Seduced in September (Spring River Valley Book 9) (9 page)

“I thought you meant everything you said the other night.”

“I did. I do. I think. What did I say, exactly?”

She rolled her eyes. “And there we go. You have no idea.”

“I remember telling you how beautiful you were and how great we were together. I’m pretty certain I meant that.”

“Okay. Did you also mean you didn’t want an ongoing relationship? You said you weren’t looking for anything, anything at all, and I agreed. I didn’t leave you my phone number because I expected you to change your mind or because I wanted anything from you that you weren’t prepared to give.”

“So why did you? Leave your number?”

Damn, did he have to ask the hard questions? She still hadn’t figured that one out. “Common courtesy. It wasn’t polite just to walk out.”

“You could have woken me up.”

“I spared us this awkward conversation while we both had a hangover.”

“All right, I’ll give you that.” He grinned, his eyes lighting with mischief. Lily’s heart thumped. “But now that we’re having this awkward conversation, can we figure out a way for it to not be so awkward?”

“Aside from pretending the other night didn’t happen?” She meant the question to be light-hearted, but the look in his eyes told her it stung. That surprised her. “What I meant to say was…we could start over, one of these days, and not consider the other night a first date.” These words spilled out quickly before she could edit them into something that didn’t sound like she was asking him out. Despite her intentions, though, they had the desired effect, and the momentary hurt left his eyes.

“How about we—”

“There you are, Quinn, I’m glad you’re still here.” Aunt Maddie had returned, looking a little paler than she had before her trip to the Radiology department. Carl, who was pushing her mobile bed through the corridor, moved off to open the door of her room. She reached a thin hand out to Quinn. “Were you waiting for me?”

Lily eyed him, wondering what he could say that would be convincing.

“I just wanted to make sure you were okay, but I do have to get back on the road with Tanner.”

“I want to thank both of you for all your help tonight. I wish there were more young people as dedicated as you are.”

He actually blushed, and Lily found herself grinning at him. That smile of his lit up his eyes and made her knees a little weak. She had to look away. “Let’s get you settled, Aunt Maddie, so you can get a little rest.”

“Okay, but first I have one more question for Quinn. I know you’ve got to get going, but before you do, I want to thank you.”

“You just did, Mrs. M, really, I’m—”

“No, no, just listen. We had such a lovely time at Landry’s when we went there for our charity date, I’d like to pay for you to go again, you and Lily. It will be my treat.”

“Aunt Maddie!” Lily stifled a growl. This was getting completely out of hand. Why hadn’t anyone given her a sedative by now? She was clearly delusional. “Is it really a gift if you tell him who he has to take with him to dinner?”

“It’s okay, Lily. It sounds like a great idea, but you don’t have to pay, Mrs. M. I’d be happy to take Lily out to dinner,
my
treat.”

Aunt Maddie beamed at him. Lily sighed, and
Carl gave them all an impatient look.

“Aunt Maddie, Carl is trying to get you back into your room, let’s not hold him up anymore. And let’s stop embarrassing Quinn.”

“Not embarrassed,” he responded helpfully, stepping out the way of the rolling bed. “How’s Thursday night?”

“Thursday is…”
So soon?
“Fine. I can do Thursday.”

“I’ll see you then, Lily. Mrs. M, you take care of yourself, stay off of dark staircases, okay?”

Aunt Maddie smiled and waved, Carl finished wheeling her back into her room, and Lily let the pent-up air in her lungs out slowly as Quinn sauntered off down the corridor, clearly pleased with the turn of events.

Lily’s face burned. They’d agreed on no strings, and suddenly she was all trussed up in them, tangled and completely unable to break free. The worst part was, she wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to.

* * * *

Quinn’s good mood carried him all the way back to the rig. Seeing Lily again made him forget he was still cold and wet and exhausted from the harrowing trip across town. It made him forget the storm and the blackout and the flooding and made the day seem so much less chaotic.

He was smiling when he climbed into the passenger seat of the ambulance where Tanner had the heat blasting in an attempt to banish the chill. He eyed Quinn suspiciously as Quinn worked at fastening his seat belt with cold-stiffened fingers.

“I thought you were getting dry clothes.”

“I forgot.”

“So where have you been?”

“I was talking to Lily. I wanted to make sure Mrs. M was okay.”

“And?”

“And she agreed to go out with me again.”

Tanner raised a brow. “Mrs. Moriarty?”

“No. Lily.”

“What I meant was, how is Mrs. M?”

“Oh, uh…okay. She was just getting back from X-ray.”

“And she’s going to go out with you?”

“Mrs. M?”

“No. Lily.”

Quinn chuckled, still pleased with himself. “Yeah. Why do you look so surprised?”

Tanner turned his attention back to maneuvering the ambulance out of the hospital lot before responding. The rain had let up a little, and some of the flooding on Lakeside Avenue had subsided, so their route was clear back to the main road that would take them to the fire house. “I’m just surprised you didn’t remember Lily. She’s worked here for a while.”

Quinn shrugged. “I remember
her
—just not her name. I
did
have a couple of shots, but it’s not like I have amnesia or anything. I just…what?”

“Nothing.” Tanner squinted into the darkness ahead. “She’s a nice girl. I hope you’re going to remember that.”

“What do you mean?” A note of caution crept into Quinn’s voice.

“I’m just thinking about your track record. You know you’re not looking for anything serious.”

“And how do you know she doesn’t feel the same way?”

“I saw the way she looked at you back at her aunt’s house. I’m not an expert in these things—”

“Obviously.”

“Hey, you’re right. None of my business.”

“I’m not out to hurt anyone. I like her. We had a…” What could he say? “A good time” seemed like a cheap phrase for the night they’d shared, but was he wrong to think it was anything more? Was it a real connection just because he couldn’t get Lily out of his mind? “I want to see where this goes.”

“And what if it doesn’t go anywhere?”

“A minute ago you said it was none of your business.”

“You’re right. It’s not. I’m done sticking my nose into it.”

“Thank God for small favors.”

The rest of the ride back to the station passed in silence, not because Quinn was angry at Tanner, but because he couldn’t help wondering if maybe his partner had a point. Lily had said they’d agreed to no strings attached. With all their inhibitions gone, it was what they had both wanted, so why was he trying to turn a one-night stand into something more?

* * * *

Lily finished arranging the bed tray so Aunt Maddie could reach the television remote, a pitcher of ice water and a cup of yogurt one of the nurses had brought for her. “Are you sure there’s nothing else I can get for you?” she asked before settling into the lounge chair beside her aunt’s bed.

“No, no. I’m all right. The medicine they gave me is kicking in. I’m starting to feel very sleepy.”

“Good, you need some rest.”

“I hope this storm ends soon.”

“It will. I heard someone in the hall mention that the rain is finally letting up. Tomorrow is supposed to be a beautiful day.”

“You don’t have to stay here with me all night, you know. I’ll be perfectly fine.”

“I know. I’m actually waiting for my friend
Sandra. She said she’d give me a ride back to my apartment. The police have rescinded the travel warning.”

Aunt Maddie’s grimace of pain morphed into a questioning glance. “What about Quinn?”

Lily fought not to roll her eyes. “What about him?”

“I thought maybe
he
would take you home.”

“He had to go back to work. I couldn’t ask him to come back for me.”

“Oh.” Disappointment warred with fatigue in Aunt Maddie’s voice. Her eyes drifted closed, and Lily hoped that her impertinent question was nothing more than an exhaustion-induced fantasy. Unfortunately, after a few minutes of deep, contented breathing, she opened her eyes again. “You’re going to go to dinner with him though, right?”

“I am. But don’t expect much…actually, why
are
you expecting so much? You’ve never played matchmaker before.”

“I just think he’s a nice young man, and…”

“And what?”

“Hmm? Oh, he’s a nice young man, and your mother had mentioned that she was worried because you weren’t seeing anyone.”

Lily dropped her head into her hand. “My
mother
is behind this?” Her parents lived in Chicago, near where Aunt Maddie’s daughter lived. One of the reasons Lily had opted to stay in Spring River Valley after college was to put some distance between her well-meaning family and her personal life, and apparently a thousand miles wasn’t quite enough distance. “And how does she know I’m not seeing anyone?”

“Well, you never talk about anyone, and…she
does
ask me once in a while.”

“I hope neither of you want me to latch onto the first eligible bachelor who comes along.”

“Oh, no. Of course not. But Quinn is—”

“Not really my type.”

“That’s a shame, dear.”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’ll go out with him anyway, won’t you?”

Lily hung her head. “Sure. But don’t expect anything.”

“I don’t. Not at all.”

“Right. I’m not looking for anything, Aunt Maddie. I’m not ready for anything serious…okay, I am, but if you really knew Quinn you’d see that he and I aren’t really a good match. He’s all flash, and I’m…just not. I don’t think we’re compatible.”
Outside of the bedroom, anyway.
“And I don’t want you to get your hopes up that you’re going to find me a man, because I really don’t need one. Are we clear?”

Aunt Maddie said nothing. She’d fallen asleep.

Lily shook her head. “So we’re clear, then. Nothing is going to happen between me and Quinn.”
Again
.

“It’s someone’s lucky day,” Audrey Desmond crooned as she dropped a batch of charts off at the ER reception desk late the next morning.

Lily took the charts and eyed her co-worker. “Is Max taking you out for lunch again?” Audrey had been dating Max Shannon for about seven months, and in the last few weeks the handsome photographer had really turned on the charm, surprising the ER nurse with flowers and gifts and whisking her away for something better than hospital cafeteria food on her lunch breaks. Some of the staff had begun to speculate a proposal was on the horizon, and Lily hoped it was true. She’d never seen a happier couple than Max and Audrey even though they hadn’t been dating very long.

“Not me.
You
.” Audrey lowered her voice. “I hear Quinn just strolled into the lobby with a sweet little bouquet.”

An annoyingly familiar feeling coursed through Lily’s body at the mention of Quinn’s name, and her face heated. Did everyone know about her indiscretion last week? Of course they did. There were almost no secrets in the ER, and everyone from the hospital who had been at Colette’s last Sunday night had probably witnessed a good portion of the sexy seduction Quinn claimed not to remember. “So you think it’s for me?” she asked, trying to sound nonchalant.

“I’d bet on it. He’s out of uniform too and looking pretty hot. Now might be a good time to take your break. You could meet him in the lounge. No one’s in there right now.”

Lily focused her eyes on the charts. “I have work to do.” She really hadn’t planned on having that conversation she’d managed to postpone from last night. Not today and in fact, not at all if she could help it. This was exactly why she had her rules, the ones she should never have broken. Not only did crossing the line between professional and private relationships mean she faced the possibility of awkward run-ins at work, it also meant if they occurred everyone would know about them.

Sighing, she set the charts down on her desk. “Would it be a problem if I took five minutes?”

Audrey smiled. “Go. It’s slow right now. We can keep an eye on things for five, or ten—or maybe even fifteen.” The nurse had the audacity to wink at Lily, which only intensified her embarrassment. She hurried out of the ER, buoyed by her resolve to end this now before it went too far. She’d created her rules for a reason, and she had to face the consequences of breaking them. Now was the time for serious damage control.