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

She gasped, but then a reluctant smile twitched at the corners of her mouth. Marcus reached out and tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. “I’m sorry about what I said on the boat.” He couldn’t wait any longer and he covered her mouth with his, desperate to taste her again.

With a groan, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her. Her tongue met his, the kiss deepening until Marcus felt a pleasant warmth seep through his body. When he finally had a chance to take a breath, he gazed down into her eyes, fingering a curl at her temple. “It’s not that bad,” he said. “It’s not like it’s bright green.”

“What is it then?” she asked.

“Avocado?” he ventured.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, then turned him over until she straddled him on the bed. “Tell me it’s pretty,” Eden demanded. “Tell me I’m beautiful.”

Marcus stared up at her as he ran his hands up her rib cage and cupped her breasts. “You know you are,” he whispered, slipping his fingers beneath her bra.

Eden reached back and unhooked it, letting the lacy scrap drop between them. Marcus couldn’t keep from touching her. His thumbs lazily teased at her nipples.

“Say it,” she ordered, closing her eyes.

“You are the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen,” Marcus admitted. Even with her damp hair an odd shade of green it was the truth. There was no one in the world more beautiful than Eden.

Marcus shifted beneath her, slowly growing hard with each passing second. It never took much for her to arouse him, he mused. Eden noticed his discomfort and pressed her hips against his. “Do you still want me?” she asked, rubbing against him, the answer evident to both of them.

“I always want you,” Marcus murmured.

A satisfied smile curved the corners of her mouth and she stopped moving. “I believe you,” she said as if his answer were some sort of test. With that, Eden rolled off him and stood beside the bed, staring at herself in the mirror above the dresser.

Marcus closed his eyes and fought back a wave of desire, willing his erection to subside. “Do you want to tell me about your plan?” he asked, grimacing as he rolled over onto his stomach.

She smiled as she continued to stare at her reflection. “I hadn’t considered clown college, but that’s not a bad idea.”

“And I’m sorry I made light of this very serious situation. Now tell me.”

“I thought it might be easier to blend in if I changed my looks. So I decided to dye and cut my hair.”

She ought to have known it was an impossible task. Even with mousy brown hair and everyday clothes Eden Ross would still cause a stir wherever she went. It was all in the way she carried herself, as if she expected to be the center of everyone’s universe. “And why would you want to blend in?” he asked.

Eden sat down beside him, tucked her knees up beneath her chin and wrapped her arms around her legs. “You’ll think it’s silly.”

“Nothing would surprise me,” Marcus said.

“I don’t want to be Eden Ross anymore. If I don’t look like me, then I can be anyone I want. Madonna reinvents herself all the time. I can be just a regular person.”

“Eden, you’re not a regular person. Like it or not, you’re a celebrity.”

“But I could be a regular person. I could get a job and a place to live and do something interesting with my life. But only if you help me.” She took his hand and clutched it to her chest. “You have to help me. Besides, I can’t leave Newport yet.”

“You can’t?”

“Because we’re not done.”

Marcus ran his hand along her arm, chuckling softly. Though the attraction between them had been there all along, this was the first time Eden had ever admitted that she didn’t want it to end. He leaned forward and kissed her breast, his tongue tracing the outline of her nipple. “I’m not finished with you, either.”

Eden jumped up from the bed and hurried to the window, peering out from behind the curtains. “We have to figure out how to get out of here,” she said.

Marcus leaned back on the bed, linking his arms behind his head. “There’s always the door.”

She turned and shook her head, the damp green curls tumbling around her face. “There are photographers out there.”

Frowning, Marcus rolled off the bed and hurried to her side. “Where?”

“The dark sedan with the tinted windows. They showed up about a half hour after I did. I thought the clerk recognized me.”

“And they saw me come in?” Marcus asked.

“They probably have a nice photo of you. But it does them no good if I’m not in it, too. You’re just an ordinary Joe going into a motel room. Not very interesting. So we’re probably safe so far.” She glanced up at him. “If they catch us, you’ll be a celebrity, too. Eden Ross’s new boy toy.” She giggled. “I’m not sure you’d appreciate the publicity.”

“So what do we do?” Marcus asked.

“Oh, that’s easy.” She walked over to the phone and picked it up. “First, I dial 911.” She paused, then spoke into the phone. “Hello. Yes. I’m staying at the.” She looked over to Marcus.

“Sandpiper,” he said.

“Sandpiper Motel. There’s a dark sedan parked on the street in front of the motel, and I think the man inside is planning to steal a car. He’s been looking at a Mercedes convertible in the motel lot.”

Marcus frowned. “This is against the law,” he whispered. “Reporting a false emergency.”

Eden put her hand over the phone. “They’re harassing me. That’s against the law, too.” She pulled her hand away. “Yes. I’m in room twelve. My name is Eugenia Montevecchio. Yes, I’ll wait right here. Please hurry. I think he might have a gun.”

Eden hung up the phone and grinned. “Now we just have to wait until the police arrive, and once the photographers are occupied, we sneak out. We’ll have to take your car, though.”

“Great plan, unless we get arrested for falsely reporting a crime.” Ian would not be pleased. “And who the hell is Eugenia Montevecchio?”

“My alias. I’m also Liselotte Bunderstrassen and Carmella Ramirez della Fuego. So where should we go? We could go to New York. My hairdresser is there and he could fix the mess I made.”

Marcus shook his head. “I have to work, Eden. And why waste money on a hotel when you can stay on the boat for free?”

Eden shook her head. “No. I’m done with anything that has to do with my father. If he’s going to disown me, then I should begin dealing with it right now. Once I’m rid of his car, there’s nothing more connecting us.”

“Except the money.”

She drew a deep breath. “I have just enough left in my trust fund to start all over, to find a place to live and to buy a car. I just have to find a job.”

“And what will you do?” Marcus asked.

She shrugged. “I’ll figure that out later. For now, we need to worry about getting out of here without being photographed or arrested. Are you going to help me with that?”

Marcus nodded. Strange how easy it was to get swept up in one of Eden’s little adventures. And he wasn’t even considering the consequences. If Ian ever discovered Marcus’s complicity in this, he wouldn’t think twice about tossing them both in jail. And once Ian was done with him, Dec would have a few things to say. “Get your things together,” he said. “I know the police chief in this town, and his guys are pretty quick to respond.”

“HOW LONG IS IT SUPPOSED to take?”

“I don’t know,” Marcus said. “Read the directions.” He crinkled his nose. “This stuff really stinks. And I don’t like these damn gloves.”