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“Ho-ly smokes.” She’d really done it. And the doin’ it had been So. Damn. Good. She lifted the blanket to look down at her body. Same body she saw in the mirror every single day, and yet now it was imprinted with dirty memories of Quinn, like invisible tattoos. She hoped they weren’t those press-on tattoos that would wash off in the shower.
She settled back under the covers just so she could lie there and grin at the ceiling. It might have been awkward if he’d stayed. It might have been weird. But now she could just wallow in her self-satisfaction.
Funny, how horny a girl could get while wallowing. And she didn’t quite have to be up yet, so Lori thought about Quinn ordering her around in bed and touched herself. It didn’t take long. A quick replay of him holding her wrists down and Lori was biting her lip and shaking against her own hand. God, the man was magic even when he wasn’t here.
Worried she’d fall asleep again, Lori forced herself up and floated to the bathroom. Of course, the bathroom made her think of Quinn, too, and she smiled at the pink tiles while she waited for the water to heat. Maybe he’d do her in here. Or maybe he’d be distracted by the wallpaper. Okay, no bathroom sex.
Still smiling, she caught sight of herself in the mirror and let out a horrified scream. Sure, her curls were usually messy in the morning, but this was a new level of chaos. The last image Quinn had from their night together was a crazed, naked bushwoman waving goodbye. Yikes.
She jumped in the shower and tamed the curls with hot water. Hopefully he’d been in too much of a hurry to notice.
By the time she’d dressed and had breakfast, Lori’s feet were firmly on the ground, but she still felt strong and invincible as she stepped down to the garage and hit the button to open the bay doors. As the metal doors rumbled up, Lori put her shoulders back. She wasn’t going to run from her problems today. Today, she’d take control.
Like clockwork, Joe strolled in at exactly 8:00 a.m.
“Can I talk to you for a second?” she asked.
“Sure. What’s up?”
“What is it about my dad’s land that’s so great?”
Joe frowned and leaned against the counter, his graying eyebrows meeting in a V behind smudged glasses. “Well, it’s perfect for fishing, the way the river widens out there and slows down a bit. It’s quiet. There’s only that one house that borders the land. There’s a great flat area for building. Why? Are you worried I won’t offer you a fair price?”
“No, but…why do you think I wouldn’t want to keep it for myself? Build a cabin. Settle in.”
“Lori,” Joe scolded, crossing his arms. “You can’t do that.”
“Why?”
“You’ve got to get out of here, girl. Go back to college.”
“There are bills and—”
Joe cut his hand through the air. “You know your dad didn’t want this for you. Yes, you’ve got bills and this place here isn’t worth much with all the cleanup that needs to be done out back. That river land is all you’ve got. Sell it now and pay off the bills and move on, Lori. For your father.”
Anger overrode the tears that were burning in her throat. Everything Joe said was true. She knew that. But the truth of them didn’t make the math work.
“Unless that land is worth a hell of a lot more than you can afford, then Ican’tget out, damn it. Do you know how much his hospital stays and rehabilitation cost? Do you know what ten years’ worth of day nursing adds up to? The hospital bed? The medical supplies? The prescriptions? The ambulance trips when he got infections? The physical therapy? Medicare doesn’t cover the best care, Joe, it only covers the bare minimum. I couldn’t give my dad the minimum, and I have to pay for the rest myself.”
Joe rubbed a hand over his face, the calluses rasping over his stubbled chin. She thought she saw the glint of tears in his eyes. “I know. I’m so sorry. But if you sell out now, it’ll be a start. You don’t belong here, Lori.”
Fear shivered through her. Fear and hurt and anger. Where the hell did everyone think she belonged then? Not here, but where? Shit, all her happy confidence was gone. Poking at old wounds would do that to you, even after the best sex of your life. But she took a deep breath and waded back into dark water.
“I want to sell to you, honestly. But I can’t sell this land until I know what it’s really worth.”
He shook his head. “What do you mean? Haven’t you had it appraised? I’ll give you fair value for it.”
“I know you will. But there’s something else going on.”
Joe’s eyes grew round behind his glasses. “Does this have something to do with the chief calling here yesterday?”
“No, it’s just—”
“Lori, if there’s something going on, you need to tell me about it. Your dad’s not around to protect you, and you’re like a daughter to me.”
She bit back her guilt. “There’s nothing you need to worry about. I’m just confused because I’ve gotten calls from a few developers who want to talk about that land, too.”
He pushed away from the counter and stood straight. “Are you kidding me?”
