Kate Hoffmann - Brian

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I can't believe we just did that. I've never… well, I've just never done that."

Lily smiled hesitantly. "I find that a little hard to believe."

"Believe it," Brian said, nuzzling her neck. "That was pretty incredible. You were… wow."

She furrowed her fingers through his hair and kissed him, lingering for a long time. Lily had never felt so completely satisfied and given the choice, she'd have spent the next week making love to Brian Quinn in the back seat of the limo. But she'd made a promise to herself and she was going to keep it. A one-night stand was just that-one night.

Suddenly, a wave of regret washed over her. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. After what they'd shared, Lily didn't want to just walk away. Brian Quinn was a wonderful man! And from what she could tell, he was available. She sucked in a sharp breath. Now was not the time to change directions.

"I think I have two questions left, don't I?" Brian murmured.

Dragged from her thoughts, Lily frowned. "I-I don't know. I lost count."

"So what happens now?" Brian asked, running his hand along her shoulder. "We can't drive around in this limo forever. We're going to run out of gas."

"I say we go until we run out of gas," Lily murmured, her attention fixed on his mouth.

"We could go to my place or we could go to yours," he suggested.

Again, Lily had to force herself to remember her plan against formidable distractions. She sat up and adjusted her dress, then reached for the zipper. Brian turned her around on the seat and zipped it for her, then let his hands drift down her arms.

His touch sent a shiver through her, but Lily occupied herself by collecting her underwear and shoes. She stuffed her panties and bra into her purse, and slipped the strappy sandals on her feet. Then she pressed the intercom button. "Driver, take us back to the CopleyPlaza, please." She glanced over her shoulder and her gaze met his. For a moment she lost herself in the beautiful color of his eyes. "Let's be honest with each other," she murmured. "This was all about passion and lust and it was wonderful. It was exciting. But it doesn't have to be more than that. I don't expect more."

"But we should at least-"

Lily placed her finger on his lips. "What? I should give you my phone number and we'll get together? Maybe you'll call, but maybe, after thinking about it for a day or two, you'll decide that it's better to just let it go. But if I give you my phone number, then maybe I'll expect you to call and when you don't, I'll be hurt. Or maybe we'll get together again and realize that there's nothing but… this between us. Or maybe, we'll even find that we have a lot in common and we'll have a relationship. But then, you'll grow bored or I'll get too demanding and we'll fight and it will all end badly and we'll hate each other." Lily smiled and drew in a deep breath. "So maybe it's best that I don't give you my phone number and we just skip all that pain and heartbreak."

He buttoned his pants and yanked up the zipper, then reached for his jacket. "Lily, I don't-"

This time she replaced her finger with her mouth, kissing him deeply, her arms wrapped around his neck. "I had a wonderful time, darling."

He sighed. "So did I, sweetheart," he murmured, pressing his mouth into the curve of her neck. "But, that doesn't mean-"

"Yes, it does."

The car stopped and Lily looked out the window, surprised to find that they were back at the Plaza so quickly. Brian slipped his hand around her nape and drew her close, giving her a fierce kiss designed to persuade her to go with his point of view. "Won't you at least let me try to change your mind?" She drew away, shaking her head and he finally loosened his grip. "Then, I guess I won't be seeing you again."

"I guess you won't," Lily said with a smile. "I had a good time, Brian."

He looked into her eyes for a long moment, then shrugged and slid across the seat to the door. "Good night, Lily."

"Goodbye, Brian."

With that, he pushed the door open and stepped out. For a moment, Lily thought he might turn around and say something to her. But then he shut the door. She watched him walk down the sidewalk, but the tinted windows made that difficult. With a soft sigh, Lily sank back into the leather seat and pressed her palm to her chest. "What have I done?"

"Miss Gallagher?"

Startled, Lily pushed the intercom button. "Please take me back to my hotel."

As the car pulled away from the curb, Lily closed her eyes and tipped her head back. This was no time for doubts. She had a job to do here in Boston and when she was finished, she'd go home to Chicago. And she'd take along incredible memories of a very passionate and spontaneous encounter to keep her warm at night.

She braced her hands on the seat and her fingers fell on a smooth bit of fabric. Lily picked it up and realized it was Brian's bow tie.

"It was great sex," Lily murmured, fingering the tie. "And that's all it was." But though she said the words, they just didn't seem to ring true.

"Aren't you doing the news tonight?"

Brian slid onto a bar stool next to his twin brother Sean and waved to his father at the far end of the bar. For a Sunday evening, Quinn's Pub in South Boston was relatively empty. A few of the regulars were playing pool in the back and a couple sat in one of the booths near the bar. A soft Irish ballad played from the jukebox.

Seamus, a canvas apron around his waist, strolled up and tossed a paper coaster in front of Brian. "Aren't you doing the news tonight? We're tuned in," he said, pointing to the television in the corner.

Brian nodded. "Yeah. The eleven o'clock news. I've got to be at the station at seven. I thought I'd get something to eat."

"We've got corned beef and cabbage," Seamus said. "I'll get you a plate."

"No cabbage," Brian said. "It'll make me burp."

Seamus raised a bushy white eyebrow. "So?"

"Da, I have to read the news. I can't be burping every few seconds. Give me a club soda over ice. And a cheeseburger, no onions."

Seamus fetched the drink, then wrote the order down on a pad and walked it back to Henry, the short-order cook in the kitchen.

Brian and Sean sat silently, both of them contemplating their drinks. They didn't need to talk. Since the moment they'd been born, they'd shared a silent kind of communication, an ability to read each other's moods, to know what the other was thinking. While Sean rarely confided in his other brothers-or anyone for that matter-when he was alone with Brian, he was able to open up.

Brian knew everyone thought Sean was shy and aloof. But he also knew his twin brother used an indifferent facade to hide a deeply sensitive nature. He wrapped himself in a protective armor, allowing very few people to see the man underneath.

Of all of the Quinn brothers, Sean had been the one who'd come away with the most childhood scars. He'd been the one to rebel against his circumstances. He'd never really learned to trust and had turned into a brooding loner. He'd washed out of the police academy and drifted into private investigative work. It had been a good choice for Sean, but it hadn't made him any more outgoing.

"How's business?" Brian asked.

"Not bad. Not good, either."

"I thought you made a bundle on that case with Liam and Eleanor and that Pettibone guy."

A few months back, Sean had taken on an embezzlement case for a Manhattan bank and enlisted the aid of their youngest brother, Liam. Charged with surveillance on the female suspect, Liam had fallen in love with the woman. After they had cleared her name, he and Eleanor Thorpe had continued seeing each other and announced their engagement the day after Brendan and Amy's wedding in early May.

"I did," Sean said. "But I burned it all on expenses on another big case. My rich client didn't like what I found. Turns out his wife wasn't cheating. He's decided not to pay the bill. Now, I've got to spend more money to get him to pay. I've got to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit."