He was a Navy Seal and had the pleasure of working with a fine group of men who all worked for special top-secret operations that risked his life on a daily basis. He'd just signed the papers for his final mission. He was getting out, and, at the age of thirty-five, he was going to finally marry his woman.
Handing everything over, he grabbed his bag and looked toward his friend, Dale.
"Are you sure about this? There's nothing more exciting out there."
Quinn shook Dale's hand. "I don't need excitement anymore. I've got everything I wanted out of this life. It's time for me to move on."
"The guys are all going to miss you."
"I may be out, but that doesn't mean you can't come and visit me. I'll be expecting you." He withdrew his hand, offering a smile. "Come visit me and I'll buy you all a beer."
"Will do. The men are going to want to see the woman that has you leaving our asses." Dale tucked the form under his arm. "How are you getting home?"
"Plane, taxi, Dorothy has refused to come and get me. She's at the apartment where I'll be staying." His sister was known for being a pain in the ass, but he adored her.
"Okay. Your sister is waiting to give you a long talk, right?"
"You know her well. She'll be ready to have my ass if I in any way ruin her friendship with Kaley. She's not going to have anything to worry about. I'm perfect for Kaley."
"Ah, the mystery woman has a name."
Shaking his head, Quinn turned and headed out into the sunshine. He loved the summer a hell of a lot more than he did the winter. Everything always looked brighter to him. Climbing in the back of the guys' car, he laughed as they talked nonstop about his leaving. They were all good men, and he'd miss them.
Quinn stood in the airport, and he took out the picture his sister had sent last. It had been taken four months ago, at Kaley's twenty-fourth birthday. His sister knew about his feelings for her friend and had expressed her concern, but she hadn't stopped sending pictures of Kaley.
His woman smiled back at the camera. In front of her was a large, chocolate-frosted cake. For the first time in a picture the glasses were not present and he was able to see her dark brown eyes. She smiled, and it lit up the whole of her face, making his chest tighten and his cock harden unbearably. Her hair was unbound and curled around her shoulders. The dress she wore showed a great deal of cleavage, more daring than anything he'd seen her in, as the hem ended before her knee. Kaley was pressing the knife into the cake. She practically sparkled with joy.
Quinn had already set the wheels in motion for him to be out of the Seals. This picture had only confirmed what he would do. It would only be a matter of time before another man saw what he did and fought past her boundaries to get to the woman within. He saw the sensuality within her. The need in her eyes to be taken, to be loved, shone brightly back at him. There was so much need inside her he was surprised Dorothy hadn't pushed one of her male friends onto Kaley. His sister hadn't, and so, Quinn was finally ready to make Kaley his. Even if his sister was nervous because he didn't have the best track record, she knew he wouldn't hurt Kaley, and that his feelings for her were real. He'd be the one to unlock the passion inside her. He alone would reap the rewards, and when it was all over, he'd be the one she fell in love with.
All he needed to do was persevere. It wasn't hard. He'd been a Navy Seal; seducing a woman would be a walk in the park.
"I'm going to head to the library," Kaley said, putting all of her notes into her bag. She'd taken an extra class at the college to pass her time, and now she was in graduate school.
"Okay." Dorothy appeared out of the kitchen holding a wooden spoon. "You're going to be gone until this evening, right?"
Kaley frowned at the hopeful look on her friend's face. "Huh? What's going on?"
"Nothing. Nothing is going on." Dorothy rubbed the end of the wooden spoon against her head. Thick chocolate batter coated it, looking way too tempting.
Her suspicions rose as she looked at Dorothy. "You're acting strangely."
"It's the summer. The heat is getting to me."
Shrugging, Kaley put her satchel over her shoulder. She worked at the library five days a week and spent most of her evenings there while she studied. When she wasn't working or studying, she wrote. Kaley loved to write stories, explicit stories filled with adventure and intrigue.
"Do you want me to pick something up for dinner?"
"Nah, I'm going to cook."
Again, her suspicions rose. Between the pair of them, Dorothy rarely cooked while Kaley loved to cook. "I'm a little confused right now. Who's coming to dinner?"
"No one. I've got the need to cook."
With her hands on her hips, Kaley stared back at her friend. Dorothy's face became devoid of any emotion.
"You can keep looking at me all you want, Kaley Woods. I'm not doing anything wrong. I need to cook, and it's not your day in the kitchen, it's mine."
Shaking her head, Kaley walked to the door, guilty for her suspicions against her friend. "I'll see you later."
"Take care."
"I will."
She closed their apartment door, making her way downstairs toward the entrance. Kaley walked the several blocks toward the city library. It was a busy Friday morning, and she dodged as many people as possible on her way. The only problem with living in the city was the constant business of the people. They were always on the go, refusing to stop or apologize for banging into you.
Dropping her glasses onto her face, she tucked her head down, crossing her arms over her breasts as she walked up the entrance steps.
On the way inside, she stopped at the business section, gathering six books she'd need for studying.
Martha, a librarian in her forties, nodded toward her. "You're back here again." Martha had given her the job, showing her the ropes. Kaley liked the woman and considered her a friend.
"Yeah, studying."
"Honey, you're twenty-four years old. Surely there's a man out there waiting for you."
For some reason, Quinn, Dorothy's brother, came to mind. Rubbing at her temples, she tried to force memories of him away. "No, no one."
"You're a beautiful young woman, Kaley. You need to stop hiding behind those glasses and those books." Martha shook her head.
Not knowing what to say, she took the books toward the study area. She removed her satchel, pulled out her notebooks, and started to work. Every now and then she'd rub at her temple to try to clear the thoughts of Quinn.
He was the one man who always invaded her thoughts whenever anyone talked about a man. He made her so nervous that she made every excuse she could not to be in the same room alone with him. Since he became a Seal something had changed. He stared at her all the time. Each time he held her gaze, she was sure he saw a hell of a lot more than she would have liked. No matter how she tried to hide the desires running through her body, Quinn seemed to know.
You're losing your mind again.
There's no way Quinn could know. Her desires were locked up tight on her laptop where her stories were. Even Dorothy didn't know about her more explicit stories. Kaley liked to write about alpha males who knew what they wanted and did everything in their power to show the woman how they felt. They were dominant, protective, and so damn sexy they made her wet just writing them.
Opening the first book, she pressed her thighs together to try to stem the arousal working its way up her body.
She took notes on the values and needs of business, only to stop as Quinn's handsome image came to mind again. Pausing, she pulled her cell phone out of her jeans pocket to bring up his picture. This was one of the pictures Dorothy had sent her. It was taken by Dorothy as she held the phone up to take one of Kaley with Quinn. Quinn's thick arms drew her gaze first. Growing up, he'd been tall but not filled out. Since joining the Seals, Quinn had filled out. His arms were huge, well defined by muscle. They showed his hard work. In fact, the whole of his body showed it. Quinn's body was a piece of art.
Shutting off the phone, she forced all memory of Quinn out of her mind. No, she wouldn't be thinking about Quinn. He was off limits.
He wasn't just Dorothy's brother, he was scary as hell. She rarely spoke to him and wouldn't be alone with him anytime soon.
What if he's got a girlfriend?
Licking her suddenly dry lips, Kaley stared straight ahead of her at the lines of books. Books never scared her or made her want something she couldn't have.
Running fingers through her messy brown hair, she finally pushed Quinn aside. He was invading her study time. When she was done, she'd make a quick stop at the store for some chocolate ice cream and a movie. Ice cream and a movie would make her feel better. Well, the ice cream would make her feel better. Dorothy wouldn't ask too many questions if she appeared with ice cream, providing a romance movie came with it.