Fated Love (34 page)

"Hi," Quinn murmured. She glanced down at the sleeping child, then back up at Honor. "We can probably make some room for you down here with us."

"Mmm." Honor folded her arms on the top of the couch and rested her chin on them. "It sounds tempting, but I'd either fall asleep too, or else I'd get ideas."

"Ideas?" Quinn's eyebrows rose as her voice dropped a register.

Honor smiled slowly and nodded. "In fact, I'm getting
ideas
right now."

"Okaay." Quinn shifted Arly into her arms and stood, cradling the child against her shoulder. "That decision's made. I'll take her up to bed."

"Right behind you."

When Quinn deposited Arly in bed, the child woke for a second, smiled at her mother, then immediately turned over and went back to sleep. Honor took Quinn's hand and together they walked toward the bedroom.

"How are you doing?" Quinn asked gently. "You look beat,"

"I am." Honor sighed. ''You know the routine. Lots of forms, lots of phone calls, lots of repeating myself with everyone in the chain of command. It turns out that Temple has two cases as well. It looks like we're going to be seeing a lot more before the incubation period is over."

"That's not good news."

"No," Honor agreed as she settled onto the side of the bed. "But you did a good job of picking up on these early cases."

Quinn leaned down and lifted Honor's foot, slipped off her shoe, and then reached for the other foot. "Thanks." Then she opened Honor's slacks and slid down the zipper. Grasping the waistband, she said, "Lift up and let me get these off."

"You 're spoiling me," Honor murmured, leaning to one side to set her beer can down on the bedside table.

"I'm trying to."

Honor rested back on her elbows and watched Quinn undress her. It was comforting and exciting at the same time. "Are pajamas next?"

With a crooked grin, Quinn looked up from her task of unbuttoning Honor's blouse. "I guess you noticed that Arly and I had a hard time finding matching tops and bottoms. Finally we decided that it was more interesting to mix them up." As she spoke, she slid the blouse off Honor's shoulders and down first one arm, then the other.

"Yes. Very cute, and I'm sure that will be her favorite look from now on." Honor reclined in only her bra and silk bikinis, and when Quinn reached around her to smooth a palm over her back, she closed her eyes. "God, this is nice."

"Yes, it is." Quinn's stomach tightened as her gaze followed the arch of Honor's neck. When Honor's head dropped back and a low groan escaped her, Quinn carefully released the clasp on Honor's bra and drew it off. Reverently, she whispered, "You're so beautiful."

Honor's lips parted slightly in a lazy smile as she observed Quinn through half-opened lids. "I don't think I've ever been so relaxed and so hot at the same time in my life."

Quinn knelt between Honor's thighs by the side of the bed and rested her cheek against Honor's stomach. With one hand, she cradled Honor's breast, running her fingertips over the small hard nipple. Honor's heart fluttered beneath her face and her own raced in time with it. "I love you."

Wordlessly, Honor stroked Quinn's face and neck, pressing Quinn more tightly to her body. The fingers on her breast stirred her flesh, but Quinn's tender attentions and gentle words fired her passion. For long moments, she luxuriated in the simple pleasure of Quinn's body against hers. "You make me feel so wonderful."

Nearly drunk on the sight and sound and scent of her, Quinn pushed upright and braced herself with one hand against the mattress. She glanced down to the damp silk between Honor's thighs, then brought her palm to cover the small triangle of fabric. Honor arched against her and sighed.

"I love you." Quinn drew the thin barrier aside and slid smoothly into Honor's depths, watching Honor's face as she filled her.

"Oh...you feel so good." Dazed, Honor kept her eyes on Quinn's as her hips slowly lifted and fell to the steady cadence of Quinn's strokes. Before long, she felt the orgasm unfurl along her spine, hot and feathery. "Oh, yes. Like that, Quinn. Like that."

Quinn gripped the sheets in her fist, concentrating fiercely
to
contain her own wild need to go faster, deeper, harder. Distantly, she was aware of her own excitement, a hard ache rising on the crest of Honor's pleasure. Her breath came in shallow gasps, echoing Honor's rasping pants. Her muscles trembled as Honor's closed around her fingers.

"Baby, I'm coming. I'm coming." Honor arched her back and pushed down hard against Quinn's hand. The added pressure triggered the climax that had hovered teasingly, just beyond her reach. With a cry, she reared up, wrapping her arms around Quinn's shoulders. She buried her face in the curve of Quinn's neck, wracked with tremors.

"Oh yeah," Quinn moaned, pressing her face to Honor's shoulder, holding her close with one arm as the other gentled between her thighs. As Honor quieted in her embrace, moaning softly with contentment, Quinn let out a long shaky sigh. "Sometimes when I'm that close to you, I feel like my heart will burst. It's a good feeling."

Honor brought trembling hands to Quinn's face and lifted her head until she could look into her eyes. "You touch me. You touch me in ways I've never been touched."

"That's all I want."

Honor closed her eyes and rested her forehead on Quinn's. "That's everything."

The ringing phone awakened them at just after five.

"Blake," Honor grumbled into the receiver. Quinn stirred beside her, and Honor drew her close. "Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay. Right." She fumbled the phone back onto the base and groaned. "The team from the CDC just arrived at the airport from Atlanta and will be in the ER in forty-five minutes."

Quinn opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling. "I guess there's not enough time to hire a band."

"No, probably not." Honor laughed. "I guess
I'll
have to do as the reception committee."

"I'll come in with you." Quinn sat up and pushed the covers back. She was tired, but it was only from lack of sleep. The weariness that had plagued her soul for so long had lifted.

"You don't have to, baby." Honor ran her fingers down Quinn's back. "I'm sorry I fell asleep last night."

"No need to be." Grinning an altogether satisfied grin, Quinn glanced over her shoulder at her lover. "It made me feel like a superstar."

"Oh, you are," Honor purred as she wrapped both arms around Quinn from behind and lay her cheek against Quinn's back. "Still, I want to please you the way you please me."

"As fabulous as you make me feel, if I could only have one thing, I'd rather touch you."

"Mmm." Honor moved her lips indolently over the edge of Quinn's shoulder blade as she caressed her palm over Quinn's stomach. "Me, too. That's something of a conundrum, isn't it?"

Quinn guided Honor's fingers down her belly and between her thighs. She stiffened at the first electric contact and heard Honor gasp in surprise. Quinn's voice was husky as she said, "Should be interesting solving that particular problem." She covered Honor's hand with her own and pressed hard, hard enough to make her body twitch and her vision dim. Then she shifted her hips and rose abruptly, breaking Honor's startled grip. "Guess it'll have to wait, though."

"You..." Honor sputtered indignantly. "1 can't believe you did that!"

Quinn grinned. "Just wanted to give you something to think about today."

Honor came off the bed so quickly that it was Quinn's turn to jump. "I'm going to make you pay for that, Maguire."

"Promises, promises," Quinn laughed, making a quick dash for the adjoining bathroom.

"Later," Honor muttered, gathering their clothes from the floor. "You'll get yours later." Smiling, she followed Quinn. "And so will I."

Chapter Thirty

A lmost a week passed before Honor had even a moment to consider making good on her threat. During that time, she worked eighteen hours a day and admitted thirty-two more patients with acute hepatitis. Close to three hundred new cases were diagnosed in the greater Philadelphia area. Unfortunately, there were also two deaths.

At the height of the outbreak, the CDC epidemiology team interviewed patients, constructed demographic charts, and investigated dozens of potential sources of the contagion. Honor was constantly on call, interfacing with her own emergency room physicians as well as the out-of-town consultants. She and Quinn saw each other in passing at work, but by the time Honor got home, there was barely enough time to sleep before she needed to be back at work.

By Friday evening, the number of new cases had dwindled, and it appeared that the source of the infection—a contaminated delivery of scallions from Mexico—had been identified. With the crisis waning, Honor was able to leave the hospital by seven p.m., and the first thing she did when she walked out the ER doors was to punch in Quinn's number on her cell phone.

"Hello?" Quinn said.

Honor smiled just to hear the sound of her voice. "It's me. Are you free?"

"Well, not really."

"Oh." Honor worked to hide her disappointment as she fumbled her keys from her briefcase and leaned to open the door of her car. "Well, then..."

"Hold on a second."

A new voice came on the line.

"Mom? Are you on your way home now?"

"Honey? What's going on? Where are you two?" Honor slid into the front seat of her car and tossed her briefcase beside her. She hadn't seen Arly all week, because her daughter had been asleep by the time she'd gotten home. As far as she knew, Arly should have been with Phyllis.

"Home. Quinn and I are making pizza."

"You are?" Quickly, Honor dispelled the image of pizza sauce all over her kitchen. "Is there enough for me?"

Honor heard a giggle followed by mumbling, but she could not make out the words. She keyed the ignition and started to drive as Arly came back on the line.

"Quinn says it'll be ready in twenty-five minutes. But we're awfully hungry."

"Well, you tell Quinn that I'll be there in five, and I'm hungry, too."

Arly laughed. '"Kay, Mom. We'll share with you."

* * * * *

Quinn waited on the back stairs. When Honor pulled into the driveway, she walked around to the driver's side door, opened it, and leaned in to kiss Honor. "Hi. Dinner will be ready soon."

"This is a nice surprise." Honor grasped her briefcase and slid out.

"You haven't seen the kitchen yet."

"No, but I can imagine." Honor smiled and wrapped an arm around Quinn's waist as they walked toward the house. "I'll just have to keep my eyes on you."

"The chef's upstairs getting ready for a bath," Quinn informed her. "I thought that would be smart before you saw
her."

"Where's Phyllis?"

"Another hot date." Quinn brushed her lips over Honor's temple. "And don't even think about thanking me. I missed Arly this week. I missed you."
Every second.

Honor dropped her briefcase at the bottom of the back stairs, turned to Quinn, and put both arms around her neck. She pressed against her and kissed her lingeringly She kissed her until she could feel her in every cell. "I missed you, too."

"Oh, yeah." Quinn sighed contentedly, then reluctantly backed away. "I'd better get upstairs and give Arly a hand with her bath."

"Let me change, and I'll help."

They linked hands and climbed the stairs together.

* * * * *

"Mom," Arly said over pancakes and bacon the next morning, "are you and Quinn going to live together soon?"

"That's a very important decision, sweetie, and Quinn and I haven't really talked about it yet." Honor glanced at Quinn across the table. This was the first time that Quinn had spent the night and been there the next morning when Arly got up. The three of them had made breakfast together, and Arly had seemed to take it all in stride. Phyllis, interestingly, had called to say she would be "detained." "How would
you
feel about that?"

"I think it would be cool. Then I'd have two moms like Kim and Denny, right?" Arly looked from Quinn to Honor expectantly.

Quinn cleared her throat. "Remember when I told you that we would tell you as soon as we could?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well, it really helps to know that it would be okay with you if we wanted to do that," Quinn said carefully, looking from Arly to Honor. "But your mom and I need some more time to think about it. So we need you to be patient, okay?"

"Okay." Arly finished the last of her orange juice. "How long do I have to be patient?'"

Quinn smiled. "Well, sometimes you have to wait until just the right time, like when you don't kick on goal until you see the perfect opening and you
know
it will go in."

Arly nodded seriously and then looked at her mother. "You're coming to the game today, right?"

"I'll be there." Honor smiled as her daughter ran from the room to gather her gear. She sighed and glanced at Quinn with a wry expression. "Sorry. I have a feeling we're going to hear these questions again."

"Do they bother you?" Quinn asked quietly. She was very aware of the fact that Honor had consistently avoided the discussion of any kind of commitment. She wanted to be part of Honor's life, and it took every ounce of willpower not to push.

"No," Honor said softly. "They don't bother me. What about you? My life is a bit complicated."

Quinn had to smile. "You mean because of Arly?"

"Among other things."

"She's terrific. I...I'd love to be a part of her life." Quinn met Honor's gaze. "And yours."

"God, you're better than a dream come true." Honor reached across the table and stroked Quinn's cheek. "I hope you know I care. Can
you
be patient a little longer?"

Quinn turned her head and kissed Honor's palm. "I've probably got just a
little
more willpower than a seven-year-old." When Honor laughed, Quinn added, "But not much."

"Mmm, I seem to remember you weren't all that patient last night."

"That was different," Quinn replied, leaning forward to kiss Honor on the lips. "I hadn't seen you all week. Of course I couldn't wait."