The Mighty Quinns: Ronan (7 page)

Ronan reached for the front of her shirt and slowly brushed it over her shoulders, revealing the pretty camisole beneath. His lips traced a path from her mouth to her neck, the intoxicating scent of her skin making his body pulse with need.

He wanted to rush, to tear off their clothes and bury himself in her warmth. He needed to know how far she’d go. This wasn’t some one-night stand, fueled by too many drinks and a need for release.

He’d found a woman who was more than just a beautiful face and a willing and warm body. He liked Charlie. He felt the need to protect her from anything that might hurt her. Ronan knew it the moment she’d jumped off the boat to retrieve that dredging basket. She was clever and resourceful—and fearless.

Ronan slipped his hands beneath her backside and picked her up, carrying her into the bedroom. He laid her on the bed and stretched out above her, their mouths still lost in a passionate kiss. Charlie pulled him down on top of her, wriggling until his hips fit perfectly against hers.

“I thought you were hungry,” she murmured.

“There are some things more important than food,” Ronan replied. He rolled to his side and drew back, taking in the perfect details of her face.

When he smoothed her hair out of her eyes, she looked up at him. “Don’t stop,” she murmured.

Ronan shrugged. “I won’t. It feels too good.”

Her lips curled into a smile and she nodded. “I’ve only ever been with one man,” she said. “And we started dating when we were in high school. I’m not sure I know how to do this. Like a grown-up.”

He ran his hand along her hip and slid it beneath her camisole. “There’s no instruction book, Charlie,” he said. “And they don’t teach this in school. We just have to figure it out as we go along.”

“Then tell me how to start,” she said.

“We’ve already started,” he said. Ronan pulled her into another kiss, his hand slipping beneath her shirt. He found the silky fabric of her bra and gently pulled it aside, cupping the soft flesh of her breast in his hand.

Charlie moaned softly as his thumb grazed her nipple. Her lips were parted slightly and her eyes were closed. Pleasure suffused her expression and she shifted beside him, arching into his touch.

In the end, it was enough to just touch her and kiss her. Though Ronan would have been happy to strip off their clothes and make love to her, he was willing to leave that for another time. He knew what he wanted and it was pretty clear that Charlie wanted the same.

The day had been long and busy for both of them and as they continued to kiss and touch each other, Ronan felt exhaustion suffusing his body. He yawned, then quickly covered his mouth. “That wasn’t you,” he murmured.

“Close your eyes,” she said. “Let’s just lie here for a few minutes and wait for our second wind.”

“Are you tired, too?”

“Hmmm. I had to do my work and admire you at the same time. That takes a lot out of a girl.” She nuzzled her face into his chest. “You looked really nice in those waders. Especially when you took your shirt off.”

“And here I thought you were concentrating on your navigation.”

“I could do that job in my sleep.”

“I like it,” Ronan said. “The work. I really do.”

She pushed up on her elbow. “Yeah?”

“It’s exhausting, but there’s something about it that makes it satisfying. You’re growing something that people can eat. Something really good to eat. I build yachts for rich people. People who really don’t need yachts.”

“But they’re really beautiful yachts,” she said.

“How do you know?”

“Lettie Trowbridge checked you out on Google and she left me a file with all sorts of pictures. I really liked the one you built for that senator from Oregon.”

“Really? That was one of my favorites, too.” He paused. “Who is Lettie Trowbridge?”

“The town busybody,” Charlie said. “Everyone is talking about you. Because you’re a Quinn.”

“Maybe she was just watching out for you and your family. That’s what’s nice about a small town. Everyone takes care of everyone else.”

“No,” Charlie said, shaking her head. “Everyone is in everyone else’s business. Do you want to know the truth about Lettie’s motives? And the reason that my mother filled your refrigerator? They want you to stay. They want you to marry me so the curse will be broken. They’re going to do everything they can to make me and Sibleyville look like paradise on earth. My mother even cleaned those oysters for you. She never cleans oysters.”

The words had just tumbled out. He smoothed his fingers along her jaw line. “I’m thinking you might want a backsie on that whole last rant.”

Charlie grew silent, her brow furrowed, her lips pursed. “Okay. Pretend you didn’t hear that.”

Ronan leaned over her, teasing at the crease between her lips with his tongue. “They really want me to marry you?”

“If a Sibley marries a Quinn, it will break the curse. Lettie wants to retire to Florida. Did I tell you that she’s the town matchmaker? If she can’t make a match between the two of us, she’s going to hook you up with some other girl in town. She has a whole list of Sibley descendants just waiting.”

Ronan pressed his finger to her lips. “Shh. Don’t let it bother you. I’m sure I can fight them off. I’ll just tell them there’s only one Sibley I’m interested in.”

She sighed softly as she curled into his body. Maybe this was paradise on earth, Ronan thought, drawing her closer.

If it wasn’t, it sure came close.

* * *

C
HARLIE
OPENED
HER
eyes. The room was dark and for a moment, she didn’t know where she was. When the body beside her moved, she drew in a sharp breath. But then she remembered she was with Ronan. They’d fallen asleep in his bed.

What time was it? She glanced over her shoulder and squinted at the bedside table. It was just past two in the morning. They’d been asleep for six hours. Charlie sat up and ran her fingers through her hair. She ought to get up and go home, but she had to be up again in about four hours for work.

She bent over and touched her lips to his shoulder. He was lying on his stomach, sprawled across the bed, his breathing deep and even. “Ronan. Ronan, wake up.” She gave him a shake and he groaned.

Ronan rolled to his side, then sat up. “We fell asleep. What time is it?”

“Past two. I have to go.”

He reached out and rested his hand on her shoulder, his fingers tangling in her hair. “No,” he said.

Charlie leaned into him and dropped a kiss on his lips. But he pulled her close again and drew her into a deeper, more desperate kiss. A groan slipped from her throat and she felt her resolve waver.

She’d lost her ability to resist. She’d known this man for two days and she was already in full surrender mode. Even though her instincts told her to be careful, the feelings racing through her body told her otherwise.

They’d found each other in this crazy, loveless town and he was sweet and sexy and everything she might want in a lover. She didn’t care that he’d be gone in six weeks. She didn’t care that they barely knew each other. Who knew when she’d have another chance like this? She’d been living in Sibleyville for almost a year and handsome, eligible men had been nonexistent.

Charlie reached for the hem of her camisole and pulled it up, breaking their kiss only to draw it over her head. She’d made her intentions clear, but it was up to Ronan to make the next move. He grabbed her hand and helped her off the bed and when they stood beside it, he cupped her face in his hands and pressed his forehead to hers.

“I can wait,” he murmured. “This doesn’t have to happen tonight.”

“No,” Charlie said, her voice wavering. “I can’t wait.” She unzipped her jeans and slid them over her hips, then kicked them aside. She was twenty-five years old and she’d known the touch of just one man. There were passions inside of her, raw and unfamiliar, that she wanted to explore.

Charlie took his hand and placed it on her breast. He drew a deep breath, his gaze still fixed on hers. Slowly, his touch drifted over the swell of flesh. She closed her eyes as he worked at the clasp of her bra and when it fell away, she knew that they’d reached the point of no return.

She’d always known that another man would come into her life, but when she’d pictured the intimate moments, Charlie had always felt a bit of hesitation. Would she know what to do? Would she please him?

With Ronan, there was no fear or doubt. He liked her exactly the way she was. Emboldened to act, she reached for the waistband of his cargo shorts and unbuttoned them. Only after they fell to his feet did she realize that he wasn’t wearing boxers.

“Sorry,” he murmured.

She reached out and smoothed her hand along his stiff shaft. He was hard and ready and more beautiful than she’d ever imagined. Charlie felt like she was living in the middle of a fantasy, every sensation more overwhelming than the last, making it impossible to think.

But she didn’t need to think. She just needed to act. Drawing a ragged breath, she wrapped her fingers around him. Ronan groaned as she began to stroke him. But he wasn’t content to let her control the pace of the seduction.

He grabbed her waist and pulled her over to the bed and when she was stretched out in front of him, he drew her panties down her legs and tossed them aside.

Suddenly, his touch was everywhere, his lips exploring her body, his hands gently moving over her curves and angles. Wave after wave of exquisite sensation washed over her with every new spot that he found. The base of her neck, the small of her back, the soft skin behind each knee.

Charlie felt like some erotic goddess, not an inexperienced 25-year old oyster farmer. Every intimacy was a revelation, a beautiful discovery. She’d never felt such intense desire. And when Ronan gently parted her thighs and kissed the damp folds between her legs, the need in her exploded.

Her fingers clutched the sheets as his tongue flicked at her sex. She wanted to stop, to enjoy the foreplay, but her body was at the mercy of his tongue. Like a rogue wave, her orgasm built, growing more powerful with each moment that passed. Pleasure had become a giant wall of water—she felt it surround her, overwhelm her, steal her breath from her lungs.

And then, the wave broke, dissolving in a rush around her. Charlie’s body shuddered uncontrollably and she cried out, twisting beneath his assault.

It seemed to last forever, the exquisite pleasure making her fingers and toes tingle. As her pulse slowed and her breath returned, she opened her eyes. He was lying on his back, a satisfied smile on his face.

“What?” she said, resting her hand on his head.

“Oops,” he said.

She pushed up on her elbows. “What?”

“I don’t think that’s happened to me since the first time a girl touched me.” He pointed to a wet spot on the bedspread. “I kind of lost control. You were just so…incredible”

Charlie laughed. “I was incredible?”

“Ummm.”

“Oops,” she said. “I’d offer you a backsie on that, but I don’t think that would work.”

He growled softly as he crawled up beside her. “There’s plenty more where that came from,” he said. “Just give me a few minutes.”

Charlie swung her legs off the bed. “I know exactly what you need.” She walked out into the kitchen and found her shirt, then pulled it on over her naked body. Ronan followed her, the sheet wrapped around his waist.

“What are you doing?”

“Getting us something to eat. I’m starving and you were starving before you dragged me off to bed.” She grabbed the bucket of fresh oysters from the refrigerator, then found an oyster knife in the drawer. “Do you think you can handle that without cutting a major artery?”

“Show me how to do it again.”

Charlie grabbed a kitchen towel and set it down on the granite peninsula. “Hold it like this, stick the knife into the joint and then just twist.” They oyster popped open and she cut out the meat and handed him the shell.

Ronan slurped the oyster down and sighed. “Perfect.”

She grabbed a couple of plates and opened the cartons of Thai food. The noodles were cold, but Charlie liked them that way. She dumped some shrimp pad thai onto a plate and sat down across the counter from Ronan.

“Good food and great sex,” Ronan said. “What more do I need?”

“Sleep,” she said. “We have to be up for work in about three and a half hours.”

He groaned, then held out a shucked oyster. She tipped her head back as he fed it to her, the delicacy sliding down her throat. “Umm,” she said. “That was a good one.”

“I’m kind of looking forward to work,” he said as he continued to shuck the oysters. “I had fun yesterday. It was hard work, but it was nice to be outside. And I never thought I’d like being on the water, but…I think I’m going to be all right. It’s going to take some time, but I felt like I could breathe out there.”

“There are oyster farms in the Pacific Northwest,” Charlie said. “When you go home, maybe you could take a job there. Or start your own oyster farm.”

He slurped another oyster, then shrugged. “Or maybe I won’t go home at all,” he said. “Maybe I’ll stay here.”

Her heart stopped for a moment and then Charlie realized she must have heard him wrong. What exactly was he saying? He couldn’t know Sibleyville well enough to make that kind of decision. Was he thinking about staying because of her? “If you’re really interested in oyster farming, I could teach you all I know,” she said. “There might be some differences out west, but there shouldn’t be many.”

“I’d like to learn more,” he said. “But only during work hours. The rest of my time, I want to spend learning everything I can about you.”

She shook her head. “There’s not that much to know,” Charlie said.

“I’ll tell you something about you that you don’t know,” he said.

She regarded him with a dubious look. “All right.”

“You don’t have any idea how amazing you are,” he said. “I’ve known a lot of women and not one of them as been as honest and direct as you. Everything that you say is real and true and I don’t have to try to figure out what you really mean. You don’t play any silly games.”

“What kind of women have you been dating?” she asked.