The Mighty Quinns: Dermot-Dex. Kate Hoffmann

days ago, yet she sensed that he was someone who would always be on her side.

      “I like this,” Maddie said, brushing his dark hair from his eyes. “It’s the perfect way to end the day.”

      “We’re not doing anything,” Kieran said.

      “I don’t need to do anything,” Maddie said. “I just need you near me.”

      “How close?” he asked. He was already hard, his erection pressed against her belly. He moved above her, teasing at her entrance until she could think of nothing but the moment when he’d bury himself inside her.

      “Closer,” she murmured. She whispered softly in his ear, telling him what she wanted him to do, enticing him with words.

      When he groaned softly, she knew that he couldn’t wait much longer. He nuzzled her neck, kissing and biting softly, moving above her in a slow, erotic dance. Maddie reached between them to caress his shaft, now hard and ready.

      “I have to get a condom,” he whispered.

      “I don’t want you to leave me,” she said.

      “I’m just going across the room.” He chuckled softly. “I promise, I’ll come right back.”

      The moment he broke contact, she felt the loss—of his heat, of his desire, of the comfort that his nearness brought her. But a moment later, he returned. Maddie took the box from his hands and after tearing open the plastic package, smoothed the latex over his shaft.

      He entered her slowly, the sensation so exquisite that it took her breath away. Everything seemed to be operating at half-speed between them. Time had ceased to exist and the outside world had gone dark and quiet. This was all that mattered, Maddie thought to herself as he began to move.

      Nothing in her life would ever be the same. From now on, she would live knowing that there was a man who was her perfect match in passion and pleasure. Every moment between them was a revelation, a discovery of the power of sexual attraction and simple affection.

      It was more than enough … for now.

      THE CADILLAC BEGAN to overheat about an hour after they got back on the road the next morning. Kieran pulled off the freeway and parked the car on the edge of the country road, letting it cool down before he started it again.

      Maddie perched on the back of the front seat as he peered beneath the hood. “What’s wrong with it?”

      “I don’t know,” Kieran said, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Maybe something wrong with the thermostat or the radiator. The belts look okay. It might be the water pump, although I’m not even sure this thing has a water pump.”

      “Could it be all of those things?” Maddie cried. “Maybe we should just replace the whole engine.”

      Kieran chuckled. “Maybe it’s just one of those things. But we’re going to have to get it looked at. It’s nothing I can fix.” He slammed the hood, then returned to the driver’s-side door. “We’ll try starting it after it cools down. If it overheats again, we’ll have to call a tow truck.”

      He was tempted to tell Maddie that something like this was to be expected when you don’t do your homework at a used-car lot. But she’d been so pleased with her purchase. And he’d been happy for her.

      In truth, that’s all he really cared about. Making Maddie deliriously happy. Maybe that wasn’t exactly what his grandfather was hoping for when he sent his grandsons out to find a new life. But for Kieran, it wasn’t about the place or the job. It was about finding someone who meant something, someone to build a life around.

      Kieran imagined his brothers. New Mexico, Wisconsin, Maine. What were they doing now? Where were they living, who had they met? He couldn’t imagine any of them tangled up in a relationship already.

      They were probably doing as expected, examining their choices, making decisions about their futures, learning more about themselves. And here he was, driving around in a bubblegum-pink Cadillac with a runaway country singer. He could imagine the laughter that would accompany that admission.

      Still, it would have been nice to have his brothers around. They might be able to help him untangle his feelings for Maddie. The longer they were together, the more he realized that things would not remain so simple. And advice was in short supply.

      It was easy to ignore the future when he and Maddie were on some kind of endless road trip. They weren’t really concerned about getting to their destination. In truth, they’d been avoiding it. But every trip came to an end sometime….

      “Why don’t you sing me a song while we’re waiting?” he said.

      “No, I’m not ready to sing for you,” Maddie said, shaking her head.

      “Why not? I’m a good audience. And I’ve heard you’re a pretty good singer.”

      She shook her head. “Nope. But I will teach you how to play the guitar.” Maddie crawled over the back of the seat and grabbed her guitar from the case. “Come back here. There’s more room.”

      Kieran jumped over the seat and settled next to her. She patiently went through the parts of the guitar, the neck, the frets, the strings, the sound hole.

      “Each of the strings is a different note. When you press the string down against the fret, it shortens the string and makes the pitch higher. So, when I put this combination of fingers down, it’s a D chord.” She handed him the guitar and put his fingers in the correct spots. “Now strum everything but the top string.”

      He did as she asked and a pleasant sound vibrated off the strings. Kieran ran his thumb across them again. “Don’t move your fingers too close to the frets. Now shift your index and middle finger up a string and strum them all. That’s an A-seventh chord.”

      Before long he was able to move back and forth between the two chords quite easily. “Now what?”

      “Now we’re going to sing a song,” Maddie said. “Something simple. ‘Jimmy Crack Corn.’ Do you know that one?”

      Kieran shook his head. “Nope.”

      “‘Row, Row, Row Your Boat’?”

      “That one I know.”

      He strummed the D chord and Maddie showed him where to change. Though he’d never been much of a singer, she seemed to bring out the best in him. After they mastered the first song, she sang “Jimmy Crack Corn” with him and then followed it with “Pink Cadillac.”

      “See, you’re good already.”

      He pulled her into a kiss. “You’re the one that’s good. You’re amazing. I know people tell you that all the time, but it’s true.”

      Maddie met his gaze, searching his eyes for the truth in his words. A smile spread across her face. “For the first time, I think I believe it.”

      “Put your guitar away. I think the engine’s cooled down enough that we can make it into town.”

      He slipped back behind the wheel and when she jumped onto the seat behind him, he started the car. They found a discount store with an automotive department on the edge of town and Kieran left the car parked outside one of the garage doors.

      He locked their things in the trunk before they walked inside. As he was filling out paperwork, Maddie wandered off, looking for a couple of cold drinks for them both. He watched as she walked away, smiling to himself.

      In a lot of ways, he hoped it would take a day or two to fix the car. He didn’t want their road trip to end. He wasn’t sure what awaited them at her grandparents place, but he liked having her all to himself.

      “Pretty lady,” the guy behind the counter said.

      “Yeah, she is.”

      “You know who she looks like?”

      Kieran nodded. “Yeah. Everyone says that.”