Undercover Heat [Men of Iron Horse 3] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  He smiled. “I blame you for that.”

  “Me?” she asked, wiggling against him to try to get free. “What did I do to corrupt you?”

  He eyed her mouth and she froze at the hunger in his eyes she could feel more than see. “How do you not know? From the second I saw you, you’ve done everything to drive me mad.”

  “I have not,” she argued.

  “Yes, you have,” he countered. “Every time I came to the bar, your skirts got shorter and your blouses lower. And when you brought me back to the storeroom, I was sure it was a dream. How else was it possible that a woman as beautiful as you wanted me?”

  “I bet you say that—”

  Before she could finish, he kissed her, framing her face with his hands to keep her from breaking the kiss. As if he had to worry about that. She craved the heat from his mouth, the warm moisture that teased her to no end. He parted from her, placing his forehead against hers.

  “I don’t know what you think about me, but a man who sleeps around and drops flattery for fucks is not me. I don’t know how else to say this to you, Brynn, but I want you even after I’ve had you. I think about you all the time. Your hazel eyes, your red hair and lips, your legs that stretch on for miles, your feminine curves, the softness of your body, and every damn thing. Including your brusque attitude that so full of fire, it only adds to how sexy you are.”

  She huffed out a disbelieving breath. “I think you’ve lost your mind.”

  “I have, and again, I blame you.”

  Chapter Nine

  Brynn frowned, unease over his words consuming her face. Quinn sensed her discomfort and he moved away to flip the burgers. A conversation change was in order. “There’s this fucktard at the motorcycle shop I’ve been working at. He’s a young kid who thinks he knows everything. I honestly thought I was going to punch him in the face today.”

  Brynn hopped up to sit on the counter on the other side of him. “Why? What happened?”

  He faced her, liking that she showed interest. He also liked that she wasn’t hurling things at his head for digging into matters he probably would be wise to avoid. “He apparently didn’t need my help on a bike and I was stepping on his toes.”

  “Maybe he fears you’re going to outshine him?”

  He shrugged. “Or he’s an asshole and needs to be punched in the face.”

  She laughed softly. “There’s that, too.”

  He wasn’t sure why the confrontation with Randy bugged him so much, but it did. The kid acted so strange around him. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s me.”

  “Oh, it’s definitely you. I personally can vouch for how annoying you are.”

  Her playful smile was a welcomed sight. “Your face brightens when you smile.”

  She tried to wipe the smile from her face, but couldn’t. He shook his head. “See, I’m growing on you.”

  Arching a brow, she pressed her lips together. “You are … sort of like a fungus.”

  “Tease all you want, sweetheart,” he said, flipping the burgers again and moving to put the fries in the fryer. “I’ll have the last laugh. You’ll see.”

  When he faced her with his ear-to-ear smile, she looked irritated and stiffened her spine. Her heated temper only made her more attractive. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You’ll find out soon enough.”

  She wouldn’t be able to resist him for long. Already, he was breaking down her walls. He knew it. Her softening gaze told him as much. But it was the way she tried to keep from smiling that said the most. She liked him and that was what he wanted to see. Sex was better when there was a connection to the other person.

  “More games?” she asked, her tone dry.

  “Nope. No need for games. With me, what you see is what you get and I think you like what you see.”

  “You really are full of yourself.”

  He chuckled. “I know, right?”

  She laughed. “Are the burgers almost done? I’m starving.”

  “Yep. I’m just about to take them off. Can you toast the buns?”

  She did as he placed cheese on the patties. “I hope you like cheese,” he said, cringing a bit since he hadn’t asked first.

  “I love cheese.”

  A sigh of relief settled over him. “I’m glad,” he told her. “Or I would’ve just jacked up your burger.”

  Her eyes widened, as if horrified by the idea of a bad burger. “I would never consider sharing another meal with you again, if you had.”

  She placed the toasted bun on the plates in front of her and he followed it up with the burgers. “But you clearly want to share more meals with me.”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “But you did,” he corrected her. “Your meal is perfect and that means you want to eat with me again.”

  The alarm for the fries rang out and he moved to lift them up out of the fryer. Shaking the excess oil off, he dumped them into the basket she’d placed to the side for them to use. When he finished, he caught her staring at him.

  “What?”

  She shook her head, darting her eyes to the burger beside her.

  “Don’t give me that. You’re looking at me like you want me to do something naughty to you right this second.”

  She laughed. “You would assume that.”

  “I can’t help it,” he said, closing the distance between them. “I’ve seen that look twice and both times we slept together.”

  A pink tint filled her cheeks.

  “Don’t worry, Brynn. I’m not the clingy type, but I will treat you right. So stop stressing over our future marriage proposal and just enjoy your burger and my company.”

  She gaped. “Do you understand what saying future marriage proposal does to someone who never wants to be married?”

  He sank his teeth into his burger. It was awesome. Swallowing, he asked her, “Why is that? I’m sure you have a ton of guys knocking on your door, wanting to go out with you. Why aren’t you married?”

  She bit into her burger and chewed longer than he thought was normal. Her eyes moved in every direction, but at him.

  “Were you married before?”

  She choked on the burger she was eating. He grabbed her, offering her a bottle of water from the counter. “Are you all right?”

  “I’m good.” She righted herself. “And no I’ve never been married. I don’t like the idea of a man controlling a woman. I don’t like the idea of a man telling a woman what she can and can’t do. It’s not right. A woman has her own mind and shouldn’t have to feel inferior to a man.”

  He scowled, sensing a bit more of why she was adamant about not getting involved or spending more than just sex time with him. She feared getting hurt. Shit, everyone did. He did. But there was still something more to her than just that. “Is that what you think marriage is?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Does it matter?”

  “Yeah, it does,” he said sharply. “Marriage doesn’t have to be that way. My parents were so hot for each other I wanted to burn out my eyes most days. It was kind of gross for a kid to see his father kiss his mother every morning like it was their first time. He held her every night he came home from work, no matter how exhausted he was. They were partners. While my father was the head of the household, he respected my mother and valued her opinion. I’m sure that it wasn’t always roses and sunshine, but I never saw her unhappy with him. Not once.” Had life been different for her? Had her parents not shared a love like his? He might not be a man craving a wife and kids, but he still knew a happy marriage with a woman he loved was possible. Just not presently. “Were your folks happily married?”

  * * * *

  Brynn’s family had been picture perfect. She was the one who couldn’t seem to find the happiness they had. The problem was clearly with her.

  “They were disgustingly in love,” she admitted. “As a kid, I always wanted that.”

  “What changed?”

  She shrugged. “I grew up and saw dating and lov
e for what it really was.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “A joke,” she said just before biting into a fry.

  She felt his eyes on her and cast a quick glance his way. When she looked at him, he asked, “Do you have personal experience in the matter?”

  She grimaced. “You could say that.”

  “I haven’t had the greatest track record either,” he shared. “My love life has been less than impressive.”

  “But you’re a guy. It’s different for you.”

  “How so?”

  The pit in her stomach was about to swallow her whole. Discussing her past failed love life was the last thing she wanted to do. Remembering how awful that time had been would only upset her. “Do you always annoy people so easily?”

  He laughed. “No, but apparently I have that skill with you?”

  “Yes, you do.” She smiled.

  Releasing a breath of air, he said, “So … have I ruined my chance to see you again?”

  “And if I said yes, what would that mean to you?”

  “I’d understand. But I wouldn’t like it.”

  Curiosity plagued her. “And if I said no, what would that mean to you?”

  A light flickered in his eyes. “I’d want to take you bowling.”

  She laughed. “Bowling?”

  A long sigh burst from him and his eyes batted at her with teasing excitement. “Oh, I love bowling. It’s a game of total skill.”

  She hadn’t gone bowling with anyone in years. Her parents were on a league when she was a kid and she’d sit back and watch them have so much fun. “Are you any good?” she asked, wondering if he was going to annihilate her.

  “I suck ass,” he confessed, snickering at himself. “But I bet we’d have fun.”

  The laughter that moved from her throat warmed her heart. She wanted to go with him, wanted to enjoy herself. The connection that sparked between them was leaving it difficult to refuse.

  “It just so happens that I don’t work tomorrow evening,” she told him, moving to toss her plate in the sink.

  Quinn followed her. “That’s so weird. I don’t either. Is it possible that you were meant to go out with me tomorrow night?”

  She faced him, his chest practically bumping into hers as he closed in on her. Placing her hand on his chest, she held him back and gazed up at him. “No more talk about anything that could be taken the wrong way or—shit, I just don’t want to talk about dating, marriage, or anything like that. Okay?”

  “Is it safe to talk about how much I’d like to have you bent over this counter?” he rasped, nuzzling her neck, his strong hands cradling her hips and buttocks.

  Heat moved from her center and blazed along every nerve ending in her body. Chemistry was a bitch and they had it. Even if she wanted to run the other way, which half the time she did, it was too hard to deny her body what it so desperately craved.

  Him.

  “Y-yes,” she stammered, arching her throat back to give him better access to her flesh.

  Each place his lips grazed sent fire blazing through her veins. Her nipples beaded against his chest as he pulled her close, capturing her against him in a fierce embrace.

  “I could do this all day,” he told her, his eyes seeking hers. “I’d like to do this all day.”

  She licked her lips, wanting the same thing.

  “But then she wouldn’t get paid and she’d have to move in with you,” Zerina said with a snicker. “Don’t tell me, you’re trying to christen each room in the bar. Storeroom. Check. Kitchen. Check.” Brynn glared at her. “What?”

  Quinn chuckled. “Your co-worker’s annoying and has terrible timing,” he muttered, lowering his voice so only she could hear. “I want to continue this later. I’ll be at my place when you get off work. Come by and don’t give me that shit about not wanting to sleep over. Technically, it will be tomorrow morning, so it doesn’t count.”

  Her instincts were to immediately argue a big fat no, but she couldn’t. His lips overtop of hers, kissing her in a way that had her senseless, prevented her from doing so. Not to mention the warm, buttery sensation rising up from her chest as he cupped her face and held her close.

  “No excuses, Brynn. Not this time. I don’t have to work. I want you and I want to go bowling. Don’t deny me the chance to look horribly pathetic in front of you.”

  She smiled, confused by need, reasonable thought, and a deep desire to see him that way. She closed her eyes for a moment, sucking in a calming breath. When she opened her eyes, she nearly drowned in the pools of his alluring stare. A quiver rocked her and she gave in. “Fine. Your house in the morning. I’m sleeping on the couch though. No intimate snuggling after the fact.” She poked him in the chest. “Got it.”

  His lopsided grin told her he wasn’t about to agree to anything and she was only a fool to think she was going to win against him. Time and again, he was the one driving them and she wasn’t doing more than letting him. Strangely, that didn’t bother her as much as it should’ve.

  “Go. Get out of here. I need to work.”

  He kissed her once more and left. Zerina’s smirk annoyed her. “What?” she barked, turning away from her to clean up their mess before the bar opened.

  “You really like this guy?”

  Tension took hold in Brynn’s shoulders. “I’m fucking him. There’s a difference.”

  Zerina laughed. “Right. That, too.”

  Pausing, she inclined her head toward Zerina. “What does that mean?”

  “You’ve never had a guy come to the bar before. Never been with a guy more than once that I know of.”

  “So?”

  Zerina slid up alongside her, placing her arm over her shoulders. “You, my friend, like that man more than you want to admit.” She raised her hands as if to block her words. “Trust me. I get it. But I saw it with my own eyes. You like him. And I don’t blame you.” She blew out a long, exaggerated whistle. “He’s hot.”

  She playfully elbowed her friend. “Whatever. It’s just sex.”

  “And apparently dinner, too,” she reminded her.

  Pretty soon her life would return to normal and Quinn would be a thing of the past. Right now, he was fun and yes, very hot. She liked that he wanted her, liked that he seemed to crave her just as much as she craved him. She was going to do something she hadn’t done in a long time—, enjoy herself with a man and ignore the whispering warning echoing in her head.

  Sex, dinner, and bowling, here I come …

  Chapter Ten

  When Brynn’s delicate hands and arms circled around him as he lay in his bed, Quinn couldn’t help but smile. She’d come to him. He wasn’t sure that she would, but she had, and that made him happier than he ever expected. But it wasn’t her hands and arms that surprised him as much as it was the warmth from her naked body pressed against his.

  Opening his eyes, he rolled to his back, pulling her over top of him. She tore open the condom she held, as he shoved his boxers down enough to free his cock. Then, she slipped the latex over his lengthening shaft, straddled him, and took him deep. He groaned as she rolled her hips, riding him at a pace that had her eyes closing and her head falling back. Her supple breasts bounced beautifully. He took his fill of her gorgeous body, eyeing every inch he could see before reaching up to massage the mounds. He gently pinched her nipples, rolling them between his fingers.

  Then, with a cry of pleasure, she fell forward, digging her fingers into the flesh of his chest as she came, her pussy clamping down around his cock. He gripped her hips and kept her pace up. He tossed her to her back and crawled over top of her, sinking back into the depths of her core.

  He thrust hard, driving over the edge and right into euphoria within minutes. As soon as he regained his breath, he rolled to the side and looked at her. Her eyes were heavy as she looked at him. Exhaustion was a bitch and he was about to take full advantage of it.

  “Wait here,” he said, moving from the bed to clean up.

  H
e then went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of water for each of them, but when he returned, she was asleep. Smiling broadly, he snuggled back into bed, leaving her to rest peacefully.

  It might’ve been a mistake to leave her in his bed, but he liked seeing her beside him too much to give a shit. So, he’d deal with the aftermath and pray she wouldn’t be too pissed or uncomfortable with him when she woke.

  * * * *

  Brynn rested on her elbows, staring around the room, trying to figure out where the hell she was. Then, a warm hand glided over the naked flesh of her stomach and she remembered in an instant.

  Quinn.

  “I noticed you got my key,” he whispered.

  Her heart pounded at the raspy morning sound of his voice. “Thanks for leaving it with Sam, by the way. She wouldn’t stop asking me about you.”

  “Can’t say I mind that,” he told her. “And please don’t be angry with me about not waking you up to move to the sofa,” he said, with a smile in his voice. “I just couldn’t do it.”

  She arched a brow as his hand came up over her breast. “Even after I told you that I wanted to sleep there?”

  Then his hand moved down the valley of her breasts over her stomach and right between her legs. “If I had, I wouldn’t be able to do this.” His finger teased her clit and she spread her legs for him. She didn’t stand a chance where he was concerned. “I wanted to wake you up like this, but I wasn’t sure you’d appreciate it.”

  She fell back onto the bed, rolling her hips as he continued to torment her center. She held her hand over his, encouraging him to slip his finger inside her. “I wouldn’t have complained.”

  He pulled his finger from her and dove under the blankets. He spread her legs wide and clamped his mouth over her pussy, licking and sucking her clit with a maddening need. As if aware of how much she wanted him to do that, it didn’t take long for him to send her over the brink.

  When he’d wrung every drop of her release from her, he repositioned himself between her legs, but it wasn’t to have sex with her. It was to look at her, to talk.