Kate Hoffmann - Australian Quinns

“Like the way you look at me?” Brody asked.

Payton sat down on the edge of the bunk and began to idly pick lint off the blanket, smoothing her hand over the rough wool every now and then. “You’ve been very nice—I mean, you’ve been generous and kind and understanding. You got me out of jail, you gave me a place to live and—”

“I sleep with you. I make you moan with pleasure, I touch your body like—”

“All right. You do have a nasty sarcastic streak that comes out when you haven’t had enough sleep. You’re not perfect. And neither am I. So can we leave it at that?”

Was that it? Brody’s jaw twitched as he tried to control his temper. He’d been so happy to find her last night he hadn’t even thought about what he’d learned from the Internet. She’d run away from her family and the man she was supposed to love and for some reason, she’d decided to hide out with him.

But sooner or later, she’d get sick of life on the station, just like his mother. She’d realize she’d made a mistake and she’d be gone, back to her comfortable life with her rich husband and his fancy job. So why hadn’t she told him the truth about her past?

Maybe for the same reason he hadn’t told her about his past—he wasn’t proud of who he’d been, or of some of the things he’d done.

“Get dressed,” he said. “We need to get back. Cal will be wondering where we are.”

“If there’s something you want to know, all you have to do is ask,” she said.

“No.” He shook his head.

“I’ll tell you anything.”

That was the problem. Did he really want to know all the details of her relationship with a man she loved enough to marry? Did he want her making comparisons between the two of them? He ought to be happy for the time they had together and just leave it at that. Brody certainly couldn’t offer her the kind of life that Sam Whitman could.

“I’m fine,” he said, forcing a smile. “You’re right. I’m just cranky.” He walked across the room and stood in front of her.

“Don’t act like such a dickhead,” she muttered, sending him a sulky look.

Brody laughed, taking a step back. “Well, there you go again. I see you’re learning the lingo. You could tell me not to be such a drongo.”

“That, too.” She drew a deep breath. “What is that?”

“A dimwit,” he said. “An idiot for not appreciating you. A fool for taking my bad mood out on you.” He held out his hand and when she placed her fingers in his, he gently pulled her to her feet. “So, what are we going to do with our day today?”

“I have to work in the stables. I was gone all yesterday.”

“I’ll help you finish.”

“I bought a swimsuit, so we could hang out in the hot tub. And I bought some new underwear. I might even model it for you.”

“I’m feeling my mood getting much lighter,” he said. “What color?”

“Is your mood?”

“No. What color is the underwear?”

“Black,” she said.

He wrapped his hands around her waist drawing her body against his. “I like black underwear.”

“Every man likes black underwear.”

He bent down and brushed a kiss across her lips. “You know, we could stay here a little longer. At least we have some privacy.”

A tiny smile curled the corners of her mouth. “For a little while,” she suggested. “But only if we go back to bed.”

With a low growl, he pushed her backward until they both tumbled onto the narrow bunk. “Maybe if I have a bit more sleep I won’t be so cranky.”

He felt her hand on the front of his jeans. “I know exactly how to make you feel better.”

“Then I’ll put myself in your capable hands—or hand.”

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