Page 11 of Pleasure and Mane
They sprang apart like guilty teenagers, though they hadn't been touching. Heat flooded Quinn's cheeks as she smoothed her sweater, while Caius tried to ignore the way his heart hammered.
"I should eat with the staff," Quinn said, her voice slightly breathless. "Henry mentioned they use the staff dining room?—"
"No." The word came out sharp. "You'll eat with the family. I need you close to Lavinia."
I need you close to me.The unspoken truth burned through his consciousness.
Quinn nodded, falling into step beside him as they left the library.
The dining room's warm lighting cast everything in golden hues, the mahogany table set for four with gleaming china and fresh flowers. Caius pulled out Quinn's chair, his knuckles accidentally brushing her shoulder as she sat. The brief contact sent lightning through his system, and he had to grip the chair back to steady himself.
"Where are Lavinia and Bertram?" Quinn asked, accepting the wine Henry poured with practiced efficiency.
Henry's lips twitched. "They decided to have dinner at the Morrisons when you both failed to appear at the designated time."
Caius caught the subtle smirk his uncle tried to hide and felt irritation spike through his chest.He's in on it. Whatever Gerri orchestrated, Henry was part of the plan.
"How convenient," Caius muttered, settling into his own chair across from Quinn.
The crystal chandelier cast prisms of light across the table settings, but all Caius could focus on was the way Quinn's dark painted nails looked against the white napkin, the graceful curve of her neck as she turned to thank the serving staff, and the soft sound of her breathing in the suddenly too-quiet room.
Six months,he thought again, watching the firelight dance across her skin.How can I survive six months of this when twenty minutes alone with her nearly broke my control?
But as Quinn laughed at something Henry said, the sound filling the cavernous dining room with warmth, Caius began to think survival wasn't the real question. The real question was whether he would want her to leave in six months.
FIVE
QUINN
The brief contact of Caius's knuckles against Quinn's shoulder when he'd pulled out her chair at the dining table had sent electricity crackling through her entire nervous system, and still lingered minutes later, making it hard for Quinn to concentrate.
Get it together.She forced her breathing to steady.You're a professional. A thirty-four-year-old woman who delivers babies for a living. Act like it.
But professionalism felt impossible when Caius had settled into the chair across from her, his white henley stretching across broad shoulders that belonged on a fitness magazine cover. The soft fabric clung to every defined muscle, and Quinn found herself wondering what those muscles would feel like under her hands.
Stop. Right. Now.
But it was hard to focus clearly, especially when Quinn was beginning to think this little dinner arrangement had been orchestrated from the start. Like everyone in this house knew something she didn't.
The chandelier above them cast prisms of light across the table settings, but Quinn couldn't seem to focus. Her attentionkept drifting to the way Caius's blue eyes burned with a piercing intensity that made her feel like she was the only person in the room. The way his gaze lingered on her mouth when she spoke. The way his jaw clenched when Henry refilled her wine glass, as if he wanted to be the one taking care of her.
Six months,she thought desperately, watching firelight play across his stubbled jaw.How will I survive six months of this when all I want to do is jump across this table and kiss him senseless?
She'd never felt anything like this raw attraction that clawed at her composure. Men had always been secondary to her career, easily dismissed in favor of studying or patient care. Her friends joked that she was married to her job and destined to become a cat lady surrounded by medical textbooks.
Quinn had never argued with that assessment. Relationships meant complications, emotional messiness, and time she couldn't spare. She'd been perfectly content with her predictable, controlled existence.
Until today. Until this impossible man who looked at her like she was a masterpiece he wanted to memorize.
Henry cleared his throat diplomatically. "I'll leave you both to get better acquainted. You'll be spending considerable time together over the coming months."
Considerable time?Quinn's pulse kicked up another notch. She'd assumed her interactions with Caius would be minimal—brief consultations about medical records, maybe family meal supervision for Lavinia's nutrition. Nothing that would require extended exposure to his overwhelming presence.
"That's not necessary—" she started, but Henry was already rising from his chair with smooth efficiency.
"Nonsense. Two people working toward the same goal should understand each other." His knowing smile made Quinn's cheeks warm. "I'll be in my study if you need anything."
The dining room door closed behind him with a soft click, leaving Quinn alone with the most dangerously attractive man she'd ever encountered. The silence stretched between them, filled with crackling tension and the soft sound of their breathing.
