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“I want to make you a proper island dress first. I’m thinking coconut shells over your boobs and a grass skirt.”
“For Halloween maybe!” Shelley said as they both laughed. “Although…I was wearing the honeymoon dress you made me when I met Quinn.”
“No, you weren’t. You were buck naked.”
“Oh God, yes. You’re right. I was completely naked when he first saw me.” Heat flooded her cheeks again, even though just last night he’d stripped away her clothes and given her unbelievable pleasure. Tonight, thankfully, held promises of even more. So much more that, for a moment, she lost her breath just imagining the hard, heavy thrill of Quinn moving over her. Into her.
“I’m so excited that you’re doing this, Shell. You’re the only friend I have who’s brave enough to create her own destiny. I love getting to live vicariously through you.”
They continued to chat as she walked back to her cottage, where Shelley was surprised to find a note taped to her door. She untaped the folded paper and a business card fell to the ground. She picked it up as she read the handwritten note that accompanied it.
Shell,
I was thinking of you this morning and stopped by the Realtor’s office to check on the house on the dunes. I checked with her and the house is still for rent. I went to school with her, so you can mention my name if you want, although it may not carry any weight. I was also really hoping to see you and sneak in a kiss before I get back to slogging through contracts. But now I have no idea how I'll focus on a damn thing when what I really want is to have you in my arms. I can’t wait to see you tonight.
—Quinn
She sank down to the porch step, thinking, not for the first time, about how thoughtful Quinn was. The idea that he’d reached out to the Realtor to help her make the transition to the island easier was beyond anything she’d ever expect anyone to do, much less someone as busy as him.
Quinn had been such a wonderful surprise her first two days on the island. At least, until his ignoring her for his phone call had cut her right where it hurt. But then he’d surprised her over and over, not only with countless heartfelt apologies…but also by freely giving his extremely limited time to her again and again. And by sharing himself with her, not just his kisses and the sweetest pleasure she’d ever known, but his feelings, too.
You’re the first person, the only person, who has not only obliterated thoughts of work, Shelley…but also made my heart pound like this.
As his words from this morning resonated in her head and she looked down at his note, it felt to her that their connection had touched Quinn as deeply as it had taken root in her. And as she thought through her emotions, she was aware of the faith she had in him, faith like she’d had with only two other people in her entire life—Aunt Marla and Taryn. But this felt even stronger.
Because the truth that she could no longer deny—a truth that she no longer felt like she needed to deny for any reason, not out of wariness or to try to keep her heart safe—was that Quinn was the piece of herself she never knew was missing, too. When she was with him, she knew he accepted her for who she was, quirks and all.
Plus, she thought as she lifted her fingertips to her lips, his kisses were utterly addicting. Heck, every inch of him was addicting, with everything bursting into brilliant color every time he touched her.
“Hello? Earth to Shelley.”
“Oh, sorry, Taryn. Quinn left me a note. He said he came by to give me the number for the Realtor handling the cottage I want to rent.” And for a kiss. One she also couldn’t wait to have.
Tonight couldn’t come soon enough. Especially since this time she had no intention of ending the night early.
“I know I told you just to go out and have fun this week,” Taryn said, “but Quinn is becoming more to you than just an island fling, isn’t he?”
Shelley didn’t so much as pause before telling her cousin exactly what was in her heart. “Much more, T. So much more.”
Chapter Seventeen
QUINN IGNORED THE first knock on his suite door that afternoon. He should have had his feedback on the contracts for the merger in Rich’s hands yesterday. Taking time to meet with his family and then meeting Shelley for fireworks at the cove would mean that he’d have to work through the night to get the information to his business partner by the morning.
Though he knew getting his work done was important, he’d missed spending the afternoon with Shelley and bantering with his siblings, even if it was only for a few minutes here and there. He realized that he might have even missed seeing his grandfather for a few minutes, strange as that was to admit to himself. The old man wasn’t exactly warm or loving, but as cold as Chandler was, he’d always been a stable force in the Rockwell family. Quinn couldn’t actually remember his grandfather ever not being there. He may have been standing stoic-faced in the background, but he was there for Quinn’s graduations, for his boating races, for every meaningful event when he was growing up.
