The mighty Quinns: Liam by Kate Hoffmann Page A

her apartment that night. She wasn’t about to question it, and instead decided to revel in it. A girl like her usually didn’t get a chance with a guy like Liam.
    He slowly pulled away, stealing one last kiss before he spoke. “I have to go,” he murmured.
    Ellie’s heart sank. She’d imagined that she could continue kissing him for the rest of the afternoon and well into the night.
    “I have to go photograph a rally outside Faneuil Hall,” he continued, brushing his lips over hers. “It has something to do with…sweatshop labor in…Third World countries.”
    “That’s a serious problem,” Ellie murmured, pushing up on her toes and kissing him again.
    “The Globe called this morning. It’s a nice assignment.” His lips found the curve of her neck and lingered there for a moment.
    “I have to type up a few more letters and send out some résumés,” Ellie said. “And I’m going over to the library to get online. I thought I’d post my résumé with a few of the sites on the Web.”
    “How’s the job hunt going?” Liam asked.
    “Not great. I’ve hit all the major banks in Boston and now I’m going to have to start on the minor ones. I’ve had four years in banking but maybe I should consider a change. I could get my C.P.A. and work for an accounting firm. Or maybe find a position with a small business.”
    “You’ll find something,” Liam said, reaching out to smooth his hand along her cheek. “You’re smart and you’re capable and you’re awfully pretty to look at.”
    “And if you kiss me again, I promise to believe that,” Ellie murmured.
    He did as he was told, then grabbed his jacket and bid her goodbye, promising to call her later that evening. Ellie closed the door behind him and smiled. She touched her lips, still damp from his kiss, then tried to remember exactly how wonderful it felt. Later on, she could summon that memory and relish it all over again.
    It felt good to be kissed again. And touched and held. Though she’d tried so hard to resist him, Ellie had known going in that she’d once again be putting her heart at risk. And now that feeling was even more acute. She was falling hard and fast for Liam Quinn and she couldn’t seem to stop herself.
    She couldn’t pinpoint exactly what it was that made him so irresistible, but he had a certain charm that she found incredibly attractive. He always knew just the right thing to say, yet he never tried too hard. There were moments when she felt as if he was madly in love with her and then other times when he’d pull away and keep her guessing. It was like a little dance between them, each advancing and retreating at different times, trying to read the subtleties in every word and action.
    She’d come to Boston to get away from her rather disastrous history with men. And then, against all odds, she’d stumbled across the man who very well could be the man of her dreams. Ellie hurried over to her bookshelf and ran her fingers along the rows of books until she found what she wanted. “Find the Man of Your Dreams,” she said, pulling out a volume she’d purchased three years ago.
    She settled down on the sofa, tucking her feet up underneath her. Now that she’d found him, Ellie would have to figure out how to keep him. Maybe the book would have some good advice.
     

    T HE IMAGE appeared slowly, the grays intensifying as Liam swirled the photo around in the developer. This was the best part of photography, he mused. That moment of anticipation, waiting to see what the camera had captured.
    He’d shut himself in the darkroom that occupied the spare bedroom in the apartment, ready to catch up on some film he’d taken a few weeks before. After all, there wasn’t much he could do once Ellie went to sleep. She was safe inside her apartment, the security system set to warn her of any intruders. But instead of grabbing the film he’d taken of children playing on Boston Common, he’d grabbed the roll he’d taken that first night