The Mighty Quinns: Malcolm

Just a week ago, she’d been curled up on her sofa in her Brooklyn flat, eating a pint of cherry-chocolate-chip ice cream and watching a string of romantic comedies. That had been her life, waiting for Mr. Right. Well, it was time to stop waiting. She’d found Mr. Right Now here in a bach on the beach in New Zealand.

This wouldn’t be about love or even affection. It would about pure, unadulterated passion. This would be the adventure she’d never been brave enough to take, the mountain she’d been too fearful to climb. She wasn’t about to pass this opportunity by. If she couldn’t leave New Zealand with a story, then she’d leave with a damn good memory.

Mal stopped at the bedroom door and she glanced inside to see a large, comfortable bed covered with a deep down duvet. Mal grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head against the door frame, searching her gaze intently. “Are you sure this is what you want?” he murmured, pressing his hips against hers.

The quilt fell away, leaving Amy dressed only in her damp underwear. She could feel his desire beneath the faded fabric of his jeans. He was already completely aroused. Amy wanted to touch him there, to smooth her fingers over the hard ridge of his erection. She could be bold, too. “Yes,” she said, pushing back with her body.

He kissed her again, his lips and tongue demanding a response. She opened beneath the assault and did her best to match his intensity. And when he groaned, Amy knew that she was exactly what he wanted. Untangling her fingers from his, she let her hands drop to his shoulders and then his chest.

Gently, she pushed him away, then walked into the bedroom and stood at the end of the bed, facing away from him. With trembling fingers, she reached for the clasp of her bra and unhooked it. A moment later, her panties lay at her feet. She couldn’t make her need much more evident. She heard his breath catch as she turned to face him.

A tiny sliver of doubt coursed through her. She’d never been more vulnerable than she was now. But Amy didn’t care. For once in her life, she had the courage she’d always wanted. And, as long as he was there, it wasn’t going to leave her.

He approached her slowly and Amy’s knees began to give way. She wanted to sit down on the end of the bed, but she was afraid to move. As if Mal sensed her distress, he slipped his arm around her waist and drew her against him.

His palms smoothed over her spine, drifting down to her waist and then cupping her backside. The sensation of his touch made every nerve in her body sing with anticipation until she felt as if the tingling would never stop. Gently, he moved her to the bed, then pulled them both down in a tangle of limbs.

As he kissed her again, he began to strip off his clothes. First his T-shirt, then his belt and jeans. She was so distracted by his single-minded assault on her mouth that when he stretched out on top of her, the touch of his skin against hers was a shock.

Amy held her breath, taking it all in. Was this really happening to her? She tried to keep a clear head, knowing that after it was over, she’d want to savor every detail again, but Mal was determined to drive her over the edge with passion.

His lips trailed across her shoulder, then moved lower. She waited for the touch of his tongue on her nipple, but he continued down, halting at the spot between her legs. A moan tore from her throat as his tongue began to tease at her sex.

Amy’s body tensed and she felt as if she was about to leap out of her own skin. Every flick, every gentle suck, sent wave after wave of delicious sensation coursing through her. She arched against him, unable to ask for more yet needing him to continue.

He knew exactly what he was doing and he showed no uncertainty. Mal wanted her complete surrender and Amy didn’t care what it cost. Her fingers slipped through his thick hair and she coaxed him on as he brought her closer to the edge. Her heart slammed in her chest and her body writhed against his mouth. And suddenly, she was there.

The world exploded in a riot of unbearable sensation, shudders of pleasure racking her body. He continued on until she was desperate to stop, the torment too sweet for her to bear. “Stop,” she whispered.

He slowly brought her body down from the peak, the spasms subsiding until she was left boneless and mindless, a victim of his seduction. Mal pressed his lips to the inside of her thigh and she stared down at him.

“That was lovely,” he said with a wicked smile.

Amy wasn’t sure whether she should laugh or cry. It had been lovely. Better than anything she’d ever experienced in her life. And she wanted to do it again. But she couldn’t help the doubts creeping into her head. Had she made a mistake? How was she supposed to live the rest of her life knowing that this was what passion was really about?

After it was all over, she’d have had her adventure. But then what? Was she meant to go home and forget it had ever happened?

No. If she wanted everything, the perfect experience, then it couldn’t end here. She could give him as good as she’d got.

Amy pulled him up next to her, stretching out beside him. Smoothing her hands over his belly, she brushed up against his shaft.

Mal smiled, his eyes still glazed with desire. Wrapping her fingers around him, Amy gently stroked. His response was immediate and he growled softly, nuzzling his face into the curve of her neck.

Her touch was soft and gentle. She wanted to tempt him, but not too far, as there was so much more she needed before he finished. Amy felt powerful, in control. She’d heard stories about climbers, men like Mal who flirted with danger and death. They approached sex in the same way, with a powerful passion that couldn’t be denied, as if every moment in bed with a woman might be their last.

She wanted to be the woman he remembered when he was sleeping in his tent on some distant mountainside. She wanted him to imagine her there with him as he pleasured himself on lonely nights.

She pressed her lips to the center of his chest, the soft dusting of hair tickling at the tip of her tongue. As he’d done to her, she moved lower. And when she closed her mouth over the tip of his shaft, Amy realized he was now at her mercy.

He reacted as any man would. But to Amy’s surprise, he wasn’t a silent participant. He softly urged her on, telling her when it felt good, whispering encouragement. She reveled in the sound of his voice, hearing how she made him feel.

And then suddenly he froze, his body stiffening beneath her touch. Amy knew he was close, fighting back the surge of pleasure that threatened. He held her tight, unwilling to let her continue, and she waited for him to regain control.

When he did, he pulled her up against his body, then reached over to grab a condom from the bedside table. He quickly sheathed himself and drew her on top of him, dragging her legs up on either side of his hips.

Amy shifted above him, the simple movement causing a groan to rumble in his throat. Slowly, he pushed inside her, burying himself deep in her warmth. Closing her eyes, she let the delicious sensation overwhelm her. For a long time, he didn’t move. She looked down at him and found her staring at her.

“What?” she whispered.

“Nothing. I’m just enjoying paradise for a bit longer.”

Paradise. That was exactly what this was. The place where life was perfection. Amy leaned forward and dropped a kiss on his lips, her long hair falling around his face. “Maybe I can find a way to extend your stay,” she said.

“Actually, I was just thinking of ways I could extend your stay,” Mal said. “Maybe you should get rid of your hotel room and move into the caboose.”

“Caboose?”

“It’s a little guesthouse out back. We usually rent it to visiting surfers, but it’s empty now. It’s close to the water and it’s simple, but nice. You don’t have to leave right away, do you?”