Page 19 of Dangerous Affair (The Phoenix Three #2)

A drenaline rushed through Quinn’s veins as Liam wound their way up and down streets, sometimes taking left turns, sometimes right ones. She’d been watching in her side-view mirror and hadn’t seen the SUV since they’d taken that first left at the intersection.

“You okay?” Liam asked.

“I’m good.” Mostly. That had been scary, though.

“Keep going straight for a few miles. I’ll tell you when to turn.” As they traveled, she kept her gaze on the mirror. “I think we lost them.”

“For now. We just need to hope they don’t connect you to me or The Phoenix Three. I’d rather not see them show up in Myrtle Beach.”

She definitely didn’t want to bring trouble to her new friends. Since they’d lost the men chasing them, she relaxed…somewhat. “Do you think those men are from whoever was dumping that stuff from those barrels?”

“That would be my guess.”

Hopefully, Cooper and Grayson would know more by the time they got to Myrtle Beach, but she needed a break from thinking about men out to kill her. His phone chimed, and he pulled it out of his pocket and glanced at the screen.

“It’s your dad.” He handed the phone to her. “Just hit Accept.”

“Hey, Dad.”

“Where are you? The alarm company called. Are you okay?”

She told him what had happened, including why they weren’t involving the police.

“I’m coming home.”

“No, don’t. I’m with Liam, and we’re going back to Myrtle Beach. It’s not safe to be at the house right now. Hold on. I’m putting you on speaker.” She turned the phone toward Liam. “Tell him he needs to stay in Maggie Valley.”

“Sir, she’s right. It’s not safe right now, and there’s nothing you can do here.”

“I don’t like it, but I’ll stand by for now. All I care about is that you keep my daughter safe.”

“That’s all I care about, too. Call the alarm company back and tell them it’s a false alarm.”

Her father loudly sighed. “I’m not liking this. Quinn, get a damn phone so I can call you.”

She’d called when they’d returned to Myrtle Beach from Hope Corner to tell him she’d lost her phone and he could reach her through Liam.

“We’ll get her a phone as soon as we get back to Myrtle Beach,” Liam said.

“Love you, Dad.”

“I love you, too, but I need you to stop turning my hair white.”

She laughed. “Your hair was already white. Nothing to do with me.”

“Humph.” Then he disconnected.

She handed Liam his phone. “Can we talk about something besides men with guns and whatever all this is?”

“Sure.” He tapped his finger on the steering wheel, then glanced at her. “Cooper’s phone call interrupted our conversation, and I want to finish it. You were about to tell me why you don’t do relationships.”

“Was I?” She was kind of hoping he’d forgotten about that, yet, because he’d said he wanted to explore what this thing between them was, she wanted him to understand.

“You know you were, but if you don’t want to talk about it…” He shrugged.

“Okay, here’s the thing. Men can’t handle my career, and I’m not giving it up to make a man happy.”

“You shouldn’t have to.”

She huffed. “Tell that to Aiden, or even Jasper.”

“Who’s Aiden?”

His voice had turned growly, and it wasn’t the sexy kind of growl. “A man I was in love with. We met right after I graduated college, and I told him right up front that I was going to be a photojournalist and I’d be traveling a lot. He assured me he was fine with that.”

“I’m guessing he wasn’t?”

“He seemed fine with it until he asked me to marry him. As soon as I said yes, everything changed. At first, it was small things, like couldn’t I shorten my assignment to a week instead of the two I’d planned.

Then it grew to be all about him. Aiden was a trauma doctor, and his job was stressful to say the least. That was his reason for asking me to give up traveling, that he needed me at home.

He said he was saving lives while I was just taking pictures. ”

“He was wrong. Your work is important. You bring attention to children who need it the most.”

“I like to think I make a difference.”

He reached over the console, found her hand, and squeezed it. “You do. Never doubt that.”

“My mother gave up her career for my father. I didn’t know she was unhappy until a few years ago.

I don’t think my father even knew that. She was never happier than when she had her camera in her hand.

A few years ago, I found her diary in a box in the attic.

It was an eye-opener. She wrote about how much she loved me and my dad, but she also talked about how something was missing.

That if she had it to do over again, she wouldn’t have given up her career for my father, but that she hadn’t understood back then that she could have both. ”

“I’d say it was probably a generational thing. That she did what was expected of her and put her marriage first.”

“Maybe. In her diary, on my first birthday, she wrote about how much she loved me and how she was going to teach me to go after my dreams, whatever they were. She was going to teach me that my dreams were important, and I should never let anyone come between me and what fed my soul. I found her diary after Aiden, and reading it, I vowed I’d honor her wishes for me.

In my experience, it seems that men feel they’re the important ones.

So, I decided short flings are safe. Relationships for a woman means what you do, what feeds your soul isn’t so important. ”

“I don’t think anyone, man or woman, should have to give up something they love for another person,” he said.

“If you love someone, why would you want them to be less than they are? I can’t judge why she gave up a part of herself to make your father happy.

Maybe it was because they lived in a different generation, and she didn’t know how to speak up for herself.

Maybe she loved him so much that she felt like she needed to make him happy, and she wanted to make the sacrifice. ”

“Didn’t sound like it in her diary.”

“Maybe not, but I’m not Aiden, Quinn.”

“I know.” But did she?

After their conversation, they each grew quiet, and she hoped he understood why the only thing between them could be a fling.

He might say he wasn’t like Aiden or her father, but she wasn’t willing to risk it.

It was different with her because she was gone so much, so her job wasn’t one where she had a career but was home every night.

If she took a chance and, in the end, she fell in love with him and he demanded she give up the one thing that fed her soul, it just might destroy her, because she just knew that given half a chance, she could love Liam so hard.

Sometime later, he shook her. “Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. We’re here.”

“Hmm?” She stretched. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“That’s okay. You needed the rest. Let’s unload our stuff, then I want to hide your car. It’s too recognizable. We’ll get one of Grayson’s loaners until I get my car back.”

“That’s a good idea.”

As soon as they dropped their bags inside his condo, they were back on the road. “What about the car we left at my house?”

“I called Gray while you were sleeping, brought him up-to-date. He has a dealership in Savannah. Two of our friends are going to your house to check things out, and then they’ll take the car to the dealership.”

“Isn’t that dangerous for them? What if those men are still there?”

“Doubtful they’ll be hanging around. They probably searched your house, and when they didn’t find the thumb drive, they would’ve left. Hopefully, without doing much damage. If they are still around, our friends aren’t the kind of men you want to mess with.”

“What’s this place?” she asked when Liam parked in front of a commercial building.

“Ours. The Phoenix Three’s on the top floor. We rent out the other floors.”

“Cool.” She was curious about their offices.

The lobby was disappointingly plain. Nothing but an elevator straight ahead and two doors, one to the left with a sign for a group of attorneys and the other an insurance agency.

She followed Liam into the elevator. As soon as the door closed, he pulled her in front of him, her back to his chest, and he slid his arms around her waist. It was a position she very much liked.

“Hey,” he said, his voice next to her ear, his breath warm and tickling. How was one word that sexy?

She leaned against him. “Hey.” She glanced up at him and smiled.

His eyes locked on hers. “If I didn’t know for a fact that Gray was watching us right now, I’d kiss you senseless, maybe let my fingers go exploring.”

“He’s watching us?” she squeaked. She’d never kissed a man in an elevator, and the thought of Liam backing her up against the wall did funny things to her stomach and other places. But it was a big no on being watched. She moved to the opposite wall, and the dang man laughed.

The elevator door opened, and she couldn’t resist messing with Liam after stepping out. She bent over to retie the laces of her sneaker and threw in a little butt wiggle.

“You’re a very naughty girl, Quinn.”

“Me? Never.” She walked out, exaggerating the sway of her hips and hiding her smile when the man behind her growled.

There wasn’t anyone in the reception area, and although she didn’t know where she was supposed to go, she headed down the hallway.

Footsteps on the wood floor sounded behind her, those of a predator stalking his prey, and she, being the prey, felt a rush of excitement.

Suddenly, an arm wrapped around her waist, and she was pulled into an office. He closed the door, and then turned them so that her back was against the wall. A thrill shot through her at his dominance.

He put his hands on the wall, caging her in. “You like playing games, Little Marine?”

The heat in his eyes matched what she knew was in hers. She wanted him in a way that she’d never experienced with another man. And funny in that she hated pet names, but she liked him calling her Little Marine. It was cute.

“Only when I know I’m going to win,” she snarked.

A wicked grin appeared on his face, one that made her heart flutter in anticipation. “This is a game where we both win.”

His lips crashed down on hers in a fierce kiss that stole the breath from her lungs.

The world around them faded away, leaving only the electrifying connection between them.

In that moment, there was no one else but the two of them, caught in a whirlwind of desire and unspoken promises.

She put her hands on his chest and felt the rapid beat of his heart.

He wanted her as much as she wanted him.

He rested his forehead against hers. “You drive me crazy, woman.”

“Just so you know, I’m not sorry.” She ducked under his arm and walked out.