Crissy dropped her coat by the door, kicked off her boots and headed straight for the kitchen without hesitating. She retrieved a bowl of bread dough from the oven she had left to rise while she was out and sighed as she sank her fingers into the warmth of it.

"God, I hate job hunting," she whispered.

An hour later, when Amy showed up carrying pizza, Crissy was still in the kitchen, dusted up to her elbows in flour.

"Hey, sugar," Amy called, pushing in the door and dropping her bag on the floor. "I brought pizza. I thought you must be starving after being out all day running interviews and dazzling everyone with your skills."

Crissy glanced up with a smile and nodded to the table. "Come on in," she said, though she didn't need to. Amy was already making herself at home, nudging cooling racks of brioche rolls aside on the table to make room for the pizza.

"How did it go?" Amy asked. "Any luck?"

She shrugged. "It's a small town. People have their loyalties to their friends, their boss's daughter, that one woman they met at church who they're secretly terrified of."

"So I take it that's a no."

"There are a few possibilities on the table, said they'd get back to me. I'm probably going to end up at the Gritty Spoon though."

"Because they're desperate to stay afloat. Their coffee is terrible."

"I wouldn't be a cook, I'd be on dish duty and work my way up." She sighed. "Again."

"There has to be other options out there. Keep looking, sugar, you'll find something."

Crissy cast her a grateful look and dropped the kneaded dough into a greased bowl, covering it with a towel and sliding it onto the counter to rise. She dropped into a chair across from Amy and picked up a slice of pizza.

"What about you?" she said. "How are you holdin' up? Any more morning sickness?"

Amy shook her head, her cheeks stuffed with pizza. "Doin' pretty good on that end. But I made a decision last night."

Crissy raised her eyebrows, waiting.

"I'm not going to Venezuela."

Crissy almost choked on her pizza. "What? Why not? Manu was crazy about it."

Amy sighed and set her pizza down. "I know. I haven't told him yet. He had to buzz out really fast this morning and I didn't have the guts to spring it on him when he was running out the door. Of course I'm not really looking forward to sitting down and having a long talk about it either but it's going to suck either way."

Crissy shook her head. "But...why?"

"You know why, sugar. I can't leave you now. The shop is gone. Your apartment is gone. You're job hunting. It's just not a good time."

"Oh please."

Amy raised her eyebrows. "My sarcasm senses are screaming. I always knew you had sass tucked away inside you but damn, girl, where did that come from?"

"I'll be fine. You deserve that vacation."

"But..."

"No," Crissy said. "You're not going to stay here and babysit me. I'm fine, really. Besides, I'll be at my sister's wedding, remember?"

"All the more reason I should stay behind and hold down the fort in case I need to kick some ass."

"I'm sure Quinn won't let anything happen to me. It'll be good for you to get away from everything for a while."

Amy hummed. "I still think your sister is setting you up for a brutal show down. It weirds me out that she was semi-nice to you."

"It weirds me out too. And I don't know if it'll last or not but whatever happens at that wedding, it won't matter. I've got my life here. So you're going to Venezuela, even if I have to drag you onto that plane myself."

Amy watched her for a moment then made a small, surprised noise as she picked up her pizza again.

"Holy shit, you sound like me," she muttered.

"It's about time. You've been around long enough, it's about time a little of you rubbed off."

"And here I thought I could get out of that sunburn."

"Not a chance. You need to suffer on a tropical beach sipping on coconut milk for a few days."

"You're right. That sounds just terrible," Amy said with a grin.

[][][]

"You have to promise to call me every single day," Amy said, bundling Crissy into another hug.

The Denver airport buzzed around them, people spilling by. Manu juggled their luggage at the same time he tried to get a grip on Amy's elbow to pull her away. But she was too busy hugging Crissy for the hundredth time that afternoon.

"I promise," Crissy said, smiling and shaking her head. She must have made that promise at least three times every hour since she got up this morning and found Amy at her front door, talking a mile a minute.

Manu finally got a hold of Amy's elbow and pressed a kiss to her hair.

"Time to go, honey," he said. "We're going to miss our flight."

Amy pulled back from Crissy, her eyes shining with excitement and tears threatening to spill over. She laughed and waved a hand in front of her face.

"Stupid pregnancy hormones going nuts on me," she said.

"It's only two and a half weeks," Crissy reminded her. Again.

"I know, I know."

"And Quinn will keep an eye on me."

"He better. I'll kick his ass if he doesn't." Amy shook her head. "Who am I kidding? He can barely keep his hands off of you, never mind letting you out of his sight for long. You'll be fine without me."

"But I'll miss you all the same."

Amy whimpered. Manu tipped his head back and closed his eyes.

"You had to say that," he sighed.

Crissy flashed an apologetic smile in Manu's direction as Amy tiptoed forward for another hug. Then Crissy pushed her away.

"Go," she said. "Get sunburned and take as many long walks on the beach as possible."

Amy hooked her arm through Manu's elbow and glanced over her shoulder one last time. Crissy waved as they entered the airport terminal and disappeared out of sight. She blew out a breath and walked around Manu's truck to the driver's side and climbed in. Two and a half weeks without Amy. And only one week until Crissy would finally face her sister's wedding she had been wary of for months.

When Crissy got back to Breckenridge, the sun was just slipping below the horizon, casting long blue shadows across town and she was exhausted. It felt strange without Amy's constant hum of high energy around her. They had been inseparable for so many years and it was rare to be apart for long. Even when they had moved into different apartments, Crissy knew Amy was only a hop and a skip away. But now Amy was a little further away than that and it was taking some getting used to, even if it really was only for two and a half weeks...

Crissy slowed as she passed the shop...where it had been anyway. The first time she had passed it a few days ago, it felt like she'd been kicked in the stomach. Her home blackened and charred, a mere skeleton. Now the debris had been cleared away and there was nothing left. Just an empty hole...

She sighed and forced herself to keep moving. It didn't hurt as much now, the ache in her chest. As long as she kept herself busy, kept doing other things the ache was beginning to ease to a point where she could breathe comfortably again. But she supposed it would always sting a little bit, to see her hard work gone in a matter of minutes. The memory might be fading but the imprint of it would forever be burned into her mind.

As soon as Crissy stepped into Quinn's house, she smelled it. Food. The rich spice of basil. The soft edge of cheese. The sharpness of wine.

She crept into the kitchen on tiptoe to see Quinn at the stove, managing several pots at once. The table was set with real dishes instead of the paper plates they had been living off as Quinn continued to adjust to the move.

"What are you doing?" Crissy said softly.

Quinn flinched and turned to her, startled. He attempted to block the stove with his body.

"No!" he said. "No you weren't supposed to be back for another thirty minutes!"

She grinned as she crossed the room and tipped her chin up to kiss him.

"Do you want me to go back outside and wait? Close my eyes?"

He sighed and turned back to the stove. "You've already seen everything, I guess."

She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her cheek to his back.

"I thought you said you were horrible with cooking," she said.

"I am," he replied, one hand settling over hers, his thumb stroking over her knuckles.

"Then how are you pulling this off? Witchcraft?"

He shrugged and she felt his muscles shift and slide with the movement.

"Maybe..."

Crissy ducked under his arm and surveyed the contents of the pots on the stove. Something about it all looked vaguely familiar...

"Wait a second," she said. "Didn't I show Pete how to make this same meal a few months ago?"

"Damn it, I hoped you wouldn't remember," he said with a sly sideways look.

"I never forget food. You should know that by now."

"My mistake."

"So what's all this for then?"

He tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. "I figured you're going to be missing Amy for the next couple of days so I thought I'd cheer you up. Make a nice meal for you to come home to. Food makes you happy, I know that much."

A smile blossomed across her face so big it made her cheeks ache. She pressed a kiss to his shoulder.

"You make me happy," she said.

His eyes brightened. "Yeah?"

She nodded. "But you're about to burn the sauce and that won't make either of us happy."

He swore as he scrambled to turn down the heat and slide the bubbling sauce off the burner. He bit back a growl.

"You should probably take over from here," he said, stepping to the side.

She shook her head and caught his wrists, pulling him in front of the stove again.

"No way," she said. "You're doing just fine. Keep going."

She guided him through the rest of the cooking process until the food was hot and steaming, piled on their plates, and not a lick of it was burned. Quinn held out a chair for Crissy then took his own chair and his hand settled over hers. She turned her palm up, curling her fingers around his. He picked up his fork and hesitated, not quite touching the food.

Crissy picked up her own fork and made to take a bite but Quinn almost came across the table to stop her.

"What are you doing?" he said. "You can't taste it first. What if it's terrible?"

She raised an eyebrow. "It's not going to be. You made it."

"That's my point."

She raised the fork to her mouth again, slowly, watching him. He hurried to scoop up a bite of his food to taste it first then paused, a small measure of surprise slipping across his face.

"See?" she said, tugging on his hand. "It's not terrible because you made it."

"I might have had a little help," he said with a playful glance in her direction. "I picked up my tuxedo today by the way. For the wedding. Megan found it in a box in the back of her closet somewhere. It needed a little altering but it's ready to go."

She raised her eyebrows. "You tried it on already? And I didn't get to see it?"

He laughed, soft and deep. "You'll just have to wait."

"Now you're just being mean," she teased.

After dinner, Crissy moved to start washing her dishes when Quinn took her plate from her and put it in the sink.

"We can do dishes later," he said, kissing the side of her neck.

"That sounds like you have something else in mind," she said, slipping two fingers into the waistband of his pants and tugging him closer.

"Probably," he said, smiling against her skin. "I made a promise."

She pulled back, confused. "What? To who?"

"Amy."

She nodded. "Of course."

"She made me promise to distract you as much as possible while she was away."

"You know, I'm okay now, right?"

He brushed his thumb over her chin, studying her for a moment.

"Yes," he said after a while. "You've handled this nightmare extremely well, all things considered."

"Sure doesn't feel like it sometimes."

He took her hands and interlaced their fingers together. "That shop was your whole life and you were back on your feet, looking for jobs within only a week or two."

"It helps to keep moving. Keep doing things."

He nodded. "But it still hurts a bit, doesn't it?"

Crissy hesitated and said nothing. She didn't like talking about it, didn't like putting it into words even though it still replayed in her head over and over, especially at night. She didn't smell the smoke anymore. Quinn always held her so impossibly close, the only thing she could smell was him, the spice of his soap and the familiar comfort of cinnamon. But sometimes the flames crept into her dreams still.

"Crissy," Quinn said softly, pulling her from her thoughts.

She raised her gaze to meet his.

"I don't mean to push you," he said. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I know it gets tiring after a while. All I'm saying is that you're doing so good, even if you don't see it. Amy sees it. I see it."

"But the two of you are still watching me too closely. Like I'll fall apart at the drop of a hat."

"We're just concerned for you. Amy said she likes seeing you distracted." He paused and pressed his forehead to hers. "And maybe I like distracting you."

She closed her eyes and smiled slightly. She still missed her shop. She supposed a small part of her always would. It had been her first home, her first kitchen, her first dream that came so close to coming true. She would be okay, after a little while more. She was picking herself back up again, dusting herself off, piecing her life and her dreams back together and she would be okay eventually. But for now, with the warmth of Quinn's skin at her fingertips and the soft, familiar smell of him all around her...she wouldn't turn down the comfort he offered.

"Better not let Amy down then," Crissy said. "You know what will happen if she finds out you've been slacking."

"I'd be a dead man."

"So distract me."

He started to pull her towards the bedroom but she didn't move and pulled him back.

"No," she said. "Right here."

His eyebrows shot up. "Here? In the...kitchen?"

"Yes," she said without a flicker of hesitation.

"But I thought it was your number one rule? No sex in the kitchen. I remember that. I don't want to get in trouble here."

She laughed softly and pulled him in to kiss him hard, nipping at his bottom lip.

"You're not going to get in trouble," she said. "I want this."

He still looked a little confused and worried. "But..."

"I'm starting over, Quinn," she said. "Piecing things together again as best I can. Maybe a few of my old rules got lost along the way too. Time to make some new ones."

He studied her for a moment. She tipped her chin up and nudged at his earlobe with her nose before she kissed the curve of his throat.

"Unless you're having second thoughts," she whispered.

In response, Quinn picked her up and set her on the counter. He swept the dirty dishes into the sink as he crowded into the space between her knees. His hands settled on her hips as she wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer, closing her eyes at the sinful glide of his tongue against hers.

Quinn was always gentle with her, touching her like she was fragile and delicate, like he couldn't believe she was beneath his hands. But this time Crissy craved more. She kissed him harder, more demanding than she ever had before, aching with desperation and the need to forget everything for a while, just for a few blissful minutes. She needed him to mark her, to leave her skin buzzing and her body empty until she couldn't think of anything else except the lingering feel of him on her.

As Quinn kissed along her jawline, Crissy's fingers dipped down to unzip his fly and wrapped around his thick cock with a mercilessly tight squeeze. He gasped a small, breathless curse and Crissy smiled as his fingers bit into her hip. She stroked the full length of him, once, twice, agonizingly slow, torturing him in the best way possible. And when she brushed her thumb over the head of his cock at just the right angle, just the right sweet spot, he cursed again, sharper and more explosive this time, thrusting up into her palm. His fingers came around the back of her neck, his thumb resting at the hollow beneath ear.

"Jesus Christ, Crissy," he breathed. "Slow down."

"No," she said, playfully sinking her teeth into his shoulder. "Not distracting me enough."

He didn't hesitate for a second before he was tugging her pants and underwear off, kissing along each new sliver of skin he uncovered. He barely brushed his lips over the inside of her knee, sending shivers rippling over her skin as he slowly advanced upward. He kissed the softness of her thigh as he hooked her knees over his shoulders.

Crissy's head tipped back as Quinn's mouth closed over her clit, his tongue working in long, slow strokes, returning the sweet torture she had inflicted on him earlier. She pressed her heels into his back and tangled her fingers into his hair with a tug that drew a small sound of pleased surprise from him. Her knees tightened against his head as white hot heat curled through her nerves with every dip and slide of Quinn's tongue.

Quinn hooked one hand over the top of her thigh as he slid too fingers into her and curled upwards at just the right angle to leave her shaking. Her knees tightened around his head as he coaxed her to the edge, trembling.

Then he stopped and she couldn't stop the groan of disappointment.

"You're cruel," she rasped.

He chuckled softly as he kissed his way up her body, pausing only long enough to retrieve a condom from his pocket and slide it on. He curled an arm around her waist and pulled her a little closer to the edge of the counter. The weight of his cock pressed to the inside of her thigh as his arm came around her shoulders, cradling the back of her head. Even when he was matching her aching need, her rough biting kisses and the demanding press of her fingertips on every inch of skin she could reach, he was still careful with her, mindful that she didn't get hurt.

Then he slid into her, slowly, inch by inch, until his hips were flush with hers. Crissy gasped as she pressed her face to his shoulder. Neither one of them moved for several seconds, their ragged breathing the only sound in the silence. After nearly a full minute, Quinn pulled out and pushed back in with a long, slow, deep thrust that turned Crissy to putty in his arms.

He kissed the curve of her throat and shoulder. "Distracted yet?" he whispered.

"God, yes," she whimpered.

Quinn pushed into her again and again, agonizingly slowly and deep, and each time, a shivery, barely there curse fell from Crissy's lips.

"Harder," she mumbled against his shoulder, the salt of his skin on her lips.

When he didn't respond right away, her hand slipped into his pants and her fingers bit into his ass, demanding more. He snapped his hips up into her automatically then hesitated for a moment. He pulled back just far enough to look at her, gauging her reaction, when she kissed him in answer to his unspoken question, open mouthed and hungry.