Page 13 of Dangerous Affair (The Phoenix Three #2)

A fter Liam buckled her into the seat, Quinn glanced around. Two pilots were in the seats in front of her, and the one on the left leaned his head around his seat and grinned.

“VIP transport at your service, ma’am. We can’t offer you first-class luxury. No champagne or sweet chocolates, but we’ll try to give you a smooth ride.” He winked.

He was cute, and when she grinned back at him, Liam growled. Well, that was hot. Liam . What was she going to do about him? He was mysterious. He excited her. He was a man she would consider fling material without a second thought if…

It was a very big if …if he didn’t check every single one of her boxes, even boxes she didn’t know she had. That made him dangerous to her heart. She didn’t risk her heart for any man. Ever.

Yet she wasn’t sure she could walk away from him. It was kind of ridiculous actually. She didn’t know this man, not really. They’d spent, what, all of a day together? She should be able to walk away. She’d always been able to in the past without a glance back.

Her feet that he’d taken such gentle care of weren’t going to be happy leaving him behind.

It’s not just your feet, girl. She laugh-snorted, which the noise of the helicopter thankfully covered up.

What a freaking few days. She honestly didn’t know if she was going or coming, so no surprise she wasn’t thinking clearly.

She leaned her head back against the seat, closed her eyes, and relived kissing him. It might have been the best kiss she’d ever had. Who was she kidding? It was the best kiss she’d ever had. She smiled as she let the dream of Liam’s mouth on hers take her.

“Quinn, wake up. Hey, we’ve landed. Time to go.”

“Hmm?” She opened her eyes and stretched.

She could probably sleep for days. Of course, she’d gotten very little rest from the time Jasper had kidnapped her, then an escape and a trek through the woods, so it was no surprise that she was exhausted.

If only she could blink herself home and into her bed.

Liam moved in front of her and unbuckled the shoulder harness. Gosh, his eyes were beautiful. Indigo blue, she decided. She wished she had her camera in her hand.

“Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s get you to a bed.”

“Yes, please.” With him in it. She glanced out the window. “Are we in Savannah?”

“No, Myrtle Beach.”

“I don’t live in Myrtle Beach.”

“True, but I do.” He jumped out of the helicopter with the ease of a man who’d done so many times, then held out his hand.

“Why are we stopping here,” she said as she put her hand in his and he helped her down. Once she was standing on the pavement, he reached inside and grabbed their bags, strapping them over his shoulders. She wanted a bath, a glass of wine, and her bed. Her bed was not in Myrtle Beach.

He leaned his head back into the helicopter. “Thanks for the ride, guys. We owe you.” He then took her hand and started walking toward a black SUV. “You need dinner and a good night’s sleep. In the morning, we’re going to talk.”

“And exactly where am I doing this eating and sleeping?”

“My place.”

Before she could respond to that, they reached the car where two men built like Liam leaned back against the SUV with their arms crossed over their chests. Two pairs of eyes fell on her, and both men smiled. Double whoa! Where did they grow these hotties?

It was the man holding her hand, though, who did it for her. He stopped them in front of the other two men. “Quinn, these two jokers are my mates. Grayson, meet the lovely Quinn Sullivan.”

Both men’s gazes dropped to Liam’s hand holding hers before exchanging a glance, and it seemed to her that an unspoken message passed between them. The blond man to her left, Grayson, nodded. “A pleasure, Miss Sullivan.”

“Just Quinn. Nice to meet you, too.”

“He saved the best for last,” the man with the chestnut brown hair said with a mischievous grin. “I’m Cooper. The most fun of our little band of brothers.”

She didn’t doubt that from the playful gleam in his coffee-brown eyes and his flirty smirk. They were both gorgeous men, but she preferred Liam’s looks, his black hair and indigo blue eyes, his…well, his everything.

“Feel free to ignore him,” Liam said.

It was said with humor, but underneath that humor was a bite. A warning to his friend. Was Liam jealous? She grinned and, unable to resist testing the water, said, “Now why would I want to do that?” He scowled, answering her question. She very much liked that answer.

Grayson’s gaze homed in on Liam, and he chuckled as if something amused him.

“This is gonna be fun,” Cooper said.

“Why are both of you here?” Liam opened the rear hatch and set their bags inside the SUV. “Don’t you have other things to do?”

“Nope,” Cooper said. “I for one am curious where you found the lovely Miss Quinn.” He winked at her.

“Behave, Coop,” Grayson said.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

She laughed. She liked both men, but Cooper had an easy way about him that made her feel comfortable with him. Grayson was harder to read.

“It’s been a long, exhausting day for Quinn,” Liam said. “We’ll debrief in the morning, but for now, how about we get this show on the road so she can get off her feet.”

“My feet would thank you for that.” They loaded up, Grayson driving and Cooper in the front passenger seat. She and Liam got in back, and she sighed as she sank into the soft, buttery leather. She could sleep right here, which she apparently did as sometime later, Liam was waking her again.

She still wasn’t home in Savannah where she wanted to be, but right now she didn’t care.

She just wanted a bed. Once again, Liam played the pack mule and loaded himself up with their bags.

She swayed on her aching feet as he had a brief conversation with his teammates.

That done, she followed him into a high-rise, where he nodded at a man behind a desk. “How’s it going, Wilson?”

“Good, Mr. O’Rourke. All’s quiet here.”

Wilson’s gaze raked over her, ending on her sock-clad feet. She gave him credit for his expression not changing at seeing Liam drag home a dirty, sock-wearing woman. They continued through a lobby with a beach theme and colors, and into an elevator, where he pushed the button for the fifth floor.

He smiled when she leaned against the wall and sighed. “After what you’ve been through, I’m impressed you’re still upright. We’ll have you off those feet and food in your belly soon.”

“Not sure I have the energy to eat.” She didn’t know what he had planned and what tomorrow morning’s meeting was about, but if it involved her sticking around, not happening.

“You need something in your stomach, Quinn, and I’m sure you’ll feel better after a shower.”

“I’m salivating over the thought of a bubble bath and a glass of wine.”

“We can make that happen.” The elevator door opened, and he gestured for her to walk out first. Halfway down the hall, he stopped in front of a door, unlocked it, and pushed it open. “After you.”

She stepped inside, and she didn’t know what she was expecting his home to look like, but it wasn’t this.

“You need to go furniture shopping.” There was the biggest flat-screen TV she’d ever seen mounted to the wall, a leather recliner situated in front of it, and a small table next to the recliner. That was it.

His gaze scanned the room, and he frowned as if his lack of furniture was a surprise. “I guess I do.” He set her camera bag and his two on the kitchen counter. “I’m not here much, but let me show you where you can find me when I am, unless I’m watching a game or sleeping.”

“Oh, this is where I’d be, too.” He’d taken her out to the balcony, and his condo was right on the ocean.

She spied a comfy-looking lounge chair and headed for it.

“I think I’ll just crash right here,” she said as she stretched out.

The sound of the waves lapping onshore and the gentle warm breeze was heaven after the nightmare of the last few days.

“What about that bubble bath?”