by Erin Trejo
“Shut up!” Quinn snaps, carrying me down the hallway. He doesn’t stop until he gets to his room. Once he steps inside, he kicks the door closed before tossing me on the bed roughly. I start to climb back up when he turns that evil glare my direction. With just the look in his eyes I know better than to move. Quinn runs his hand through his hair roughly, not saying a word but when he does, I want to curl into myself.
“Do you see me now, Ariel? Do you?” he roars, sending a tremor through my body.
“I saw you abuse a woman. You are no different than they are!” I can see the rise and fall of his chest as he works to control himself. Quinn watches me before he finally speaks, raising his hand to point at me.
“Don’t you dare. Don’t you ever compare me them! I’m nothin’ like them!” Fire dances in his eyes, and I know I’ve made a mistake by saying that, but after what I saw how could I not?
“You hurt her! How is that different than them?”
“It’s different, Ariel. She knows the rules around here and about our business!”
“And the other one? In that shed?” I question him further.
“She has information I need. If I don’t get it, we’re all goin’ to jail! You think they won’t haul your pretty little ass in there with us? You’re dead wrong! Then what will you do? What the fuck will you do then, Ariel?”
I didn’t think that through. I am here in his clubhouse with all of his people. If they find out who Ava and I are, would they make us go back? Defeat is something I’ve come to know. I sink back onto my knees as the reality hits me.
“I didn’t think that I would be involved,” I say softly.
“I don’t want you to be, Ariel, but the fact is you are. You’re here.”
“I remember being hurt and hit. Being chained to the dungeon wall. I was so scared, Quinn. I thought I would for sure die in there. That I would be punished until there was nothing left of me.”
Quinn moves toward me and I cower away. It’s a natural reaction but I immediately regret it. Quinn’s eyes narrow at me and I can feel the heat in them.
“You think I’d hurt you?” he asks and my insides quiver.
“I…”
He doesn’t let me finish. He turns on his heel and walks back toward the door. So many emotions run wild through me that I don’t know what I’m doing.
“Quinn! Please, wait!” He stops near the door, his long hair hanging around his face, shielding him from my view.
“I get it, Ariel. I’m fucked up and there is nothin’ I can do to change that. You’re fucked up too, Ariel, but you had better never compare me to them again. I’ve been as carin’ as I can, darlin’. That was a low fuckin’ blow.”
I stand from the bed and move toward him, resting my hand on his back. Shocks zap through me and I know he can feel it too, I can feel him tense up. He slowly turns and looks down at me and my insides flutter.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have done that. You have been great to me and Ava. I’m sorry, Quinn.” Tears fill my eyes. Quinn shakes his head before reaching for me. Cupping my cheek in one hand, I lean into him.
“Doesn’t change how fucked I am, Ariel. I wish it did, but you’ve only seen the tip of iceberg as to who I am. You’re better off without me.” He leans in and presses his soft warm lips to mine briefly.
“Please. Just stay with me tonight, Quinn. I don’t want to be alone tonight.” I nearly beg him. Quinn shakes his head keeping his forehead pressed to mine.
“You don’t need me, Ariel.”
“I do need you. More than you know.” Kissing him back, his fingers tighten on my cheek. Heat races through my body. I want him inside of me again. The way he felt the last time, I need to feel that again even if it is the last time.
“Ariel, come on, baby. Don’t make this harder on me,” he pleads as he grinds against me.
“Just tonight, Quinn. Please.”
In seconds he has us both naked and me on the bed underneath him. His eyes are full of what I’ve come to know as lust, his eyes hooded. His bare chest dances with color as tiny beads of sweat form and roll over every crevice. The urge to lick them is strong but I don’t think I have that much strength in me just yet.
“God, you’re fuckin’ perfect, Ariel. I’m gonna ruin you,” he says running his hand over his face. I reach up and pull him to me, kissing him roughly, letting him know that I’m okay being ruined by him. I just need to feel that it’s real, that he’s real. Quinn shifts and reaches down, grabbing his cock and swirling it over me.
“This what you want?” he asks in a growl. I arch my back and press into him giving me my answer.
“Yes,” I respond sounding desperate. Quinn doesn’t go slow and easy, no, he thrusts into me roughly, taking me the way he wants. My body bucks and moves with him, his body taking what it wants. Plunging into me, I’ve never felt so full, so used, so perfect in my life. Quinn leans down sucking my nipple into his mouth, letting his teeth sink in.
“Quinn! Oh!” He chuckles and thrusts harder. My body is on fire as he takes me rougher. His fingers replace his mouth, tugging and plucking at my nipple. Arching into him, he growls and lifts one of my legs over his shoulder. I peer up at him with my mouth open, gasps and moans filling the air.
“This what you wanted, baby?” he groans, keeping up his pace.
I can’t speak as he uses my body to the fullest extent. Quinn’s hand comes up to my throat and my eyes widen. Fear grips me and my heart races. Quinn sees the panic in me, and when he lowers his hand, his lips touch mine.
“Only pleasure, baby. No pain, I promise,” he reassures me sitting back up. I swallow hard as he thrust and squeezes gently. The feeling of warmth blasting through me makes me forget everything. He’s right; this is pleasure, not pain. His thrusts quickens and so do mine. We both come together as I scream for him. Quinn lies on top of me catching his breath as I do the same. My fingers find their way into his hair, loving the way the silken strands feel as they slip between them. Quinn’s lips press soft kisses in my neck and sigh in pleasure.
“I wish things were different,” he whispers.
Me, too. But rather than letting out those useless words, I keep him held tightly to me until we both fall asleep.
Chapter 15
Q
“So what the hell does that mean?” I ask David as I sit in front of him in his office.
“It means they were taken from about three hours from here when they were three. They were never found, Quinn. What do you want to do here?” he asks, clasping his hands together in front of him. I blow out a breath knowing what all of this could mean. They could go home. They could be free of everything that those fuckers did to them.
“How do we prove it’s them?” I ask. David grabs a file and tosses it to me. When I open it I gasp. Those eyes would be recognizable anywhere. There is no doubt in my mind that these are Ariel and Ava.
“We set up a DNA test. Hospital can get a rush on it since it’s a missing person’s case. You just have to take them in.” Yeah, that’s all I need to do but do I want to?
“What are you thinking? You with one of them?” I raise my eyes to meet his but I don’t say a word. David chuckles. “Which one?”
“Ariel. I know it’s best to let her go, man. I’ll do what’s right,” I tell him truthfully.
“You’re a good man, Quinn. Just like Savage was. I know you’ll do what’s right by her. She deserves to have a second chance at life, you know? If that’s where she’s been that whole time, it’s going to take a shit load of therapy to get her there.” Nodding my head, I know he’s right but that doesn’t make my decision any easier.
“I’ll get them there in a few days. Make an appointment,” I tell him as I stand from the chair. “Takin’ this with me.” Holding the file up, he nods as I turn and leave his office. This should be good news yet somehow I feel like shit. I left her in bed this morning sleeping soundly, but for some reason it ripped at my heart. I didn’t want to leave. I
find myself drawn to her and that’s a goddamn problem.
I head back to the clubhouse with too much shit on mind. Letting them go home is the ideal thing to do. We don’t need the backlash or the bullshit from a fucking cult blowing back on us, but they’ve been here for a while now and nothing has happened. No one has come looking thus far. What kind of life do they have if they have to remain hidden inside all the time? It’s not one. As soon as I get back, I climb off my bike, grab the file, and head inside. As soon as I spot Roman and Stoney, I wave them over as I take the seat in the back of the room.
“Bring us some beers,” I call out to Mini. She smiles and nods heading toward the bar when the guys sit.
“Where you been?” Stoney asks when he sees the file.
“Had a visit with David. Found some shit out and we need to talk about it.” Mini sets the beers in front of us but remains standing next to me, her hand on my shoulder. I brush it off and look up at her.
“Get the fuck outta here, Mini. You’re here for one thing and that’s it,” I hiss, watching her smile fade. She moves away quickly as Stoney laughs.
“She’s been clingy, brother.”
“She’s a pain in the ass.”
“What’s this about, Prez?” Roman asks pulling my attention back to what’s important.
“Ariel and Ava. They were kidnapped when they were three about three hours from here,” I tell them as I spin the open file around so they can look at it.
“Goddamn. I bet their parents were a fuckin’ mess,” Stoney says under his breath.
“Looked for them for years but always came up with nothin’. Those sick fucks had them the whole time,” I add.
“What now? We take them back? Turn them over?” Looking at Roman, I nod. Stoney curses under his breath.
“David’s settin’ up an appointment to get that DNA test shit done in a few days. That gives us a week maybe before they get the results.”
“Fuck that. I ain’t ready to let her go,” Stoney chimes in in a pissed off tone.
Roman chuckles and says, “Never seen you get fucked up over a chick that you haven’t had your cock in, brother.” My head snaps in his direction and my eyebrows rise.
“What the hell? You ain’t fucked her?” I ask. Stoney shakes his head no and I chuckle.
“Fuck you, man. She wasn’t ready, but that doesn’t change the fact that she’s mine.”
“Yours, huh? You claimin’ her just like that?” I ask him, surprised to hear him say it. “What if she doesn’t wanna stay, brother? What if she wants to go back to her family?” The look in his eyes is one I’ve never seen. He looks almost lost at the idea.
“Then I’ll let her go, but if she doesn’t, I’m keepin’ her,” he deadpans. I nod my head and run my hand through my hair.
“What about Ariel?”
“What about her?”
“Really, Q? You gonna act like that?” Roman eyes me.
“Fuck, man. I don’t know. I don’t want her to go, but I don’t want her to stay. I’m not good for her and you aren’t good for Ava either. We all fuckin’ know it would end badly for everyone involved,” I tell them both knowing it’s true.
“Fuck that, Q, and fuck you! I’m not lettin’ her go!” Stoney shoves out of his chair and storms toward the door as I reach up and grab my beer. Roman eyes me as I take a long pull.
“What?”
“You really gonna let her go?”
“It’s what’s best.”
“I’ve seen you with her. You seem calmer when she’s around.”
Shaking my head, I lean back in my chair. “Might be but that makes no difference. I’m not a selfish man, Roman. I know what they lived through and it would be a complete fuck up to keep her around. I can’t help her get better,” I admit. Just as the words leave my mouth, she’s there.
“How do you know that?”
Looking over my shoulder, I grin. “Need me to keep tellin’ you?” She crosses her arms over her chest in a defiant manner. It looks so fucking cute like that.
“I think you’ve helped me more than you know, Quinn.”
Roman chuckles as I keep my eyes on her. “We talked about this, Ariel. Come sit down, there’s somethin’ else I wanna talk to you about,” I tell her. She looks from me to Roman before sitting in the chair next to me.
“I’ll let you tell her alone.” Roman stands and leaves the room, leaving only me and Ariel. The electricity between us is palpable and I can’t deny it, but I also know what’s right. Grabbing the file, I spin it and slide it toward her. She eyes me before looking down. Her hand comes to cover her mouth as tears fall down her cheeks.
“That’s us, isn’t it?” she asks.
“Yeah. We think so. Got an appointment to get you both tested in a few days. Your parents looked for you for years,” I fill her in. She looks up at me, her eyes wide, her head tilted to the side.
“They did?” Nodding my head, I take another pull from my beer, needing something to do with myself. “You’re getting rid of me,” she says softly, her voice trembling.
“I’m not gettin’ rid of you. I’m sendin’ you home. It’s what’s best, Ariel. You deserve to know your parents and live your life.”
“I am living my life, Quinn! I have been since the day you took me! Why don’t you see that?” She shoves out of her chair and starts to walk away but I follow.
“Because you’re not! You can’t go outside for fear that someone will spot you. What kind of life is that?”
Ariel spins around, her eyes pinned on mine. “You make me feel alive, Quinn. I’ve never felt that before. How could you just throw me away, Quinn?” The tears keep falling like a waterfall down her cheeks, and the more I see them, the more I feel like shit. As much as my feelings have grown for her, I can’t be what she needs.
“Ariel, fuck!” Moving quickly, I grab her shoulders and force her to look at me. “You drive me insane. When I look at you, I want to grab the stars and hand them to you but I can’t! I want to give you the world but I’m not what you need. I would only hurt you more, Ariel. I don’t wanna do that!” Shaking her slightly, I let go and pull back. One step is all she gives me. Her arms go around my neck, her lips claiming mine in a way I didn’t know she could. Her hands tangle in my hair, pulling it roughly. My body comes alive but that’s not what startles me.
It’s the way my heart responds that scares the shit out of me.
Chapter 16
Ariel
As excited as I am that my parents are out there, the thought of leaving Quinn is far worse than any punishment. My heart might be lying to me, saying that I need him and love him, but I’m willing to live that lie. For him, I will.
“You’re killin’ me, Ariel,” he says, dropping his head to my shoulder.
I know how hard this is for him. It’s hard for me too but he makes me feel.
“I only want you, Quinn. I know you keep saying that you will ruin me, but there isn’t anything worse than what they did. All you have done is make me feel and that’s all I want. I want to feel with you.” Quinn pulls back and looks at me, his expression torn. He doesn’t know what to say or do and frankly neither do I.
“Your family is out there, Ariel. You have people who love you,” he quietly replies.
“I have people I love as well,” I retort. His eyes widen and move between mine before his mouth opens.
“What are you sayin’?” Shaking his head, he doesn’t want to hear it but he’s going to.
“I love you, Quinn.”
“No you don’t. You can’t! You don’t know me, Ariel. Goddamn it!”
Watching the look in his eyes, it’s one I’ve known a very long time. Fear.
“I scare you.” The statement seems to pop him back into reality.
“More than a woman should. I’m older than you. I’ve lived, Ariel. You haven’t.”
“Does it matter? If I choose you, why does it matter?”
“You only choose me because…” He looks confuse
d and doesn’t finish.
“You can’t think of a reason why I’d choose you, can you?” He reluctantly shakes his head, and in this very moment I see how broken Quinn is too. It wasn’t just me.
“I choose you because you bring me comfort. I choose you because you make me feel alive. I choose you because after everything that has happened to me, you have showed me there is more to life than I’ve ever known. And most of all, you showed me that kindness does actually exist,” I tell him before wrapping my arms around his waist and resting my head on his chest. I can feel the steady beat of his heart as it thrums beneath my ear. We stand here awkwardly when I finally feel his hands wrap around me, holding me closely. His lips come to rest on the top of my head, blowing a breath into my hair.
“God, baby. I don’t know what the hell I’m doin’, Ariel.”
“Just give me a chance, Quinn. Please.” He sighs once more but keeps me wrapped in his embrace.
“I don’t make promises I can’t keep, Ariel. I don’t know that I can, but I’ll try. You still need to meet your real family, though,” he says as my heart skyrockets through the roof. I pull my head back and stare up at him with the biggest smile I can muster.
“You will try?”
Quinn stares at me, those dark orbs calling out to me. He reaches up and brushes my hair behind my ear.
“Yeah, I’ll try. I don’t like havin’ you involved in my world, Ariel. I’ll never like it because you deserve so much more. We’re headin’ out tonight, and if this is really what you want, I want you to go with me. I need to see if you can fit in my world.” My heart nearly explodes in my chest. I nod my head rapidly before kissing him again.
“Yes! I want to go. Where are we going?” Quinn chuckles and runs his fingers through my hair.
“Not far. Underground fights. Roman is in a lot of them and kicks ass. When we get there, know there are rules. You stay with me, by my side. You don’t speak to anyone that I don’t approve. I know it sounds bossy and shit, but there will be people there you won’t want to get involved with.”
