Quinn I (Undaunted Men #1) (15 page)

I bite my lower lip with worry, look up to the bright, cloudless sky above, and blink back the tears. With a raspy voice, I apologize too, “I’m sorry I called, but I needed to hear a familiar voice, Connor. I’m scared.”

“I know you’re scared, but you’ve got to stay strong. I know you can do this,” he encourages. “Obviously, you were calling because you were upset about something, and I reacted by snapping at you. I'm sorry I didn't give you the chance to explain. I didn't mean to be so callous. It’s just…things have really been tense here too. Promise me you’re all right.”

“Yes…no…I don’t know. I’m all mixed up inside. All I know is I want to come home. I’m tired, Connor, and very homesick.” I try to restrain my sniffles from being heard. I'm struggling to hold it together.

“You haven’t run into any trouble, have you?” he asks in a gentle, concerned tone.

“Besides confronting the usual outdoor creatures like rattlesnakes, bears, and bugs, I guess I’m okay, all things considered.” I don’t know why I feel like I need to keep Quinn a secret. Maybe I think Connor will get jealous, but that’s just stupid, isn’t it? He’s my childhood friend.

“Where are you on the trail?”

I look over the high grass and off into the thick trees, thinking about the layout of the map, but since this was Quinn’s surprise, I don’t really know where I’m at. “I don’t know,” I say, slightly embarrassed. “Maybe thirty or forty miles south from where I started.”

“What do you mean you don’t know? You should be able to look at the map and tell me exactly where you are,” he says with annoyance.

“My map is not with me at the moment,” I explain with irritation in my voice. What does it matter anyway? It's not like he's going to come get me, so why is he getting irked? The map is back with Quinn, and I’ve already been gone too long. “I had to walk a bit to get a signal,” I half lie, “so my backpack isn’t with me.”

Out of nowhere, my phone is snatched away from my ear and pulled out of my hand in one swift movement. It happens lightning fast as I watch in horror, one large, tanned hand snapping the flip-phone shut from over my shoulder. Both startled and frightened, I let out a loud, piercing scream. My pulse races wildly out of control as my body is helplessly whipped around, and I wind up face-to-face with a very angry Quinn.
Why is he pissed?

“What the hell?” I blurt out, upset that he not only scared me, but he rudely cut off my call.

“Do you have something to tell me?” he growls accusingly, as if I’ve done something wrong.

My eyes open wide, taking offense to his tone. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means, what’s your real story? You lied. You said you were going to the bathroom, but you snuck off to make a phone call.” He draws his dark eyebrows together, making him look even more pissed off. I've never seen him this way before, and I don't like it.

“I didn’t sneak,” I bark back, flat out lying to him. “It’s a free country, last I checked. Is there a crime against making a phone call?” I hiss in self-defense.

His temper is rising, and he crosses his arms over his broad chest, his biceps bulging beneath the bands of his short sleeves. “Who was on the phone?” he demands.

“What?!” I’m taken aback by his display of dominance. “That is none of your business.”
     

“It's very much my business, especially if I'm hiking with you.” He pauses briefly before he lectures me in a condescending tone, “Let's get real for a minute, shall we? You came out here for a damn long hike without knowing jack-shit about hiking. You wore a brand new pair of boots that you didn’t break in ahead of time. Hell, half the crap in your bag still has the price tag on it. Who does that?” His voice is loud and condemning as he leans into my personal space, his nostrils flaring. “What’s your real story, Lexi? What, or should I say
who,
are you running from?”
 

I run a shaky hand through my hair and look away. He’s right. He’s too perceptive, always reading between the lines, and he probably had me pegged the second he ran into me that I’m on the run. However, as much as I’ve grown to like Quinn, he has no right to push me for answers. It’s also not fair to pull him into my dangerous game, because Vince is playing for keeps, and he's already proved what he can do to trap me. Vince wouldn't blink an eye to remove human road blocks.

“I’m sorry, Quinn. I think maybe it’s time we separate.” My heart stops beating for a full second, because I really don’t want to say goodbye, but if I have to, I will. It's for his own safety, and then I can't help but ask myself what kind of game I'm playing by keeping him around. It's not fair to either one of us for me to get attached to something that can't be. I can’t tell him my story. I can’t tell anyone, for that matter. “We need to go our separate ways.”

His head jerks back as if I’d bitch slapped him, and his brows turn downward, matching his frown. I've shocked him. “Angel,” a bewildered whisper leaves his lips, “you don’t mean that.”

He tentatively reaches out to touch my cheek, like one does approaching a frightened filly. My eyes are filled with turmoil as he tries to reason with me, “You
can’t
mean that. We’re into the deepest part of the trails right now. You don’t have the knowledge, or the supplies, to get you where you want to go.”
 

His voice sounds pained, yet full of sympathy…for me. “I don’t think you even know where it is you want to go. You’re just
going
...aren’t you?”
 

His question has struck a chord deep within me, because he's right, I'm just going. My eyes fill to the brim with tears. My life is so screwed up, I don’t know what to do about anything. I don't know why he’s being so good to me, nor can I comprehend why he continues to camp with me, especially since he told me he doesn’t spend this kind of one-on-one time with women. I really don’t get it. I don't understand why he's still around, because he's a player, and he's held off all of his sexual advances toward me, yet he's determined to stick with me. My head spins in confusion as he continues to try and make amends.

“You can tell me,” he gently prods, his eyes searching mine. “You’ve got a heavy burden on your shoulders. I can tell.”

I close my eyes tightly and a few tears slip down over my cheeks. He’s so shrewd and insightful. His soft, compassionate tone twists at my gut, breaking my willpower to send him on his way. Frustrated with my life, I fist my hands at my sides and stifle a sob. My breath hitches as a result.
 

As if he can read my mind, he softly pleads, “C’mere, Angel.” His endearment and tender request undoes me. My aggressive stance visibly dissipates, and then I lean into his waiting arms. He wraps his steel limbs around me like a fortress. I sniffle, laying my cheek against his muscled chest. “You’re so lost, and I just found you. Whatever lies ahead, we’re intended to discover it together. I’m sure of it.” How can he say those things? He doesn’t know me, and if he knew my burdens, he’d run the other way.

“I’m not used to this,” I confess in a low whisper.
     

“Used to what?”

“Trusting people,” I admit, wearing a sad frown. “Where I come from, I’ve learned not to trust anyone I don’t know, and lately it seems I can’t even trust those closest to me. I’ve always been able to rely on people in my inner circle, but… ” I stop myself from rambling on. I don’t want to say too much.

“Well now, that’s just sad.” He pulls his upper body away from me and lifts my chin with his fingertips. His blue eyes sparkle against the sunlight, full of compassion. “Everyone should have someone they are able to trust,” he gingerly tells me. “Some people are genuine through and through, and would never consider betraying your trust.”

“And you think you’re that someone?”

He shrugs his shoulders with indifference. “Maybe…maybe not, but you shouldn’t stop being who you are or punish those around you who are truly worthy of your trust. Not everybody is your enemy.”
 

I remain quiet, soaking in his words. I don’t believe Quinn is my enemy, but I didn’t think Connor would’ve done the heinous things he did either, and at the time, I thought him to be my best friend. Quinn’s calloused thumb strokes over my cheek, and I close my eyes, leaning the weight of my head into his palm. I soak up his soft touch and kind words, starved for the affection. “Sometimes, just getting shit off your chest, even to a stranger, can make a world of difference. It might even help you see things in a different light.”

I open my eyes and search his as I warily ask, “You think I need to get something off my chest?”
 

“Yeah, I do. You’ve got a story to tell. People just don’t run off into these trails alone, especially having never camped before. It makes me think you’re running from something.”
 

The words are on the tip of my tongue to tell him everything and release all the pent up tension, but I can’t. It’s an impossible task and a bad decision that could have some serious ramifications.

I lay my head back on his chest and listen to the beating thrum of his heart instead. “I’ll think about it, okay?” All I want right now is to take comfort in his arms and feel special, even though I shouldn't. I've already grown too attached.

He plays with the back of my hair, sending a wave of goose bumps down my spine. “I’d say that’s fair…for now. Promise me you
will
think about it.”
   

I nod my head against his hard pec. “I promise, and I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. I like you, Lexi. I like you a lot, and I don’t want us to separate,” he gently insists.

“Why are you so sweet?” I ask.
 

He lightly chuckles, the deep sound from his lungs reverberating in my ear. “I’m really not. Men aren’t sweet, and most times I can be a real hard-ass son of a bitch to deal with.”

I grin, and shyly respond, “Well, you’ve been nothing but sugar and honey to me.”
 

“Was that someone else standing in your place, getting my wrath not five minutes ago?” His brows furrow together in question.

“I know you're only showing concern for me so that scenario falls into the spice category.” I squeeze him around the waist, pulling him tighter against me, showing him I care. “I really don’t want us to separate either.”

I know eventually he’s going to wear me down and demand answers. My emotions are split right down the middle as to what I should do. If I unload my problems, my only hope is that he won’t run the other way, because he’s not a long-term relationship kind of guy. I don’t know whether to follow my head or my heart. He’s most likely going to steal the rest of my heart on what is left of our journey, and by then, our little adventure will be over, as well as our relationship, and then where will that leave me?

Ever since I caught her talking on the phone, both of us have been on edge, albeit for different reasons. God, I was so angry when I overheard her talking about our location to only God knows who. Two things went through my mind at once. One, she was compromising our position, and two, she could’ve been talking to the father of her baby. Surprisingly, it was the latter that had me flying off the handle. I’ve become more attached to her than I care to admit. I have no plans on giving her phone back either. When she wasn’t around, I went through her phone, and quickly realized it was a burner. There was only one number in the phone, and I wasn’t calling it.

When she told me it’d be best if we separated, I felt sick to my stomach. I didn’t see that one coming. What was I going to do at that point? Drag her out of the woods like a caveman and drop her off in her father’s hands? The thought crossed my mind for a split second. In that same second, though, I realize the longer I'm with her, the more I really want to get to the bottom of her story, but her lips are sealed tight.

Right after we ate lunch, and despite me telling her the chances of her ever seeing another rattler was close to nil, she was ready to leave the waterfall. I don’t think the problem was snakes, however; it was the damn phone call she’d made earlier.
 

I had finally given up on either one of us trying to relax and enjoy the cooler temperatures by the water. I wound up giving in to her pleas of wanting to continue our hike. It was a grueling hike back, to say the least, as we had to work our way back up the mountain, but I had pent up aggression to burn off. Apparently, the both of us had something to work off on that trail, because we managed to get about ten more miles southward under our belt.
 

I found us a decent place to set up camp for the night. Plus, it had a nice fire pit for us to use. Right now, I’ve got a suitable-sized fire going as she sits beside it, relaxing. She hasn’t stretched out her muscles or drank much today, and I can’t stay silent anymore.

“Cramps suck, especially in the middle of the night, so you need to rehydrate with lots of fluids,” I inform her, impressing the importance of water, “because I didn’t see you drinking a whole lot on the trail today.”

Her lips thin in what I believe to be irritation, and I raise both brows in question. “I’m not hen-pecking you; I’m simply trying to prevent emergency situations from happening out here. Dehydration is serious, Lexi.”