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

“You do. You can leave here today, hop a plane, and be back where you came from by tomorrow evening.”

“I can’t,” she said. “I want to stay here with you.”

“Then stay,” Marcus said, “and stop looking back.”

“We can’t hide out here forever,” she said. “Sooner or later we both have to go out into the real world again.”

Marcus nodded. “I know.” He realized that by pushing her to find a new life, he might just lose her for good. Why not allow himself this chance to get close? To finally see what it would be like to let a woman inside his life? He and Eden were similar in one way—their unhappy childhoods had molded them into cynical, wary adults. But at least Eden had searched for something more. She believed she could fall in love. Marcus had never truly believed it could happen for him. And even with Eden wrapped in his arms he still couldn’t make himself believe it.

“Sooner or later they’ll find me,” she said.

“I know,” Marcus replied.

“And if you’re with me, you’ll get caught up in it, too. Promise me that you won’t hate me.”

He kissed the spot beneath her ear. “I could never hate you.”

“I have to call them. My parents,” she murmured. “And I will, I promise. But before I do, I just need to know that I can do this on my own. That I can start again.” She laughed softly. “Where am I going to live? What kind of job will I get? What if I can’t do this?”

She rolled over and faced him, her eyes filled with doubt. His fingers came up to stroke her cheek. “You can stay here with me for as long as you want. I’ll help you.”

Marcus kissed her, gently parting her lips with his tongue. For now, she belonged with him. He needed to keep her close, to grasp at that tenuous connection they’d found with each other.

It wasn’t just desire driving him anymore. And though the physical release was intense, there was something more to it, something he wanted to hold on to. Marcus searched his mind for an explanation of what he’d found, but there were no words. It was more than satisfaction or release. Was it contentment?

Eden reached down between them and slowly unbuttoned his jeans. By the time she worked the zipper open, he was already growing hard with anticipation. And when she wrapped her fingers around him, Marcus closed his eyes and surrendered to her touch. He’d worry about all the complications later.

6

SHE SEDUCED HIM AGAIN in the middle of the night, waking him with her caress. Half-asleep, Marcus had thought he was dreaming at first, but as he’d drifted toward consciousness he’d felt the heat of real desire pounding through his veins.

The clothes they’d worn to bed had easily been discarded, and in the darkness he’d explored her body by touch. When she’d climbed on top of him and taken him inside her, Marcus had found himself instantly aware of every movement she made and the effect it had on him. Caught in a dreamy half sleep, his body had responded instantly, attuned to every sensation. She had rocked above him, slowly at first, in complete control of herself and his responses. Blind to the beauty of her body, Marcus closed his eyes and let his imagination take over.

She’d climaxed without him even touching her, her orgasm quiet but intense. And the moment he’d felt her spasm, Marcus had joined her. When he’d finished, Eden had curled up beside him and fallen asleep as if nothing had happened.

Marcus turned his head and gazed at her in the early morning light, her face resting on the edge of his pillow, her fingertips nearly touching his face. Their encounter in the shower had been based on raw and very mutual need. But Eden’s silent seduction had been different.

As if awakening from a bad dream, she’d found some sort of comfort in his body and her power over it. When he’d tried to touch her, she’d simply linked her fingers through his and pinned his hands above his shoulders, interested only in physical release and nothing more.

He reached out and took a strand of her hair between his fingers. It was darker than it had been, now a warm shade of honey. Curls surrounded her face, making her look much younger than she actually was. Marcus wondered at the contrasts—the sweet, vulnerable girl and the determined seductress.

He liked both in his bed. With others, he’d always preferred to sleep away from home, making it easier to leave when he felt the need. But he wanted to keep Eden close.

The sound of Marcus’s cell phone echoed in the loft, and he carefully rolled out of bed and grabbed his jeans from the floor, finding the phone in his pocket. He flipped it open and recognized Dec’s cell number on the caller ID. Marcus paused, wondering if he ought to answer it.

He finally pushed the button as he walked across the loft to the bathroom. “Hey,” he murmured. “What’s up?”

“I’m downstairs,” Declan said. “Do you have coffee?”

Marcus stared at his reflection in the mirror, rubbing his palm over the stubble on his jaw. “No, we’ll have to go out. I’ll be right down.”

He quickly grabbed his jeans and pulled them on, then shrugged into a T-shirt. His deck shoes were at the door, and he slipped into them before crossing back to the bed. Bending over Eden, he kissed her forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and she smiled up at him. “I have to go out for a bit. I’ll bring back breakfast,” he said.

“Don’t leave,” Eden murmured, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Stay here with me.”

Marcus groaned as he tangled his fingers through Eden’s tousled hair. He kissed her again. “I have to go. Dec is downstairs waiting. If I don’t show, he’ll come looking for me and he’ll find you.”

Eden’s smile brightened. “Invite him up. We can all climb back into bed.”

Marcus growled playfully. “I don’t think that would be a good idea.”

“Then take me with you. I’d like to meet your brother.”

“Not today,” Marcus said, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll be back soon. Promise.”

Eden slowly let her hand drift down his chest, then hooked her fingers in the waistband of his jeans. “Don’t keep me waiting.”

When Marcus got downstairs, he found Dec perched on the hood of his BMW, dressed in khakis and a starched blue oxford. He slid to his feet as Marcus approached, holding up a bakery bag. “How did you know I was here?” Marcus asked.

“I took Ma to early mass and I saw your truck,” Dec said. “I brought breakfast.”

“Let’s go out,” Marcus replied. “I need something more substantial than that.”

Dec shrugged, then nodded toward his car. When they were inside, he glanced over at Marcus. “What’s up with you?”

“What do you mean?” Marcus asked.

A frown furrowed Dec’s forehead. “I don’t know. You just look … odd.”

Marcus raked his hands through his hair. “Thanks.”

“I thought you were staying out on Ross’s boat.”

“I figured it would be easier to finish up the smaller pieces here. More room and better equipment.”

Dec studied him for a long time before starting the car. He looked both ways before pulling out onto the street, then headed for their favorite diner on the main street of Bonnett Harbor, only three blocks away. “I got a call last night from Ian’s dispatcher. Eden Ross was spotted over at the Sandpiper Motel. A couple of tabloid photographers got a tip from the night manager and they staked out her room.”

“So what did she have to say?” Marcus asked, trying to appear as indifferent as possible.

“I didn’t talk to her. She managed to slip out without anyone seeing her. But the photographers mentioned there was a man with her and he was driving a pickup. Ian has her voice on 911 calling in the photographers as car thieves. That’s how she created the diversion.”

Marcus nodded. “Interesting. So where do you think she is now?”

“She can’t be far,” Dec said. “She had her father’s Mercedes and left it behind.” He paused. “She must have gone home at some point to get the car, and we missed her.”

We. Somehow Dec had assumed that Marcus was part of the “team.” And for a fleeting instant Marcus thought about telling his brother the truth. In his opinion, Eden needed to talk to her father and ease Trevor Ross’s mind regarding her whereabouts. The longer she stayed under the radar, the more difficult it would be to explain to everyone involved why she’d waited so long. Hell, Marcus had given up any hope that Trevor Ross would invest in his business now. He’d cut his losses. In truth, he much preferred to take Eden’s side in the matter.

But that wouldn’t square him with his brothers. In their eyes, family loyalty came first, far ahead of any passing affections he might have for a woman. Dec and Ian both had a job to do, and he’d stood in their way.