Audie's breath was coming fast and shallow and her fingers gripped the doorframe. She felt her feet edging backward into the hallway.

"Da and my mother had much more than that, so I know what's possible. I saw it. I saw laughter. I saw-"

Quinn's face contorted in the shadows and the moisture sparkled in his eyelashes. Audie was frozen, reeling with the effort it took not to go to him. Why did she want to go to him? She should be getting out!

"I saw them touch each other a lot, even though that's not exactly normal with Irish couples-but it was a small house. All us boys knew what was going on. He loved her so much, right up to-" Quinn wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand, then looked up at her, his expression determined.

"They had pride in what they'd created together-children, home, friends, memories, a place in the world where they'd come together to make a life. That's more than tolerating, Audie. That's love. I saw it every day as a kid, and I know it's not a load of shit or a fantasy. It's real. It can be real."

"I wouldn't know." Her heart felt as if it would burst in her chest. Her mouth was dry. Her hands were shaking.

"You've just got to have faith."

"I wouldn't know about that, either."

Quinn watched her standing there like a trapped animal, breathing fast. If she took off now, she wouldn't get far-she was wearing only a Garda Pipe and Drum Band T-shirt worn thin by a thousand washings. Her car keys were on the nightstand by his head. Realizing that now was as good a time as any, Quinn made his voice as soft and soothing as he could.

"Faith is believing in something when there's no possible way to guarantee it. Like believing that Kiley will get to live a full life. Like believing you and I are together for a reason. Faith is taking a chance, Audie."

"No, Quinn." She didn't recognize the sound of her own voice-it was gritty and strained with emotion. She stared at him all stretched out on his bed, gorgeous and honest and in love with her, and knew that time had run out. In that strange voice she said, "I'm so sorry. I wish things were different. I wish I were different."

Audie was trembling. She brought her arms tight around herself to stay steady. "I'm sorry," she said again.

It was painfully quiet for a moment. Then Quinn let his head fall back and he looked down his nose at her, his eyes half-shuttered and grim. "So, this is how you do it?" he asked. "You just say 'sorry' and walk out and either let the poor bastard chase after you awhile or watch him crawl into a hole and lick his wounds?" He rocked his head against the headboard. "Damn. I never thought I'd say this, but I think I actually feel sorry for Timmy Burke."

Her jaw fell. Her arms collapsed to her sides. "Excuse me?"

It was then that Quinn saw how her body was framed in the doorway, lit from behind by the hallway light, every delicious curve and swell of her nakedness in relief under the thin fabric, her breasts rising and falling with her agitated breathing.

Quinn realized he was getting hard as a railroad spike just looking at her, making this the only time he could recall getting a hard-on while getting the heave-ho.

"Did any of the others ask you to marry them?" he whispered. "Or was I the only one? Is it more difficult because I love you? Does that make things harder at all for you, Audie? I'm curious about that."

"What in hell are you talking about?" Even as she said it, she knew what was coming next. She'd walked right into it!

"The green and slimy problem, sweet thing." He leaned forward and Audie watched him dangle his beautiful arms over bent knees. "Nobody ever ran from you-did you think I wouldn't figure that out? I'm a cop, for God's sake!" He let go with a harsh laugh. "You were the one who ran, Homey. You ran from the green and slimy and hairy thing with eleven eyeballs that lives in your heart and makes you afraid of love-afraid of life. And your mother put it there."

Her feet were shuffling backward into the hallway. She was blind with the need to get out of Quinn's house.

But he sprang out of the bed, and Audie watched in horror as Quinn advanced on her, naked and mightily aroused, his green eyes locking on hers with a combination of fury and yearning. Her hand reached out behind her to make sure the escape route was clear.

"Do you think I'm letting you off the hook?" He flashed a brief but lascivious, grin before he frowned at her. "Do you think I'm the kind of man who falls in love just for the hell of it? Do you think I'd tell a woman I love her because I've got nothing better to do that day? Would it surprise you to know that I've never said that to another woman in my life? Not Laura? Not anybody?"

He stepped closer.

"How about if I told you that I'm convinced you're the right woman for me? That you're my shot at getting what my parents had?"

She took several additional steps backward, but he followed her.

"I'm talking to you, Miss Adams." He was so close, she could feel the heat pulsing off his naked body. "And I deserve an answer."

"I warned you, Quinn." She felt a single hot tear fall down her cheek and lodge at the corner of her mouth. This was so awful-worse than it had ever been! Worse than she could have imagined!

Audie closed her eyes and willed herself to go numb inside. All she needed was the presence of mind to get through the next few moments and she could put this behind her. She told herself it was just like soccer-you see the shot in your mind's eye;you kick; you score; you're done.

"I can't love you, Quinn. It's over."

He nodded. "So it was just for sex?"

She gasped. She gawked at him. How dare he say that? How dare he stand there all smug with his lips curled up like that? She abruptly closed her mouth and squared her shoulders. If that's the way he wanted to do this, fine.

"Yes. It was just for sex. I'll be leaving now."

Quinn leaned his head back and roared, and that was the last straw for Audie. She spun away from him and managed one step toward the stairs before she was knocked off her feet.

"What the hell are you-"

He picked her up, twisted her around in his arms, and brought his mouth down on hers, hard and hungry and hot. He held her against him with one big arm locked around her waist while the other hand cradled the back of her head. He walked forward until her back thudded against the wall.

She struggled to turn her face away, but he had her pinned. She was kicking violently-a futile effort now that he'd immobilized her with the press of his entire body.

The first picture that fell off the wall was the one of John in his Cub Scout uniform. Quinn watched with detached curiosity as it hit the floor near his right foot. The next picture down was of Michael and Sheila's wedding day, followed by a baby picture of Kiley and then Pat's ordination portrait.

The walls were shaking as Quinn shoved the T-shirt up around Audie's neck and she enthusiastically wrapped her legs around his hips so that he could push into her over and over, deeper and deeper.

"Was it just for sex?" he rasped between thrusts.

"No… no!" She could barely form the words. "I like you! I really do… but… I don't love you… I don't know how."

Quinn thought that was funny. And when he stopped laughing, he put his lips to her ear and spoke in time with each slide into her flesh. "All right, then. Leave me. Add me to your list of lover boys." He shoved into her harder. "Because I don't just want in your pants, Homey. I want in your heart. I want it all. I want everything."

He cupped her bottom with one of his big hands and let the other roam down to where their bodies joined. She was pulled so tight around him, stretched so thin.

He felt her shake and heard her whimper as he ran his finger along the hot velvet rim of her, then moved up to the top of her sex to let his finger spin loops around her clitoris. He knew exactly where she was desperate for his touch, but he merely circled, letting his fingertips slide everywhere but where she needed it most.