The Mighty Quinns: Thom Read Online Free PDF Page B

her, and she crossed to the line of bottles on a glass shelf beside the sink.
    The cologne held a hint of citrus with a tantalizing cover of musk. She smiled as she set the bottle back in place.
    “You’re the last person I expected to see here.”
    Malin jumped at the sound of Thom’s voice, the bottle clattering against the glass shelf. She spun around to find him watching her from the doorway of the bathroom. He leaned casually against the doorjamb, his arms crossed over his chest.
    Malin held her breath as he slowly crossed the room to stand beside her. He stared at her in the mirror. “Jason called you?”
    She nodded. “You got him drunk?”
    “He did that all on his own.” Thom paused. “Besides, he wasn’t cut out for the job. He’s too young, too impressionable.”
    “You got him drunk to prove a point?”
    “I just couldn’t live with the guy,” Thom admitted. “He’s like a big drooling puppy. I need someone a little more interesting. More mature. With less drool.”
    “All right. We’ll find someone else. I can contact an agency and they’ll send over some candidates.”
    “I can think of an excellent candidate,” he said. “Perfectly qualified. Interesting to talk to. Stubbornly disciplined. Beautiful to look at.”
    “You want a woman?”
    He gave her a boyish grin. “I want you.” He leaned closer and grabbed her hand. “The question is, do you want me?”
    She drew in a sharp breath and tried to control the pounding of her heart. This was crazy. But it could be a great opportunity. If she was with him full-time, she might have a chance at succeeding in taming The Beast.
    But was he making the offer because he truly wanted her help? Or was he interested in something else? Something that had nothing to do with business or professionalism or...
    Still, she had to take that chance.
    “If I agree to do this, you have to do exactly what I tell you. You have to trust me completely.”
    “Why should I trust you if you don’t give me the truth?” he asked.
    “I told you, the team—”
    “Not about that. You didn’t answer my question.” He leaned closer and she held her breath. “Do you want me?”
    “The truth and you’ll trust me?”
    “Exactly.”
    His lips were just inches from hers, and Malin fought the impulse to close that distance and kiss him. “Yes,” she breathed.
    His kiss was tentative at first, his lips just barely brushing hers. But then he slipped his hands around her waist and pulled her closer, and she felt the warmth of his tongue.
    Malin had been kissed by a variety of men in her past, but she’d never experienced a kiss that was so perfect. Just the right mix of overwhelming passion and unspoken desire.
    When he finally drew back, she couldn’t help but sigh, wishing that it might have gone on for a bit longer.
    “Well?”
    She opened her eyes to find him staring down at her, his expression cool, his lovely mouth set in a hard line. Malin cleared her throat. “It was...nice.” She swallowed hard. “Quite pleasant. But if I’m going to take the job, we can never do that again.” She snatched her hand away and rubbed her palm against her hip. “You have to promise.”
    “I’ve never been very good with promises,” he said, his voice low and rough. Thom reached out and smoothed his fingertips across her cheek. “I’m tired. I need some sleep. We’ll talk more in the morning.”
    As he walked away, he pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it aside. Malin hurried after him into the bedroom. She stopped short as she watched him skim his jeans down over his hips and kick off his trainers. When he reached for the waistband of his boxer briefs, she quickly turned her back.
    “If we’re going to be living together, you should probably get used to this.”
    Get used to what, exactly? Malin wondered. Get used to seeing him half-naked? Get used to hanging out in his bedroom at night? Get used to wondering what it would be like if she allowed him to