The Mighty Quinns: Eli. Kate Hoffmann

There were more than a few consequences that came along with kissing Lucy again. Especially kissing her for nothing but the pleasure of it.

      She’d come to the mountain for some kind of feminist empowerment deal, and the last thing he wanted to do was interfere in her professional or personal goals. Then there was the whole guilt thing. If he ruined her life with romance, she’d blame him for wrecking her project. And he wasn’t usually the relationship type—would she want that from him?

      From Eli’s experience, finding a man was like buying a car to some women. There were those who were constantly searching for a fast ride and willing to test-drive anything that got them to sixty the fastest. Then, there were those who took their time and compared features and quality before committing to it. And then there were women, like Annalise and Trudie, who preferred to take cabs.

      He got the sense that Lucy was a cab rider, the kind of woman who didn’t need a man to be happy and didn’t waste a lot of time and energy searching. But it really didn’t make a difference. A few kisses now and then didn’t mean they were in a relationship.

      He should be happy that she wasn’t demanding more of him. So why did he want to give her everything she’d never ask for?

      He glanced over at her. “What are you going to do if you get lost?” he asked.

      “How could I get lost? I’m not going to wander around out here by myself. If I can’t see the cabin, then I don’t go there.”

      “I used to think that, too. Until I got lost and spent a night out here by myself.”

      “What happened?”

      “I was spending the summer with my grandmother and we had a fight about something. So I decided to take off, just for a quick walk. But I got turned around. Just like that. One second I knew where I was and the next I didn’t. So my next piece of advice is to always carry a compass. And spend some time studying the landmarks.”

      Over the next hour, Eli gave her a lesson in navigating the wilderness. He tried to impress on her the dangers that she faced if she wasn’t careful, but Lucy assured him that she wasn’t planning to take any long walks, no matter what the cause.

      By the end of his lesson, she was clearly overloaded with information and had begun to tune him out, just smiling and nodding at everything he told her. He’d have to stop for now. As he steered them through the woods and back to the meadow, he reached out to take her hand, helping her over rough parts of the trail. It was enough just to touch her, to feel that momentary connection when her hand was tucked into his.

      When they arrived at the cabin, Eli stayed on the porch while she went inside to make lunch. But to his surprise, she opened the screen door a few moments later and invited him in.

      “It’s not against the guidelines anymore for me to come inside?”

      “It’s your cabin.”

      He hesitated before walking in the front door. Eli was used to the cabin the way his grandmother had left it and he wondered if she’d done anything to alter the interior. But as he stepped inside, he noticed that everything was in its proper place, almost as if Lucy had treated the cabin like a shrine.

      “I love this place,” he murmured.

      “Me, too. I mean, I know it’s not mine, but I can feel your grandmother’s presence here. And I think she approves. And that’s important to me.”

      “Why don’t you sit down and let me make you breakfast for lunch. I’m a pretty decent cook. And I used to make it for Trudie all the time.”

      “I don’t have real eggs,” she said. “Just the powdered kind. And powdered milk.”

      “That’ll do for pancakes,” he said.

      She sat down at the table and watched him for a long moment, then picked up a small video camera and aimed it at him. “So what is it you do with yourself when you’re not trudging up mountains with caramel lattes and making buckwheat pancakes, Eli Montgomery?”

      “You’re not really filming me, are you?”

      “Yes, I am. But this is for my personal use.”

      He chuckled softly. “Then wait a moment.” He reached for the hem of his T-shirt then pulled it up over his head, revealing his naked chest. “How’s that?”

      “Fine,” she said. “Flex, please.”

      “I don’t really have a regular job,” Eli continued. “I bounce from place to place. The last six months I’ve been in Nicaragua surveying the site for a new canal that a Chinese billionaire hopes to build. Before that, I was on a trekking expedition in Mongolia. I’ve traveled the world by freighter. An opportunity pops up and off I go.”

      “And what’s your next job?”

      “I don’t know,” Eli said. “I’m waiting to see what comes along.”

      He mixed the batter for the pancakes and then stirred in some dried blueberries. When he found his grandmother’s favorite cast-iron skillet, Eli set it on the stove and added some oil.

      “Did Trudie teach you to cook?” she asked.

      “A little. Buck, my grandfather, makes great food. I spent a lot of time with him while my mom was gone on expeditions.”

      The scent of pancakes filled the cabin and brought Riley in. He sat down right next to the stove. Eli flipped a pancake to the dog, then stacked the rest on a plate for Lucy. He found a tin of maple syrup on a shelf above the stove and set it down beside her plate, then leaned close and brushed a kiss across her lips. “Enjoy,” he murmured.

      “I do,” Lucy said, her gaze fixed on his.

      He sat down across from her and crossed his arms over his chest.

      “You’re not going to eat?”

      “I’d rather watch you,” he murmured.

      She poured some syrup over the pancakes and dug in.

      “Good?” he asked.

      “Mmm. So good. I miss fresh food so much. I started digging a garden, but it’s going to be forever until I actually have vegetables. We had frost just a couple days ago.”

      “Plant cold weather crops first. Lettuce, radishes, carrots, beets. That’s what my grandmother did.”

      “More advice,” she said. She cut a bit of her pancake and held it out to him. “Eat.”

      He smiled and swallowed. “Maybe I am hungry.”

      Lucy pushed away from the table and took the chair next to him, then handed him her fork. As he ate, she scooped up some syrup with her finger and licked it off with her tongue.

      Eli stopped chewing, stunned at the erotic undertones of her action. He didn’t believe she’d done it deliberately, but being so close to her was having a powerful effect on his body. She did it again and he reached out and gently grabbed her wrist.

      “Stop doing that.”

      Lucy frowned. “Why?”

      “Just stop.”

      Tipping her chin up, she scooped up more of the syrup and licked her finger again, then slowly realized why he’d stopped her. “Oh,” she murmured.

      “You do it again, I may have to kiss you.”

      She grinned, then wiped her finger on the plate one last time. But she didn’t put her finger in her mouth. Instead, she wiped the syrup on her bottom lip. Leaning across the table, she smiled at him in a silent invitation.

      Groaning, he put down his fork and accepted her challenge, kissing her softly, lingering over her mouth.

      He slowly stood and pulled her to her feet, then smoothed his hands over her waist. Pressing her back against the edge of the table, he deepened the kiss, his tongue invading