But Quinn did things differently and he liked it. He liked the homey feel of a sit-down dinner when he was home on time. Passing food around and waiting until everyone was served. Manners. She was teaching his kids better manners.

  The kids needed to learn these things. Correction, they knew those things, but when they moved here everyone got more relaxed with Jennifer having to do it all.

  There was more hired help when they lived in New York, and though Mia was rarely around for a family dinner, he tried to make it up to the kids and give them some type of normalcy.

  “If you’re sure, then I’ll talk to Mallory this week and find out when is a good time for them.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Anything else going on?” It shouldn’t be this hard to find things to talk about, he thought.

  “Not really. I started shopping for the kids with the list of things you gave me. I’m almost done with all their online gifts for Christmas.”

  “Thanks. I plan on taking a day off soon and I’ll buy the rest of the stuff at the mall. Sometimes it’s easy to just order it though and I appreciate you taking care of that for me.”

  “That’s what you pay me for.”

  “Stop saying that,” he said. It shouldn’t feel awkward, but it did and it was.

  “I’m sorry. I was just joking.”

  Her face was turning pink and he hadn’t meant to embarrass her. “We’re on a date. Let’s forget I’m your boss.”

  “Okay. It’s just odd.”

  “Odd how?” he asked.

  “I haven’t been on a date in longer than I can remember. If I want to be honest, I haven’t been on too many dates at all.”

  He was going to comment and chose not to. He knew she worked a lot, and he was guessing that when she was in any type of relationship that chances were the other person might be in the same situation as her. Money was most likely tight and they probably didn’t do much other than stay home and hang out.

  Of course that was no different than what they were doing right now.

  Still, he said, “If you must know, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a date, too.”

  She snorted. “I find that hard to believe.”

  “It’s true. I haven’t been on a date in years. Probably shortly after Lara was born. Mia and I tried to go out a few times alone, but it was hard to find time.”

  He remembered making the time, but Mia was too tired or too preoccupied. She always had some excuse or another, so he stopped trying.

  “What about after the divorce?”

  “Nope. I haven’t been out on one date. I haven’t slept with anyone either,” he threw out there, just so she knew.

  “Oh.”

  “I’ve managed to surprise you, I see.”

  “You did. I’m sure you wouldn’t have any problem finding someone.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment. The truth is the divorce hit me hard. It hit the kids harder and then the move, and well, time just flies when you’re having fun.”

  He really wasn’t ready to talk about his situation with Mia right now. Not really a good impression on a date. And the last thing he wanted to think about when he was sitting with another woman.

  “You’re a good father, Max. The kids are coming around.”

  With her help, but he didn’t say that either. “They are. It’s been hard. We don’t talk about it much. Talking about it now isn’t what I wanted to do with you, either.”

  “No, but it’s getting late and you keep fighting back a yawn. I see it, so don’t deny it.”

  “You see more than you should.”

  “It’s hard to miss something right in front of your face,” she said, reaching out and grasping his hand.

  “Is that another crack at my tent-pitching skills?”

  She blushed again and it was too cute. “If you want it to be.”

  She stood up, then stretched, and he couldn’t help but let his eyes go right to her midsection when her shirt lifted.

  He didn’t think she was doing that on purpose. Or maybe she was. He was actually too tired to focus.

  “I’ll just go down and check on the boys one more time and tell them not to make too much noise for you,” he said.

  When he returned upstairs, she was shutting off the lights in the family room and kitchen.

  “They’ve had their s’mores and are being pretty good. I told Davey by ten they needed to shut the games off but could watch a movie. That should keep them quiet for you.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”

  He took her hand and pulled her into her suite. “What are you doing?”

  “Walking you to your door. Don’t I get a goodnight kiss at the very least after I poured my heart out to you on how pathetic my dating life has been?”

  “Oh, I don’t think there is too much about you that is pathetic.”

  He chose to take that as a compliment, too. “Well then, I think I’ve shown a huge amount of restraint lately.”

  Leaning down, he placed his lips over hers and it wasn’t long before she was wrapping her arms around his neck again and holding on tight.

  She was more aggressive this time and he couldn’t have been happier.

  They stood there tasting each other, and he savored the feel of her body against his, her hips pushing into him again, and there was nothing he could do to control his body.

  He had to touch more of her this time. He needed more than just a kiss before he went to bed.

  Taking a chance, he slid his hand up her hip, under her shirt and on her waist. When she didn’t protest, he moved it further and covered her breast with his palm.

  She was warm and soft. He loved a woman’s curves, her natural body, the softness under it all, and the reaction she was having to him.

  Her nipple hardened under her bra, just like in his dreams. He decided to bring his thumb across to graze and felt it tighten even more. He needed to feel her flesh, so he slipped his hand inside, capturing the moan on her lips.

  Tearing his mouth away, he trailed his lips across her cheek, down her neck and up to her ear. “This is going to make it hard for me to sleep tonight. No pun intended.”

  “Huh? What are you saying?”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he mumbled before he captured her lips again.

  After another few minutes, he had to stop. One of them had to and he was afraid if he didn’t do it soon, he wouldn’t be able to walk out of the room. As it was, his walk up the stairs was going to be slightly painful.

  “Sleep well, Quinn.”

  He kissed her one more time and left her standing there staring back at him, a soft dazed look in her eyes.

  Once in his room he took a quick shower, a cold one, and then climbed into bed. Minutes later he was sound asleep.

  In the throes of another dream, he heard his phone ringing. He woke up suddenly, reached over and noticed it wasn’t even five in the morning, but he saw Amber’s name across the screen and knew he’d be going into the ER.

  “Yeah,” he said.

  “Sorry to wake you, Max, but I was called in about thirty minutes ago. Woman meets windshield. They’ll be finishing up a few more tests and then I’m going to start cleaning the glass from her face. You’re going to need to come in and stitch her up. It’s pretty nasty. The ER doctors have stapled her head, but her face is in rough shape, too.”

  “All right. I’ll be there within the hour.”

  Amber was his best PA, so he knew he had time. She’d be thorough and have everything set so Max could just go in and do what he needed to.

  He showered and dressed fast, then made his way to the kitchen. Rather than wake Quinn moving around for coffee, he’d pick it up on his way.

  Quickly, he walked downstairs to check on the boys. Lifting one side of the makeshift tent, he saw all four of them in sleeping bags, but none on the floor. Two were on the couches and two in the recliners. What wusses.

  Walking back to the kitchen, he debated now on if he should wake Quinn and tell her he was leaving but decided he didn’t need anything else to invade his dreams. Seeing her in bed was a surefire way for him to forget he needed to leave.

  Instead he wrote a note and taped it to the coffee maker.

  Odd Sense

  Quinn heard the garage door open and sat up. Was someone trying to break in?

  She jumped out of bed and then reached under the frame for her baseball bat. She’d never lived anywhere that her trusty slugger wasn’t within reach.

  Quietly opening her door, she held the bat in front of her ready to swing at a moment’s notice. No one was getting into this house without her knowing.

  Walking into the kitchen, she flipped the light on, hoping that whoever was opening the garage door would see it and get scared, then leave. It worked in the movies, maybe it would now too.

  When she didn’t hear or see any movement in the kitchen, she looked out the window toward the garage but didn’t notice anything other than the security lights were on. The three doors were shut again. Why would someone open it to break in and then shut it again?

  Her eyes caught sight of the paper on the coffee machine, so she walked over to see what it said.

  She snorted, realizing how silly of a reaction she just had. Of course it was Max leaving. Why she thought someone would be breaking in here was beyond her. No one would break into a house on the lake. They were too remote to come by foot for sure.

  Since she was up and her heart was racing, there was no way she was going to be able to get back to sleep now.

  First things first, she went down to check on the boys after she put her bat away and saw them all passed out cold. They probably wouldn’t be up for a few hours, so no time like the present to strip all the beds and wash the sheets.

  It wasn’t the first time she’d taken the sheets off of Max’s bed, but it was the first time she stopped and just stared at where he slept.

  Normally he made his own bed in the morning, saving her from entering his room most days. Except today, his comforter and sheets were all over the place. Obviously he was in a hurry to leave.

  When she threw the comforter off, then started to pull his sheets out, the smell of him hit her hard. She wasn’t trying to be fanciful, but since no one was around, she lifted the sheets up and inhaled his fresh clean scent.

  He always showered before he went to bed and that scent of soap clung to his sheets. She’d asked him once why he did that, how taking a shower before sleeping didn’t wake him up.

  “I want my sheets to stay clean. I’m around sick or hurt people all day, and the thought of going to bed with anything on me has always bothered me. It’s just a habit from med school. When I’m tired enough, nothing will keep me awake,” he’d said.

  If it worked for him, who was she to judge? She’d almost taken a shower herself after the way Max held and touched her last night.

  For once, she wished she’d never been so shy about buying a battery-operated boyfriend, because it sure would have come in handy.

  There was no need to worry about the boys keeping her up with any noises they might have made last night. Instead, she’d crawled into bed and tossed and turned for most of the night thinking of Max and his hands, his mouth, and oh yeah, his hands again.

  Max walked into the kitchen a few hours later to see the four boys sitting at the island watching her mix waffle batter.

  “I thought I’d be back before everyone got up,” he said.

  “No problem. Still in time to get a fresh breakfast.”

  “Where did you go, Dad?” Davey asked.

  “ER. Woman meets windshield. Windshield wins. Always wear your seatbelts, boys.”

  There was an equal chorus of “eww” and “yuck” to Max’s comment. She felt herself shudder just the same.

  When she turned back around she saw Max had propped his elbows on the counter with his chin in his hands, just like the kids were doing while they watched her cook. It was almost too comical to even comment.

  “Why don’t you have a seat at the table?” she said.

  “Nope, I’m going to stay right here with the men.”

  Davey looked over and smirked at his father. Quinn loved this side of Max. A side she’d never seen of any man she grew up around as a child. These kids really didn’t know how lucky they had it on more than one level.

  While the waffle maker was heating up, she pulled out the bacon and started to lay thick strips in the hot pan. Without missing a beat, she poured her first batter in the machine.

  “Since I’ve already been to work and back, I get the first plate,” Max said.

  Another chorus of “no” and “not fair” echoed in the room.

  “Sorry. In my kitchen everyone eats at the same time,” Quinn said, winking at him.

  “Your kitchen, is it?” he asked, eying the pan of bacon.

  “Don’t even think about it, Max.” She was on to him. He was going to snatch the bacon the minute she took it out of the pan. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d done it. “That’s not a good example to set in front of the kids.”

  She knew she had him when he wrinkled his nose at her.

  It didn’t take long before she was placing plates and silverware in front of the boys and Max. Once the fifth waffle was done, she pulled the other four out of the warming oven and placed the overly large fluffy masterpieces on each plate.

  “For those who don’t lie and say they’re allergic to fruit, here are strawberries,” she set the bowl down, “blueberries,” another bowl, “and homemade whipped topping.”

  She placed the syrup on the counter last.

  “And for those that are really gluttons, you can pile your waffle with all four,” Max said, coaxing the boys on.

  Damned if Doug didn’t do just that. Slathered his waffle with syrup, then piled on the fruit and the whipped topping, and finally placed two pieces of bacon on top.

  She never realized how gross boys could be. Then again, none of the boys she’d ever been around were served food like this. They were just happy to get three meals a day, if that.

  Once everyone was finished eating, the boys went back downstairs to help Max straighten up the game room, and then challenged him to a round of video games.

  “Dad, you really stink at games,” Davey said when they returned upstairs.

  “Maybe you need to teach me all your tricks,” Max said back.

  Quinn watched the two of them. Max making an effort and Davey hesitating, then finally saying, “I can show you a thing or two when you have time.”

  “I’ll make time. If not this weekend, then next when I’m not on call.”

  Davey had nodded his head and then went to wait for the last boy’s parents to arrive.

  Lara was back home by eleven and the house started to quiet down again.

  She was proud of herself. She made it through her first sleepover with four boys, all the while having somewhat of a date. It was a good night, one she was hoping to have more of in the future.

  “Since Quinn worked so hard last night and this morning, I think we should give her a break today. How about everyone makes their own lunch, and then I’ll treat everyone to dinner tonight. What do you say, kids?”

  “I want lobster,” Lara said.

  Lara always wanted food that no one else seemed to want to eat.

  “A big steak is calling my name,” Max said. “What about you, Davey?”

  “I don’t know what I want yet.” Davey turned to her and asked, “What do you want, Quinn?”

  In that moment, she felt an odd sense of belonging in this family. Their normal ritual of asking who wanted what to eat now included her.

  “You know what? Sometimes it’s better to make a final decision at the last minute, Davey.”

  Feeling Our Way

  If Quinn didn’t know better, she would have thought Max planned the next Saturday night without any kids. Only she’d personally seen that both kids had received a birthday invitation that included a sleepover.

  What the chances were of that happening on the same night just blew her mind, but she wasn’t going to question it. It was the first night she’d ever been on a double date.

  Well, maybe it wouldn’t be a double date, not with her doing the cooking. Still, Nick and Mallory were free and would be here any minute.

  “It sure does smell good in here,” Max said, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist, then leaning in and nuzzling her neck.

  She’d never had anyone do that move to her before. It was romantic. At least in her mind, and though she was trying to concentrate on cooking, she wanted to savor the sweetness of his hands around her.

  In the past week, all they’d had were a few stolen kisses here and there and that was pretty much it.

  It was probably for the best because right now she had a severe case of the nerves. He hadn’t been putting any pressure on her to spend the night with him, but she knew he was thinking it.

  Hell, she was thinking it. Dreaming and downright wanting it.

  The only problem was she was insecure.

  What would he think when he saw her naked? Here’s a guy who spends his life making women perfect. Enhancing their beauty, even. Perfection. It was an art form to him. She’d heard him talking on the phone several times with his staff on what to do to best minimize scarring and such.

  She was just plain Jane from the slums of Chicago. She didn’t have fancy clothes or expensive lotions, and she hardly ever saw a doctor, least of all one of his caliber.

  Trying to push it from her mind once again, she focused on the here and now, and the handsome man who was holding her tight and kissing her neck.

  “You said you liked seafood, so I wanted to give you what you liked.”

  “Give me what I like, huh?” he asked, rubbing his cheek against hers before placing another quick kiss on her neck.

  She felt the heat slide right up her chest into her face, but decided to not comment on it. Not now, not when they had company on the way.