Bedford Street Brigade 02 - Love Unbidden Read Online Free PDF Page A

touch enveloped her in a heat that sent flames of desire lapping at every part of her body. His mouth opened atop hers, encouraging her to meet his demands. She couldn’t deny him. She didn’t want to deny him. She was desperate to accept what he offered.
    Passion as strong as any emotion she’d ever experienced consumed her and she was desperate to ride the waves of desire that carried her beyond all rational thought.
    He kissed her again, and again, and she didn’t want him to stop. But he did. He slowly lifted his mouth from hers.
    Thankfully, he didn’t release her, but held her securely in his arms. For the first time in her life, Nellie didn’t have the strength to rely on her own ability to remain upright.
    And she knew what it felt like to come alive after a very long sleep.
    . . .
    It had been two days since he’d kissed her, and Quinn couldn’t forget the kiss they’d shared. He was drawn to her like he’d never been drawn to a woman before. He wanted her more intensely than he’d ever wanted a woman, even though he told himself he couldn’t have her. Not as long as he was a Bedford investigator. It wasn’t fair to ask a woman to live with the risks he took.
    Which was why instead of spending yesterday with her like he’d intended, he’d only stayed with her long enough to make sure her sister and children got off safely, then had made an excuse to leave and hadn’t returned the rest of the day.
    He needed to solve this case quickly. He needed for things to return to the way they’d been before. He needed Nellie to go back to work at Daisy Fletcher’s bakery and for him to be able to see her each morning where there was a counter that separated them. Where they weren’t alone in the dark. Where she wouldn’t be the temptation to him she was in the moonlight.
    Quinn made his way to Henry Dunston’s house to pick her up. She wanted to go back to work. She said she couldn’t sit around another day. That she needed to keep busy. He thought it was a good idea too. Too many idle hours only gave one time to imagine the worst that could happen.
    Quinn raised his hand to knock on the door, but on the first rap, the door swung open. A wave of concern washed over him.
    “Nellie,” he called as he entered the entryway. No one answered. “Nellie!”
    Quinn walked through the house at a steady, yet rapid pace. He reminded himself to remain calm. He raced to the kitchen, knowing if she were up, this is where she would be. But the kitchen was empty. There was no sign of coffee brewing, or a fire laid in the grate. There were no signs that anyone was up.
    Quinn raced back through the house, this time looking into each room as he passed them. His heart leaped to his throat and began a steady thudding inside his chest. Every room had been ransacked. Drawers were open and empty. Furniture upturned. Shelves cleared. Someone had been here, but Quinn didn’t stop to evaluate what might have been taken, or destroyed. He was too concerned about Nellie.
    “Nellie!”
    He raced up the stairs, opening the door to each room on the second level. He found every room torn apart.
    “Nellie!”
    He was running out of rooms to search. Only two more at the end of the hallway. He opened the next one and nearly missed her. If it hadn’t been for one small bare foot sticking out from beneath the bed he wouldn’t have seen her.
    “Nellie!”
    Quinn ran to her and gently pulled her from beneath the bed. Her bedclothes were twisted around her body. There were horrid bruises on her cheeks and jaw, and a trickle of blood at the corner of her mouth.
    He let his fingers skim over her arms and legs, then moved to her ribs. Nothing seemed to be broken, but he couldn’t be sure. Finally, he cupped his palm around the back of her head. His hand came away sticky and wet. There was a large lump on the back of her head where she’d either been hit, fallen and hit something, or had been pushed into the wall or bedpost hard enough to