Meaghann raised the cup to her lips. It was much stronger than she liked, and she barely managed to keep making a face. Turning back to Quinn, she noted his eyes burned with a heart-stopping intensity. Why did he do that to her?
She swallowed over a lump in her throat and continued with the words she’d rehearsed on the way. “I’m sorry about asking you to dance. I didn’t mean to embarrass you, but I thought….” His eyes darkened and she let the sentence drop.
“Did you want to dance with me? Or was it a ploy to get me away from McHenry?”
Meaghann laughed, glad to break the tension with a little levity. “Both, I guess. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be.” He rose and flipped on the cassette player on the table. A familiar tune echoed from the small black stereo.
Quinn hooked his cane over the back of the chair. “Dance with me here. No one can watch me make a fool of myself, and as long as I can use you to keep my balance, I can manage.” He held out his hand.
He’d taken one giant step. And it must have cost him a great deal in admitting his disability without a dose of self pity. Her body moved unconsciously toward him. She rose and glided into his arms.
Her crown came just to his chin, her cheek rested against his beating heart. He held her closer than necessary. Slowly, to the throb of a base viol, they traversed the room. He smelled clean and fresh; the sweet, smoky scent of the turf fire lingered on his shirt and in his hair. A woodsy aftershave mingled with his own musky, masculine scent.
She snuggled closer into the shelter of his arms. Dancing with him was more enticing than she thought it would be. And far more disturbing! His chest and thighs touched corresponding parts of her body. She sensed the power coiled just beneath the surface. If only she might stay like this a moment longer.
His grip tightened and he stopped moving. “Meaghann?”
Something in his tone plucked at her senses. With a sweep of lashes, she raised her gaze.
His eyes burned, almost frightening in their desperation. A pulse leapt in his throat. “Do you feel it, too?”
There was no need to answer. She knew what he meant. Suddenly she was swamped with a coiling need that sucked the energy from her.
“Meaghann, “ He brought her hand to the scar on his cheek. “Does this matter?”
“It never did.”
He exhaled, standing rigidly in front of her. He turned her hand palm up and pressed it to his mouth. She stifled a moan.
She had known of the strong passion within her, and had done her best to harness those feelings into honest, hard work. She had succeeded until now. Now Quinn was here, turning her life upside down. Why?
The silence grew heavy between them. Then his lips lowered to hers.
There was nothing gentle about him now. As if awakening from a long slumber, her own response was instant and fierce as her mouth opened to his, inviting his tongue to slip inside.
He groaned and tasted her mouth, moving over it. His tongue touched her lips, and melded with hers.
The room shifted. Blindly, she pressed even closer, until their bodies melted into one another. Then he moved apart just enough to allow his hands to explore her waist, the lines of her ribcage, sliding inexorably toward her breasts.
Sweet, hot warmth flooded her belly. Her breasts ached under the pressure of his fingers. She wanted him with what amounted to desperation.
He guided her to the sofa, leaning his hip against it for support. He worked the buttons of her sweater until it hung open and only the cotton of her bra separated his hands from her heated flesh.
He reached for the clasp and freed each breast. He sucked in a breath and made a trail of kisses from her throat to one turgid nipple.
Deep sluicing need clutched at her.
“You are exquisitely beautiful,” he murmured against one orb, taking the tip into his mouth, gently teasing it to a throbbing erectness.
She moaned. Heaven could not be this sweet.
“I want to make love with you. You know that.” He moved to the other nipple.
She wanted it, too, had wanted it all her life. To be loved by a man like Quinn. But, a small voice whispered, he’s lonely. And vulnerable. He doesn’t love you.
She pushed the voice to the back of her mind. She didn’t care if he didn’t love her””it was enough that he wanted her. And she wanted him, even if only for tonight.
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