The Mighty Quinns: Dex

“Will there be more kissing involved, or is it all business from here on out?”

“Would kissing you make you more inclined to take the job?” she asked.

“Probably not,” he replied.

“Then I suppose that’s the last time I’m going to kiss you.”

“Good,” he said, throwing the truck into gear and pulling out onto the road.

Though Marlie Jenner would provide the perfect distraction from all the pain he’d experienced in the past eight months, he wasn’t about to use her just to satisfy his own lust. He wasn’t ready to work again, and nothing she offered him, even a few enjoyable kisses, was going to change his mind. Once he got her back to the cottage, he’d send her on her way.

2

MARLIE USED THE ride back from the pub to silently go over her pitch in her head. She’d have just one chance to convince him, and she had to make sure she got it right.

Dex pulled the SUV onto the small parking pad next to the cottage and turned off the lights, then the ignition.

“I’ll just go get my computer,” she murmured, reaching for the door.

But he placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. “Wait,” he said.

Her gaze drifted down to the spot where his fingers rested. A warm flush crept up her cheeks and she had to tell herself to breathe. “What is it?”

“I have to be honest with you. As much as I enjoyed that kiss we shared, nothing you say is going to convince me to do your project. So I don’t need to see your presentation. But if you’d like to come inside and get to know each other a little better over a drink, I’d be interested in that.”

Marlie stared at him, her mouth agape. “I— How dare—? No! No, I’m not interested in coming inside and having a drink.” She opened the car door and stepped out, then slammed the door.

Dex jumped out after her. “I just thought since you did kiss me and you seemed to enjoy it that...”

Marlie shook her head, then turned to walk away. In truth, she wanted nothing more than to go inside with him and see exactly where a few drinks might lead. But that would be supremely unprofessional. Plus, she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction.

She spun back around. “You’re missing out on a really great project. You have a chance to do something important for a wonderful Irish writer. And don’t think I don’t know you could do this project blindfolded with one hand tied behind your back.”

Dex smiled. “That would be a bit dodgy,” he said.

Marlie cursed beneath her breath, then strode toward her car, fighting back the tears that threatened. She’d blown it. And yet, as she got inside her car, she couldn’t put her finger on where she’d gone wrong. Somewhere between the pub and the cottage, he’d changed his mind. Before that, everything had been going so well.

Or had it? Maybe he’d never had any intention of listening to her pitch. Maybe all he really wanted was a quick roll in the hay. She grabbed the keys from her jacket pocket and started the car. “I never should have kissed him,” Marlie muttered.

She’d never been an impulsive person, especially when it came to men. There was just something about Dex that rendered her completely irrational.

Throwing the car into gear, she steered the Fiat back onto the road, roaring past Dex as she headed toward the lights of the village.

As she drove through the dark, she refocused, scrambling to come up with an alternate plan. But Marlie was faced with the realization that she’d put all her eggs in the Dex basket. Though she had a list of other options, other cameramen who might be interested in the project, she hadn’t made contact with any of them. She’d never expected to waste two full weeks chasing after Dex Kennedy, and filming was due to start in mere days.

Rain began to hit the windshield and she turned on the wipers. When she reached the small village, Marlie pulled the car over and grabbed the map, trying to figure out the fastest way back to Killarney. Yet the thought of walking away from Dex and everything he had to offer was causing her to doubt her actions. She’d come this far. Was she really ready to give up so easily?

“No,” Marlie muttered. He hadn’t even given her a chance. She cursed softly. At least not a chance to talk about her project.

So just how far was she willing to go to convince Dex to do her film? She’d never compromised herself for the sake of professional advancement. Yet now that the film of her career was about to slip through her fingers, she had to take drastic action, and she wasn’t going to give up. Not until she’d exhausted every last option with Dex. Every last option, except sex. That, she decided, was her line.

Marlie made a quick U-turn and headed back toward the little cottage. When she reached the building, she pulled up near the stone wall and turned off the ignition.

The house was dark and she wondered if he’d left already. But the SUV was still parked in its spot. It was early, not even 8:00 p.m. Had he gone to bed? If she waited here, she could catch him in the morning, maybe in a better mood. Or she could bang on the door and demand that he hear her out.

Marlie grabbed her laptop and got out of the car. Nothing had ever come easily to her. Why would Dex Kennedy be any different? Somehow, she would put aside her ridiculous attraction to him and keep her wits about her. And she’d convince him that this film was the most important thing in her life—and his.

When she reached the door, Marlie drew a deep breath. “He’s just a guy. Just an ordinary guy. He’s not that good-looking. Or charming.” She rapped on the door, her heart pounding. After a second knock, Marlie realized he wasn’t planning to answer.

“I know you’re in there. I’m not going away until you give me a chance to pitch my project.”

Marlie put her ear up against the door. But she heard nothing inside. “I’m not going to give up. You can talk to me now, or you can talk to me later.”

She reached for the doorknob. Holding her breath, she slowly turned it, surprised when the door opened. The last thing she needed was to be accused of breaking and entering. But since the door was unlocked, she couldn’t be accused of breaking in, and if she stayed on the front step, she wouldn’t be entering.

“Hello?” The interior was dark, the only light coming from the remains of a fire in the hearth. “Dex? Are you here?”

If he was going to be this stubborn, then maybe she’d need to be a bit more aggressive. Besides, he wouldn’t call the police, would he? “I’m not breaking and entering, I just have a few more things I want to say.”

She switched on a lamp and then walked slowly through the cottage. But Dex was nowhere to be found. Maybe he’d gone out for a walk.

It was cold and rainy outside. He’d have to come home sooner or later. She’d wait in the car until she saw the lights come on, and then she’d knock again.

Marlie walked back out to her car and crawled inside, pulling her jacket around her to ward off the chill. He couldn’t stay out that long in weather like this...unless a friend had picked him up and they’d gone out. She groaned. He could be gone until the pubs closed.

Her cell phone rang and she pulled it out of her pocket. “Hello?”

“Miss Jenner, this is Ian Stephens.”

Marlie suppressed another groan. What else was going to go wrong? With her luck, Aileen Quinn was probably having second thoughts, too. “Hello. How are you?”

“I’m fine. I hope I’m not ringing too late, but I wanted to let you know that I got all of Miss Quinn’s photos on a disk. You can pick them up tomorrow or I can drop them at your hotel.”

“If you could drop them off, that would be great,” Marlie said. “I’m a little busy with other matters.”

“And Miss Quinn has asked if we could move the first interview forward one day. She had a conflict come up. And I think she’s excited to get started.”

“Yes,” Marlie said. “That would be fine. So we’ll be there Friday instead of Saturday.”

“That will do. Have a pleasant evening and I’ll see you soon.”

Marlie hung up and slipped the phone into her pocket. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She had to make this work. She’d already told her bosses at Back Bay she could get Dex Kennedy to sign on to the project, and they’d already begun making plans based on her overly optimistic claim.

How could she go back to them and tell them she’d failed? They’d lose all faith in her. They already had their doubts. There was only one choice—she’d have to convince him, no matter what it took.

* * *

THE DAMP WIND stung his cheeks and Dex shoved his hands farther into his pockets. He was chilled to the bone but he didn’t feel the cold. All he wanted was the numbness that it brought.