All It Takes (Romancing Manhattan 2)

“Good point,” he says, shoving both of our boxes in the finished pile. “I’d like to buy that beach painting, if it’s for sale.”

“It’s not.” Actually, that’s a lie. It’s totally for sale, but I don’t feel right about selling it to him. “But I’d like to give it to you.”

“I’m happy to pay for it.”

“And I’m happy to give it to you,” I repeat, standing and brushing my skirt before slipping my feet into my shoes. “And if you don’t mind, I think I’m done for the night.”

“That’s fine with me. I’ll take you home.”

Quinn takes a half-dozen boxes down to the dining room while I turn off the lights, and he waits as I lock the house up, then we drive toward my house. My phone rings in my lap.

“Ugh, it’s Lou.” I reject the call and drop my phone in my bag.

“You don’t like him?”

“It’s a her,” I reply with a smile. “Louise is my sister, and I love her, but I’m mad at her right now.”

I explain just the surface of our fight, not getting too deep into Louise’s financial issues.

“So, you know. Family drama.”

“I do know about family drama,” he replies with a laugh. “You’ll figure it out.”

He pulls into my driveway and follows me to the door.

“I’ll get the painting for you.”

“Sienna, let me pay for it. Really. I don’t want it to be a conflict of interest.”

I unlock the door, we step inside, and I turn to him. “I saw the way you looked at it. It touched you, and I don’t need to know the reasons why. As an artist, seeing that look on someone’s face when they look at my work, well, it makes me happy. It’ll have a good home, and that’s not a conflict of interest. It’s being a nice human being, giving my art to another human being who appreciates it.”

He reaches up and brushes his thumb over my cheek, and I won’t even begin to list all the ways I am feeling like this is a conflict of interest with the way my libido is in overdrive whenever I’m with him.

“You had some dust here.”

“Dusty attic,” I whisper, then pull away. “I’ll be right back.”

I kick my shoes off and march back to my studio and quickly wrap the painting in plastic so it survives the ride home, then return to him.

“Thank you,” he says as he takes it from me. “I know just where I’ll hang it.”

“You’re welcome.”

He cups my cheek now, and I’m sure he’s going to kiss me. This is not professional, and I should back away.

But I can’t.

And he doesn’t kiss me.

At least, not on the lips.

He presses those sexy lips against my forehead, takes a deep breath, and then he’s gone and I’m left with raging lust.

Chapter Five

~Quinn~

“That was the best,” Gabby says on Saturday afternoon as we leave the early matinee of the newest Pixar film. I was at the office by six this morning to get some work done before picking my niece up for our date. “It was funny.”

“I liked it too,” I reply and kiss her dark head.

“We should go out to lunch now,” she says with a grin, and I pull her against my side for a hug. “I’m starving.”

“You just devoured a large popcorn, had a soda, and ate a box of peanut M&M’s by yourself.”

“So?” She bats her eyelashes at me, making me laugh.

“As much as I would love to, I can’t. I have to go to work. But we can pick up anything you want on our way to your house.”

“Okay,” she says with a shrug. “I want pastrami.”

Our favorite sandwich shop isn’t far, and before long we’re loaded down with sandwiches for Gabby and Carter, and more for Sienna and myself.

“Thanks for today, Uncle Quinn,” Gabby says as we get out of the car and I walk her to the door, carrying her food.

“Anytime, buttercup,” I reply as Carter opens the door. “We brought food.”

“Thanks, come on in. Did you have fun, Gabs?”

“Yeah,” she says. “But Uncle Quinn can’t stay.”

Carter’s eyes meet mine as I hand him the brown bag full of lunch.

“I have to go to work,” I say. “She was great. We had a good time.”

“Good. Thanks for taking her.”

“It’s always my pleasure. I’ll see you Monday.”

I hurry back to my car, looking forward to seeing Sienna today. I wasn’t able to make it over yesterday because work took longer than I anticipated, and I wanted to clear my calendar for this afternoon so I could spend time with Gabby and go help Sienna.

Not to mention, I wanted tomorrow off from the office as well. I need some time at the track, and I’m going to talk Sienna into going with me.

I don’t know how, but I’ll figure it out.

Traffic isn’t too horrible for a Saturday afternoon, and before long I’m in the Bronx, driving toward Louis Hendricks’s former home. Sienna’s already there.