Her honest response makes my lips curve up. My eyes drift over her beautiful face, the intimacy where sharing becoming loaded with anticipation.
“I’m going to do my best not to hurt you,” I say, a little worried about that part of taking her virginity.
Quinn lets out a breath. “It’s okay if it hurts.”
Reaching down between us, I position my cock at her entrance. Taking hold of her hip, I start to move slowly, just teasing her.
Quinn starts to bring her arms down, and I shake my head. “No, keep them above your head. I don’t want you distracted with touching me. I want all your attention on how it feels when I make love to you for the first time.”
“Okay.”
Lowering my head, I press a kiss to her mouth, and then I push a little harder, the head of my cock barely entering her. My ass tightens, and I have to fight the urge to just thrust inside her.
Christ. Okay… deep breaths.
My cock keeps flirting with her opening as I carefully try to stretch her to accommodate my size.
Quinn moans, and then she fucking lifts her ass off the bed, and I thrust deeper than I wanted to. Air explodes from her, and her features tense while my body freezes.
“Fuck. Don’t move,” I grind the words out, my breaths rushing from me. “Don’t move.” I lower my forehead to hers and wait for the intense urge to pass.
“You okay?”
“Yeah,” she whispers. “Just a pinch.”
When I have control over my body, I start to slowly move again. I keep the thrusts short for a couple of seconds, then slowly push deeper inside her.
Quinn’s lips part, her breath hitching as pain tightens her features.
“Sorry, baby,” I whisper.
She shakes her head. “Just go fast.” She gives me a pleading look. “I think it will be better.”
I press a kiss to her mouth, and tightening my hold on her hip, I keep my eyes locked with hers as I thrust hard. My cock powers through her tight inner walls, and then she clamps down on me, ripping a moan from my chest.
“Fuck.” We both gasp, Quinn’s body tensing beneath mine, her thighs clenching against me.
“Fuck,” I breathe, intense pleasure surging down my back and tightening my balls. “Christ, you’re tight.”
A tear spirals into Quinn’s hair, and I quickly press a kiss to her lips.
“God, I’m sorry. Does it hurt bad?”
She sucks in a couple of breaths, then whispers, “I’m okay.”
I become intensely aware of her heat wrapped around my cock, and slowly pull out. My muscles strain, and it takes every bit of strength I have to thrust slowly back into her.
She flinches but quickly says, “I’m okay. Don’t stop.”
When I slide into her again, a tidal wave of emotion washes through my chest as I realize I’ve taken Quinn’s virginity. The thought shakes my self-control, and I start to move faster.
Slowly, Quinn’s thighs relax, and she opens wider for me.
“Feel that, baby?” I ask, my eyes taking in every inch of her face. “Feel me moving inside you?”
She nods, and then her lips curve up.
Pressing my mouth to Quinn’s, I kiss her deeply as I let go of my tight grip on my self-control. My hips move faster, my cock sinking deep inside the woman who owns every part of me.
Quinn moans, the sound drifting into my mouth so I can devour it.
Lowering my chest to hers, I move my other arm down. I push my hands beneath her, and gripping hold of her ass, my fingers relish in the feel of her tight cheeks.
My thighs and hips work together as I drive into her breathtakingly beautiful body, and I lose myself to the moment.
I bask in the feel of her breasts, squashed beneath my chest. Her pussy gripping me tightly. The moans and sighs escaping her lips.
“Oh, baby,” I hiss, my fingers digging deeper into her perfect ass cheeks as I slam into her, the sound of our skin slapping making this the most erotic moment of my life.
“Eli,” she whimpers, her body straining for more of me.
By some miracle, I’m able to slow my pace, and I focus on rubbing my pelvis against her clit, my cock stroking her slow and deep.
“Oh, God,” she moans. “Eli… crap… Eli,” she whimpers, her body tensing.
“Come on my cock, baby.”
A hoarse cry tears from her, and then I fucking lose my mind as her pussy starts to clench around my cock.
Motherfucking hell.
I swear I see stars, and I’m unable to stop myself from pounding into her as my body searches for its own release.
Pleasure shoots down my spine, my abs tightening, my ass clenching, and I fucking explode with a groan rumbling from my chest.
I can’t see shit, my vision going black as my cock spasms inside Quinn. The orgasm tears through my muscles, numbing them, and I sink down against her body.
We lie breathless as I gasp against her neck, every inch of me covering her.
“Holy… shit,” I say, sucking in air. “That was intense.”
Quinn can only manage to nod.
A solid minute passes before I have some strength to push my chest off hers. My eyes lock on her flushed face, and seeing the satisfied look in her eyes fills my chest with pride.
Moving to my knees between Quinn’s legs, I pull out of her, the sight of her blood on my cock filling me with intense possessiveness.
“Wait here,” I murmur, and climbing off the bed, I walk to the bathroom. I dispose of the condom and clean myself while the warm water runs. Grabbing the washcloth, I wet it before heading back to Quinn.
When I gently clean her pussy, I lean down and press a kiss to her mouth. “Thank you for the greatest birthday gift ever.”
She grins up at me. “You’re welcome.” Then she tilts her head back to look at her tied wrists. “Mind untying me?”
I straighten up and stare down at her naked body on full display for me. “I don’t know. I might just keep you like this the entire night.”
“Well, then you better cover me ’cause it’s getting chilly.”
I drop the face cloth to the floor, and lying down on top of Quinn, I ask, “Better?”
She lets out a chuckle, then groans, “You’re heavy.”
I press a kiss to her jaw, then her neck, before lowering my head and sucking her nipple into my mouth.
“Okay, you win,” I mutter, reaching for her wrists.
I untie Quinn, and then we crawl under the covers. Wrapping my arms around her, I pull her body closer, so she’s partially lying over me. “How do you feel?”
“Just tender.” She pauses for a moment, then adds, “It feels like you’re still inside me.”
Letting out a growl, I hold her even tighter to me. “You’re going to make me hard again.”
Quinn lets out a burst of laughter, the sound filled with happiness.
Chapter 23
QUINN
I’m humming a soft tune as I paint the one wall of my store a pale pink.
Eli grins at me where he’s painting the other wall the same baby-blue color of his eyes.
We’ve been working on getting everything ready for the opening that will be next Saturday.
Eli’s phone rings, and setting down the paintbrush, he checks the device then answers, “Hi, Mom.” He walks to the door, glancing across the street. “Sure. I’m just going to wash my hands.”
Ending the call, Eli glances at me. “Wanna pack up? My mom’s heading home, and she’ll give you a ride.”
“You’re not coming?” I ask as I set the paintbrush down.
“I have to wait for a delivery of plywood.” Eli glances at his wristwatch. “I’ll be home by six.”
“Okay.”
We head to the sink, and after washing our hands, we lock up and cross the road to the hardware.
“Ready?” Nina asks, smiling at me.
“Yeah.” Placing my hand on Eli’s shoulder, I lift myself on my tiptoes and press a
quick kiss to his mouth. “See you at home.”
He watches as we climb into Nina’s car, and as she steers the vehicle down the road, she asks, “Sooo… how are things?”
I grin at her. “Good. We’re almost done painting.”
“I mean, how are things between you and Eli?”
“Oh.” I let out a chuckle. “That’s good too.”
“Glad to hear it,” she murmurs. A couple of minutes later, when she pulls up to the house, she says, “I can’t come in. Alex’s waiting for me.”
“Sure. No problem.” I climb out of the car. “Thanks for the ride.”
“See ya,” Nina says before I shut the door behind me.
I watch as she drives away, and pulling my set of keys from my pocket, I walk up the steps of the porch and unlock the door.
“Shoot. I forgot.” I quickly take my phone out and call Eli.
“You home safely?” he answers.
“Yeah.” I shut the front door behind me. “What should I make for dinner?”
“Don’t worry about cooking. I’ll grab something for us from the diner.”
“Oooh… I want a cheeseburger,” I say as I walk into the kitchen. Then, noticing the back door is open, I frown. “We forgot to lock the back door.”
“What?” Eli asks.
I hear a sound behind me, and glancing over my shoulder, a scream’s ripped from me when I see the guy who raped and killed Katie grinning at me with the baseball bat resting on his shoulder.
Ice-cold panic and shock shudder through me.
“Quinn!” Eli shouts.
“They’re here!” I gasp, darting for the back door.
Before I can escape, the other guy pops up in front of me, grabbing hold of my waist. “Hey, now. That’s no way to greet old friends.”
I can hear Eli’s truck starting as he says, “I’m coming, baby. Hold on..”
The guy rips the phone out of my hands, throwing it to the floor.
“No,” I cry, pushing against his chest while wiggling to get myself free as my fear darkens and morphs into something menacing.
The guy holding me chuckles as he tries to move me deeper into the kitchen. “Come on, I know you’ve been dying to see me again.”
I strain back, using all my strength to try to get away from him, but he just leans forward, then takes a deep breath of me. His tongue licks me from my jaw to beneath my eye. “Mmm… sweet.”
I let out a disgusted cry and somehow manage to bring my knee up, slamming it into his groin. He staggers against the counter, letting out a pain-filled groan.
Not thinking, I dart out of the house, and then I run as fast as I can in the direction of Nina and Alex’s house.
I make it to the treeline and weave between them, the air burning in my lungs. My heart thunders painfully in my chest, my thoughts nothing but shocked chaos.
“You can fucking run,” the other guy shouts behind me, and then I hear a bang, and a second later, a bullet slams into a tree as I duck around it, “but you can’t fucking hide!”
I let out a shriek, raw terror making my body push harder to get away from them.
“Alex!” I scream as loud as I can, hoping they’ll hear me. “Alex!”
One of the guys plows into my back, and it sends me sprawling over the leaves, thorns, and undergrowth, knocking a scorching breath from my lungs.
“You just won’t fucking die,” the guy chuckles, breathing hard from having to chase me.
Terror engulfs me, and I try to curl my body into a fetal position as I wait for the shot that’ll kill me.
I feel the cold metal of the gun press against my head, and then I hear the manic chuckle that’s been haunting me.
Eli.
“Time to put out, bitch. Fuck, you’ve made us work for your pussy. It better be good.”
No. No. No.
Eli!
He starts to push the fabric of my dress up, again chuckling. “I wonder if your pussy will clench as hard as your friend’s did when I blew her brains out.”
God.
Bile builds up in my throat, and I let out a broken cry, desperation and disgust whirling into a destructive force, clashing with the terror inside me.
ELI
Rushing through the house, there’s no sign of Quinn or the fuckers. I have my gun drawn and ready, the safety off.
Dad didn’t answer his phone, and I had to leave a message. With no time to call the sheriff, I dart out the back door.
“Fuck, Quinn,” I hiss, my chest tight with fear and anger.
Just then, I hear a horrifying scream coming from the trees, and I break out into a run.
As I rush by a tree, a bat comes swinging at me, and I manage to duck to the side, avoiding the blow. Turning around, I bring my arm up, my finger curling around the trigger. The gun’s recoil shudders through my hand as the blast sends a bullet slamming into the fucker’s gut.
My body lurches at him as he staggers backward, shock rippling over his face. I grab hold of his throat, and lifting him off his feet, we come face to fucking face.
With murder coursing through my veins, I slam him back into the tree, and then I fucking keep hitting his head against the bark until the life drains from his eyes.
Dropping the bastard’s body to the ground, I lift my arm and train the gun in front of me as I move forward, searching for Quinn.
Where are you, baby?
“I wonder if your pussy will clench as hard as your friend’s did when I blew her brains out,” I hear the other fucker chuckle.
I break out into a run, and when they come into view, and I see the guy on top of Quinn, I lose my fucking mind.
With the momentum from running, I kick him hard, sending him flying off Quinn. He hits the ground rolling, then darts to his feet, raising his gun at me.
A shot echoes through the trees, and Quinn’s scream is raw, filled with despair so dark it feels as if it blacks out the sun.
The fucker lets out another chuckle as blood starts to trickle from his sneering mouth, and then Dad comes up behind him.
“Take care of Quinn,” Dad growls, pressing his gun to the bastard’s head.
The guy sinks to his knees, but Dad’s gun follows him down, not moving from his head.
I dart to Quinn and move between her and the sight as Dad pulls the trigger again. Her body jerks as she cowers between my thighs, her face pressed to my abs.
It takes a moment for me to gather myself enough, and then I frame Quinn’s face, lifting her eyes to me. “Are you hurt?”
A sob sputters from her, and unable to talk, she shakes her head. Her face crumbles, and she lifts her arms to me.
Wrapping her up against me, I pull her to her feet. I lift her body to my chest, sucking in a deep breath of air.
Quinn buries her face against my neck as I turn to Dad.
He comes to place a hand on Quinn’s back, patting her once before giving my shoulder a squeeze as if he needs to check that we’re both okay.
“Take Quinn to the house. I’ll deal with this.”
I gesture with my head to where I left the other body. “The other one’s that way.”
Dad nods, patting my back as I start to carry Quinn back to the house.
“Eli,” she whimpers, holding me so tight, she’s almost strangling me.
I walk into the house and keep going until I step out onto the porch. Sitting down on the steps, I cradle Quinn.
“You okay? Did they hurt you?”
Quinn’s trembling hard as she pulls a little back, bringing her hands between us. The skin’s raw, and then I see the abrasions on her arms and shoulders.
“I… I… ran,” she says, her teeth starting to clatter from the trauma. “I… ran.”
Brushing my hand over her hair, I take in the leaves stuck in the strands. “You were right to run, baby. I’m so proud of you.” I begin to pick the leaves out of her hair.
Her body jerks, and her eyes fly to my face, her pupils dilated from the shock.
> “They’re dead. They’ll never hurt you again,” I say, thinking she needs to hear it so it can sink in that she’s safe from them.
Her movements are fitful as she nods.
Two patrol vehicles come to a screeching stop in front of the house. Cade and Harry rush toward us.
“My dad’s at the back,” I say, still trying to come down from the adrenaline rush from hell.
“Are you okay?” Cade asks as Harry jogs through the house.
I nod, then focus my attention on Quinn, holding her tightly. Pressing a kiss to her forehead, my body curls around hers as if I’m trying to hide her from the world.
“You’re safe, baby. I’ve got you,” I whisper, pressing another kiss to her cold skin.
Only then does the realization hit that I killed a man with my bare hands. For a moment, everything in me becomes deathly quiet.
I wait for the guilt to hit, but it never comes because I know I would do it again.. and again to protect Quinn.
Chapter 24
QUINN
I’m still trembling after the bodies have been taken away and we’ve given our statements.
“Let’s get you to the hospital,” Sheriff Miller says, reaching a hand out to me.
I backpedal, shaking my head, and then I grab hold of Alex and dart behind him. The last place I want to go to is the hospital.
“Quinn?” Alex asks as he turns around, placing an arm around my shoulders.
“We need to get her to the hospital,” Sheriff Miller tells Alex.
I shake my head again. “No. I’m okay. I don’t need to go.”
Alex holds me tighter, then calls out, “Eli, come over here.”
Eli stops talking to Cade, his head snapping toward us, then he jogs over.
“What’s wrong?” Eli asks, reaching for me.
I dart from Alex’s hold and plaster myself against Eli’s chest.
“We think Quinn should go to the hospital,” Alex says. “Just for a check-up.”
Eli places a hand on my back, and leaning down, he asks, “You don’t want to go?”
“No.” Tilting my head back, I give him a pleading look. “I’m okay. I just want to shower and go to bed.”
Beautifully Hurt (Beautifully Broken) Page 15
