Quinn I (Undaunted Men #1) (27 page)

I pause to take a deep, cleansing breath and then slowly exhale before I continue, “That is u
ntil now, over ten years later. You're the first woman to restore my faith and take my heart.”
 

“Sounds like you got every bit of the raw deal, just like me.”

I look at her thoughtfully, cradling her cheek as I run my thumb over her lips, and softly speak, “
What we've got growing between us is more than a weekend fling, Lexi, I
feel
it.” I emphasize the word and gently take her hand, placing it against my heart. I gaze into her eyes with affection. “I feel you…in here. I didn’t think it was possible to ever feel this way again, but my mother had a keen sense of perception. She knew I had closed the door on love, and the day before she passed, she didn’t give me the infamous speech that time will heal all wounds. Instead, she said she would be sending me an angel from above.” I brush my lips against hers before whispering over them, “I believe you are that angel...
my
angel. The one sent from above to show me what it's like to love again.”

She closes her eyes, her lips trembling against my soft, reverent kisses, and I think I’ve finally gotten through to her. “
I’ve been waiting a long damn time for you, Angel. I’ve got a long, long way to go before I can let go of you and whatever this is between us.”
 

“Quinn, I can't deny you, and it scares me. It even frightens me to admit it to you. I don’t want to fall in love, but right now, I don’t want to say goodbye either.”

Elation fills me as I smile at her with warm fondness. “I’m so glad we’re on the same page,” I whisper. “You feel this connection between us, don’t you? This unexplainable electricity that outdoes the physical?” My eyes flick over hers as I watch them sparkle. “This is why you need to take the pendant. I believe it belongs to you.”

Quinn and I never did wind up having sex yesterday. I swear I'm going to go out of my mind soon if something doesn't happen. I'd break out my vibrator to ease the pent up cravings, but I have no privacy. With my luck, I'd get caught, and then he'd never let me live it down. The sexual tension has been skyrocketing ever since that first day, but yesterday when we were both naked and skin on skin, the carnal yearning had escalated beyond the solar system. He wanted to take me, I could tell, but he made it a point to explain to me why he didn't think the timing was right. He said yesterday was a day of healing and putting the negative past behind me. He wanted the memory of us making love for the first time to be a happy time, and as much as I wanted him, I had to agree.
 

We spent that day hiking about ten more miles south along the river, and then used the rest of the time goofing off with Kimber and fishing. Fishing was fun as long as I didn’t have to dig for the worms or stab them with a hook. That was my cutoff point. He’d laugh and make fun of me, calling me a city slicker, and at that point, I didn't care. I embraced the endearment.
 

I have to say, however, it was a real treat for Quinn to catch fresh fish. Not only did he make fishing look sexy, it was a nice break from the packaged meals and trail mixes we’d been eating. I had seriously taken grocery store food for granted, but if given the choice, I’d rather watch Quinn bring home the bacon any day. There is something so indescribably sexy about a man being able to survive in the wilderness and provide for his woman.

Throughout this past week, he has been showing me all of the edible plants as we come across them. We ate some things, collected and stored others for later, and even made sour faces at some of the more interesting edible plants. There was a particular tree he showed me that you could actually eat the bark from, but damned if I can remember the names of half the things he’s shown me. We did stumble across a few berries that were ripe for picking, but since it was spring, most fruits weren't ready to be picked yet. It was a real treat finding the ones that were ready. It was something that couldn’t be bought, and I couldn’t decide if they tasted better because of the outdoor experience, or because I was simply with Quinn.
 

I couldn’t get over some of the items he had packed for this trip, and how compact each article was, including his fold up fishing rod. The man is skilled in every facet of life, and not only is he a jack-of-all-trades, but he’s knowledgeable in any subject you ask him about. If ever there was a true MacGyver, he is the epitome of that character and more. Quinn is a rarity, and if a zombie apocalypse were to ever happen, he’d be the one man to cling to.
   

After a full day of keeping busy yesterday, I thought I’d be able to fall right to sleep, but I couldn’t. Lying in Quinn’s arms last night was a whole new experience, and it was like I was filled with a silly giddiness I hadn’t felt since high school. Wearing his angel pendant around my neck…well, there are no words.
 

Today, Quinn has taken me to a beautiful overlook at the top of a mountain, having decided we’re going to camp close the main trail tonight. I sit up high on a boulder, looking down over the valley below. It’s full of blooming flowers and trees, creating such a kaleidoscope of colors. I'm in awe of nature’s beauty. I watch as birds dip and curve against the high winds, and listen as they sing out their melodies. I caress the angel pendant between my fingers with a fondness, and I smile. Quinn makes me feel more than special; he makes me feel loved, wanted, and safe.
 

Quinn sneaks up from behind and wraps his arms around me, whispering in my ear, “I
t's beautiful, isn't it?” I shiver from the warmth of his breath skating across my skin.

“Yeah, I've never seen anything like this before.”

“You’ve never really been hiking like this, have you?”

“Not to this extent, I haven't. Little day-trips here and there, or when I would be riding my horse. I've always wanted to make a trip like this.”

I turn around and come nose-to-nose with Quinn, his stark, bright blue eyes accosting me, and then I’m struck with a realization. “You shaved,” I breathlessly comment.
 

“I did,” he says with a light grin. I can't look away from his freshly shaven face. Without his facial hair, he looks so different. Either way, he’s dangerously handsome. Not thinking about it, my fingertips touch along his smooth jawline. I’m hypnotized by his beauty and striking features.
 

The silence grows thick between us, and I think he's going to close the distance and kiss me. I wet my lips in anticipation, but then he speaks, “Do you smell that?”

“Smell what?” All I can smell is the remnants of his shaving cream. It’s manly, bold, and sexy, and it's turning me on. I just want to run my tongue over the corded muscles on his neck.

“The honeysuckle…that used to be my mom's favorite scent. Well, that and gardenias.” I smile over the fact he’s telling me so much about himself lately.

“
Well, my favorite fragrance is pine sap.”

He bursts out with a hearty laugh. “You have got to be fucking kidding me. Out of everything in nature, you like to sniff pine sap?”

My lips quirk at the corners as I try to suppress a grin, but fail. “Nah, I was just messing with you.”

"Mmm," he hums, looking thoughtful. “Would've pegged you for a roses girl any day.”

“Why? Because I'm a city girl? You don't think I've spent enough time out in nature to know what honeysuckle is?”

“Exactly.”

“Just like a man to stereotype me,” I mumble, my voice inflected with a tinge of irritation. “You know nothing about me.”

“Oh, I think I have you pretty well figured out, sweetheart.”

“Is that right?” I quip.

He brushes his lips against mine, and I melt. “Yep,”
he murmurs, and tucks a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “I have a surprise for you. You have to come and follow me.” He mischievously grins at me, and I wonder what he’s up to.

He tugs at my hand, pulling me from the boulders, and I follow him. Holding his hand, he takes me on a winding trail, and I ask, “Where’s Kimber?” looking around for her.

He briefly looks over his shoulder to reply, “She’s incognito.” Just as I’m about to ask what that's supposed to mean, he leads me into a little secluded cove hidden from sight. He holds a few branches out of the way as I step into his lair. He's been busy. He had spread out his sleeping bag on the ground like a blanket, and my heart skips a beat as I think about what this means.
 

When he turns around to look at me, I lose my breath, because the desire in his eyes is thick and smoldering.
 

“Tell me you want this as much as I do,” he rasps.

I take a step forward and place my hand over his heart, feeling it pound hard against his chest. “You’re all I can think about, every second of every day. I’m always wondering what you’d feel like deep inside me.”

At my confession, his nostrils flare. “Well then, you’re about to find out.” I watch his eyes as he lowers his mouth to mine, and then my eyelids flutter closed. His tongue caresses over mine as his fingers find the hem of my t-shirt, and he slowly begins to lift the fabric up and over my head. He breaks the kiss long enough to remove my shirt, and then he’s back with a vengeance.
 

His hands knead my breasts and I moan, arching my back into his strong hands. Demonstrating his skill while placing me in a lusty haze of dizzy desire, he deftly removes my bra.
 

He lowers his mouth to my neck to lick, kiss, and nip upward toward my ear. He’s hungry and impatient. He undoes my zipper and slips my pants, along with my panties, down my hips.
 

His fingers burn the surface of my skin when he runs his fingers through my wetness, parting my folds. “So wet already. You ready for my big cock, Angel?”

“Oh, God,” I groan.

He brushes his fingers over my hardened nipple, and then gently squeezes at the same time he thrusts his fingers deep inside my slick sex. “Does this feel good?” he whispers over the shell of my ear.

“Quinn,” I whimper, grabbing onto his arms for support. He continues to thrust his finger in and out of my core, and my hips move to meet his movements. I’m dizzy with desire. When he licks over my exposed throat, his deep voice vibrates over my sensitive skin. “Do I make you feel things you’ve never felt before?”

“I’ve never felt like this before…ever.” I clutch his arms tightly, my voice coming out soft and shaky as he works a second finger into me. I let out a small gasp, my chest constricting, making it hard to breathe.

“Mmm…you don’t even know half the skills I possess.”
 

When he removes his fingers from me I whimper in protest. Quinn’s eyes are hooded, his lips curving into a lazy smirk. “Lay down,” he softly commands.
 

When I lie down on my back, the sound of leaves under my weight crunch with complaint, but I no longer hear their rustling when Quinn grabs the back of his shirt collar and slowly peels it off, exposing his rock hard abs.
 

The heated desire in his eyes makes my pulse spike. I watch as he works his belt buckle loose in silence, never removing his gaze from mine. As he drops his pants, I realize he went commando. He’s thick, hard, and very ready.

His entire being has me so transfixed and spellbound I can do nothing but lie here, offering myself up for his taking. Just looking at him in this state has my belly doing summersaults, and my core dripping wet.
 

My eyes roam over each individual muscle of his abs, and when I get to the V of his torso, it nearly sends me over the edge. His veins stand out, and his muscles flex as he bends down to lay over the top of me with animal hunger. I relish the warmth and weight of his body as he slips between my legs.

He grazes my flesh with his teeth. “I have wanted you since the second I laid eyes on you.”
 

I run my hands over his strong shoulders, and then scrape my nails along the length of his back, replying, “Is that right?”

“Damn straight. I never thought I’d have this feeling again. A feeling of oneness, and I haven’t even made love to you yet.” My heart soars, and my body ignites with fire. How in the hell did I get so lucky? He’s too good to be true. “I think having an entire week of nothing but foreplay is enough, don’t you?”

I nod my head, unable to speak, because hell yes, I'm ready for him. I squirm underneath his weight, telling him so.
 

I watch him as he lifts his body off mine just enough for him to wrap his hand around his thickness. The tip of his cock shimmers with pre-cum as he places his head at my opening. We both watch with titillation as he teases my folds open with his crown.
 

“Oh hell, Baby,” he rasps, his chest heaving already with labored breaths. “You’re so swollen and wet for me.”

I grab onto his thick biceps and squeeze his muscles, full of anticipation and exhilaration. He slowly rocks his hips back and forth, his hardness penetrating me one slow inch at a time as he spreads me open, priming my body. Silently, I beg for more by spreading my legs farther apart, acquiescing all control, showing him I'm his to do with as he pleases. We both moan aloud as he pushes his length halfway in, stretching me, and then backs out. He does this several times, allowing me to acclimate to his size, but I don’t want him to.