Sean reached over and turned off the water, then kicked open the door, still buried deep inside her. As he carried her to the bed, dripping water along the way, he kissed her softly. "We should make it a habit to shower together every day," he said.

"To conserve water," she said.

He chuckled as he laid her on the bed, his body stretching out on top of hers. Laurel ran her hand across his cheek. When Sean smiled, she felt as if anything was possible, as if there would be many showers that ended in many more evenings like this. Maybe that was a dream or a fantasy or wishful thinking. But for now, she wasn't going to question her good fortune. She was simply going to enjoy it.


* * *

Sean opened his eyes to the morning sun streaming through the bedroom window. Pushing up on his elbows, he glanced at Laurel, curled up beside him. Her hair, a riot of honey-colored waves, fell over her face. He brushed the curls back and kissed her cheek.

Her eyes fluttered and she looked up at him, a sleepy smile touching her lips. They'd only slept for three or four hours, but he didn't miss the rest. Losing himself in Laurel's body all night long had both exhausted and exhilarated him. He smiled at her as he stroked her cheek. "Morning."

"Is it? Or is it afternoon?"

"It's just past nine. God, you look pretty."

Laurel groaned and covered her face. Her fingers went to her hair and she groaned even louder.

Sean grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. "I'm not kidding. You do look beautiful."

Her expression turned serious. "About last night, I-"

He dropped a kiss on her lips. "What about last night?"

"We share a bedroom," she said, "and we pretend to be husband and wife. But that wasn't about pretending last night, right?"

"I wasn't faking anything," Sean said, his expression serious. "Were you?"

A pretty blush stained her cheeks and she burrowed her face into his shoulder. "No, it was all very real… and wonderful." She looked up at him. "Do you have any regrets?"

Sean pressed his lips to her forehead. "No."

To his surprise, he realized he was telling the truth. He'd never in his life made love to a woman without regrets. The morning after had always been uncomfortable for him, especially since he didn't allow himself to hang around that long. Going in, he'd always known there wasn't a chance for a real relationship, and that had always caused an uneasy guilt the day after.

But with Laurel he felt nothing but utter contentment. He could imagine a relationship with her, going out to movies and dinner, spending quiet nights at home watching a ball game, waking up in each other's arms and making love all night long.

Everything he'd been avoiding for so long had now come to pass. He'd played the Mighty Quinn and he'd lost his heart. But oddly, it didn't feel like a loss. There wasn't an empty space where his heart had once been. Instead, when he was with Laurel, he felt as if his heart were growing, breaking the shell that had protected it for so long.

"I'll go get us some breakfast. You stay in bed."

"Toast," she murmured. "And coffee. No Irish breakfast."

He bent and kissed her cheek. "Toast and coffee."

Sean tugged on his jeans, not bothering with boxers, then grabbed a shirt. He glanced over at Laurel as she closed her eyes again, her hand curled near her face.

Maybe he shouldn't have stepped into that shower last night, but an irresistible force had drawn him there, a force he couldn't deny any longer. Since the first time he'd kissed her, Sean had known it would come to this. There was something about Laurel that made him forget all his fears. With her, he felt both safe and completely out of control, two feelings that he'd never really experienced before.

Here he was a thirty-year-old man, and he'd never allowed himself to get close to any woman he'd ever known. He'd never had a real relationship-at least nothing that involved mutual trust and honest emotion. Until now. With Laurel, it was real.

Sean sighed as he stopped at the top of the stairs. Hell, he should know what was going on. The Quinn family curse had struck again. He'd rescued Laurel from a marriage to a con man and another Quinn had fallen victim. Yet now that he had, it didn't really bother him. Spending time with Laurel made him feel good… happy.

As he walked down the stairs, he heard the doorbell ring. "I'll get it, Alistair," he called. He didn't hear a reply from the butler so he continued to the door. When he found Eddie Perkins waiting on the other side, he regretted ever heeding the bell.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Sean demanded.

Eddie frowned. "Do I know you?"

Sean stepped out of the house and closed the door behind him. "You don't remember me?"

Eddie shook his head slowly, then stopped. "Oh, yeah. You're that guy. The one who was there when they arrested me. I asked you to-" Suddenly the significance of Sean's presence hit him. "Hey, what the hell are you doing here?"

"I'm here to keep you away from Laurel," Sean muttered. "Why aren't you in jail?"

"I was," Eddie said. "My second wife posted bail. She has a very forgiving nature."

"Get out of here," Sean warned. "If I see you around Laurel again, I'll beat the crap out of you."

"I have every right to see her. She's still my fiancée."

"She was your fiancée," Sean reminded him.

"Missing our wedding wasn't my choice. And I want to make it up to her. We were in love once and I think we could be again."

"She never loved you. Believe me. And believe this:

I'm going to do whatever it takes to protect her from scum like you."

"Hey, I can understand. You've got a mark here with a boatload of money. There aren't many pigeons as beautiful as Laurel Rand out there, waiting to be plucked. But remember who introduced you. The least you could do is spread the wealth."

"Would you like me to hit you now or would you like a running start?"

Eddie held up his hands. "You think about it. I don't want to make trouble. I just want my fair share of the pie." With that, he turned around and hopped into the Benz convertible that was parked in the drive. "Tell Laurel I'll be back."

Sean cursed softly. The last thing he-or Laurel-needed right now was another visit from Eddie Perkins. If he decided to cause trouble, then this whole charade would be over more quickly than either he or Laurel wanted. He turned and walked back into the house. Alistair stood in the middle of the doorway. "Who was at the door?"

"No one," Sean said. "Wrong address."

Alistair regarded him with a suspicious look, his eyebrow arched. "Are you and Miss Laurel ready for breakfast? I can put something out for you in the breakfast room. Perhaps an Irish breakfast?"

"We'll be down in fifteen minutes," Sean said. He took the stairs two at a time. When he slipped back into Laurel's room, he found her still curled up beneath the covers. He crawled across the bed and tugged at the comforter. "Laurel. Are you awake?"

"I am now," she murmured.

"Eddie was just here."

Laurel rubbed her eyes and sighed. "Eddie who?"

"Edward. The man you were supposed to marry."

The sleepy expression faded from her face as she sprung upright. "Eddie was here?"

"Don't worry. No one saw him. I answered the door and he was there. He says he wants to talk to you. He says he still loves you." Sean watched her face for a reaction. "Do you still love him?"

"No!" Laurel cried. "I told you, I never did."

"Then you were marrying him just for the money?"

She took a moment before she shrugged. "We were compatible. At least, I thought we were. I didn't realize he was a bigamist or a con man. And I needed to get married. What do you think he wants?"

"You. And your money," Sean said.

"He could cause problems. What if Sinclair finds out?"

"Maybe it's time to talk to your uncle. To tell him the truth. We can't keep this up forever. He's bound to find out."

She crawled out of bed and grabbed her robe, draping it over her naked body. His gaze fell to the spot where the front gaped open, revealing the soft swell of her breast, a breast he'd enjoyed just the previous night. "I-I don't want to tell him. Not now. Not yet."

"Eddie isn't going away. I know guys like him. He'll be back."

"I can deal with Edward," she said.

Sean cursed softly. "I don't want you to deal with him."

Laurel slowly turned and stared at him, her mouth agape. "I don't believe you just said that. You don't want me to deal with him? You sound just like a husband. You know, I've taken care of myself for seven years now and I've done a pretty good job."

Her mood had changed so quickly, he couldn't adjust. "Oh, right," Sean snapped. "You were about to marry a bigamist until he got arrested. Then you hired me to step in for the groom to help you scam your uncle out of five million."

Her jaw went tight and she crossed her arms beneath her breasts. "I am not trying to scam him."

Sean shrugged. "Then what are you doing, Laurel?"

"What I'm doing is none of your business. You're getting paid to do a job and to keep your mouth shut. If you can't do that, then maybe you ought to leave now." She stalked to the door and yanked it open, only to find Alistair waiting on the other side.

"Breakfast," he said in a cheery voice.

"I'm not hungry," Laurel muttered. She slipped past him, leaving the butler to gaze at Sean in confusion.

"A little tiff, I presume?" he asked.

Sean shook his head. "I don't know what I said. But she's definitely mad."

Alistair strolled into the room and placed the breakfast tray on the bed. "Would you care for a bit of advice?"