Page 8 of Midnight Oil

We headed inside and entered immediately into a kitchen that was a steel, glass and stone confection. The furnishings were modern, sleek and masculine, but the thing that caught my interest the most was the view. I walked straight through a living room that was lined with soft leather couches and up to the large picture window that stretched from ceiling to floor.

In the background, I heard Quinn moving around glasses and popping a cork. Glittering city lights stretched all the way to the coast where the luminescent glow shifted into a shadowy gray. "How far are we from the ocean?" I asked. "Can you see it during the day?" I was talking loudly so that my voice would carry to wherever Quinn was in the house.

"Only at night." His deep voice, directly behind, caused me to startle. I spun around. He smiled as he held up a glass of wine. He had opened a beer for himself.

I took the glass of wine. I was no wine expert but it was definitely not the bargain stuff we served at work.

"We're about fifty miles and a few thousand feet up from the ocean in this house." He stood next to me to enjoy the view. "I can only see it when the city lights come on."

I sipped some more wine, suddenly feeling like I needed something to dull my senses and take the edge off. "This is the good stuff, eh?" I asked.

"To be honest, I'm not sure. Georgie, Trey's girlfriend, brought it over a few weeks ago, but she never got around to opening it."

I lowered the glass. "I hope it's all right that I'm drinking it."

"Sure is. Georgie would be happy to be giving her wine for a good cause. How are you doing after that unfortunate scene at your house?"

"I'm sure it will hit me like a category five hurricane tomorrow, but I'm determined not to think about it at all tonight." I lifted my glass. "Here's to Georgie and her great taste in wine."

"That sounds like a good plan." Quinn clinked his bottle against my glass, and we drank while watching the city below vibrate and glow.

I was a lightweight when it came to drinking, and the wine was already relaxing me. "Hmm, I don't want to seem pushy or spoiled, but I believe there was mention of a bubble bath."

"Absolutely. You stay right here, relax and make yourself comfortable. I'll start the bath. This is your night to be pampered, and I plan to make it unforgettable." Quinn walked up to a panel on the wall. He tapped a button and music thrummed soothingly down from overhead speakers. He disappeared down a hallway.

I spent no more than two seconds asking myself what the hell I was doing in Quinn's house, drinking wine and waiting for a bubble bath. I couldn't count how many times I'd told myself that Quinn Armstrong was like that last piece of chocolate cake, rich, decadent and satisfying but you'd hate yourself in the morning. But tonight, I needed this sliver of fantasy. I needed to forget everything.

My phone rang in my purse, quickly shattering my goal to forget. It seemed Tate was finished with his fun for the evening. I pulled it out, my hands shaking and my face heating with anger. I was going to tell him to move out of the house and drop dead, preferably in that order. Then the flowery scent of luxurious bubbles floated toward me from the hallway and the fragrance swept me back out of reality and into my temporary fantasy. The last thing I wanted to do was screw it up by talking to Tate. Just hearing his voice would ruin the nice wine buzz in my head and the future bubble soak. I glanced at the phone, saw his name on the screen and promptly declined the call, then turned off my phone.

Quinn emerged from the hallway. "This way, milady. Your bubble bath awaits you."

I followed him down the hallway. "This probably sounds weird but I feel like a little kid going down the stairs on Christmas morning. Can't believe I'm this excited about a bath. I can't believe I'm saying all this out loud. Must be the expensive wine. I've only ever had cheap wine buzzes, and they aren't all that fun."

We reached a door. Quinn pushed it open to reveal an amazing white porcelain tub, deep and long enough to submerge myself completely. It sat in front of a large picture window with a view that matched the front windows in the living room. The geometric chrome light fixture dangling from the center of the ceiling had been dimmed to a perfect warm glow and three tall pillar candles had been lit and set on the corners of the tub. Iridescent mounds of bubbles were just starting to float up and off the surface of the water, dancing to the music that floated out of the speakers above.

I turned to Quinn. He looked extra heartbreaking under the dim, romantic lights. "If I don't come back out of this bathroom, tell everyone at work I died doing what I loved best, soaking in a bubble bath."

His deep laugh only added to the amazing ambience. "I will let you soak then. Do you want another glass of wine to sip?"

"Oh my gosh, you've got this spoiling a woman thing down to an art. But you know what, I'm already feeling pleasantly tingly from the first glass. I'm just going to submerge myself in those bubbles and get lost in a satisfying delirium."

Quinn bowed and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. I wasted no time taking off my work costume. I dropped the wide corset belt on the dressing bench and pushed the peasant blouse off my shoulders. The dress puddled at my feet. I took off my bra and pushed my panties down with just enough force to remind me of the bruise on my hip. I stepped out of the dress and walked to one of the two big mirrors over the double sink vanity. I had to hop up on tiptoes to get a clear view of my hip.

"Holy shit," I muttered. The dark blue and purple bruise had spread over my hip and down to my upper thigh. It was far worse than I'd imagined.

A light knock was followed by the door opening. I gasped as Quinn popped his face around the corner. He pulled it back out. "I'm so sorry," he said through the crack. "I thought you'd be in the water." Then his face peered around the door again and his gaze went straight to the bruise. "Jeezus, Suzy, what the hell happened?"

I picked up a towel and held it in front of me. Not that it mattered since he had seen every inch of me now. "It's all right, Quinn. You can come in."

He stepped around the door holding a silky blue robe. He had changed into jeans and a white t-shirt that fit so snugly across his chest I could see every muscle. "I was just bringing you a robe to put on after the bath." He was silent as he walked slowly toward me. I was suddenly aware of just how naked I was and just how much I wanted to live out that fantasy of being Quinn Armstrong's for one night, even if it was just for one night. It had just moved to the top of my things to do before I die list, one night of wild abandon with the Red Knight.

His breathing seemed to grow more shallow as he lifted his hand toward my hip. His fingers lightly brushed the tender skin but instead of pain, I felt a comforting warmth. It might have come more from his solemn expression, an expression that seemed to show genuine concern. It had been so long since I'd seen it in a man's face, I nearly forgot what it felt like to have someone care. How could I have stayed with Tate this long? What a fool I'd been.

"Midnight Oil." Quinn's deep voice mingled with the sound of rushing water.

I peered up at him in question.

"This month's subscription box from Plaything is called Midnight Oil. Lots of fun lotions and lubes, but the star attraction is a small bottle of CBD oil. I think it will help ease the tenderness."

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