled her down into the water, breaking the bubbling surface. Every touch, every sensation seemed heightened by the water on her skin, as if it was conducting electricity that pulsed to her fingertips and toes.

“I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured as they came up for air, his lips finding the tip of each breast and teasing the nipples.

Malin tipped her head back and lost herself in the wild sensations coursing through her. She was about to make love to Thom Quinn, and there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that it was the right thing to do.

Thom pulled her legs around his waist and their bodies came together, his stiff shaft caught between them, pressing against her belly. Malin moved against him, and the tip of his penis slipped between her legs.

She needed to feel him deep inside her, filling her with the heat of his body. But at the same time, Malin wanted to wait, to savor every moment they had together. Determined to make him ache for release, she drew him to his feet so he was out of the water and then slowly slid down, pressing her lips along a delicious trail from his collarbone to the soft hair beneath his belly button.

Malin ran her tongue along the length of his shaft. His reaction was sharp and intense, a gasp slipping from his lips as he groaned. And when she took him into her mouth, Thom furrowed his damp fingers through her hair.

As she stroked him with her tongue, Malin watched his desire grow. Several times he stopped her, holding tight to her hair as he fought with self-control. And when he couldn’t take any more, Thom drew her up to her feet, slipped his hands beneath her, and wrapped her legs around his waist.

He swung his legs over the side of the tub and carried her over to a chaise, gently dropping her onto the soft surface. Then he fetched his shorts and a blanket from a nearby chair.

Malin watched as he pulled a condom out of his wallet and handed it to her.

“How long has that been in there?” she asked.

“Since this morning,” he admitted with a shy grin.

“So you were pretty sure you were going to get lucky today?”

“Am I about to get lucky?” Thom asked.

“Depends on what you consider lucky.”

“You, naked, smiling at me and holding a condom. I’d say I’m pretty damn close.”

5

W
OULD
IT
ALWAYS
feel like the first time?

A few days later, they were stretched out on a rooftop chaise that he’d pulled beneath the awning, protecting them both from the hot midday sun. The breeze cooled their sticky skin and set the filmy curtains to dancing around them.

Malin shifted, her bare legs sliding up to circle his hips. He knew what came next, the exquisite sensation of disappearing into her body, the warmth that surrounded him, the first incredible sensations as he began to move inside her. And then each stroke, bringing them both closer to release.

Thom had always believed he understood sex. He knew exactly how to bring a woman to the edge with his tongue or his fingers or his cock. But with Malin, he’d come to realize that that end goal was just scratching the surface. There were so many other experiences that had nothing to do with release.

She smoothed the condom over his shaft, her fingers firm against his heat. Thom understood the need for protection, but that didn’t keep him from wondering what it would feel like with nothing between them.

He rolled over and slid into her with one stroke. She arched against him, a silent invitation to drive deeper. Thom bent closer and ran his tongue along the crease of her mouth. Malin opened her eyes and smiled at him. “I don’t know if I can do this again,” she murmured.

He’d taken her over the top twice already, but Thom Quinn was not about to leave his woman unsatisfied. He reached between them and found the spot that made her gasp, then gently flicked his finger over the soft fold of flesh.

Malin moaned softly, and he began to move again. He watched her expression shift, first to pleasure, then to sweet torment. He knew what do to make her come, knew exactly how to carry her to the heights and then let her drop into pleasure.

After a week together, he’d studied everything about her, all the details that made Malin so incredibly captivating. Silly things like how she’d burrow through a pint of ice cream like a miner, digging out all the toffee or cherries before eating any of the ice cream. Or how she’d spend ten minutes brushing her teeth, insisting that it was the only way to make sure they were perfectly clean.

And when she slept, he knew when she was caught in a dream because of the nonsensical words and the tossing and turning. Then he’d gather her in his arms and draw her against his body and she’d grow instantly calm.

Every day it was something new, something more fascinating, and Thom had to wonder how long this feeling would last. The thought of losing her before he discovered everything about her caused an ache deep inside him.

He closed his eyes and focused on the spot where their bodies were joined. Slowly, rational thought dissolved in his mind and pure sensation took over. Thom drove deep, then drew back slowly until the connection between them was nearly broken. Again and he felt her fingertips dig into his hips. Again and she gasped his name.

Suddenly her body jerked, and Thom felt the spasms overwhelm her body. He lasted just a few seconds more until his own pleasure became undeniable. This time, the descent lasted longer, each of them completely drained of energy when it ended.

He collapsed beside her, pulling her body against his until she was as close as she could be. He pressed his lips against her shoulder and she sighed.

“At some point, we’re going to have to leave this apartment,” Malin murmured.

“Why? We send out for most of our meals. You can work from home. And think of all the money we can save on clothes.”

“And what about your hockey career?” Malin asked.

“I figure by the time next season starts, I’ll either be dead from exhaustion or ready to assume my new position as Supreme Sex God.”

Malin giggled. “And I suppose as Supreme Sex God you’ll be expected to service other women?”

“I suppose I will,” he said.

She rolled over and stretched out on top of him, pinning his arms over his head. “Then I suppose I’m going to have to do everything I can to exhaust you.”

“Promise?”

Malin then folded her arms across his chest and rested her chin on her hands. “I’m serious, though. We can’t spend the entire summer in this apartment.”

“We won’t if I get traded.”

Her gaze met his, and he saw the certainty in her eyes. “I hope that doesn’t happen,” she said.

“I know,” Thom said. “And I appreciate everything you’re doing to help me. But I’m not sure I’m ready for another spa day.”

“So, what can we do for fun? There has to be something.”

“Well, I have a cabin up near Mille Lacs Lake. We could go up there for a week.”

“Is there Wi-Fi?” Malin asked.

“There’s no running water, no indoor plumbing and no electricity,” he said.

“I have to be able to do my work. And as much as I’d love to be stranded in the wilderness with you, I require indoor plumbing.”

“All right. We could leave the country. No one would recognize me in Mexico or the Caribbean. We could go to Belize. I’m sure they’d have Wi-Fi at the resorts.”

“Then there’s always Europe,” Malin suggested. “Paris and Rome.”

“Ireland,” Thom said.

“Norway,” Malin added. She drew a deep breath. “But we’re not going to be one hundred percent safe anywhere. All it takes is one person with a cell phone.”

“Would it be so bad if we got caught?” Thom asked.

“Maybe not for me, but believe me, my father would find a way to destroy you.”

“So? I can’t play hockey forever.”

“Why would you want to quit? You have a lot of good years of hockey left.”

“Sure, but I could just as easily be injured and have to quit. No matter what, hockey wasn’t going to be my life.”

Malin ran her fingertips across his chest. “I know how hard it is for some guys. They’ve played hockey for their entire lives. They aren’t prepared or qualified to do anything else. And when it’s all over, their whole world changes. What will you do?”

“Honestly? I’m not sure,” he said.

“Well, I suppose if the whole Supreme Sex God thing works out for you, that’s fine. But aren’t you going to want to get up and have some kind of purpose to your day?”

“I’ll get it all figured out someday,” Thom said. That sounded way more optimistic than he felt. But he wanted to keep his options open. If there was even an infinitesimal chance that Malin would still be in his life, then that changed everything.

“Until then, I have a plan for today. I know a guy who has a private ice arena. Sometimes I use it to train in the summer when I don’t want to go to the team rink. Why don’t we pick up your skates and we’ll go get a little exercise on the ice?”

Malin rolled off him, sitting on her knees, her body still flushed from their early morning activities. “I don’t have skates,” she said. “I don’t really need them since I never learned to skate.”

“Your dad owned a hockey team and he never got you out on the ice?”

“I was a girl. Girls don’t play hockey. At least, that’s what my dad thinks.”

“Girls do play hockey,” Thom said. “And I guess I’m going to have to be the one to teach you.”

“All right. But we’ve got to buy some skates. And I’ll need a stick. And I definitely need a helmet. And lots of padding in case I fall down.”

“We’ll take care of that,” Thom said. “But first, a shower, then breakfast, then skating.”

“I’m excited,” Malin said. “My brothers played hockey and I always wanted to learn. Instead, I got ballet and riding lessons.”

He crawled out of bed and pulled her to her feet beside him. “You can ride a horse?”

“I can ride a horse while it’s jumping over a fence,” Malin said.

Thom wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her close to his body. “Well, that explains everything.”

Malin frowned. “What does it explain?”

He led her to the bathroom, then turned on the shower to warm it up. He sat her down on the edge of the tub and looked at the cut on her head. “Almost healed.”

“What does it explain?” Malin asked again.

“Why you’re so good at sex,” he said.

She gasped, then reached out to give him a playful punch to his shoulder. But Thom grabbed her and picked her up off her feet, carrying her into the huge marble shower. She screamed and giggled as he held her under the shower head, drenching her hair and body in just moments.

Slowly he loosened his grip and she slid down, the water providing lubrication between their naked bodies. When her feet finally reached the floor, she smiled, then pressed a kiss to the center of his chest. But to his surprise, she continued down, trailing her lips from his chest to his groin.

Thom groaned softly, awaiting the feel of her soft lips and warm tongue. Ice skating could wait. Maybe until they were old and feeble and uninterested in sex. It could be years, he thought as he leaned back against the wall of the shower. Years and years.

* * *

M
ALIN
SAT
AT
the breakfast bar, sipping at a mug of coffee as she paged through the Sunday sports section. It was summer, so most of the news focused on major league baseball, but there was a small article about trade possibilities for the Blizzard.

Of course, Thom’s name was front and center, but there was a small reference to some indecision on management’s part. She and Thom had slowly been posting more of the photos, as well as some candid ones she’d taken around the house. His followers seemed to eat them up, and she hoped the team’s management was taking notice. She scanned the article again, wondering who on the management team was having second thoughts. It would be nice to have an ally in her plan to save Thom’s career, someone to trust.

“Hey. How long have you been up?”

“About an hour,” she said.

Thom walked into the room, dressed in faded cargo shorts that hung low on his narrow hips. His hair, still wet from the shower, stuck up in unruly spikes. Though she’d taught him how to style it, he rarely took the time do much beyond rubbing it dry with a towel.

Thom wrapped his arms around her from behind, nuzzling her neck, his breath warm on her skin. “Good morning.”

Malin sighed softly as his lips found a spot below her ear. “Good morning.”

He sat down next to her, then reached for her mug and took a long sip. “You’re all dressed up.”

“I went out to Nirvana and got doughnuts,” she said, pointing at the turquoise box. “Nora says hello, and she also wanted to thank you for the Twitter mention. Business has been crazy.”

Thom opened the box and pulled out one of his favorites—a lemon-glazed poppy seed doughnut. Malin slid off the stool and fetched the coffeepot and a fresh mug for him. “I need to go into the office today. I called Drew, and he’s going to meet me there and take out my stitches.”

“I can take them out,” Thom said, his mouth full of doughnut. “I take out my own stitches all the time.”

“Thanks, but I’ll stick with the real doctor,” Malin said.

Thom held out a piece of his doughnut, and she took a bite. “What else do you have to do?” he asked.

“My dad is usually around for a few hours on Sunday mornings. I wanted to see if I could get anything out of him about their progress on a trade.” She pointed to the article in the paper. “Here, read this.”

Malin watched as he scanned the column. Finally he looked up and shrugged. “It’s nothing new.”

“But it is. It sounds like someone is breaking ranks and rejecting the idea of a trade. Here, read this over again.”

Thom did as he was told but still shook his head. “How do you know they aren’t talking about you?”

Malin scoffed at the notion. “No one in that office or in the press considers me part of the management team. I just have to find out who is crossing over to our side and work with him.”

He munched on his doughnut as she went through her phone messages, but when she looked up, he was still staring at her.

“What?” Malin asked.

“You’re going to leave me all alone here? I thought one of your primary job duties was to keep a sharp eye on me.”

Malin set her phone down on the counter and studied him shrewdly. “Are you planning to go out and get drunk and cause trouble today?”

“No,” Thom said.

“Are you planning to pick up a bunch of women and take pictures of yourself half-naked?”

“No,” he said. Thom reached for his phone and held it up, snapping a photo of her. “Well, maybe not a group of women, but there is this one chick who makes me kind of crazy. You want to see her photo?”

“Chick? I’ve been reduced to juvenile poultry?” Malin asked.

“All right, what am I supposed to call you?” Thom asked. “We’ve spent a week together, most of it in bed. We’re kind of doing the relationship thing. I think you like me and I certainly like you. A few labels might be helpful.”

“You like me?”

Thom cursed beneath his breath. “If I haven’t made that perfectly clear, then I’m doing something wrong. I could take you back to bed and prove it to you.”

“The only thing that would prove is that you enjoy having sex,” Malin teased.

He stood up, then turned her around on the stool so she faced him. Dropping a quick kiss on her lips, he pressed his forehead to hers. “It’s different with you,” he murmured. “It’s not just sex.”

Malin closed her eyes. They hadn’t really talked about their relationship beyond their sexual desires for each other. As long as they were still in the discovery phase, she figured they didn’t have to.

In truth, Malin was afraid to talk about the future. If she didn’t manage to save his job, then he’d be gone by the end of the summer. And if she did, there was no way she could explain a relationship with the team’s bad boy—the one she’d been assigned to watch—to her father.

For now, it was best to take things one day at a time. They were single adults able to enjoy each other both in and out of bed. Wasn’t that enough? She didn’t want any promises. “Maybe you should start to think of me as one of your puck bunnies,” she murmured.

He sucked in a sharp breath, then stepped back from her. “What the hell are you saying? I’ve never treated you like one of those girls.”