Page 14 of Dangerous Affair (The Phoenix Three #2)

N o answer. Liam chuckled. She was out cold already.

His gaze traveled over her. Even a mess—clothes dirty, hair tangled, and filthy socks on her feet—she was beautiful.

That she needed a bath and a brush but hadn’t seemed to care how she looked to him or his teammates was pretty cool.

This woman was comfortable in her own skin, even when she wasn’t at her best.

He’d let her sleep while he took care of some things.

First order of business, a shower and clean clothes.

That done, he checked on Quinn. Still sound asleep.

There was a grocery store two blocks away.

He should be able to make a quick trip there and be back before she woke up.

To be safe, he left her a note on the kitchen counter that he’d be back in a few minutes.

The store had a deli where they made subs to go, and not sure what she liked, he got three varieties and added three bags of assorted chips to his order. After picking up a few more items, including bubble bath, he hit the checkout. He was back home twenty minutes after he’d left.

As expected, when he checked on her, she was still asleep.

He put the subs in the refrigerator along with the bottle of white wine and the beer.

That done, he readied the guest bathroom for her.

He’d never had overnight company, never brought women to his condo.

It was his sanctuary, his place to retreat to when he needed alone time.

It seemed like it should bother him that Quinn was invading his space, but it didn’t. Something to think about.

He scanned the guest room with a critical eye. It had never been used. Quinn would be the first to sleep in the bed that he’d bought with the hope that someday, his mother might come for a visit. That was probably never going to happen. Before the hurt of losing his family took him, he walked out.

Back in the kitchen, he noticed the three bags he’d left on the counter, his go bag with extra clothes, his weapons bag, and her camera bag.

She didn’t have any spare clothes to change into.

That needed fixing, and he called Harlow.

Arrangements made to fix that problem, he went to his bedroom and found a T-shirt, a hoodie, and a pair of his boxer briefs. Those, he took to the bathroom.

Time to wake Quinn. When he returned to the balcony, she was curled up in a ball. The sight of her vulnerable and at peace stirred something within him. He was a protector, and this woman needed him. She might not like it, but until he was sure she was safe, he wasn’t leaving her side.

He leaned over her and shook her shoulder. “Quinn, open your eyes.” As if he were a pesky fly, she batted at his hand. Her eyes stayed closed, and she turned over, away from him.

“All right then.” He slid his arms under her and lifted her.

She stirred, her eyelids fluttering before slowly opening. Her gaze met his, still hazy with sleep. “Hey.”

He smiled down at her. “Hey, yourself.”

“Where are you taking me?”

“Bubble bath. Remember that was on your list of must-haves tonight?”

“Are you getting in with me?”

“Not tonight.” As much as he wanted to do just that, she was still half-asleep, and he wasn’t sure she knew what she was saying. “I’ll take a rain check.”

“Is it raining?” She closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

This girl had him amused, had him thinking of possibilities, and had him aroused.

All those things and wanting to kill anyone who dared to hurt her.

He’d been with women he liked a lot, but never had there been one who’d made him feel like a growly, possessive bear ready to swipe deadly claws at anyone with malice on their mind coming near her.

He took her to the guest bedroom, lowered her so that she was sitting on the bed, and had to keep his hands on her shoulders to keep her from falling over. Did she always sleep this deeply, or was it because she was mentally and physically exhausted? Just another thing he wanted to learn about her.

“Quinn, sweetheart, open your eyes.”

“Mfff.”

He chuckled. “Not sure what that word means.”

She blinked her eyes open. “What?”

“There’s a bubble bath waiting for you.”

“Okay.”

“Let’s get these socks off you.”

She peered down at them. “I ruined your socks.” She lifted her feet to show him the holes on the bottom. “I’ll buy you new ones.”

“I think that’s something you don’t need to worry about. After your bath, we’ll doctor your feet again.”

“You’re so nice. Are you going to kiss me again?”

Hell yes. “Maybe, if you want me to.”

She batted her eyelashes. “Maybe I do.”

This girl. “I think you’re punch-drunk.”

“What does that mean, anyway?”

“It means you’re beyond tired and being silly.”

“Do you like me silly?”

He lowered her feet to the floor, then let his eyes settle on hers.

“I pretty much like you in all the ways I’ve seen you.

Come on.” He scooped her up and carried her to the guest bathroom, where a bath was waiting for her.

“The bubble bath is a mild formula, so it’s not going to sting your feet.

There’s one of my T-shirts and a pair of boxer briefs you can put on when you’re done. ”

“Oh, goody. I’m getting in your undies.”

He laughed as he left her to take her bath and tried not to think about her being naked with only a closed door between them.

After her bath, he doctored her feet, then fed her a sub. She’d only eaten half of it when her head almost fell to the table. She jerked up, giving him a sheepish smile.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’m so tired and sleepy.”

“Because you’re exhausted. You’ve had a hell of a few days. You want the rest of that sub?”

“No, I don’t have the energy to eat it.”

“Okay, let’s get you to bed.” He took her hand and led her to the guest room.

“Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?” she asked softly, her eyes heavy with sleep.

He smiled, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. “Of course, I’ll be right here.”

“Maybe you could hold me? I feel safe with you.”

He toed off his shoes, then slid onto the bed. “Turn your back to me.”

She turned, then sighed when he wrapped his arm around her waist. “Thank you for finding me.”

“You’re welcome.” He wanted to thank her for needing him to find her. As she drifted off, he watched over her, his heart full of tenderness. The events of the day replayed in his mind, the way she had trusted him, her vulnerability touching something deep within him.

In the quiet of the room, he realized that his feelings for her had grown beyond simple liking. He would do anything to keep her safe and make her smile.

With a soft sigh, he leaned over and pressed a gentle kiss to the corner of her eye before easing out of bed. “Sleep well, beautiful girl,” he whispered.

* * *

The next morning, he was up early and gathering ingredients for breakfast when his doorbell rang. He knew who it was, and after opening the door, he smiled as he kissed Harlow’s cheek.

“Get your mouth off my woman,” Grayson growled from behind her.

Harlow’s eyebrows shot up as she scowled at him. “Your woman?”

“Yep. Deal with it.” He put his hand around her neck, brought her to him, and soundly kissed her.

“When you two finish making out like teenagers, I’ll be in the kitchen.”

Liam left them to it. His phone buzzed with a text, and he glanced at it. It was from Cooper, telling him he was on the way.

“I have the things you asked for,” Harlow said as Grayson set bags from a local department store on the counter.

“Appreciate you shopping for Quinn.” He’d given her a list of things he thought Quinn needed until she could get home, and Harlow had gone to the store last night.

“No problem. Is she up yet?”

“I’ll go see.” At the guest room door, he knocked. “Quinn, you up?”

“Yeah. You can come in.”

He opened the door and found her sitting on the edge of the bed wearing his T-shirt with the bottom of his boxer briefs peeking out. “Morning. How are you feeling?” She looked lost, and he wanted to send everyone home, and when they were alone, he’d gather her up and hold her, take care of her.

“Better than yesterday.” She frowned down at herself. “I can wash my clothes, but I’m going to need shoes.”

“Stand by a sec.” He went to the end of the hallway. “Harlow, can you bring the things you got? She seems a little lost today,” he quietly told Harlow. “Maybe having something besides my T-shirt to wear will help.”

“Can’t hurt,” Harlow said. “I want to meet the woman who has you sending me to the mall with a list of things most men wouldn’t even think of.” She grinned. “You like her.”

It wasn’t a question, so he didn’t answer. Harlow followed him into the bedroom.

At seeing her, Quinn’s gaze darted between them before stopping on Harlow. “Oh, um… I’m just here until I get some shoes. I slept in here. In his guest room. We’re not—” she gestured between her and him “—ah, you know. He didn’t tell me he had a girlfriend.”

Harlow laughed.

He frowned at Quinn. “What are you talking about?”

“She’s afraid I’m going to get mad at my boyfriend because he brought a woman home with him,” Harlow said.

Say what now? “I’m not your boyfriend.”

“Get lost, Liam. I got this.” She smiled at Quinn as she walked into the room with the department store bags, closing the door in his face.

“Right, I’ll get lost,” he muttered.

He didn’t like…well, whatever just happened. He was the one who was supposed to be a hero in Quinn’s eyes, bringing her new clothes and shoes. And panties. He was kind of hoping she would need his help putting on the panties. Guess not.

By the time he returned to the kitchen, Cooper had arrived. “Your fiancée’s mean,” Liam told Grayson. “She kicked me out and slammed the door in my face.” His two friends laughed, and he scowled at them. “Not funny.”

“Quit pouting and feed me,” Cooper said.

“Dude, are you ever not hungry?” The man was a bottomless pit.

Cooper lifted his gaze to the ceiling, pretending to think about it. He snapped his fingers. “Yup. After dinner last Thanksgiving. You gonna do that again this year, right? It was awesome.”

Having grown up working in his father’s pub, he was the appointed chef in the group. “If I’m in town, sure.” He pushed the plate of bread and the toaster across the counter. “Here, start making toast while I bring you up to speed on what happened.”

The bacon was cooked, the hash browns were keeping warm in the oven, and he just needed to scramble the eggs.

He was keeping this meal a simple one. The purpose of getting everyone together was to make a plan for keeping Quinn safe and getting his teammates’ help in investigating what Jasper Garrison was up to.

“How’s Quinn this morning?” Grayson asked.

“Not sure. Didn’t really get to talk to her before your woman kicked me out.”

Grayson chuckled. “Better not let her hear you call her that.”

“Yeah, she’s mean.” Truthfully, Harlow was one of the nicest people he’d ever known, and Quinn couldn’t be in better hands…except for his.