future with him.
But he did know one thing. He was fast falling in love with Olivia Farrell, with her beautiful eyes and her incredible body, with her stubbornness and with her vulnerability. With the way she made him shiver with anticipation. He slipped his hand beneath the hair at the nape of her neck and slowly drew her back to him, covering her mouth with his. The blood rushed hot through his veins and his pain was forgotten as he rolled her over beneath him.
His mouth ached to taste her, his fingers craved the feel of her skin. Slowly, Conor explored her body with both, gently arousing her desire then letting it ebb. He wanted this to last as long as it possibly could, for Conor wasn’t sure they’d have this chance again. But the more he touched her, the more irresistible she became.
Conor wasn’t sure at what moment they reached the point of no return. Perhaps it was when she stood beside the berth and slipped out of her jeans. Or maybe it was when he cast aside his boxers. But by the time she’d retrieved a condom from Brendan’s bedside table and slipped it over his hard shaft, he was certain he was lost.
She straddled his hips, then slowly sank down, taking all of him, to the hilt. For a long moment, Olivia didn’t move, her eyes closed, her head tipped back. Conor’s jaw went tight as the sight of her alone almost brought him to his peak and he realized that he’d relinquished all control. She was the seducer and he was the seduced.
As if caught in a dream, Olivia started to move above him, rocking slowly at first and then increasing her rhythm. It took all his willpower to wait, to tease and touch, to grasp her waist and slow her movement, until she was ready to join him. He waited for the signs, the soft sighs, the shallow gasps of breath that marked each thrust, the subtle tensing of her body.
And when she was ready, he touched her once more, at the spot where they were joined. She stilled, and then he felt her tighten around him in an exquisite spasm. She murmured his name, once, and then again, and then Conor let himself go, arching into her.
Waves of sensation shattered them both, leaving them breathless, a sheen of perspiration the only thing separating skin from skin. And when it was over and they’d both drifted back from the edges of passion, she curled up in his arms and closed her eyes.
He knew this time it had been different. They’d shared something that he’d never shared with a woman before, an intimacy so deep and stirring that it caused his heart to beat more strongly and his mind to sharpen. She’d broken through a barrier and touched his heart and, in that instant, he knew what it would be like to love a woman, so deeply that it defied reason.
Conor closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but he was afraid that when he woke up, she’d have slipped away in the night, like a dream. He turned his face into her hair and inhaled the scent, then ran his hand along her thigh. She was real and the pleasure they’d shared was real.
He didn’t want to let her go. Not now. Not ever.
OLIVIA WOKE sometime in the early morning hours, confused at first by her surroundings. Then she heard Conor’s soft, even breathing and the tiny edge of fear dissolved. She was safe, wrapped in his arms. For a long time, she watched his naked chest rising and falling, slowly, steadily. The lines of tension that had bracketed his mouth and eyes were finally gone and she gently smoothed her fingers over his face as if to erase the last traces of pain.
A wave of emotion washed over her. How had she grown so attached to this man in such a short time? They’d known each other less than seventy-two hours, yet she felt as if she’d already spent a lifetime with him. Circumstances had thrown them together, given them a common enemy and forced a trust that might have taken years to build, but in reality had taken no more than a day.
He had a beautiful body, lean and hard, smooth skin covering carved muscle. His broad shoulders and chest tapered to a flat belly and narrow hips. It had been so long since she’d been intimate with a man that Olivia had forgotten what the sight of the male form could do to her resolve.
Still, making love after such a short time wasn’t really her habit with men. But Conor was different. She trusted him with her life, why not trust him with her body? Though she’d only known him for a few days, that had been enough for her to see that he was a good man, an honorable man. And no matter what the future held for them, she was sure she’d never regret her choice.
But then again, she didn’t really have a choice. The first time Conor had touched her she’d been lost. What had happened between them was inevitable and so were the feelings that came with it. She tried to convince herself that she could separate sex from love-and maybe she could have with another man. But with Conor, her feelings were so intense, so undeniable, that she couldn’t tell where love began and sex left off.
For the next ten days, they’d live together in a world of their own making. And when it was time to go back to the real world, she’d have to deal with the consequences. Until then, she’d cherish every touch and every kiss.
Olivia drew a deep breath, then let it out slowly. The scent of coffee drifted through the chill morning air and she squinted in the low morning light to read her watch. “Six a.m.,” she murmured. Though she wanted to wake Conor with languid kisses and tempting caresses, to rediscover the passion they’d shared the night before, she knew he needed his rest.
She slowly rolled out of bed, careful not to disturb him. Piece by piece, she plucked her clothes off the floor and got dressed. She slipped out of the forward cabin and into the bathroom-or the “head” as Brendan had called it. After brushing her teeth with her fingers and raking her hands through her tangled hair, she ventured out to the main cabin, craving a hot cup of coffee.
Olivia expected to find Brendan up and about, but she walked into an entire cabinful of men. They all had gathered around the table, each of them with a steaming mug of coffee. Even Tommy was there, perched on a shelf and accepting small treats of table scraps. She paused, then smoothed her hands over her sweater. “Good morning,” she murmured, wondering if the events of last night were evident in her appearance.
Brendan pushed up from the table and smiled warmly. “Hey, Olivia. How’s the patient doing?”
She glanced back over her shoulder. “He’s still sleeping,” she replied. “I-I think he’s feeling…fine.” She felt a warm blush creep up her cheeks. He was better than just fine, she mused. He was incredibly gentle and intensely passionate. And after a night in bed with him, she felt exhausted and exhilarated at the same time.
“I don’t think you know everyone here. You met Dylan a few nights ago.” He pointed to the youngest man at the table. “This is Liam. And across from him are Sean and Brian.”
Olivia frowned. All of Conor’s brothers resembled each other with their dark hair and their unusual hazel eyes. But Sean and Brian looked almost identical. “Twins?” she asked.
They nodded in unison. Olivia had been an only child but had always wondered about the bonds between siblings. They must care for Conor very much to leap to his aid so quickly. Somehow, she knew she’d come to no harm as long as the Quinn brothers were standing behind her.
“Come on,” Brendan said. “Have some coffee. Liam brought donuts and muffins. I hope you don’t mind- I fed your cat.”
Olivia found a place between the twins. Tommy watched her with wide eyes. She’d never considered her cat very sociable, but he seemed right at home among all these men. She noticed the empty tuna can on the table. Either Conor’s brothers had unusual tastes in breakfast food, or they’d been spoiling her cat rotten.
Brendan set a mug of coffee in front of her and she picked it up, grateful for the warmth. The brothers all stared at her, as if she were some kind of bizarre lab specimen and she shifted uneasily, not sure what to say.
“So, what do you do?” Dylan inquired. “I mean, when you and Conor aren’t dodging bullets?”
His teasing tone was so like Conor’s that Olivia immediately felt a level of comfort that she shouldn’t have felt among strangers. “I sell antiques. I have a small shop over on Charles Street.” She took a sip of her coffee. “That’s how this all started. My partner was laundering money for a mobster.”
“And how is it, living twenty-four seven with our Conor?” Sean asked.
“It’s nice,” Olivia said.
Brian chuckled. “Nice. Con?”
“He’s not bad. He takes good care of me. Sometimes he gets a little impatient, but that’s only because he’s concerned for my safety. And I-”
“What are you boys up to?”
They all turned to find Conor standing at the far end of the cabin. He’d managed to pull on a pair of jeans but hadn’t bothered with the top button. His hair was tousled and the bandage was stark white against his rib
