Ricochet (Locked & Loaded #1) (12 page)

“Please, Rick.” Quinn panted between words, her hands clutching at his muscular shoulders. “Move. Do something, anything, fuck me!” Hearing Quinn’s sweet voice utter such a filthy demand spurred Rick into action.

Unable to form a rational thought, Rick let pure instinct take over and began to move— sharp, deep thrusts he used to create a rhythm that had them both moaning and grunting shamelessly. In the span of a few minutes, the pleasure went from merely mind-blowing to holy-shit-I-can-die-happy-now.

“Jesus, oh god, fuck,
fuuuuck
…” he muttered a string of expletives and braced his knees on the mattress as he drove them closer to their goal.

Quinn’s hands slid up and down Rick’s taut arms as he braced them on either side of her head. His sensitized skin reacted to her touch, sending a crackle of electricity down his spine, coiling, building in intensity in his groin. He pounced on her swollen mouth again, licking her lips and plunging his tongue in and out fiercely, fucking her mouth as he fucked them to the sweetest, most intense pleasure he’d ever known.

She whimpered, skimming her fingers down his sides until they dug into his backside as he devoured her mouth. Quinn gripped his firm ass, pulling Rick further forward with each snap of his hips, helping to drive his cock deeper and deeper with every thrust.

Even though she had been loud in her vocalizations and the moment was hotter than any he had ever experienced, his name came out as a reverent whisper on her lips, a quick breath against his mouth as she crashed over the edge. “Rick.”

Then Quinn detonated, her entire body stiffening beneath him. She cried out as her short nails dug into the smooth skin of his ass, gripping the hard muscles. He felt her contract around his cock, the tight spasms propelling him right over the edge with her.

Rick choked on a gasp as the pleasure that had been building in the base of his spine exploded from deep inside him. With a loud roar, Rick let himself go, spilling into the condom as he drove through Quinn’s orgasm into his own toe-curling release.

Exhausted and elated, Rick’s arms gave out, too tired to hold his body up any longer. He collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of Quinn, both of them panting, struggling to catch their breath. Not wanting to crush her small frame, Rick rolled over, pulling out and quickly tossing the condom to the floor.

Lying next to Quinn on the bed, he pushed his arm under her shoulders and scooted over until she was curled up next to him. It surprised Rick that he wanted to “cuddle”. He didn’t do cuddling, or feeling, or sleepovers for that matter, but he wanted them all with Quinn. Hell, he wanted
everything
with Quinn, and that scared the fuck out of him.

Quinn’s fingers drew light circles on his chest. He could feel her soft, warm breaths against the side of his neck. Rick pressed a small kiss on the top of her head, inhaling the addictive fragrance of her hair.

“You okay?” he asked, worried that Quinn would regret what just happened.

“I’m good.”

“Want to talk about it?”

Who the hell have I become? Cuddling? Talking about feelings?

“No. I’m tired, Rick. Let’s just go to sleep.”

An odd sensation churned in Rick’s subconscious. Something was off with Quinn, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. He didn’t want to push her to talk about it, at least, not right now. All he wanted to do was bask in how right this felt. Sex before had never been bad, but it had never been like it was with Quinn— overwhelming, emotional, and hitting him right smack in his previously empty heart.

Rick reached down and tugged the blankets up over them both, making sure Quinn was fully covered. Sleep started to drag him under. Pulling her close, Rick wondered how he would bring up the fact that he was falling in love with her.

Tomorrow, he decided. They would talk tomorrow.

QUINN WIPED AWAY the tears that ran down her cheeks as she drove up a nearly empty highway early on Sunday morning, headed towards her father’s place on Lake Lanier. She never sold the old house when he died, instructing her father’s lawyers to continue paying the taxes out of her inheritance until she said otherwise. A sizable inheritance she never told Travis about, wisely choosing to keep it hidden from him the entire time they were married.

She had been afraid to access the account until now. Worried that when Travis started looking for her— and she had no doubt he would— that he could use the money to track her down if there were any activity on the account. Now, over a year after leaving him, Quinn felt it was time to confront her past and claim what was hers.

Then there was Rick. Just thinking about him hurt her so much she thought she’d die from the pain. What she was feeling was too much, too soon. In her mind, what they did was more than just fucking, it was everything. It was pleasure, comfort, safety, and love all wrapped up in one amazing night. Quinn might be inexperienced, but she felt real emotions in every single touch, every kiss.

What shocked her the most was how safe she felt in his arms. She was tiny compared to him, fragile, vulnerable. Rick could really hurt her. Physically, he was much larger and more dangerous than Travis, yet Quinn knew that even though he could hurt her, he never would. Beneath Rick she felt protected, loved… and that was exactly why she left.

She couldn’t afford to get involved with Rick. She was still married to Travis, for god’s sake! Quinn needed to tie up her old life before she could create a new one, especially with someone like Rick. He had heartbreak written all over him. He was a good-looking player, used to fucking and running. Rick was the complete opposite of what should be her first post-Travis relationship. She must have been crazy to let emotions and desire overrule her brain last night.

A relationship with Rick was doomed to fail, not that he would even want a relationship. Better to stop now than when she got in too deep. It was less painful to be the one to leave than to be the one who woke up alone after Rick did one of his infamous midnight escapes.

Quinn turned the wheel, pulling Mack’s old Ford pickup truck into her dad’s driveway, the driveway where she learned to ride a bike, where she used to draw with chalk and play jump rope with her friends. She put the truck in park, scrubbing her hands over her tired, tear-streaked face. Drained, Quinn trudged up the path to the front door.

Time to take care of my shitty past, so I can finally start my future.

Quinn put the key she got from her dad’s lawyer in the lock and turned.

BRIGHT SUNLIGHT FILTERED through the window, streaking across Rick’s face. He squinted, his sleep-addled brain taking a moment to catch up. Rick turned onto his stomach, burying his head into the blankets to block out the light. He slid his hand under the pillow, reaching for his Glock and jerked awake when he realized it wasn’t there.

Trained to quickly assess his surroundings, Rick oriented himself and finally recognized the room from last night.

Quinn. I spent the night with Quinn.

He turned to her side of the bed, finding it empty. With a groan, Rick swung his feet to the floor, gripping the soft wool rug with his toes. The huge scars on his left leg felt extra tight this morning when he flexed, probably because he didn’t do his stretches before falling asleep.

Jesus, I must have been tired. I never forget to do my stretches, or where I am when I wake up. If I had met this girl while I was in the Marines— shit, I wouldn’t have made it through a single mission with a clear head.

Rick walked around the bed and found his jeans, shuffling into them without bothering to locate his boxers. He smiled, thinking about last night. Quinn was amazing. They were amazing together, just like he knew they’d be. After their intense, almost desperate release, they slept for an hour or so, and made love again, slower, tasting and touching and feeling until they were both too tired to move. Rick had felt things that he never felt during sex before.

Love. Is this what it feels like?

He wasn’t one hundred percent sure, but if this was what it felt like, he was wondering why he waited so long to experience it.

Grinning, Rick left the bedroom to find Quinn. He wanted to tell her how he felt, how he was falling in love with her, how he was desperate to start the next chapter of his life with her. When he didn’t find Quinn in the living room or the kitchen, his stomach started to ache, a dreadful, churning that swirled around and around, taunting him.

He ran through the bedroom to check the bathroom. She wasn’t there either.

Where the fuck could she be?

Quinn didn’t have a car, so she couldn’t have gone far. Rick quickly dressed, sprinted down the stairs, and around to the front of the gym. Now in a full panic, he burst through the front door, swiping his badge to enter the main gym. It was Sunday, so the gym was mostly empty, but Rick saw Xavier training a huge black guy in the cage across the room.

“Xav!”

The two men stopped sparring when Rick ran up to the edge of the ring. Xavier took his mouth guard out so he could speak. His gaze flicked over Rick’s face.

“Rick? What’s going on? You look like shit.”

“Xav, shut the fuck up. Have you seen Quinn today?”

The big man’s dark eyes flashed a look of annoyance, then surprise.

“Yeah man. She asked me for a ride to Mack’s. About an hour, hour and a half ago.”

“And you did it?” Rick yelled, his hands white-knuckling the chain links of the cage.

“What the fuck? Of course I did. It was just a fucking ride.” Xavier and the other man were staring at Rick like he lost his mind.

Maybe I am losing my mind.

“Fuck.” Rick spun on his heel and ran out of the training room, back through the lobby towards his car.

He pulled out his phone as he pushed the fob to unlock the doors, impatiently waiting for Mack to answer.

“Rick?”

“Mack! Thank fuck! Is Quinn there with you?” Rick’s heart was beating frantically, threatening to burst out of his chest. He suddenly understood why he had never looked for love before. It might feel incredible when everything was roses and sunshine, but when it wasn’t, it fucking hurt like a punch to the nuts.

“No—”

“But Xavier said—”

“She was here. She left. Asked if she could borrow my truck to get some personal issues taken care of. Said she’d return it another time.”

Rick stopped next to his car, leaning his elbows on the roof and fisting his hair with his free hand. “Jesus, tell me you didn’t.” The gnawing in Rick’s gut turned into a rock, sitting heavy in his stomach.

“What did you do to her, Rick?”

Rick swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise, keeping it down just long enough to explain. “Nothing! I didn’t do anything! I don’t… I don’t know what’s going on.” It felt as if he was going to burst out of his own skin. Anxiety bloomed deep inside Rick’s chest, forcing his heart to beat faster, making his breath catch in his lungs.

Mack sighed, and the sound sent Rick’s emotions into a tailspin. “I didn’t realize she hadn’t spoken to you.”

Rick hesitated, not sure if he wanted to ask. He swallowed loudly, closed his eyes, and whispered, “About what?”

“Son, I hate to be the one to tell you this. Quinn left, and I don’t know if she’s coming back.”

***End Part One***

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I want to thank everyone who supported me over the past year as I established myself as an author. My family, my husband, my fans, and anyone who read my books are my heroes.

Hugs and kisses to my street team, who help me make decisions and spread the word when I have a release coming. Also to my betas, who always have constructive things to say. Love you all!

This book is new to me in many ways. It’s my first non-celebrity romance, and also my first foray into serial novels. Hopefully, you enjoy the Ricochet series as much as I enjoyed writing them.

Xoxo

H.C. Leigh

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Heather C. Leigh grew up in New England and currently lives outside of Atlanta, GA with her husband and two children. She loves chocolate (not the white kind, because that’s not real chocolate), traveling, and the Boston Red Sox. When she’s not thinking up sexy stories, she can be found procrastinating in many interesting and creative ways.

Books

Sphere of Irony
(a rock star series)

Incite — Adam

Strike — Dax (coming soon)

The Famous Series

Relatively Famous