The Mighty Quinns: Thom (13 page)

Natalie stared over Malin’s left shoulder. “Well, I guess you should probably tell him that, because he’s heading this way, and I don’t think he’s coming to talk to me.”

Malin turned just in time for Thom to catch her hand as he walked by. “Come on,” he said. “We need to talk.”

“Talk?” Malin asked, trailing after him. “What could we possibly have to talk about?”

“Go for it!” Natalie called.

Thom took a quick right and led her down another hallway, this one lined with smaller conference rooms. He tested each door as they passed by, and when he found one open, he drew her inside. The room was dark except for the red light glowing from the exit sign above the door.

Malin didn’t have a chance to speak. The moment the door was closed, he pulled her into a deep and powerful kiss. As his mouth ravished hers, his hands skimmed over her body, pressing her back against the door until his hips pinned hers and she couldn’t escape.

The surge of desire was so sudden that it worked like a drug on her mind, making her giddy and weak all at once. She returned the kiss, her tongue probing at his until he groaned softly.

“God, I missed you,” he murmured against her damp lips.

“Why did you leave?” Malin asked. “I was afraid you’d never come back.”

“Did you really think I was going to miss seeing you in this dress? You look...breathtaking.”

“That’s funny,” she said. “Right now, I’m the one who can’t breathe.”

“Let’s get out of here,” he whispered. “As much as I love that dress, I’d like to get rid of it as soon as possible.”

“We can’t leave,” she said. “Not yet.”

His hand slid up her torso to cup her breast. He teased at her nipple through the thin fabric. The rough surface of the beaded bodice created a delicious friction, and her nipple grew hard.

Thom’s lips moved from her mouth to her neck and then trailed lower, into the deep V of the dress’s neckline. When he knelt in front of her, Malin wasn’t sure where he was going—until he slipped his hands into the slit of the skirt and gently drew it up along her thighs.

He moved his hand between her legs, gently forcing them apart. Then he bent close and ran his tongue along the moist slit, parting the soft folds of flesh with his fingers.

Malin’s knees went weak as a wave of sensation poured over her. She braced her hands on his shoulders for balance, her fingertips digging into the fine fabric of his tux jacket. Every nerve in her body was alive, snapping with excitement as the orgasm began to build inside her.

He brought her to the edge once and then again. Malin whispered her need, begging him to give her release from his delicious torment. Finally, he relented and the orgasm hit her in a powerful series of spasms.

A groan tore from her throat as she writhed against the door. She gently pushed him away when she couldn’t handle it anymore. Malin gasped for breath, her heart slamming against the inside of her chest, her pulse pounding.

Thom sat back on his heels as Malin slowly sank to the floor. She reached out and smoothed her hand over his cheek. A smile touched the corners of her mouth. “Did you exfoliate?” she asked.

Thom chuckled, then turned and kissed the palm of her hand. “I did. And I used that new shaving cream and razor, too.”

“You’re very handsome,” she said.

“Look at you. I’ve gotta bring some game if we’re going to take a spin around the dance floor.”

“We’re going to dance?” Malin asked. “I’m not sure I can even walk.”

“Come on,” Thom said. He stood up and held out his hand. “If you don’t want to leave yet, we’d better get back before they wonder where we are.”

Malin stood up beside him, smoothing her hands over her dress. “You should go. Grab a few drinks on your way in as if you went to the bar. And I’ll come in a few minutes later. I’ll say I met an old friend in the hall and we got carried away talking.”

“And then I can ask you to dance?”

Malin smiled. “The band isn’t going to start for a while. But I’ll save my first dance for you.”

“And when can we leave?”

“We’ll figure that out a bit later. Just go. I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

Thom gave her a quick kiss, nuzzling her cheek before stepping back out into the hall. When he was gone, Malin drew a ragged breath. How would she look when she went back into the ballroom? Would anyone be able to tell that she’d just been well-pleasured by a man? Would they suspect she was with Thom? Natalie would, for sure. Hopefully the woman would be smart enough to keep her suspicions to herself.

Malin rushed to the bathroom and found a spot in front of the mirror. To her great relief, she appeared perfectly normal. Her hair was a bit mussed, but she’d paid the stylist to make it look as if she’d just crawled out of bed anyway.

She grabbed her purse and hurried back to the ballroom. But when she got to the table, Natalie was the only one still seated.

“Where did everyone go?” Malin asked.

“Your father and mother are over there,” she said, pointing, “talking to the mayor. The rest of them have wandered off. And I suppose you’d know as well as anyone where Thom Quinn is.”

“Please, don’t say anything about what you saw in the hallway.”

“What did I see?” Natalie asked.

Malin took a deep breath. “You saw two people trying to figure out how they really feel about each other. What’s going on between us is very complicated.”

“You’re telling me!” Natalie said. “If looks could kill, your father would be in jail for murder right now, and we’d be singing hymns at Thom Quinn’s funeral.”

“There you go,” Malin said. “Complicated.”

“I’ll keep your secret,” the other woman said. “But I will say this. I think you two would be great together. I hope it works out.”

Malin smiled. “Me, too. And it’s past time I had a talk with my father. When Thom returns to the table, have him wait here. I’ll be right back.”

It was as good an opportunity as any, Malin thought to herself as she walked through the crowd. When she reached her father and mother, she stood silently and listened to their conversation. Though her father had voted for another mayoral candidate, he seemed to be quite happy to talk hockey with this one.

She waited for a break in the conversation. “Daddy, could I speak with you for a quick moment?”

“Malin, if this is about—”

She took his arm. “There’s a bench against the wall. Why don’t we sit down. I promise, it won’t take long.”

Davis Pedersen followed her, but when they reached the bench, he refused to sit down. “What is it? Are you going to apologize to me for seating Quinn at our table? That was a clever trick.”

“I didn’t have anything to do with that,” Malin said.

“Right,” Davis said. “Give me a little credit.”

“Daddy, do you love me?”

The question seemed to take him by surprise. “What is this about?”

“Do you? It’s a simple question. Yes or no. Do you love me?”

“Of course I do. You’re my daughter.”

“And do you remember when I was little, how we used to sit at the little table in my playroom and we’d have tea? And you’d call me your princess and tell me that you’d grant me any wish that I wanted. All I had to do was ask.”

“I remember,” Davis said with a wistful smile. “I never thought you would ask.”

“Well, now I’m going to ask for that wish. I want you to stop the trade negotiations for Thom Quinn. I—I need you to stop.”

“Linny, we’ve discussed this. It’s a business decision.”

“Not for me,” Malin said. “I—I think I might be...in love. With him. With Thom Quinn.”

Her father laughed. “The man is charming, but one dinner conversation is not enough for me to believe that—”

“We’ve been seeing each other,” Malin said. “Remember you asked me to watch him? Well, it became a bit more than that. We’ve been together since that day in the conference room. Believe me, Daddy, I never saw this coming. But I can’t deny it any longer. Please, for my sake, keep Thom with the club.”

“And you think he feels the same way about you?”

“I hope he does,” Malin said.

Her father shook his head. “If he does care for you, why did I get a call from Steve McCrory just a few minutes before we stepped in for dinner, letting me know that Quinn chose New York?”

The news stole the breath from her body. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. So she just shook her head, turned and walked away from her father.

She glanced over at the table and saw Thom sitting with Natalie. If she wanted answers, then she’d have to go directly to the source.

* * *

“T
HERE
SHE
IS
,” Thom said, rising from his spot at the table. “Excuse me for a moment.”

Natalie took a sip of her wine and gave him a little wave. “Take all the time you need.”

They met in the middle of a crowd, and Thom rested his hand on the small Malin’s back as they spoke. It was an innocent way to touch her, a gesture that would attract no curiosity.

“The band is warming up,” he said. “And you promised me the first dance.”

“I’m really not in the mood for dancing. I think I’m going to head home.”

Thom stared down at her, trying to read the expression on her face. She wasn’t angry, but then she didn’t appear to be very happy, either. “You’re going to let all those painful dance lessons you gave me go to waste?”

“My father said you’ve agreed to the trade to New York. When were you going to tell me?”

Thom cursed inwardly. His agent had caught him right before he’d left for the benefit and had been determined to get an answer. Though Malin still refused to accept the reality of his situation, a week at the cabin had clarified his own thoughts. He had a choice and he’d made it.

“Can’t we discuss this later?” Thom asked.

“
Now
you want to discuss it? After you’ve made your decision?”

He drew a deep breath. “It was my decision to make.”

“But you didn’t give it enough time. You could have refused. You have a no-trade clause.”

“That doesn’t mean they can’t trade me,” he said. “If I refuse, they could bench me or send me down to the farm team. I need to finish out the next two years of this contract, and it’s better to play where I want to play. And that’s New York.”

“You don’t understand what’s been going on. While you were gone, there’s been so much fan and media support for you. Believe me, the guys in the main office are rethinking their decision. The backlash is growing.”

“I just wanted it to be settled,” he said. “And now that it is, we can make some decisions of our own.” He looked up and noticed guests moving toward the dance floor. “Come on, let’s dance.”

She pulled out of his grip. “I don’t want to dance.”

“Sure you do. You’ve been anticipating this all week, and so have I.”

Malin backed away from him, bumping into an elderly couple as she tried to retreat. “I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Come on, Malin. You knew this was coming. There was no way your father would change his mind.”

“You gave up on me. I would never have given up on you.” She turned and hurried out of the ballroom, leaving Thom standing at the edge of the dance floor, alone. Thom ran his fingers through his short-cropped hair, cursing softly.

As his gaze scanned the dance floor, Thom spotted Malin’s parents, who were gliding gracefully to the strains of the big band tune. Thom strode back to the table and held out his hand to Natalie. “Would you like to dance?”

“Me?” Natalie asked, looking over her shoulder as if he were talking to someone else. “You want to dance with me?”

“Come on. It’ll be fun.”

Thom led Natalie onto the floor. It took a few attempts before he found the rhythm and began to move to the music. And he had to change some of Malin’s rules about what he could and couldn’t touch, since he was dancing with a complete stranger. But that didn’t matter. He had a purpose in mind.

When they danced close to Malin’s parents, he stopped and nodded at them both. “Switch partners?”

Lillian’s eyes lit up. “I would love to dance with you, Mr. Quinn. Unless you had my husband in mind.”

“I’ll start with you, Mrs. Pedersen.”

Lillian switched places with Natalie, and Davis Pedersen reluctantly began to dance with the pretty brunette. Thom was feeling confident about his dancing skills, but it was clear Lillian was much more adept.

“Just relax,” she said. “And try to avoid my toes.’

“I don’t do much dancing in my line of work,” he said.

“Well, you do possess a fair amount of grace on the ice. There’s not a whole lot of difference between skating and dancing.” She paused. “So, why have you dragged me away from my husband? I’m guessing you’d like to discuss my daughter?”

“Malin?”

“That’s the only daughter I have. She’s the one you’ve been watching all night long. I assume you’ve developed some kind of crush on her.”

“It’s more than just that, Mrs. Pedersen.”

“You’d better call me Lillian. Because I think you’re about to tell me that you’re in love with my daughter.”

Thom chuckled softly. “You got that from the way I was looking at her over the dinner table?”

“That and a conversation I had with her a few days ago. You were supposed to be her date tonight. And for some reason, you didn’t show up on time. There was a little hanky-panky going on under the table. Don’t worry, I’m the only one who noticed. And then you two disappeared.” Lillian peered over Thom’s shoulder. “Did she leave?”

“We had a disagreement,” Thom said.

“She can be stubborn.”

“That’s what I like about her,” Thom said. “She isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind. She’s so honest and kind, and I can almost imagine spending my entire life with her. But...”

“Ah, there’s always a problem, isn’t there?”

“I know your husband would disapprove. I suspect you would, too. That’s not going to stop me, but it will make things more difficult.”

Lillian shook her head. “I don’t disapprove. And whether her father does or not isn’t relevant. You two need to work this out on your own. And if you belong together, everything will work out in the end.” She patted him on the shoulder. “Now, I have just one question for you. Why are you here telling me how you feel instead of telling my daughter?”