Beyond Me (18 page)

I hoped to God it wasn’t an omen.

Rich had called me a few times, giving me shit about canceling the parties, and begging me to meet them at the bar tonight. I never answered. I’d be happy staying home with Quinn and trying to make sense of how I could make this work. The idea of losing her made me sick, but I needed to know if she was ready to commit, even if we were apart for a while.

She came out of the kitchen, phone in hand, and smiled at me. Her casual white cotton skirt paired with a hot pink striped tank top gave her a beachy casual look I loved. Especially when I ripped off her clothes and she became anything but. She was a hellcat in bed, giving me everything she had. I’d never known sex could be so intimate and raw and real. It was like I was waking up after years of sleep walking through life. “Cassie and Mac may hit Captain’s Cove for a quick drink tonight. Wanna stop in?”

Hmm, the same bar Rich and Adam were going to tonight. “Sure, if you want. What time?”

“We left it loose. I’ll check in with them later. Is that for me?”

“Yep.” I handed her the drink and she sighed with pleasure. Her skin glowed with sun and hopefully from all the orgasms I’d given her. Quinn melted the moment I touched her. That type of power invigorated me, made me feel like a God, and I couldn’t keep my hands off her. I stroked her arm as she sipped her cocktail. “What do you want to do today?”

She turned her head and cupped my cheek. Her inky dark eyes gleamed with emotion. “I’d love to go out on the boat one last time,” she said with a husky hitch to her voice. “Go to the bar for an hour. Then come home. Here.”

Home
. The word sounded so sweet from her lips, yet so lonely when I thought of her getting on the plane. I pressed a kiss to her knuckles and smiled. “You got it. Finish your drink and we’ll go.”

We sailed for a few hours while I taught her some basics of boating 101. Her hair whipped around her face and she laughed when she almost got whacked by the sail in an attempt to show off her beginner skills. I kicked her back to the bench so she didn’t get hurt, and turned on some music. Her horrible rendition of Lady Gaga was a nightmare, but that was just another thing I adored. A woman who couldn’t carry a tune was on my list of go-to traits. She’d never dump me in her quest for
American
Idol
.

A brand-new patch of red on her arms made me call out her name. “You’re burning again. I have some extra lotion in the closet there.” She nodded and poked around in large compartment. “Toward the back,” I directed.

She dropped to a squatting position, so I figured the bottle had fallen off the shelf and rolled toward the back. Stretching out, her ass lifted in the air as her hand reached. And then I spotted the perfect lines of a lacy white thong against her skirt.

Oh. Fuck.

I hardened instantly. Jesus, I hadn’t seen her in a thong yet. Didn’t think she was the type to wear one. Quinn straightened up with the lotion in her hand, no idea that my lust factor had just hit the top of the charts. The cheerful-striped tank only made me feel dirtier knowing what lay beneath the innocent outfit. Quinn in a thong. Kill me now.

I decided to have fun and see if she followed my lead. So far, she liked a few sexy games between us, and I was dying to see if I could push. I marched over to her as she settled on the bench and opened the top of the bottle. She peered up from behind her bangs and frowned. “What’s wrong?”

I made my voice sound low and demanding. “What’s underneath your skirt?”

Her mouth opened into a little O and a blush of pink touched her cheeks. “Underwear,” she said. “Why?”

“You’re wearing a thong.”

She gasped. “Oh my God, how did you know? Could you see my underwear through the skirt?” I tried not to laugh as she jumped up and twisted around, trying to see if she could spot any lines through the white fabric. She chewed madly on her lower lip. “I hate wearing white, but this seemed like it was thick enough, and I didn’t see anything in the mirror, so I figured a thong would be the best thing to wear with white and—l”

“Take it off, Quinn.”

She froze. I kept my face firm, gaze trained on hers to see if I was freaking her out or if she liked it. The quick flare of interest and lust told me she enjoyed the hell out of that command. Hmm, interesting.

“Take off
what
?” she asked. Her voice sounded like a weak newborn kitten.

“The thong. Reach under your skirt and take it off.” I paused. “Now.”

Her breath came quick, and I watched her nipples tighten against her flimsy bra. I was so hard I had a difficult time keeping my sanity, but I was getting used to that state around Quinn. I wondered if she’d obey or laugh it off. I decided to wait her out. I folded my arms, a deep command in my eyes, and holy shit, she gave up a shuddering sigh and began lifting her skirt.

The ground swayed beneath my feet and had nothing to do with the sailboat. I watched the white fabric hitch up above her knees so I got a glimpse of white lace, then she hooked her thumbs on the side and pulled them off. Stepped out of them with grace and held the balled-up panties in her hand.

“Here you go.”

I grabbed them. Brought them to my nose and sniffed. Her musky scent ripped through my senses and my sanity. Her pupils dilated so her eyes turned a seething black.

That’s when I lost it.

I grabbed her, devouring her mouth like my last meal, and she exploded in my arms in a mass of soft, melty heat. Hands grabbing, nails digging, I pushed up her skirt and dove my fingers into wet heat, curving them the way she liked and hitting her favorite spot. She bucked and moaned, and I eased her to the ground, forcing her on her hands and knees. Quinn panted hard, her ass high in the air, bare to my gaze now that I took away her underwear.

I wasn’t going to last.

I ripped open my shorts, sprang free, and covered myself quickly with a condom. Dragging my fingers across her dripping slit, I teased her as I got myself ready, raised myself up, and pushed between her open thighs.

Mine.

Silky wet heat closed around me like a fist. She cried out when I moved, going deep, and I reached around to yank down her tank and play with her breasts. Rubbing her hard nipples, I took her like an animal, and she loved it, bucking and meeting me with every thrust, crying out my name until I felt her shatter around my dick and milk me hard.

“I love you, James! I love you, love you...”

The words sang in my ears and my balls tightened and I came, my body shaking with the force of my release. I pumped until I shot the last drops, turned her around and took her in my arms. She was still shuddering, and I rubbed her back.

“What are we going to do?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears.

I kissed her slow and gentle as I wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb. “I love you, baby. We’ll work it out. I just found you, and I’ll be damned if I’m ever letting you go.”

She relaxed in my arms as if we had settled the looming question clouding our happiness. “Okay,” she whispered. We snuggled for a while, until we straightened our clothes and I checked on our direction. “I need my underwear,” she stated, holding out her hand.

I gave her a wolfish grin. “Hell no. I’m keeping them.”

“You can’t do that! People will know!”

I laughed. Erotic siren to blushing schoolgirl. Perfect. “Nope. I’ll keep it hidden and no one will know.” I demonstrated, pushing the lacy fabric deep into my pocket. “When we’re at the bar, you’ll be thinking of all the bad things I could be doing to you.”

She chewed her lip. “Oh my God, I can’t.”

“You don’t have a choice, baby. Now let’s get docked and head over to Captain Crow’s. The earlier we get there, the earlier I can get you back home where you belong.”

I loved the contradictory emotions that skittered across her features. She was completely turned on, but enough of a good girl to be shocked by such behavior. Finally, she seemed to accept she had no choice, but her gaze strayed to my pocket, as if she was nervous. Perfect. She’d be thinking of me all night, even in the bar, and that’ s exactly what I wanted. My possessive streak ran long and deep when it came to Quinn. The idea of her flirting with anyone other than me made me want to rip off a guy’s face. Not very civilized. I’d never experienced such intensity with a woman. She seemed to bring out a bunch of raw emotions I never knew I had, and I was still trying to maneuver through the new shit I was feeling.

As I began to dock the boat and get ready to hit Captain Crow’s, I wish I had known the future. If I had, I would’ve kept sailing and avoided the damn bar at all costs.

Instead, I took her hand, led her off the boat, and hit Duval Street.

Biggest mistake of my life.

T
HE BAR
was packed. Skimpily-clad bodies grouped together, Jimmy Buffett blasted from the speakers, and groups claimed the large tables with pitchers of alcohol covering every inch of the battered wood. A loud whooping hit my ears, and my crew began chanting my name from the back. Funny, it always seemed flattering before, but now I realized how shallow the shit really was.

“Do you see your friends?” I shouted over the noise.

She shook her head. “Not yet.”

“We’ll keep a lookout. For now, let me introduce you.” She squeezed my hand and I returned the pressure. I figured we’d stay for a drink, Quinn would connect with her friends, and we’d get our asses the hell out of here and back to bed. Where we belonged.

We weaved our way toward the back of the bar, and I quickly introduced her to Rich and Adam. They gave her a quick once-over, as if they couldn’t understand why I was so into her, but finally grinned and made light conversation. The waitress was by my side in a few seconds and Rich ordered a pitcher of tequila, clapping me on the shoulder. “You got this round, right, dude?”

Whatever. I shrugged. “Sure.”

“You’re the best. Hey, hope you had a better time this week than we did. Things got pretty fucked up since you backed out of our plans.”

Adam jumped right in. “Dude, I mean, I respect your decision to cancel—it’s your house—but we took a lot of shit. I had a bunch of guys flying in just to crash at your place and party hard. I looked like an asshole.”

I shrugged. I was so done with this shit. “Sorry. But I told you, I’m done. Those guys could’ve flown in and stayed with you.”

Quinn interrupted. “Sorry, guys, it was my fault. I wanted to sightsee, so I dragged him around all day.”

My heart did a wimpy flip-flop at her attempt to defend me. “Sightseeing, huh?” Rich slurred. “Is that what they’re calling it?”

“Shut up, Rich,” I warned.

“Sorry.” He shook his head. “I’m kinda drunk.”

Quinn forced a smile. “No problem. Hey, I see Cassie over there. I’m gonna say hello, be right back.” She pressed a kiss to my lips.

“I’ll get you a Sex on the Beach,” I said.

“Perfect. Thanks.”

I watched her walk away and when I turned back, it was like the shit hit the literal fan. Suddenly, I was confronted by a bunch of drunk, revved-up guys who got in my face and began giving me crap.

“Dude, please tell me this thing between you guys is over. Did you do her? Tomorrow’s the deadline, you know. Is that why you canceled the party? So you can look good to her?”

I clenched my fists as the anger hit. Adam’s lewd comments were getting to me, bad, and it was time to put an end to insulting Quinn. “The bet is off. Take my bike. I couldn’t care less. I’m involved with her now.”