Читать книгу The Mighty Quinns: Thom - Kate Hoffmann, Kate Hoffmann - Страница 10
ОглавлениеSLEEP DIDN’T COME easily that night for Malin. Her head was filled with memories of the day’s events, which led to her mind weaving tantalizing little fantasies about Thom Quinn.
She’d never been attracted to one of the hockey players before, and she couldn’t explain this sudden attraction to Quinn. By all accounts, the guy was a mess. Yet it was hard to ignore his physical perfection, the handsome features, the unruly hair, the body that had been carved out of solid muscle.
After their meeting, she’d shut herself in her office and searched the internet for any information about him that wasn’t included in his personnel file. She came across plenty of shirtless photos, both professional and candid, along with a fair number of pictures of Quinn and his women. There were even a few of him when he was younger, hockey photos that showed a sweet-looking boy with a chipped front tooth and a ragged haircut.
She knew that unlike most of the league’s star players, Thom Quinn hadn’t laced on his first pair of skates until he was twelve. He’d struggled at first but quickly learned the game. It provided a lucky alternative to the street life that he’d been drawn to.
On the ice, Quinn was confident and strong, in command of all his talents and skills. But once he stepped off, he seemed to have nothing to hide behind, and his life fractured at the slightest stress. She realized he was still that screwed-up kid from the streets. Why was she the only one who recognized that fact?
She groaned softly and pulled the pillow over her head. This was crazy. The guy would probably be on a plane out of town by next week and she was quickly turning him into her imaginary boyfriend.
The sound of her cell phone ringing was muffled by the pillow. She threw it off the bed, then sat up and grabbed her phone. Jason’s number came up on the screen, and Malin fumbled to answer.
“Hi, Jason. What’s—”
“He’s gone,” Jason said, his voice wavering slightly. “We were just hanging out, watching a Cubs game, and I—well, I kinda—lost track of him. Just for a few minutes.”
“How long?”
“Since about nine. I thought he’d be back after the bar closed, but that was an hour ago.”
“You were in a bar?”
“We just stopped for a drink after we— Never mind. I tried to talk him out of it, but then we started playing dice and drinking shots and I got totally wasted.”
“Where are you now?”
“At his place. I’m so sorry. I tried to say no, but he’s very persuasive.”
“All right, just stay where you are. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Have you tried calling his cell phone?”
“He doesn’t answer. Do you think he might have been in an accident?”
“No, no! I’ll be there in a few minutes.” She turned off her phone and tossed back the bedcovers. It shouldn’t have been any surprise that it had taken Thom Quinn less than a day to break the rules.
She crawled out of bed. When she reached the bathroom, Malin ran a comb through her tangled hair and took a few extra seconds with her makeup, then pulled on a pair of yoga pants and a loose shirt.
Five minutes later she was on the road, and ten minutes later she pulled up in front of Thom Quinn’s place. At first she had to recheck the address. She was parked in front of an old firehouse. But when Jason appeared on the sidewalk, she knew she’d found the right place.
“I can’t do this job, Malin,” he said, pacing the sidewalk. “How am I supposed to sleep? And if he decides to go somewhere without me, how can I force him? He could just punch me and knock me out or—”
“Get you drunk?”
“Exactly! I think you picked the wrong person for this job. I’m just not ready.”
“Maybe we could put a bell around his neck,” she muttered as she stepped inside the front door. She dropped her bag on a nearby table, then slowly began to explore the house. “Wow,” she said with a gasp. “This place is—”
“I know,” Jason said. “He did all this himself. He’s my hero. If I could do something like this, my father would think I was amazing. He’d probably talk to me again.”
“Jason, why don’t you take off. I can handle this on my own. It would probably be better if you weren’t here when Thom got back.”
“Am I fired?” Jason asked.
“No. Just reassigned. This one was always going to be tricky. It just turned out to be more difficult than I thought.”
“Tommy’s angry because he saw on the news that they’re going to trade him. He said you lied to him. Is he going to be traded?”
She shrugged. “Probably. But I’m going to make the case for him to stay if he’ll cooperate and if I can get a few more people to back me. It could be our little project.”
“Why are you doing this?”
“Because if I were the general manager of this club, I’d find a way to turn him into a hero off the ice as well as on it. He can be fixed, and I’m the one to do it. And when it’s time for me to run this club, people will remember how I saved Tommy ‘The Beast’ Quinn.”
Jason laughed. “You want to be general manager? That’s pretty funny.”
She gave him a withering glare, shaking her head. “Would you like to rethink that statement?”
“Sorry,” Jason said. “I’ll just be going.”
“Can you drive?”
He nodded. “I really am sorry. And I promise, I’ll make it up to you.”
Malin walked Jason to the front door, then locked it behind him. Leaning back against the wood, she closed her eyes and drew a deep breath. With Jason acting as a buffer, it would have been easier for her to keep a professional distance. But less than twenty-four hours after reaching an agreement with Thom, he’d broken it—and she was forced to step in. It was clear he needed a firmer hand, a more determined personality.
Malin wasn’t about to let one little bump in the road deter her. She wouldn’t stop until she’d achieved her goal. She’d tame The Beast or die trying.
Proving her worth to her father had been a lifetime challenge. Her older brothers had it easy. Hockey was a natural fit for them, and they’d played from the time they could balance on skates until they’d been brave enough to quit. The eldest, Daniel, was now a resident in cardiac surgery, and her other brother, Kristian, worked as an attorney for the US Justice Department. They had no interest in running the team. But the moment her father had called, she’d left a prestigious job in New York to take her chances with the team.
She walked back to the kitchen, taking in the details of Thom Quinn’s home. It certainly wasn’t what she’d expected. Most of the single guys on the team lived in one of the city’s luxury high-rise condos. But Thom’s home showed his artistic side. He was obviously good with his hands. Malin groaned. His hands again. She couldn’t seem to stop thinking about his hands.
She tried to refocus on his home. The place had never been profiled in any of the city’s glossy magazines, even though it deserved to be. With her media contacts, she could get an article placed in the next few months.
She wandered through the old fire station, taking in all the details, trying to imagine how a photographer might shoot it.
The cream-colored brick walls were exposed throughout the entire building, and massive wood beams supported each wall. At one time the lower level must have housed horses, because Thom had left the old sliding doors in place.
She paused just inside his bedroom door, wondering if her tour ought to stop there. She was interested in the decor, but there were too many other things that came to mind when she glanced inside his bedroom.
The room was huge, spacious and airy, with a huge bed against one wall. She took a few steps further so she could see inside his bathroom—floor-to-ceiling dark gray marble with a steam shower and a whirlpool tub. Her curiosity got the better of her, and she crossed to the line of bottles on a glass shelf beside the sink.
The cologne held a hint of citrus with a tantalizing cover of musk. She smiled as she set the bottle back in place.
“You’re the last person I expected to see here.”
Malin jumped at the sound of Thom’s voice, the bottle clattering against the glass shelf. She spun around to find him watching her from the doorway of the bathroom. He leaned casually against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest.
Malin held her breath as he slowly crossed the room to stand beside her. He stared at her in the mirror. “Jason called you?”
She nodded. “You got him drunk?”
“He did that all on his own.” Thom paused. “Besides, he wasn’t cut out for the job. He’s too young, too impressionable.”
“You got him drunk to prove a point?”
“I just couldn’t live with the guy,” Thom admitted. “He’s like a big drooling puppy. I need someone a little more interesting. More mature. With less drool.”
“All right. We’ll find someone else. I can contact an agency and they’ll send over some candidates.”
“I can think of an excellent candidate,” he said. “Perfectly qualified. Interesting to talk to. Stubbornly disciplined. Beautiful to look at.”
“You want a woman?”
He gave her a boyish grin. “I want you.” He leaned closer and grabbed her hand. “The question is, do you want me?”
She drew in a sharp breath and tried to control the pounding of her heart. This was crazy. But it could be a great opportunity. If she was with him full-time, she might have a chance at succeeding in taming The Beast.
But was he making the offer because he truly wanted her help? Or was he interested in something else? Something that had nothing to do with business or professionalism or...
Still, she had to take that chance.
“If I agree to do this, you have to do exactly what I tell you. You have to trust me completely.”
“Why should I trust you if you don’t give me the truth?” he asked.
“I told you, the team—”
“Not about that. You didn’t answer my question.” He leaned closer and she held her breath. “Do you want me?”
“The truth and you’ll trust me?”
“Exactly.”
His lips were just inches from hers, and Malin fought the impulse to close that distance and kiss him. “Yes,” she breathed.
His kiss was tentative at first, his lips just barely brushing hers. But then he slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer, and she felt the warmth of his tongue.
Malin had been kissed by a variety of men in her past, but she’d never experienced a kiss that was so perfect. Just the right mix of overwhelming passion and unspoken desire.
When he finally drew back, she couldn’t help but sigh, wishing that it might have gone on for a bit longer.
“Well?”
She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his expression cool, his lovely mouth set in a hard line. Malin cleared her throat. “It was...nice.” She swallowed hard. “Quite pleasant. But if I’m going to take the job, we can never do that again.” She snatched her hand away and rubbed her palm against her hip. “You have to promise.”
“I’ve never been very good with promises,” he said, his voice low and rough. Thom reached out and smoothed his fingertips across her cheek. “I’m tired. I need some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning.”
As he walked away, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Malin hurried after him into the bedroom. She stopped short as she watched him skim his jeans down over his hips and kick off his trainers. When he reached for the waistband of his boxer briefs, she quickly turned her back.
“If we’re going to be living together, you should probably get used to this.”
Get used to what, exactly? Malin wondered. Get used to seeing him half-naked? Get used to hanging out in his bedroom at night? Get used to wondering what it would be like if she allowed him to kiss her again? There were so many things racing through her mind, she couldn’t imagine what he meant.
“I’ll just say good night,” she murmured. “And see you in the morning.” She risked one last glance at him as she hurried out of the room. It was enough to glimpse him in all his naked glory, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist and muscular backside, before he slipped beneath the covers.
She pulled the bedroom door shut behind her, then hurried back to the living room. She stood in the center of the dimly lit room, waiting for her heartbeat to slow and her head to clear.
The image was still burned on her brain, and she sighed softly and savored it for a long moment. Then she firmly put it out of her mind.
* * *
AFTER THE EVENTS of the day, Thom assumed he’d fall into a deep sleep almost immediately. But every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts returned to the woman he’d invited into his home.
When he finally drifted off, images of Malin continued to tease at his mind. Then he awakened and realized that she was so close, close enough to call her name, close enough to find her and carry her into his bed.
Women had a very specific place in his life, a purely sexual place. He’d had a number of affairs over the years, but they’d never lasted long. Sooner or later, women realized that he never had any intention of truly opening himself up to them.
Something as simple as affection had never been present in his childhood, and he didn’t find it necessary in his adult life, either. Pure desire didn’t require romance to burn hot and intense.
Maybe Malin was right to keep their relationship on a platonic, businesslike level. He wasn’t capable of romance, and she didn’t strike him as the type who’d indulge in carnal pleasures without it. Hell, in his experience, no woman was truly happy to avoid romance in favor of simple physical pleasure.
Thom tossed aside the covers and grabbed a pair of sweatpants, tugging them up around his hips before wandering out to the kitchen. He found Malin curled up on the sofa.
He squatted down beside her and took the opportunity to study her face. He hadn’t realized how much her emotions colored her expressions. In sleep, she looked like a teenager, young and fresh-faced, a light sprinkling of freckles visible across the bridge of her nose.
He felt the familiar pull, the need to possess her, to touch her and seduce her, to prove that the desire he felt was mutual, even though she’d already admitted it was. Thom reached out and took a strand of her pale hair, rubbing it between his fingers.
She stirred slightly and he quickly stood, retreating to the kitchen. He made a pot of coffee and put breakfast on the stove. As he waited, Thom observed her from a distance. They had a whole day ahead of them. How would it end? Would they share another kiss, or would she put a quick end to his fantasies?
When the coffee was done, he poured a mug for each of them, then carried the mugs back to the sofa. He sat down next to her and set the mug in front of her nose, hoping the smell might wake her up. But Malin was obviously a deep sleeper. He tried calling her name, shaking her shoulder, tickling the bottom of her feet and pulling her hair, but nothing seemed to rouse her.
Finally, impatient, Thom gently pinched her nose shut. A few seconds later, she jerked, then waved her hand in front of her face. Thom quickly sat back and picked up the coffee mugs, clutching them in his hands.
“You’re awake,” he said, holding out the hot coffee.
Malin rubbed at her eyes and slowly sat up. Her fingers immediately went to her hair, and she ran them through the tangles before grabbing the mug with a nervous smile. “What time is it?”
“Early. Seven-thirty.”
“I fell asleep,” she murmured.
“I expected to find you curled up in front of the door.”
She smiled. “I’m not used to staying up that late. I’m usually in bed by ten.”
“Not much of a party girl?”
“I used to be,” she said with a wistful tone. “When I lived in New York, we went out all the time. But I don’t really have a lot of friends here. Most of my old friends are married and have children.”
“Same with me,” he said with a shrug.
A long silence grew between them as she sipped at her coffee. “So...so what do you do about it? I mean, how do you deal when you’re...lonely? You have family, right?”
Thom shook his head. “Sure. But we really don’t see each other that often. My brothers come to the games now and then. And we get together over the holidays at my grandmother’s place.” Thom drew a deep breath. “It’s better to be alone, I think. No complications.”
“Sometimes complications are nice,” she said softly.
He’d never been very comfortable expressing his deepest thoughts, and now was no exception. Thom wanted to try again, to make her understand. Somehow it seemed important that Malin knew exactly who he was. But he was afraid the more he talked, the more she’d start to think he was too damaged.
He quickly stood, rubbing his hands together. “So, I’ve made us breakfast. I don’t know when you need to be at work, but—”
“I don’t have to go to the office to work,” Malin said. “I can work from anywhere that has internet. But I do want to stop at home and grab a few things, like clothes and my toothbrush.”
“And I need to get a workout in and some ice time.”
“And we should talk about a plan of attack,” Malin added.
“Why are you doing this for me?” he asked, meeting her gaze.
“I thought I explained. Because the fans love you. And you belong here in Minneapolis.”
“Your father doesn’t agree.”
“He’s stubborn and a complete control freak. But I believe I can change his mind as long as you behave yourself.”
“And you’re going to see that I do?”
Malin nodded. “I’ve got a lot of ideas.”
“And you’re sure that the only way to make this work is for you to live here? With me?”
She paused. “Yes, that would be advisable. At least until I can...you know.”
“Trust me to be good?”
“Yes,” she said, tipping her chin up and meeting his gaze. “I want to help you. I think I can.”
She stood up, her body brushing against his. Their legs were caught between the coffee table and the sofa as both of them tried to avoid contact. Instead, their legs got tangled, and Malin began to lose her balance.
Thom grabbed her waist, but she was already falling backward onto the wide sofa. He landed on top of her, absorbing most of his weight with his arms. For a moment, neither one of them moved.
Their bodies seemed to fit together perfectly, as if her every curve had been sculpted especially for him. Thom reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. Their color in the low light of the morning was stunningly vivid, a pale blue.
“God, you are beautiful,” he murmured.
“I bet you say that to all the girls,” she teased.
Thom shook his head. “If I have, I’m sure I didn’t mean it...until now.”
It seemed the most natural thing to do next was to kiss her. He couldn’t seem to keep himself from touching her. But he also wanted her to trust him.
“Since we’ll be living together, perhaps we should try to defuse the...tension now,” he suggested.
“You may be right,” she breathed.
He moved slowly, giving her every chance to refuse. Nothing in her expression displayed a negative response. “Oh, hell, why not?” he muttered as he bent over her.
Thom brushed his lips against hers in a gentle test. She responded immediately. Her fingers slipped around his nape and a shiver raced through his body. Every nerve came alive and every sensation was magnified until he felt as if a simple touch could send him over the edge.
The kiss spun out like a spell around them, washing away any hesitation that either of them possessed. This was what he craved, yet until this very moment, he hadn’t known it. There was a sweet warmth in her kiss and in the way her body responded to his.
She arched against him, pressing her soft curves against his muscle and bone. And whether it was just a temporary slip or something building between them, Thom didn’t care. For now, he’d be satisfied to take anything she offered.
When he finally drew back, his gaze skimmed her perfect features. Her eyes fluttered open and she stared at him, wide-eyed and breathless. Her lips were damp and he stole one more kiss, sending her an apologetic smile.
Malin opened her mouth and he waited for a reprimand, but then she snapped it shut, her brow furrowing. Thom slowly got to his feet, then held his hand out for her. When she stood beside him, he distractedly smoothed her mussed hair and dragged his thumb across her lips. She tried to speak again, but he pressed his index finger against her mouth to stop her.
“All we were doing was defusing the tension. Now we can forget that happened. We don’t have to talk about it. You don’t have to be angry with me. We’ll let that one go by.” He started toward the kitchen. “I’ll just get breakfast.”
When he got to the kitchen, Thom opened the refrigerator and put his head inside, drawing a deep breath of the cold air. His head cleared, yet he couldn’t forget what he’d just done. Why should he? It was obvious there was a powerful attraction between them. As much as Malin might want to deny it, that didn’t change the fact it was there.
And why not act on it a bit more? Flirtation was a far cry from seduction. And Thom certainly had the self-control to stop before things got out of hand. He’d be the perfect gentleman.
“Can I help you with anything?” Malin stood at the kitchen island, her face flushed and her eyes bright.
“There’s juice in the fridge,” he said as he ladled oatmeal into two bowls. “And grab the blueberries from the freezer.”
She fetched a few more items for him, then perched on a stool, watching him silently. He glanced over his shoulder, then cursed beneath his breath. “Do you want me to apologize? I will if you want me to. But I’m not sorry I kissed you. I enjoyed it and I think you did, too.”
“I did,” she said.
“Do you want me to promise it won’t happen again? That would be another lie. It might happen. It might not. I prefer to leave my options open.”
“I thought we were defusing the...tension,” she said.
“It might need more defusing.”
He set the oatmeal in front of her, sprinkled the blueberries on top, then squeezed honey over it all. She stared down at the bowl and grimaced.
“It’s healthy,” he said. “I eat it every day.”
“It looks like wallpaper paste,” she said.
“What do you usually eat for breakfast?”
“I usually grab a candy bar from the vending machine,” she admitted.
He pulled the salmon from the oven and placed it on the counter. “Believe me, you’ll enjoy this. And you won’t be hungry again in twenty minutes.”
“You eat fish for breakfast?” she asked.
“Or chicken. You have to have some protein, too.” He chuckled. “You’d better enjoy it. It’s the only thing I know how to cook.”
Malin smiled and tasted the oatmeal. “It’s good,” she said. “Really. And I love salmon. I’ve just never eaten it for breakfast.”
Thom slipped into the spot next to her and dug into his cereal. He’d always wondered what it might be like to have a woman in his life, eating meals together, enjoying their time together, even outside the bedroom. Thom had to admit that it was a pleasant experience, preparing a meal for her, chatting as they ate.
He hadn’t seen the need for a personal assistant, but now that Malin was on board, he planned to enjoy every single moment.
* * *
“I’M REALLY NOT interested in having muscles.” Malin stared at the barbell and shook her head. “When I agreed to work out with you, I was thinking of walking a little on the treadmill, maybe doing a few stretches, and that would be it.”
Malin hadn’t explored the second floor of the firehouse the night she arrived, but when Thom had decided to work out, she’d followed him upstairs to a huge room at the back of the building. The entire rear wall was windows, bathing the hardwood floors in sunshine. The brick walls were exposed and the room was filled with high-end exercise equipment.
Thom chuckled. “Oh, come on. Don’t tell me you’re one of those.”
Malin felt warmth rise in her cheeks. “One of what?”
“A woman who doesn’t sweat?”
“I—I sweat.” She’d never claimed to be an athlete or even coordinated. Working out was not her favorite thing to do. Which was why she avoided it at all costs. “I do yoga. Two or three times a week.”
“That’s not exercise,” he said. “That’s posing in pretty outfits. You need to get your pulse up to burn calories,” Thom said. “Start breathing harder.”
“Oh, so kissing you is considered good cardio?” she shot back. Only after the words were out of her mouth did she realize she’d said them out loud. A quick change of subject was in order. “Do you think I’m fat?” she asked.
He held out his hand. “Hold on. Let’s rewind to that first thing you said.”
“No, answer my question. I can take it. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with honesty.” She looked down at her body, smoothing her hands over her hips. “Am I fat?”
He stared at her for a long moment, then shook his head. Slowly he approached her, his gaze locked on hers, a smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. “Are you fat? Hmm. Well, let me see. Turn around.”
Malin groaned inwardly. Was he actually going to answer the question? Oh, God, if the kiss comment wasn’t enough of a humiliation, now her physical imperfections were about to be pointed out in great detail. Well, she had said she could take it.
He stood behind her, and she waited for his verdict. But when she felt his hands slip around her waist, her breath caught in her throat. He splayed his fingers and then slid them down to her hips. A tiny gasp of surprise was all she could manage when he cupped her backside.
She slowly turned and faced him, her expression as calm as she could manage. “Well?”
“I haven’t finished my examination,” he teased. His hands found her waist again, but this time they moved up until his thumbs stopped at the curves of her breasts. Malin’s pulse leaped and for a moment, she couldn’t catch her breath. Would he touch her there?
“You’re perfect,” he said. “Perfect.” With that, Thom walked away and grabbed a pair of dumbbells from the rack. He began to work on his biceps, watching his reflection in the mirror.
Malin walked over to the treadmill, glancing at him every now and then. She stepped onto the machine, her body still tingling from the aftereffects of his touch. It hadn’t taken much to get her heart racing. Maybe if she exercised a bit, her body wouldn’t react to him in such a disturbing way.
Who was she kidding? Wasn’t this supposed to be how it went when you met an impossibly attractive man? Never mind the physical reactions. She was having more problems with her mind—the endless fantasies, the lack of coherent thought when he was in the room, the ability to relive every single moment of their last intimate encounter.
Maybe exercise could mitigate the physical problems, but she’d need to cut off her own head to take care of the rest. “Just focus,” she muttered as she struggled to turn on the treadmill.
She punched the buttons and the display lit up, but the belt wasn’t moving. Then she noticed the safety switch and pushed the plastic card into the slot. The treadmill yanked her backward, pulling her off balance.
Malin screamed as she was tossed off the treadmill, her arms flailing and her feet over her head. Before she hit the floor, she hit the corner of the weight bench. A searing pain on the crown of her head caused her to cry out again.
Thom was beside her in an instant. “Are you all right?”
Groaning, she pushed up on her elbow and touched her head gingerly. “I—I just slipped.”
He stood up and switched off the treadmill. “You had it set for five miles an hour.”
“Yeah? I guess that was my mistake.” Her fingertips felt damp, and she looked at her hand to find her fingers dripping with blood. The room closed in on her, and Malin knew she was about to pass out. The sight of blood had always...been...her kryptonite...
