The Mighty Quinns: Marcus, Ian & Declan: The Mighty Quinns: Marcus / The Mighty Quinns: Ian / The Mighty Quinns: Declan

“I’ll protect you,” Marcus said.

Eden unbuttoned his shirt and pressed a kiss to his chest. “I had a really nice time tonight,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed myself so much.”

Marcus drew back and looked down into her face. “You certainly did enjoy yourself.”

“Not just that,” Eden replied. “Everything was perfect. The fire, the meal, you. I don’t need anything more than this. Not right now.”

He furrowed his fingers through her hair and held her close. Eden felt his heart beating in his chest, the rhythm slow and steady. When she’d left Europe, she’d expected her life to become much more complicated. But everything seemed so simple now. How long could it possibly stay that way? Eden mused. And what would eventually destroy this happiness that she’d found with Marcus Quinn?

4

MARCUS STARED DOWN AT the carving of the lobster, running his fingers over the raw teak. He was rarely satisfied with his work, always coming up with something else he might have done better once all the wood was carved away. But this time he’d gotten it right. It was perfect the way it was.

He glanced over at Eden, who was lounging in the cockpit beneath the sunshade, surrounded by canvas pillows. She wore one of his T-shirts and nothing else and was intently reading a volume of Robert Frost’s poetry she’d found in the ship’s library.

His gaze slowly drifted up her legs to the tiny patch of hair at the apex of her thighs. He’d touched her in the most intimate way last night, tasted her desire and brought her to a powerful climax. Every moment they spent together seemed to lead to another more electric encounter.

Marcus couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to move inside her. He’d wanted to do that last night, to toss aside his clothes and slide up along her naked body and lose himself between her legs. The thought of being inside her when she’d come was almost too much to bear. To feel her heat and dampness and then the spasms that had rocked her entire body.

She might not have refused him, but he sensed they were both biding their time, unwilling to take the next step yet unable to stop the growing intimacy between them. This unquenchable need he had for her now bordered on obsession. He thought about her a million times a day, with every breath and every heartbeat.

He’d had other relationships based on sex alone and they had always left him cold. But with Eden there was an unexpected connection, a willingness to discard all inhibitions between the two of them and enjoy each other’s bodies without hesitation.

In the past, women had described him as indifferent and aloof. He’d become a different man when he was with Eden. But by dropping his guard, he’d also left himself wide open to getting coldcocked by a woman he didn’t really know. He knew that her skin was incredibly soft and her hair smelled like pears. He knew that when he kissed her she liked to run her palms beneath his shirt and that right before she climaxed, she held her breath.

He also knew she was fickle and capricious, unwilling or unable to stay with a man more than a few months. How long would it be before she grew bored with him? And what excuse would she use to cast him aside? Marcus wasn’t sure how he’d feel once that possibility became a reality, but he wouldn’t delude himself into believing their relationship would last forever.

And what had he risked by being with her? His heart was at the top of the list. Even though he’d worked hard to keep his feelings in check, Marcus knew that he’d grown fond of Eden Ross. If she suddenly disappeared from his life, he would miss her.

He was also lying to his brothers, which brought a whole different kind of guilt. If they’d had anything as adults, it was complete and utter honesty among them. And he was also risking his chance with Trevor Ross, a man who wouldn’t feel too kindly about lending money to a guy intent on seducing his daughter.

“Is it finished?”

Marcus looked up from the carving to find Eden watching him. He nodded. “I think it is.” He held it up to show her and she smiled.

“It really is beautiful,” she said.

He looked down at the carving again. Was it really? Or did he simply believe it was because Eden said so? He rubbed his hand along his chest, brushing away the flecks of wood. It didn’t really matter.

The sound of Marcus’s cell phone broke the silence. Eden set down her book and stretched her arms over her head, his T-shirt riding up her belly. “If that’s your wife, tell her you’ll be home next month. I haven’t finished with you yet.”

Marcus grinned as he reached for the phone. “I’ll be sure to tell her that.”

She returned his smile. “And tell her that I especially appreciated your efforts on the beach last night. On a scale of one to ten, I’d give you eight hundred and seventy-four.”

He flipped open the phone and glanced at the caller ID. He didn’t recognize the number, but he knew the exchange was local. “Hello?”

“Quinn? Trevor Ross here. I’m up at the house and I wanted to check on the progress out there. I’m coming down.”

“Mr. Ross,” Marcus said, “how are you?”

Eden’s smile froze. Slowly she shook her head. “Don’t tell him I’m here,” she whispered.

“Things are kind of a mess,” Marcus continued. “Everything is a work in progress right now. I’d really rather you—”

“I’ll take that into account. Bring the dinghy up to the dock.”

The other end of the line went dead and Marcus shut his phone. “I’m supposed to go get him from the dock. He wants to see how the work is coming along.”

“You can’t!” Eden cried. “He can’t know I’m here.”

“How am I supposed to stop him?” Marcus countered. “He owns the bleedin’ boat. I can’t keep him off his own boat.”

“Don’t get him from the dock.”

“I have to, Eden,” Marcus said. “Maybe it’s time you talked to him. Now is as good a time as any.”

She shook her head. “No. I’m not ready. Please, Marcus, don’t tell him I’m here. I can’t face him.”

Marcus saw the desperation in her eyes. He reached out and grabbed her hand, dragging her toward the aft cabin. “Clean up your mess down there, hide your clothes and make up the berth, then go forward and hide in the crew cabin. He won’t go up there.”

Eden threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight. “Thank you.”

Marcus wrapped her hands around her waist and turned her toward the aft hatch. “And put on some clothes. If he does catch you here, it would be nice if you weren’t half-naked.”

He hurried to the main salon and picked up every last trace of Eden’s presence. What the hell was he doing? If Ross discovered Eden on board, he’d be furious. And if he discovered Marcus had been messing around with his daughter, then Marcus would be out of a job. This commission promised to finance his business for the next six months. He had bills to pay and new projects lined up. But he couldn’t do any of it without the paycheck from Trevor Ross.

He climbed back out to the cockpit, nearly colliding with Eden in the process. She’d stuffed everything she owned into her bags and was dragging them along behind her. By the time she disappeared through the companionway, Trevor Ross was striding across the lawn. Marcus jumped into the dinghy and started the small outboard, then headed for shore, running over in his mind the explanation he’d make if Eden was discovered.

When he pulled up alongside the dock, he looped a line around a cleat and steadied the small skiff as Ross stepped on board. “Good morning,” Marcus said.

Ross nodded. He was a man of few words. Marcus had learned that upon first meeting him. In truth, he understood why Eden feared him. Trevor Ross could be quite intimidating. But he and Marcus had gotten on well from the start, and though the man owned half of Rhode Island, Marcus wasn’t cowed. “I think you’ll be pleased with the work so far,” he said.

“I’m sure I will.” He stared out at the horizon as the boat skimmed across the water. “The truth is, I didn’t drive all the way out here just to see how the project was going. I came out to see if my daughter was here.”

“My brother, Dec, mentioned that she might come here,” Marcus said.

“Then you know about her … situation?”

“Not entirely,” Marcus said, dancing on the edge of a lie. “He said you’re worried about her and wanted to find her.”

“You don’t have children, do you, Quinn?”

Marcus shook his head. “I’m not married.”

“Think long and hard before you get married. And then think twice as long about having children. Eden has been nothing but trouble from the day she became a teenager. Her mother let her run wild, and the older she got, the more impulsive she became. Sometimes I think she purposely causes trouble just for the attention it gets her.” He shook his head. “She’s been engaged four times. Four times. And I spent nearly a half million on the first wedding before she decided to call it off. If I could find the right man for the job, I’d pay him a half million to take her off my hands. What do they call that? A dowry?” He chuckled drily. “Maybe I ought to make that a part of our deal.”

They rode the rest of the way to Victorious in silence, Marcus observing Eden’s father as he navigated the dinghy. Ross was in his late fifties, his dark hair graying at the temples. He appeared fit and in good health, but there were permanent lines etched in his brow, as if he spent a good portion of the day scowling.