most natural thing in the world, as if he hadn’t even thought about it before acting on the impulse.
“Feel better?”
“Not really. Can you do it again?” It was only after the words left her mouth that she realized what she’d said. He’d wanted to know if she felt better about the security system not if the kiss made her feel better.
“I’ll try,” Liam said. He slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her toward him. The instant his lips touched hers, Ellie’s limbs went weak, her heart fluttered in her chest and she thought she might just hyperventilate.
It was clear from the way he brought his mouth down on hers that Liam Quinn was a very accomplished kisser. She tried not to think about all the women he must have kissed to get so good at it, yet she had to give credit for what they’d contributed to his rather formidable talent.
His tongue slipped along the crease of her lips and Ellie took it as an invitation to open her mouth. When she did, he deepened the kiss, and suddenly she realized just how unprepared for this she was. Desire snaked through her body, coiling in the pit of her stomach. This was need like she’d never felt it before, a deep physical ache that only seemed to be exacerbated by his taste and his touch.
Ellie smoothed her hands over his broad chest, her fingers searching the contours of flesh and bone. He was perfect, more perfect than she deserved, and Ellie wondered at the luck that had brought him running into her apartment that night. She wasn’t about to question it, and instead decided to revel in it. A girl like her usually didn’t get a chance with a guy like Liam.
He slowly pulled away, stealing one last kiss before he spoke. “I have to go,” he murmured.
Ellie’s heart sank. She’d imagined that she could continue kissing him for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night.
“I have to go photograph a rally outside Faneuil Hall,” he continued, brushing his lips over hers. “It has something to do with…sweatshop labor in…Third World countries.”
“That’s a serious problem,” Ellie murmured, pushing up on her toes and kissing him again.
“The
“I have to type up a few more letters and send out some resumes,” Ellie said. “And I’m going over to the library to get online. I thought I’d post my resume with a few of the sites on the Web.”
“How’s the job hunt going?” Liam asked.
“Not great. I’ve hit all the major banks in Boston and now I’m going to have to start on the minor ones. I’ve had four years in banking but maybe I should consider a change. I could get my C.P.A. and work for an accounting firm. Or maybe find a position with a small business.”
“You’ll find something,” Liam said, reaching out to smooth his hand along her cheek. “You’re smart and you’re capable and you’re awfully pretty to look at.”
“And if you kiss me again, I promise to believe that,” Ellie murmured.
He did as he was told, then grabbed his jacket and bid her goodbye, promising to call her later that evening. Ellie closed the door behind him and smiled. She touched her lips, still damp from his kiss, then tried to remember exactly how wonderful it felt. Later on, she could summon that memory and relish it all over again.
It felt good to be kissed again. And touched and held. Though she’d tried so hard to resist him, Ellie had known going in that she’d once again be putting her heart at risk. And now that feeling was even more acute. She was falling hard and fast for Liam Quinn and she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was that made him so irresistible, but he had a certain charm that she found incredibly attractive. He always knew just the right thing to say, yet he never tried too hard. There were moments when she felt as if he was madly in love with her and then other times when he’d pull away and keep her guessing. It was like a little dance between them, each advancing and retreating at different times, trying to read the subtleties in every word and action.
She’d come to Boston to get away from her rather disastrous history with men. And then, against all odds, she’d stumbled across the man who very well could be the man of her dreams. Ellie hurried over to her bookshelf and ran her fingers along the rows of books until she found what she wanted.
She settled down on the sofa, tucking her feet up underneath her. Now that she’d found him, Ellie would have to figure out how to keep him. Maybe the book would have some good advice.
THE IMAGE appeared slowly, the grays intensifying as Liam swirled the photo around in the developer. This was the best part of photography, he mused. That moment of anticipation, waiting to see what the camera had captured.
He’d shut himself in the darkroom that occupied the spare bedroom in the apartment, ready to catch up on some film he’d taken a few weeks before. After all, there wasn’t much he could do once Ellie went to sleep. She was safe inside her apartment, the security system set to warn her of any intruders. But instead of grabbing the film he’d taken of children playing on Boston Common, he’d grabbed the roll he’d taken that first night in the attic.
An outline of a figure appeared first on the photo paper and then more and more detail. “Come on, sweetheart,” he murmured. “Show yourself.” He’d taken the photo that first night and until now hadn’t thought about developing it. But after a week of Ellie, the curiosity had been too much to resist.
He pulled the photo out of the developer and slipped it into the stop bath, then sat on a stool and stared at the image. Lord, she was beautiful. He’d caught her in a moment when she’d been completely vulnerable, her hair tousled around her face, her incredible body draped in a silk robe, the fabric falling over delicious curves, her head turned slightly to the side.
His gaze focused on her mouth as he moved the photo to the fixer fluid. The memory of their kiss flooded his brain, the feel of her lips beneath his, and the taste of her, warm and sweet. Need snaked through his body, from his brain to his gut, and Liam groaned softly. Hell, he hadn’t wanted to kiss her. In truth, he’d been fighting it for all he was worth. But Liam had never been a guy to ignore his instincts and Ellie’s mouth had been just too tempting to resist.
He tried to rationalize his attraction to her and the only thing he could come up with was that she was forbidden fruit. The fact that he shouldn’t want her made her even more impossible to resist. And then there was that photo Sean had shown him, the prim and proper banker. He’d seen the other side and Liam suspected that there was a very passionate woman hidden beneath the accountant exterior.
“This has got to stop,” Liam muttered, rubbing a knot of tension from the back of his neck. Ellie Thorpe was a dangerous woman to want. Besides, this was just a job. And the kiss they’d shared had been part of the job, a ploy to get her to trust him and to confide in him.
A knock sounded on the door of the darkroom. His brother wasn’t supposed to be home for another day or two. “Sean?” he called.
“It’s Brian. I’m looking for Sean.”
Liam sighed and dropped the photo in the water bath. “He’s out of town. Hartford, I think. On a case.”
“Can I come in?”
“Yeah,” Liam called. “It’s all right.”
Liam pulled the door open. As always, Brian was immaculately dressed. A well-tailored wardrobe had become part of his rising profile in Boston. Brian was the most popular investigative reporter at WBTN-TV. His face was plastered on billboards all around town and he could be seen every few nights on the eleven o’clock news, reporting on some scandal about to rock the city. Right now, with his tie draped around his neck and his collar unbuttoned, he’d obviously finished with work for the night.
“Jeez, you look like hell,” Brian commented.
“Thanks. Coming from a guy like you, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Brian stepped into the glow of the red safelight that illuminated the darkroom. He looked around, like the reporter he was, always searching for something to pique his interest. “What do you need?” Liam asked.
Brian shrugged, the shoulders of his tailored suit rising then falling. “I’m working on a story. I needed Sean to track someone down for me.”
“He’s busy with a divorce case. I’m picking up the slack for him.”
“What are you working on?” Brian asked.
Liam glanced down at the photo of Ellie still swirling in the water. Brian followed his gaze. “Who is she?”
