The Mighty Quinns: Eli (12 page)

“We've got another fifteen or twenty minutes,” he murmured. “I have an idea of what we can do in that time.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward the tent.

“We're not going to have sex now,” she said.

“Of course not. Twenty minutes isn't nearly enough time for that.”

“Then dinner can wait.” There were more urgent needs that would be met first.

She crawled inside the tent and he followed, tugging off her boots as she lay back on the down sleeping bags. Lucy watched as he unbuttoned and unzipped her jeans, then pulled them off and tossed them aside. Grabbing her legs, he yanked her closer, pulling her knees up on either side of him.

Then, with a wicked smile, he pulled her panties aside and slowly began to touch her, his fingers gently massaging her sex. Lucy groaned, bracing herself on her elbows as she watched him seduce her with a single-minded purpose.

By now, Eli had figured out exactly how she liked to be touched and he used that knowledge to his advantage. But Lucy had let him control their sex life for too long. She wanted to take her share, to learn every response and to pleasure him with as much skill as he pleasured her.

She gently pushed him back into the sleeping bag and worked his jeans down to his hips. Lucy smiled up at him, then ran her tongue along the length of his shaft. He grew hard before her eyes, and she urged him on with her tongue.

He tried to touch her, but she deftly pulled away. Then she bent close and blew on him. A shudder raced through his body, like a jolt of electricity.

A few moments later, her tongue flicked at the tip of his penis, sending another jolt through his system. The cold had made his senses much more acute and the contrast of her warm mouth and the frigid air heightened his pleasure.

She used her tongue and her fingers to gradually bring him to his peak and even when he tried to stop her, Lucy wouldn't be deterred. Eli braced himself, his hands clutching her shoulders when the first spasm hit.

The sticky warmth of his orgasm pooled on his belly and when he was finally spent, he glanced down at Lucy, her hand slick. “Look what you've done,” he said.

“Don't worry. I've got some burdock leaves that will clean that right up.”

He laughed, then pulled her up until she was stretched out over the length of his body. “That was a very nice appetizer.”

“And it took twenty minutes. It's the perfect timer for fish.” He kissed her and Lucy melted into his embrace, two becoming one.

But that was the problem, wasn't it? It was what she'd feared from the very beginning. That having Eli at the cabin would change the project—would change her. And Lucy feared that soon she'd no longer recognize herself.

 

6

October

T
HE
MOOD
IN
the cabin had been tense all morning. Eli and Lucy had awakened to a fresh coating of snow on the meadow and the first snowfall had brought Lucy's spirits crashing down.

Her cabin wasn't close to being done. The sod roof was nearly complete, but they hadn't finished cutting the sod and once the ground froze solid, they wouldn't be able to continue.

In truth, Eli was glad that the cabin project could finally be put aside. Though Lucy had worked so hard on it, the rush to finish it had put too much of a strain on her—and on their relationship. She'd worked in the cold and in the rain, until she was nearly exhausted, refusing to accept any help from him beyond the occasional bit of advice.

The production company had sent a new camera so that Eli could document her progress, but he didn't like watching her gradually fall apart through the view screen. Strangely enough, the producers seemed much more enthusiastic about the latest batch of video. They were getting the drama they wanted, but it was at the expense of Lucy's well-being.

Right now she was curled up in his grandmother's old rocking chair, peering out the window at the snow, her feet tucked beneath her. With a deep sigh, she pushed out of the chair and walked over to the door, slipping her feet into her boots. The wind had picked up and the temperature had dropped, but she was still determined to go out and work.

“Stop,” Eli murmured.

She turned to face him. “How many times are we going to have this same argument? There's too much work to do. I can't stop. I need to finish.”

“Why? Lucy, you can't live out there. The place has only got half a roof. The snow is coming in. Some of the chinking has to be redone, although at least the holes will be easy to find because the wind will blow through the walls. And you don't have either a door or windows.”

“Well, maybe if we wouldn't have spent so much time fooling around I would have finished it by now. Do you have any idea how many hours we wasted in that bed?”

Eli shook his head. God, she was just spoiling for a fight, but he wasn't going to oblige. “I don't consider that time wasted.” He pushed the chair back and stood. “If you want to get the cabin done, then let's do it. I'll help you. We'll work until we finish it.”

“No,” she said. “I have to do it myself.”

“Then you're not going to finish. Winter is coming and you can't finish the cabin when you're knee-deep in snow. I suggest you accept the fact that the cabin will have to wait until spring and move on.”

She grabbed her jacket and slipped into it, then shoved her hands into her gloves. “Come on, Riley.”

The dog looked up from his spot next to the fire, then yawned and put his head back down on his paws.

“Even he doesn't want to go outside,” Eli said.

Lucy leveled her gaze at him and he could tell that he'd pushed her too far. “Why don't you just go home. Pack up your things and leave. If you're not going to be supportive, then I don't want you here.”

She stepped outside and slammed the door behind her. Riley sent Eli a doleful look and then closed his eyes and continued his nap. Eli walked to the stove and poured himself a cup of coffee from the old blue enamel pot. He sipped at the hot brew as he paced the cabin, trying to decide his next move.

He'd been contracted by the production company as a cameraman, and since he'd started, the producers had charged him with the responsibility of finding interesting subjects to tape. But the tone of the emails had changed recently. The network was losing interest in the show. They had already mentioned to Eli that they might only need him through Christmas and then they might be calling a wrap.

Eli had tried to renew their enthusiasm for the project. He'd insisted that the winter would provide much more excitement and conflict. Plus he was going to teach Lucy how to hunt and trap, and he'd brought her a small shotgun, perfect for squirrels and rabbits and other small game.

Sinclair had been excited about the shotgun, but Lucy had refused to use it, preferring to exist on the dried beans and canned vegetables that she'd originally stocked in the pantry.

Eli knew she had a soft heart and was sympathetic to the furry creatures of the forest. But as a result, most of the drama happening at Trudie Montgomery's mountain cabin was happening between Lucy and her new cameraman. And much of that was his fault.

He hadn't mentioned to Lucy that he suspected the production company was about to pull the plug. He'd been trying to spare her feelings, but maybe if he told her, she'd give up a few of her stubborn ideals and try to work within her limits. She could still make an incredible show, but it didn't have to revolve around her finishing that damn cabin.

Frustrated, Eli walked to the door and picked up his own jacket from the hook on the wall. As he slipped through the door, he pulled his gloves on, then grabbed a warm cap from his pocket and tugged it down over his ears.

He found Lucy in front of her cabin, her attention completely focused on sawing a length of wood for her front door. He noticed that she'd already attached one plank to the crossbars. But even if she finished the door, the cabin was still wide open to the elements. Right now, a door seemed like a ridiculous frivolity for a cabin that only had half a roof.

“Have you come to cheer me on?” she asked, an edge of sarcasm to her voice.

“Can we just talk for a few minutes? There are a few things I need to tell you.”

“You can talk while I work,” she suggested.

Eli grabbed her elbow and gently turned her to face him. “Just a few minutes and then I'm going to head out.”

“You're going to hike back in this snow? No. You can go in the morning if it's clear, but I'm not going to spend my time worrying about you getting caught in a blizzard.”

“We could always hike out together,” he suggested. “You, me and Riley. You could use a few days in civilization. Besides, you wanted to interview Annalise. It would be the perfect opportunity.”

She looked up from her work. “Is that all?”

“No. I spoke with the production team earlier this week. They're starting to discuss when we might want to wrap this project up.”

“The project will be done April first of next year.”

“Well, they're considering shutting you down at the end of December.”

Lucy gasped. “They told you that?”

“It was pretty clearly implied that if I had other job offers after the first of the year, I should take them.”

The energy seemed to drain from her body and she sat down on a small bench. “Could we change their minds?”

“I don't know, Lucy. Maybe, but I don't think you should count on it.”

“It's my fault. I thought I could do this. It was a good show until they changed direction. I wanted it to be simple and intimate, like a personal conversation with Trudie. They want it to be...silly. I should never have trusted them. Anna has always wanted to move up in the ranks and Rachel is in it for the money.”

He reached out and grabbed her gloved hand, then laced his fingers through hers. “If they decide to cancel it, then you will just carry on. Do what you came here to do. Does it really matter anymore if other people see it? Maybe this was always meant to be between just you and Trudie.”

She turned to face him. “I'm going to be fine,” she said. “You can go back inside.”

“Are you going to come in?”

“Not just yet. I'm going to finish this door. And then I might just paint it blue because I've always wanted a house with a blue front door.” She held on to his hand, her fingers toying with his. “Maybe I should try to find some new investors. There's got to be someone out there who'd be interested in this.”

“I'm sure there is,” Eli said. “Why is this cabin so important to you? It seems to be about more than just experiencing life as my grandmother did.”

“What else would it be?” she asked.

“I'm no shrink, but if I were to guess, I'd say that you're trying to build yourself a home—maybe because you've never had a home of your own?”

She forced a smile. “You're right. You're no shrink.” Lucy stood up and went back to work on the front door. “Go inside before you freeze. The wind is picking up.”

Eli knew he wouldn't accomplish anything further here. He'd make dinner for them both and perhaps they could continue their conversation over a few glasses of wine. Her single-minded pursuit of this idea was all good when everyone had been on the same page. But now it was time to consider a new direction.

As he walked back to the warmth of his grandmother's cabin, he realized there was another way to make this all work—but in order to finish the project the way Lucy wanted to finish it, she'd have to compromise everything else she believed in. Eli didn't want to force her to make that kind of choice, but they were about to run out of options. So now, he just had to figure how to convince her of the beauty of the plan without kicking him out of her life forever.

“Who wants to be a millionaire?” he murmured as he walked inside the cabin. “Maybe I do.”

* * *

L
UCY
WORKED
UNTIL
the last trace of light had disappeared from the sky, until her fingers were so cold they barely moved. She looked around at her cabin and tried to fight back a flood of tears.

She wasn't even sure why she was upset. Hell, she never let anything get to her and couldn't remember the last time she'd cried. Crying was a manifestation of weakness and she would never allow herself that kind of self-indulgence.

Her life used to be so simple. Everything existed in black and white. Now everything seemed to be fraught with emotion. Even this silly log building with its half-done roof and its nonexistent windows. But it wasn't just the cabin, or the project, or her life. It was him.

Lucy sat down on the rough-hewn bench and wrapped her arms around herself. Since the visit from her producers, she'd been trying to understand why she felt so out of control. And then she'd realized it was Eli. Everything was about Eli. They were so inextricably twisted together that she didn't know who she was without him anymore.

So she'd been trying to separate herself, to go back to who she was when she'd first arrived on the mountain. But it had been impossible. That Lucy Parker no longer existed. She'd been changed.

Now, she had two choices. To walk away and try to find the life she used to have, or to learn to live as a person who cared. A person who cried and fought and maybe even loved. Could she strike down the walls she'd built and open her heart to something new?

Lucy stood up and shoved her gloved hands into her jacket pockets, then trudged through the snow back to the cabin. As she climbed the porch steps, she turned around to stare across the meadow, the grass now covered with a pristine blanket of snow, a riot of stars in the sky above her.

A soft light poured out of the windows of the cabin and she could see Eli moving around inside. He'd wanted to leave earlier, but she was glad he'd stayed. Solitary nights in Trudie's cabin just weren't as satisfying as they used to be. She liked having him in bed beside her.

Lucy opened the door and stepped into the dimly lit interior. A fire was blazing on the hearth and the oil lamps around the cabin were flickering. The scent of dinner filled the air and she drew a deep breath and sighed.

Without a word, Eli crossed to her and helped her remove her jacket and boots. Then he gathered her in his arms and kissed her, his lips gently teasing until she finally surrendered the last bit of her anger. It still surprised her how a kiss or a caress could completely alter her mood.

Eli hugged her, nuzzling her neck. “You're freezing.”

“It's cold out there.”

“It's going to get a lot colder,” he said. He pulled her along to the fire and settled her in the rocker, then tucked a quilt around her body. “I made chili. Are you hungry?”

Lucy nodded. As Eli got her something to eat, she pulled off her wool socks and let her frozen toes thaw, resting her feet on the edge of the stone hearth.

She'd come to love the quiet at the end of the day. In the summer, they'd strolled through the meadow and in the fall, they'd sat on the porch, dressed in heavy sweaters and jeans. And now that winter was upon them, they'd retreated to the cozy warmth of the cabin with its crackling fire and creaking wood floors.

Eli handed her a mug and a spoon, then sat down on the edge of the hearth, facing her. “Did you finish the door?”

“I just have to fasten the strap hinges on it, but it's together. Not that it's going to do a lot of good.”

She dug into the chili and sighed as the warmth worked its way through her body. Though she was a passable cook, Eli was much more comfortable with camp meals, making something good out of dried and canned ingredients. He was, by all accounts, a handy man to have around.

“Maybe we should hang the door tomorrow morning. I could get some good footage of it.”

She smiled. “Now you've changed your mind? You don't think the cabin is a waste of time?”

“I was wrong,” Eli said. “You need to make your own decisions about this. My opinion doesn't matter.”

“Don't say that,” Lucy countered. “It does. I just reserve the right to ignore it.” She set the soup mug on the hearth, then got up and wandered over to the bed. Exhaustion overwhelmed her body and she pulled the covers back and crawled inside, still dressed in her jeans and sweater.

Eli followed her, stretching out beside her and wrapping his arm around her waist. “I don't want you to worry about the producers pulling the plug on this project. I've figured out a way around that.”

“Are you going to beat them up until they agree to do it my way?” she asked.