Kate Hoffmann - The Mighty Quinns - Dermot-Dex

Her hands smoothed over his chest, then slipped up to circle his neck. She felt so perfect in his arms, her slender body finally revealed from beneath the baggy hoodie and faded jeans.

Though Kieran had enjoyed his share of no-strings lovers, he didn’t consider Maddie one. There was something special about her. With her, it wouldn’t be just an exquisite physical release. They’d somehow forged an emotional connection, starting that morning in the Denver bus station. He’d become her protector and he didn’t want to do anything to hurt her.

Maddie pulled him down on the bed and he stretched out on top of her, bracing his weight with his hands on either side of her, their mouths still joined. This was all so new to him, Kieran thought. Usually a night in bed came with certain expectations. But he didn’t know what would happen here.

“I don’t want you to stop,” she whispered.

His breath caught in his throat. The invitation couldn’t have been any clearer. But it wasn’t quite right. They still felt a little bit like strangers, and though the desire was obvious and intense, neither one of them seemed ready to cast aside all their inhibitions. How would they feel in the morning? Would they regret what they’d done?

He drew back, his lips hovering over hers. God, it took every ounce of his willpower to stop himself, but he was determined that he wouldn’t give in to his impulses. “We should probably get some sleep,” he murmured. “We’ve got to get up and be at the station in about eight hours.”

“Or we could stay up the rest of the night and sleep on the train,” she said. “I’m finally free. I want to celebrate.”

“You don’t have to do it all on your first day,” he said. “Come on. Why don’t you put on something comfortable, then we’ll crawl under the covers and turn off the lights.”

“Can we keep kissing?” Maddie asked.

“I don’t think I could stop.”

She turned around, then glanced over her shoulder. “Unzip me?”

Kieran groaned inwardly. If she planned to sleep in the nude, he’d be lost. There was no way he could resist a naked body next to him. With fumbling fingers, he did as she asked, then grabbed a T-shirt from his bag. “Here, you can wear this.”

She hadn’t bothered to put on underwear beneath the pink party dress and as it dropped to the floor, he caught a tempting sight of her naked backside. She stepped out of the dress as she pulled the shirt over her head, then turned to face him.

Kieran pulled the covers back and she crawled into the bed. “I’m just going to pull out the studio couch and sleep there,” he said.

“No,” Maddie countered, sliding across to the other side. “It’s a king-size bed. There’s plenty of room for both of us. Don’t worry. I’ll behave.”

“I’m not worried about you,” Kieran said.

“And I’m not worried about you,” she said.

Kieran reluctantly sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled off his shoes, then swung his feet up onto the mattress.

“You’re going to wear your clothes to bed?” she asked.

“I think that might be best.” He reached over to turn off the lights. When the room was dark, he felt Maddie’s body shift next to him. A moment later, she was curled up against him, her hand resting on his chest.

He wondered if she could feel his heart pounding, could sense his nerves fired in anticipation. Though he wasn’t hard, it wouldn’t take more than a simple caress to get his blood pumping in that direction.

Kieran slipped his arm beneath her head and pulled her closer. She began to hum softly, a tune he didn’t recognize. But it was sweet and relaxing and he closed his eyes and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. He felt her relax against him and after a time, her humming stopped and her breathing grew soft and even.

She was such a complicated creature, he thought to himself. To an outside observer, she had the perfect life—an amazing career, people all over the country who loved her, a talent that very few possessed, and an inner strength that he found quite attractive. And yet, she longed for something simpler.

They did share one thing. Neither one of them were living their dreams. The more time he spent with her, the more Kieran realized that he’d never really thought much about what he wanted. He’d accepted his responsibilities with the family business and was happy to go along as he had been—doing his job, enjoying his free time sailing.

But what were his dreams? He’d always thought about spending a year sailing down the West Coast and up the East Coast, traveling through the Panama Canal. He wanted to learn how to surf. And he wanted to feel the kind of excitement he felt when he was with Maddie every day of his life.

Was she his dream? Kieran drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out. He’d never thought much about committing himself to just one woman. Marriage and family seemed such a long way off. But he was twenty-seven years old. It was time he decided what he really wanted out of life.

He glanced over at the clock beside the bed. They had to get up in four hours if they were going to catch their train. Kieran reached out to set the alarm, then decided that there was no need. He wouldn’t get any sleep tonight, not with Maddie curled up next to him.

Kieran pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist. He’d expected this trip to be an exercise in boredom, but it had become the exact opposite. With every minute he spent with her, he felt himself changing.

He liked not knowing what tomorrow held, not having a carefully constructed plan. For all he knew, tomorrow might be the most amazing day of his entire life—or a total disaster. But that didn’t matter. If he was with Maddie, then it would always be a good day.

MADDIE OPENED HER eyes to see the early-morning sun pouring through the hotel window. This time, she knew exactly where she was. She didn’t have to think about it or reach out for her itinerary. She was in bed, with Kieran Quinn, in Topeka, Kansas.

But one question came quickly to mind. What time was it? Weren’t they supposed to get up to get on a train at five in the morning? She pushed up on her elbow and wiped the sleep from her eyes, then peered at the bedside clock. It was 9:00 a.m. The train had left about three hours ago.

Maddie groaned and flopped back down into the pillows. Knowing Kieran’s penchant for schedules, he was not going to be pleased. And if the tickets weren’t refundable, he’d have something to say about that, as well. But then, if she made the prospect of an extra day in a hotel room more interesting, he might not complain.

He’d be happy if she had breakfast waiting for him when he woke up. Maddie slipped out of bed and fetched the menu from the nearby desk. She tiptoed into the bathroom and closed the door, then stared at herself in the mirror.

Her hair, still damp when she’d fallen asleep, was a riot of curls, falling in tendrils around her face. She grabbed the toothbrush she’d bought last night and brushed her teeth, then picked up the phone next to the toilet.

She ordered strawberry waffles, eggs Benedict, a Denver omelet, a basket of pastries, orange juice and a big pot of coffee. At the last minute, she added a side of grits and biscuits with gravy.

Drawing a deep breath, she smiled to herself. Spending an extra day in Topeka wasn’t in the plan, but she felt safe here. It would be nice to have some time to just relax with Kieran.

Maddie wandered back out into the bedroom. She picked up her cell phone from the desk and looked at it. She knew there would be multiple messages from her mother waiting in her voice mail and in her text box. A tiny twinge of guilt worried at her and she fought the temptation to call her mother and let her know that she was all right.