Free The Mighty Quinns: Rourke by Kate Hoffmann Page B

met.”
    “But odd in a good way, right?” She laced her fingers through his and drew his hand closer, letting it come to rest against her heart.
    “Are you warm enough?” he asked, his lips brushing against hers. “I could put another log on the fire.”
    “I’m quite snug,” she said, wriggling into his body.
    He’d bought himself another night and without any discussion of when he planned to leave the island. She seemed almost resigned to the fact that he’d decided to stay.
    Rourke smoothed his hand down the length of her leg and grabbed her foot, encased in a heavy wool sock. He gently massaged it, rubbing his thumbs into the arch. Annie sighed and smiled. “That’s nice.
    She studied him silently as he focused on her feet and he knew something was on her mind. Finally she spoke. “I wanted to ask... Why did you come here before the storm?”
    “I told you, I was worried about the weather. I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
    “Was that all?”
    Rourke wondered what she was getting at. “I didn’t expect this,” he said. “I just figured I’d help you board up a few windows and move some things indoors.” He paused. “And maybe I was curious.”
    “About what?”
    “You. I remembered you from years ago. And when I saw you again, I wanted to make sure you were...happy.”
    “And am I?”
    “Yes,” Rourke said. “I’m happy to see that you are happy. You’re fine.”
    She leaned close and kissed him, a kiss that began softly and sweetly. But Rourke wanted more. He slipped his fingers through the hair at her nape and began a gentle assault on her mouth, tempting her to surrender. Once he possessed her lips, then he’d move on to her body—her breasts, her belly, the long, sweet length of her legs.
    For a woman who’d been through so much in her life, she seemed remarkably resilient. It was that inner strength that he found so attractive. She knew exactly who she was and what she wanted from life. And though she didn’t possess many of the creature comforts, she was content.
    What did that feel like? Rourke wondered. Since his father’s death, he hadn’t felt satisfied with his own life. No one knew whether they would be alive tomorrow, and he hadn’t started living yet. He’d spent most of his adult life searching for something that would make him happy. Maybe he’d found it here, in this windswept cottage on this isolated spit of land...with this beautiful woman.
    * * *
    A NNIE OPENED HER eyes to a pounding that just didn’t want to go away. She rubbed her temple, wondering if it was just a leftover from some strange dream. But as she sat up in bed, she realized that the sound was coming from overhead.
    Grabbing the quilt from the bed, she wrapped it around herself and crawled out of bed. Kit was gone and so was Rourke. She glanced at the clock hanging over the sink and saw that she’d slept away most of the morning.
    He’d left the pot of coffee warming on the stove and she poured herself a mug before stepping outside onto the porch. A ladder was propped up against the edge of the porch roof and a few seconds later, she saw his legs, then the rest of his body as he descended the ladder.
    “Hey,” he said, his face breaking into a wide smile. “You’re up. I was wondering if you were going to sleep all day.”
    Annie ran her hand through her tangled hair. Even completely dressed, his hair windblown and his face shadowed by the stubble of a two-day beard, he was drop-dead sexy. “What are you doing?”
    “I’m doing the prep work to fix your roof,” he said.
    “You don’t have to do that,” she murmured.
    He sauntered over and slipped his hands around her waist. His lips brushed against hers, then lingered for a deeper kiss. “I thought maybe we could work out a trade,” he murmured.
    “What do you want to trade?” Annie asked, giggling as his mouth trailed down to her throat. A shiver skittered down her spine and she felt that familiar thrill that his touch