Kate Hoffmann - The Mighty Quinns - Marcus, Ian & Declan - The Mighty Quinns - Marcus / The Mighty Quinns - Ian / The Mighty Quinns - Declan

He glanced back at the boat and saw her standing in the cockpit, her arms braced on the boom, watching him. He’d give her time to cool off and then he’d go back and get his things. It was better this way, to end it quickly, to get out without too many scars. Before long, she’d be a distant memory—a very vivid but distant memory.

EDEN PUNCHED IN THE code for the garage and waited for the doors to open. She glanced over her shoulder, watching for any sign of the caretaker. Thank God her father hadn’t changed the code for the security system on the house. She’d managed to get inside and grab some fresh clothes and the keys to several of her father’s cars without being detected.

Sarah, the housekeeper, usually finished by early afternoon and, when the family wasn’t in residence, spent her evenings with her grandkids in Middleton. The caretaker for the estate normally worked on the grounds in the morning, but today he was mowing the west lawn, out of view of the driveway and the garages.

She stepped inside and perused her choices for transportation—the vintage Thunderbird was far too flashy and the Ferrari had a stick shift that she didn’t know how to operate. Then there was the black Mercedes convertible. She wouldn’t seem entirely out of place in Newport in that car.

She unlocked the door and tossed her bag into the passenger seat, then slipped behind the wheel. As she reached for the ignition, she glanced up at the rearview mirror, catching sight of her red-rimmed eyes.

Drawing a deep breath, she gathered her resolve, trying to ignore the ache in her heart. She’d been wrong to get angry at Marcus. But he’d had no right to speak to her in that way. They had no claims on each other. They were barely friends—friends with benefits, nothing more.

She didn’t need him—for protection or sex. In truth, she didn’t need anyone, not her parents, not her friends. From now on, the only person she would depend upon was herself. A ragged sob tore from her throat, and Eden forced back the tears that threatened to return.

Why was she so upset? The man drove her crazy. And he was starting to interfere in her life, trying to make decisions for her, telling her what she should and shouldn’t do. What did he care if her life was messed up? It was her life, not his. Eden had always lived in the moment, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with that. People who planned their lives were … boring and unimaginative.

But some of Marcus’s accusations had rung true. Eden was forced to confront the fact that she really had never set any goals for her life. She’d just expected that happiness would find her. But that hadn’t happened yet, and over the past several years she’d begun to wonder if it ever would.

She’d been happy with Marcus, though. The short time they’d spent together on the boat had proved to her that happiness could be found. She just had to look a little harder for it.

Odd how she hadn’t found it where she’d thought she would, with some handsome heir to a European fortune, a man who could take care of her and her money in the style to which she’d become accustomed. She’d found it with an ordinary guy from a regular family.

Eden had never been one to dwell on the past or to regret her mistakes. But since she’d met Marcus, she’d begun to feel the first deep pangs of remorse. Maybe she hadn’t lived a life she could be proud of. She’d blown through most of her trust fund and would soon be forced to marry for money or ask her father to support her. But there were other choices.

She reached up to find her face damp with tears and impatiently brushed them away. “And you can begin right now,” she said. It wasn’t too late to make something more of herself. The problem was, she wasn’t sure that she was qualified to be anything more than Eden Ross, international party girl.

Eden backed the car out of the garage, then pushed the remote for the garage door. She slowly navigated the curving driveway and when she reached the main gate she punched in the code. A minute later she was on Ocean Avenue, heading into Newport.

As Eden steered toward the Newport Bridge, she noticed a sign for the local discount store. Though she’d never shopped there, she understood that the store had everything a regular person could possibly need to live comfortably. Sarah, their housekeeper, had been quite excited when the store opened seven years before. And it was supposed to be cheap. Since Eden had arrived in the States, she’d lived off the cash in her wallet because she didn’t want her credit cards traced.

The parking lot was packed, and Eden pulled the Mercedes into a distant row, then covered her hair with a baseball cap and slipped on her sunglasses. “You can do this,” she said. “Just act like a regular person.”

She slipped out of the car and locked the door behind her, then strolled up to the front entrance. Grabbing a shopping cart, she figured it would serve as a good weapon in case she was recognized. But to her surprise, she was able to stroll the aisles with barely a curious glance from other shoppers.

The variety of merchandise astounded her. She could buy a television, nacho chips and diamond earrings in the very same store. She grabbed some pretty pastel skirts and a few T-shirts and two pairs of sandals before discovering the beauty aisles.

Eden suddenly felt rather proud of herself. She was just a regular person wandering the aisles. If only Marcus could—She stopped the thought before she had a chance to finish it. Every experience she’d had over the past five days had involved him, and without even realizing it, she’d let him become a part of her life.

She’d been swept away by a man she hadn’t even known a week ago. He had restored some order and serenity to her life and now it felt as if she couldn’t exist without him. She wanted him here by her side, sharing this simple experience with her. She needed to hear his voice and hold his hand.

A lump of emotion clogged her throat and she swallowed it back. God, this was ridiculous! The pattern had become so familiar it was a wonder she couldn’t recognize it. He’d shown her simple affection and undeniable passion and suddenly he’d become the focus of her life.

Eden shook her head, pushing aside all thoughts of Marcus Quinn. It was time to move on with her life, and this time she would be in control … not Marcus and not her father.

As Eden passed the hair color, she paused, then picked up a box and studied the photo on the front. If she really wanted to blend in, then it was time for a drastic course of action. She’d dye her hair. If she wasn’t a blonde anymore, then no one would recognize her. And how difficult could it be if everything she needed came in the little box?

“I’m not a complete idiot,” she murmured as she read the directions. “Regular people do this all the time.”

A medium brown came as close to her natural color as possible, so she tossed the box into the cart and then looked for a pair of scissors. She’d cut her hair, as well, just to make sure.

Satisfied that her first experience at a discount store had been a great success, Eden headed toward the checkout counters. But as she waited in line she noticed the racks of tabloids standing in her way. She winced as she saw her name splashed on the covers of Gossip Weekly, The National Inquisitor and WOW!

Thankfully they’d blurred out the indecent parts in the photos. And though the lighting wasn’t the best, her body didn’t look that bad. She’d been twenty-three when the tape was made and a bit thinner than she was now. Her hair had been cropped short back then. As she looked at the picture, she tried to recall everything that had happened that night, but her mind was blank.