Happy Endings (12 page)

Uncertain exactly how far she was willing or wanted to go, Quinn stayed still, sucking in a tense breath and hoping she wanted to go just as far as he did.

Larissa crawled across his legs, straddling him on either side as she rubbed her hands up his chest and to his neck. Her thumbs dug at the muscles there, working into them and causing a pain that was also pleasure. She rocked forward, her crotch brushing against his midsection as she kissed his neck on the spot she’d just dug at. Her tongue made a circular motion, bringing all Quinn’s senses to life.

“Oh, God, Larissa. You feel so good.”

She pressed even further into him, rubbing her front against his and bumping lightly against his pelvis. “So do you.” She sat up straight, looking him in the eyes. “I want you to know something before I do this.”

Now was not the time for talking, but he nodded his head so she’d hurry up and say whatever she needed to say.

“I’m not the type of girl who sleeps around.”

Shit. Not that talk. Why did she have to bring it up? He couldn’t make her any promises, not now. He’d promise anything just to get her clothes off, and he didn’t want to do that to her. He didn’t want to lie, but he wasn’t sure he could promise long term. This was supposed to be a date to get to know one another so he could chose for himself without being pressured into it. But sex was a great way to get to know someone.

“I understand,” he said, deciding that was noncommittal enough. “I won’t think any less of you.” He didn’t know if he meant he wouldn’t think less of her for going through with it or if she stopped.

Larissa giggled, reaching between them to grip his throbbing erection. “I’m not asking if you’ll still respect me in the morning, Quinn. I’m just warning that I’m out of practice.”

Quinn joined in her laughter. “Something tells me we’ll be the perfect fit for each other.”

“Why don’t we see ab—”

A crack of thunder shook the cave, drowning out Larissa’s words.

Quinn startled, adrenaline coursing through him. “What the hell?”

Another loud crack sounded, and then the frightened squeal of horses penetrated through the waterfall as the thunder faded.

“The horses!” Larissa’s wide eyes looked as frightened as he felt. “Are you sure they won’t leave us stranded?”

Under normal circumstances, Shadow would never run off without Quinn, but this wasn’t normal. The island rarely saw a lightning storm. Shadow had to be half out of his mind with fear.

“Let me up,” he ordered. “I have to go calm them down before they bolt.”

Larissa hurried to do as he commanded, just as a large flash of light flared, visible through the cascading waterfall. The deafening rumble of thunder sounded immediately after.

“Shit!” Quinn rushed to the mouth of the cave, hearing the horses squeal again.

“You can’t go out there,” Larissa protested. “The lightning is right on top of us.”

“I won’t leave Shadow alone. He’s not used to this and must be frightened. Stay here.”

Without making sure she followed directions, Quinn ducked through the falls. Peering through the sheeting rain that seemed nearly as heavy as the waterfall itself, Quinn’s biggest fear was realized.

Defeated, he entered back into the cave.

“Can’t you get to them?” Larissa asked. “What’s going on?”

Quinn walked back to her, sliding down the cavern wall to sit on the blanket. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but the horses left. We’re trapped.”

“T
hey left?” Larissa stared at Quinn, hoping he’d say he was joking. It was just what she’d worried about when Quinn didn’t tie them up. He promised Shadow wouldn’t leave them. “It took hours to get out here with Shadow doing all the work. How far away are we from the beach?”

Quinn sighed. “It’s about fifteen miles back.”

“Fifteen?” Larissa thought about the meager amount of supplies they had left after lunch. A hike that long would take an entire day, and they didn’t have enough water to make it. Not unless they could follow the stream from the waterfall and drink that water, but Larissa didn’t even know if it was safe or would make them sick. “Can we call for help?”

Jumping up from where he sat, Quinn walked toward the saddlebags, pulling his cell phone from a side pocket. After fumbling with it for a few seconds, the music played to signal the phone had turned on.

“Shit.” Quinn ran a hand through his black hair, shaking his head. “I didn’t figure there was any hope, but had to check.” He glanced at her. “No bars. We can’t let anyone know what happened.”

Struggling to calm her raising panic, Larissa breathed in and out slowly. “So, what do we do?”

Quinn paced the length of the cave, standing just on their side of the waterfall. Another flash of light followed by a crack of thunder nearly stopped Larissa’s heart.

“Get away from there!” she screamed. “The water won’t stop you from getting killed by a bolt of lightning.”

“Sorry.” He returned to where she sat, toying with his phone as he stood over her. “It’s too far for us to hike tonight. We’re going to have to sleep here. We can fill our water bottles from the falls, so we won’t dehydrate, but we don’t have much food left.”

Fifteen miles. It may as well have been one hundred. She’d never walked that far in her life. At least Quinn thought the water was safe to drink. “What do we do? Leave first thing in the morning?”

Quinn sighed. “Maybe. It’s going to be difficult hiking all that way with no food. When the storm passes, I’ll climb to the top of the falls to see if I can get a signal to call out. Even if I can’t, when the horses show up at the stable without us, Brad will send out a search party.”

If even Quinn had doubts about their ability to hike back home, Larissa was more frightened than she’d been before. “What if the horses don’t head to the stables?”

“They will,” he said with a certainty she couldn’t question. “When they settle down and start thinking instead of just running, they’ll want to go where they’re comfortable. That’s home. Brad should know before the night is out that we’re in trouble.”

Another flash of lightning illuminated the area. It was so close that the hairs on Larissa’s arms literally stood up. Electricity charged the air.

“Quinn, can you please sit down and make yourself less of a target? I’m afraid of that storm. It’s dangerous.”

He rushed to do as she asked, pulling her into his embrace. “It’s going to be okay, Larissa. Try not to be scared. Everything’s going to be fine. I promise.”

She wished she could believe him, but he’d let his fear show for that split second before, and she knew he was as frightened as she was. Snuggling into his chest, she breathed in deeply, slightly comforted by his masculine scent and the warmth of his arms.

Things could be worse. Sure, they lost the horses, but at least they had each other.

The thunderstorm continued raging against the meadow outside, and Quinn rubbed her back and murmured soothing sentiments every time she jumped at the deafening booming sounds.

He seemed too good to be true. He called her a survivor, and he wasn’t scared off by the ‘C’ word like so many people she’d told her story to. Maybe Quinn honestly was the perfect guy he seemed to be.

As the thunder became less and less frequent, Larissa began to gain confidence again. After all, being trapped with Quinn overnight with no hope of rescue until tomorrow wasn’t all bad.

She was pretty sure that whatever happened in this cavern, he
would
respect her in the morning.

“Quinn?”

He kissed her forehead in an almost fraternal manner. “You okay?”

Yeah. His thoughts weren’t going the same direction as hers. Time to change that.

She rubbed her hand across his stomach before tucking it under the hem of his shirt. His muscles tightened beneath her fingers when she stroked his firm abs.

“I’m okay,” she whispered. “But I’m thinking it’s not safe for you to go outside right now, so maybe we can pass the time together. Take our minds off the storm and lack of food.”

She rubbed down his trail of curly hair, tucking her fingers just into the band of his pants while she waited for his response.

His skin quivered beneath her and he sucked in a quick breath. “I think that idea has merit,” he said, sounding stuffy and businesslike.

Rather than annoying her, Larissa found it charming and sweet. He seemed to tread cautiously through her offer, not yet sure what she meant. That was okay. She could show him.

Larissa shifted and pushed his shirt up his chest, running her fingertips across the hard angles of his muscular body while she worked it up to his neck. Quinn might spend a lot of time in the office, but he obviously hit the gym sometimes. When the shirt was moved far enough, she rubbed her face against his pecs, delighting in the tickle his patch of dark hair gave to her nose.

Jacob had been metro sexual, shaving every inch of his body. It was a relief to be with a manly man, strong, well muscled, and one who smelled musky and earthy... not like flowery perfume.

Refusing to spend another second wasted on thoughts of Jacob and that failed relationship, Larissa forced herself into the present. After all, the present was fabulous.

“I want you, Quinn. Tell me you want me too.”

Quinn grunted something incoherent, but was certainly agreement, as his hand caressed up her stomach to zero in on her breasts. Obviously her warning of scars and cancer didn’t concern him. Without a hesitation, his fingers kneaded into her left nipple, poking and prodding it into a hard, quivering peak, eager for more of his attention.

If his touch could accomplish this through her clothes, Larissa couldn’t wait to feel him against her bare skin. She tugged more aggressively at his shirt until Quinn leaned away from the wall, allowing her to draw it over his head. She ripped away her own blouse and straddled his lap.

He buried his face between her breasts, licking at her skin as he reached around to undo her bra.

When it fell open, Larissa’s heart pounded so hard, she thought it might bruise the inside of her chest. Now was the moment of truth. Would Quinn really be as okay with her scars as he said he would, or would he stop their fun when he spotted the ugly marks?

She dropped her arms with a great deal of fear, allowing the bra straps to slide slowly down and the fabric to fall across Quinn’s stomach.

The moment her arms were free, Quinn’s face returned to her chest. He licked his way around both nipples, giving them each equal attention with his tongue, though not ignoring the other as he rolled it between his finger and thumb.

Several times, his hand touched the hard length of her scars and the irregularly pitted skin from her past surgery, but his demeanor never changed and he never paused in his actions. He was as hot for her as he’d been before her bra came off. He hadn’t been joking about the scars not mattering to him. Slowly, Larissa’s fear drained away, leaving only the sexual tension that Quinn stoked inside her.

She moaned softly and reached between their bodies, tearing at the button on his denim pants. It was hard to focus on her own mission, as Quinn kept his skillful attention on her nipples.

Abandoning her attempts to figure out the button, she reached down to grip him softly, rubbing up and down through the thick fabric of his clothing. It pleased her to note that her nipples weren’t the only hard objects in the cave.

“Quinn, you’re making me too hot. I can’t handle this.”

As though her words gave him the permission he needed, Quinn changed tactics, going for her jeans. Unlike her, he had no trouble undoing buttons. Within seconds, he unfastened them and plunged his hand inside the front of her panties.

“Not only hot,” he said as his finger slid into the folds of her desire, flicking its way against her most sensitive area. “You’re soaking wet.”

“Oh, yes,” she agreed, shifting her weight to help him rub his finger against her within the limited confines of her clothes. The pleasure that raced through her was rivaled only by her desire to have him inside her. “Take me, Quinn. I want you. Now.”

He removed his hand from between her legs, gripping her hips instead and tossing her lightly off him to lay her on the blanket. Before Larissa even knew happened, he had her pants and underwear removed and his muscular body slid between her legs.

The hard material at the seam of his zipper bumped against her clit as Quinn rocked his pelvis over hers. He leaned down, trapping her in the cage of his arms, and his lips found hers.

His body went completely still, not grinding or prodding, but his tongue found ways to delight and excite as he twirled it around her mouth. He backed off, pressing soft kisses across her chin and down her neck.

Moaning loudly, Larissa tipped her head to the side and Quinn sucked at the top of her shoulder and then worked up to her ear. His hot breath blew into the shell of her ear, raising her excitement to a full on frenzy.

She clawed at his back, wrapping her legs around his hips and grinding against him. She wanted him, more than she’d ever wanted anyone. “Now,” she ordered again, less pleading and more demanding this time.

“Right now?” His voice had a teasing lilt.

“Yes, right now. Right this second.”

Quinn drew away, a sexy grin splaying across his face. “I love a woman who knows what she wants.”

He sat back onto his knees, rubbing his hands down the length of her body as he went.

Larissa shuddered with anticipation, craving him like a drug. She squirmed beneath him, trying to angle herself in a better position so he hit all the spots longing for his touch.

Quinn reached into his pocket, holding up the small packet to show her. “Don’t find me presumptive, but I had hoped this would happen.”

She giggled, stroking her hands across her own chest and tweaking her nipples, hoping that would encourage him to hurry. “I love a man who’s prepared,” she said, mimicking his earlier comment.

Chuckling, Quinn removed his pants and rolled on the condom before kissing his way back up her stomach. The hard length of his cock bumped against her, but Quinn didn’t go for the kill, as ready as Larissa was for him.