Kate Hoffmann - Conor

Olivia walked out into the main cabin and didn’t bother turning around when he called her name. Maybe this was all for the better. They’d had a little fun and now it was time to get back to business. She was a witness and he was a cop and she’d do well not to forget that in the future.

But Olivia knew in her heart that it would take her a very long time to forget her night with Conor Quinn-if she could forget it at all.

“WHAT THE HELL are you doing?”

Conor stepped out of the forward cabin only to find his two brothers blocking his way with broad shoulders and angry expressions. “What do you mean?”

“She’s out there on deck and I think she’s crying,” Dylan said. “What did you do to her?”

“Nothing,” Conor replied. “I’m just doing my job, that’s all.”

Dylan shook his head. “You seduced her, didn’t you. You slept with a witness.”

Conor cursed softly. “I did not-”

“Come on,” Brendan said. “One look at that girl’s face was all it took to know what went on in my cabin last night in my bed. She looked, as we say in the literary world, well bedded. And knowing your lack of preparedness when it comes to matters of the heart, I’m sure all I’d have to do is count the condoms in my bedside table to figure out how great the night really was.”

Conor had never been one to open up his private life to family scrutiny. As far as his brothers were concerned, he didn’t have a private life. “All right,” he said. “So we…were intimate. Don’t tell me you guys never lost control with a woman.”

“Not me,” Dylan said.

“Never,” Brendan added.

“Well, someday you will,” Conor warned, “and then you’ll know what it feels like. I couldn’t stop myself. It seemed-no, it was the right thing to do. I…care about her.” He drew a ragged breath, then stepped around them to grab another cup of coffee. His side was beginning to ache again and perhaps the caffeine would dull the pain. “Da always warned us about women being the only thing that could bring a Quinn down. I have to tell you, last night, I didn’t care. I wanted to be brought down. I wanted to forget about that stupid family curse.”

“So what’s your next move?” Dylan asked.

Conor was glad for the change of subject. Now that he’d admitted his weakness, he didn’t want to dwell on it. But his reaction to the events of last night had carried into the morning. He wasn’t sure what had happened between him and Olivia, beyond an incredible physical release. He only knew that it had changed something deep inside of him, opened a door that he’d always kept firmly locked.

“I called my partner,” he said.

“I meant what’s your next move with Olivia. If I were you, I’d apologize for every stupid thing I said. And then I’d thank my lucky stars that a woman like her wandered into my life.”

“Well, I’m not you, Dylan,” Conor murmured. He took a sip of his coffee. “Danny found us a place to stay.”

“Can you trust him?” Brendan asked, concern coloring his tone.

Conor brushed him off with a shrug. “The kid transferred to the district three months ago. Even the most corrupt cop doesn’t go bad that fast.” He turned and leaned back against the rail. “His grandmother just moved to Florida and he’s selling her condo for her. It’s still furnished. He says we can stay there as long as we want.”

“So you’re going to play house with Olivia until the trial?” Dylan asked.

“I’m keeping her safe,” Conor countered.

Brendan shook his head. “She’s a nice lady, Con. I wouldn’t want to see her get hurt any more than she already is-and I’m not talking about bullets here.”

“Neither would I,” Conor murmured as he ran his fingers through his hair. But then maybe he already had hurt her, simply by making love to her. Though their night together had been incredible, it was also a dangerous move. She’d come to depend on him, first for her safety and now for intimacy, and he wasn’t sure that he could continue to give her what she needed.

Soon, they’d be free to go their separate ways. Would she be able to let go? And even more importantly, would he? “Right now everything is so unreal,” he said. “Feelings are magnified because of the circumstances. She can’t possibly know how she really feels. To her, I’m some big hero. Believe me, give her time. She’ll figure out who I really am.”

“And what if she does and she doesn’t turn and run?” Dylan asked.

“Did you ever think she might be the one?” Brendan asked.

“Maybe,” Conor said. “But I can’t think about that now. From now on, I have to concentrate on the job and nothing else.”

Brendan stepped around him to the hatch, then climbed the stairs. “Just don’t be such a hard ass, Con. Give her a chance.”

Conor and Dylan followed him out and they found Olivia sitting on a locker, her hands clasped on her lap. She’d pulled her hair back into a ponytail and her fresh face was barely touched with makeup. Whether in the soft glow from an oil lamp or the bright morning sunshine, Conor thought she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. An image of her flashed in his mind, her hair tumbling around her face, her body flushed with passion and his blood warmed in the chill morning air.

“I’m ready,” she murmured as she stood.

Given the choice, he’d rather take her by the hand and lead her back into the cabin to kiss away the tension that had sprung up between them and spend the day lost in carnal pursuits. Hell, why not stay on the boat and just jump from harbor to harbor until it was time to go back. Brendan could take them down the coast to Martha’s Vineyard or Nantucket. Or they could go farther south, looking for warmer weather.

Conor considered the notion, then cursed inwardly. Already she was making him question his decisions, put aside his responsibility as a cop for a few more adventures in the bedroom. If he wasn’t careful, that would put them both at risk.

“I told Olivia I’d take care of Tommy for her,” Brendan explained. “He seems to like it here and I could use the company. When things have settled down, she can come back and get him.”

Olivia pushed up on her toes and gave Brendan a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you,” she murmured.

It was only a kiss of gratitude, but Conor didn’t like it. He knew Brendan all too well, knew his penchant for charming the ladies. While Brendan was smooth and disarming, Conor had always been lacking in social skills. He’d never developed the ability to sweet-talk a woman, to enthrall her with just a few well-chosen phrases. Women usually found him attractive for what he didn’t say, rather than what he did.

“Yeah, thanks,” Conor said, holding out his hand for Olivia. She said her goodbyes to Dylan, and Conor watched as his brother grabbed her around the waist and swung her up onto the dock. He jumped off after her, then held his hand out to Conor.

Conor ignored the offered aid, clenched his teeth, and swung up onto the dock himself, ignoring the sharp ache in his side. He’d only been up for an hour, but already the nagging pain was making him edgy. Hell, he was ready to bite his brothers’ heads off for touching Olivia.

Brendan and Dylan accompanied them to the end of the dock. When they reached the car, Dylan tossed him the keys, then jogged around to the opposite side to gallantly open the door for Olivia. Before he closed it, he leaned inside and whispered something to Olivia. She giggled softly then gave him a wave goodbye.

Conor started the car and then pulled away from the dock. As they drove through town, neither one of them said a word. He considered apologizing for his curt words. He even thought about bringing up the subject of their night together, laying down some new ground rules. But he knew the chances of him saying something stupid were pretty high. Maybe if he just didn’t mention it, they could go on as they had before.