by Katee Robert
“Charming.”
“You have no idea.” He’d spoken so softly she had to strain to hear. “They were on their best behavior just now.”
She didn’t want to know what bad behavior looked like. Aubry hadn’t made a habit of spending time with people so far beyond her tax bracket, and if that delightful little interaction was any indication, she had the right of it. People with that much money thought they could act however they wanted and, for the most part, they got away with it for exactly that reason.
Not that she was a gem, but even she thought trying to marry off a person who wasn’t interested in being married off was gross.
“That offer to flee while cackling madly still stands. This is wine country—there’s got to be another hotel around here attached to a vineyard where we can drink our sorrows away.”
The grin he gave her was downright sunny. “I appreciate the offer, but we’re stuck for the time being.”
It struck her yet again that it was a good thing she hadn’t let him talk her out of this. He actually…needed her. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been needed before, not like this. Aubry straightened. “Just remember there’s an out. I don’t have much practice being a shield, but I could give it a shot if you need me to.” Surely sheer fury could keep her going long enough to find a private place before she started shaking over exactly how many people she’d be willing to face down for him.
I really like Quinn Baldwyn.
Jenny turned as they approached. She rushed over and took Aubry’s hands. “I wanted to apologize about earlier. I was catty and I really wasn’t trying to be; I’m just so stressed out and sometimes when I open my mouth, my mother comes out. I think you’re really beautiful, and it’s obvious my brother is crazy about you, and—”
“It’s okay,” Aubry cut in, half afraid if she didn’t say something the woman would keep going. But she was being earnest, which was more than anyone could say for their parents. “It’s really fine. I know I’m not what you expected.”
“I didn’t expect anything at all. Quinn has been remarkably close-mouthed about his seeing someone.” She gave her brother a mock glare. “I’ll have to come down to Devil’s Falls sometime after the honeymoon and we can catch up.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that.” Especially since they wouldn’t be “dating” once they got back into town. She forced herself to keep her smile in place. They’d just have to stage some kind of breakup. No, that was way too complicated. He’d probably wait a week or two and then quietly pass on the information that they’d broken up. The loss that rose up at the thought had no place there, but she couldn’t seem to reason it away.
“Of course I do.” A man approached and Jenny’s entire face lit up. “Brad.”
He was cute in a rich guy sort of way, and he looked just as fresh faced and young as Jenny. He walked up and draped an arm over her shoulder. “So I hear there’s this hot chick who’s looking to get hitched. You seen her around?”
Jenny’s giggle would have annoyed the shit out of Aubry if she wasn’t so blatantly happy and in love. She’d seen that same dopey look on Jules’s face pretty often since she and Adam got together, and she tried really hard not to let it bug her.
But there was nothing like being surrounded by happy people in love to make a person feel really, really alone.
“You okay?”
She blinked, not sure when Jenny and Brad had headed for another group of people, leaving her and Quinn temporarily without an audience to play for. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Oh, I don’t know, because you’re surrounded by hungry piranhas looking to feast.”
“Quinn, did you just call me fresh meat?” The shock on his face almost made her laugh, but she was enjoying ribbing him too much to ruin it. “I think you did. Rude much?”
“I’ll show you rude.” He pulled her into his arms and palmed her ass. “Just wait until we get alone, peaches. You’ll get everything that’s coming to you.”
“Quinn. You’re in public. Stop acting like a Neanderthal.”
He rolled his eyes at her scandalized tone and whispered, “Think if I fuck you right here on the table, it would prove I really was a Neanderthal? We both know you’d like the audience.”
Aubry shivered at the image his words brought. She tried to keep her voice light. “True, but I think it would make future family dinners really awkward.”
“Damn, you’re right.” Quinn sighed theatrically. “I guess I’ll have to wait until we’re alone to release all my pent-up frustration on you, huh?”
“Guess so.” She nodded solemnly, her entire body sparking in anticipation. She couldn’t wait for this damn rehearsal to be over with.
Chapter Fifteen
Quinn barely waited the requisite hour after the meal to grab Aubry’s hand and drag her out of the room. He didn’t give a fuck that everyone present knew exactly what was on his mind or that inside of ten minutes he was going to sink between her thighs. The only two whose opinions he cared about were Jenny and Brad, and they were so lost in each other that he could have done exactly what he threatened Aubry with earlier and he doubted they would have noticed.
“Hey, big guy.”
He stopped so fast, he had to catch Aubry before she ran into him. Even then, he wasn’t sure if he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing. It was the blonde from the hellish dinner a few months ago, and she was looking at him just like she had the last time they met—like she’d swallow him whole and then come back for seconds. He cleared his throat. “Ah, Aubry, this is…” Fuck, what was her name?
“Rochelle.”
“Right. Rochelle.”
The woman ignored Aubry and sidled up to him, going so far as to run her hand up his chest. “Richard said you’d be here, and I’m so glad we had this chance to run into each other. You were called away from dinner last month, so we didn’t get to…know each other.” She sank so much innuendo into the last few words that there was no mistaking she meant “know” in a Biblical sense.
He grabbed her hand, part of him astounded that she was being so bold, but then again, he had no idea what his old man had told her. Obviously he led her to believe Quinn was a sure thing, which wasn’t surprising, exactly, but it still caught him off guard. He let go of her, putting a little push behind it so that her hand dropped away from him. “Yeah, well, duty called.”
“I just bet it did.” If anything, she looked more interested, reaching for him.
Aubry was there before she made contact, inserting herself between them. She looked over her shoulder at him, raised her eyebrows, and jerked her thumb at the blonde. “Is this one of those hussies you warned me about? Her tits are certainly large enough to fit the profile.” She turned back to Rochelle and spoke in a stage whisper. “Sweetie, have you seen the crowd in there? That dress is more Vegas hooker than West Coast socialite.”
Rochelle turned a mottled red color that didn’t do much for her platinum blond hair. “Who’s your friend, Quinn?”
“This is my girlfriend, Aubry.” He got a little thrill every time he introduced her like that.
He’d expected the title to make Rochelle back off, but she just laughed. “Oh, damn, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all night.” She smoothed back her hair. “I’ll tell you a little secret, Audrey.”
“Aubry.”
“Whatever.” She pointed at Quinn. “He might play on the wild side with a little Goth chick like you, but when he settles down—which will be sooner rather than later—it’s going to be with someone like me.”
Aubry laughed. “What? A social ladder-climbing gold digger?”
“Please. A woman his family approves of—one who fits.” She raked a look over Aubry. “Which I can tell you right now, you don’t.” She straightened, a polished smile firmly in place. “Well, Quinn, when you’re done playing in the gutter, you
give me a call.” She moved around them and into the restaurant, leaving him with a furious redhead.
He cautiously put his hands on Aubry’s shoulders, well aware she might try to take him out at the knees. “I’m sorry.”
She turned around and he was surprised to see that the fury on her face wasn’t directed at him. “That is one of the women your dad threw at you? What the hell is wrong with him? Does he seriously not know a thing about you?”
“To be fair, I like blondes.” Or at least he used to. These days, nothing could hold a candle to redheads.
She poked him in the chest. “I’m being serious. Don’t throw a joke in there like that. What kind of woman is willing to try to jump you when I’m standing right here?” She shook her head. “You know what, don’t answer that. I see why you wanted me here now.”
The thing was that might have been his original reason for agreeing to this whole thing, but it wasn’t the reason he wanted her here now. Quinn took her hand and headed for the elevator. “Let’s get out of here before we run into someone else.”
“You took the words right out of my mouth.”
He barely waited for the elevator doors to close before pulling her into his arms and kissing her. There were so many conflicting emotions circling inside him, he didn’t know where to start. He liked Aubry. He didn’t like the expiration date she’d put on them. He just needed to find out how to broach the subject without spooking her.
What am I saying? I know the perfect way.
The elevator dinged, bringing him back to himself. He stepped out into the hallway, keeping his hold on her hand. “Come on, peaches. I have a promise to fulfill.”
“God forbid you drop the ball on that.” The anger was gone from her face, though she shot a look at the closing elevator doors like she was putting serious consideration into going back down to the lobby and throwing down with Rochelle. He liked that she was so fierce, almost jealous. It made him think he might actually have a chance at getting her to agree to give this a shot. A real shot.
He held the room door open for her and then closed it softly behind him. “On the chair by the desk.” It was a sturdy thing with thick arms and a wide seat. Perfect for his purposes.
She obeyed, sitting primly on the edge of the seat. “Are we going to play dirty secretary? Because I think you’d look fetching crawling toward me with an envelope between your teeth.”
“Something like that.” He knelt in front of her, catching her ankles in his hands. “Do you want to know a secret?”
“Hell yes.”
He traced circles on her anklebone with his thumb. “I spent the entire fucking dinner thinking about dropping my napkin under the table and crawling down there to get it.”
“Clumsy of you.”
“Yeah, well, I’m a clumsy guy sometimes. And while I was down there, the temptation to taste you would be too much.” He ran his hands up her legs, lifting her dress as he did, until the fabric hit the tops of her thighs. It was so silky it bunched effortlessly, revealing the long expanse of her pale skin. “Look how easy it was to get between your thighs. Almost like you were inviting me.”
Aubry reached over her head and clasped the back of the chair, spreading her legs in invitation. “That’s because I was. Your family is so unbelievably unbearable, I needed something to distract myself. Since you invited me here in the first place, being a distraction is your job.”
He gripped her thighs, exhaling harshly when he found that she wore no panties. “I know an invitation when I see one, peaches.” He spread her folds, dipping one thumb into her wetness and spreading it up over her clit. “And this right here is an invitation.”
She lifted her hips. “Would you be talking this much while you were under the table?”
“Shh.” He lightly smacked her thigh with his free hand. “This is a nice dinner. You can’t let anyone know that I’ve got my mouth all over you beneath the table.” Quinn slid his hands under her ass and lifted her a little, thrusting his tongue into her.
Aubry moaned. “You don’t think they’d notice that you’ve been down there a while?”
“Do you care if they do?” He licked her clit. “I think that’s exactly what you want, dirty girl. For every single person at that table to know that I’m tongue-fucking you to orgasm.”
“Maybe.”
He pushed two fingers into her. “No maybe about it. You forget, peaches—I know you. I know what gets you hot and wet and needy. I think that would fit the bill nicely. Now be quiet and try not to scream my name when I make you come.”
He licked her again, not stopping this time. It was hot, so fucking hot, to think about doing this to her exactly as he’d described, with her writhing and making little helpless sounds as she tried to be quiet. He didn’t think his cock could get any harder, but when her hands came to rest on the back of his head, he thought he might burst out of his slacks.
Aubry gave up all pretense of being quiet, rolling her hips to guide him exactly where she wanted him. “Right there. Oh my God, Quinn, that feels so good. Don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Hearing her desperate words even as she went wild against his mouth—knowing he was the cause of her pleasure—was unbearably good. He picked up his pace, sucking on her clit just like he knew she liked, relishing her nails pressing against the back of his head, holding him in place.
As if he would want to be anywhere else.
“Quinn.”
A man could get addicted to the sound of his name on Aubry’s lips as she came. She went boneless, her breath coming as fast as his was. From the last few days, he knew it would only be a short time before she was ready for more. For all that she accused him of being insatiable, she matched him stroke for stroke.
Sure enough, she stretched and sat up. “That was a great appetizer.”
Quinn laughed. “Just for that, I should cut you off right now.”
“Come on. You know better.” She stood and unzipped the side of her dress. One shrug of her shoulders and it was on the ground, leaving her standing before him gloriously naked. Aubry stretched again, watching him watch her. “If you stop now, you’re not going to get to watch me ride my trusty steed.”
Her words should have been hilarious, but his amusement was sidetracked by the knowledge of how fucking good she looked while riding his cock. He pushed to his feet and went for his belt buckle. “Then, by all means, let’s not deny either one of us.”
…
It was downright unnatural how hot this man made Aubry. She never wanted Quinn to stop touching her, and she was so turned on that thought didn’t even worry her like it normally would. “Come here, steed.”
“Don’t be getting any ideas.” But he let her back him up to the bed.
“The only idea I have right now is that you’re wearing too many clothes.” She unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his hips. Quinn helped her by stepping out of them, and then there was nothing between them. She ran her hands up his chest, marveling at how good his muscles felt beneath her fingertips. “You are unreal.”
“I was thinking…”
She gave him a little push, well aware that he humored her by sitting on the edge of the bed. “Always a dangerous prospect.”
“Mmmm.” He pulled her onto him, cupping her ass and squeezing. “I like this.”
“I like this, too.” She arched her back, offering her breasts to him. The look he sent her as he captured one nipple with his mouth seared her right to her core. Her thighs shook and she had to close her eyes for a second. “Oh, fuck.”
Quinn pushed two fingers into her, pumping slowly. “Let me take you out when we get back to Devil’s Falls.”
She was so caught up in the sensations rolling through her body that it took her mind a few beats to catch up and process his words. “What?”
“You. Me. A meal.” He twisted his w
rist and palmed her between her thighs. “This at the end if you’re a very, very good girl.”
She flexed her fingers on his shoulders. “Wait, what?”
“I like this. I like you.” He reached over and snagged a condom off the nightstand and rolled it on while she watched. Then he withdrew his fingers and replaced them with his cock.
“But—” She moaned as he thrust up, sheathing himself to the hilt with her.
“I’m not ready for this to end.” He fucked her slowly, one hand on the back of her neck, holding her in place despite the fact that she was on top. “Are you?”
She never wanted this to end. Aubry spread her legs wider, and he rewarded her by switching positions, laying her on the bed and pushing his cock even deeper. She hooked her ankles at the small of his back, arching up to meet his thrusts.
Quinn stilled. “Peaches, I asked you a question.”
“What?”
He grinned. “I asked if you’re ready for this to end.”
It was hard to catch her breath. “You’re using sex to stack the deck in your favor, aren’t you?”
“Guilty.” He nuzzled her neck, his whiskers making her shiver. “I’m not afraid to play dirty to get what I want. And what I want is you.”
What I want is you.
His words echoed through her, with the tide of her orgasm nearly engulfing her. She held it at bay through sheer force of will. “Quinn, think about this for a second.”
“I have.” He thrust hard enough to make her eyes roll back in her head. “Let’s give this thing a shot, peaches. I promise a whole hell of a lot more nights like this one.”
Nights with him in a bed and his cock imbedded between her thighs. There was some reason she should balk at the thought, but she was having a hard time focusing. “It might be a mistake.”
“Won’t know until we try.” He kissed her, sweeping away her worries as if they never existed. He changed the angle of his thrusts, grinding his pelvis against her clit, and that was all it took to push her over the edge. She came screaming and he ate the sound, his strokes never changing as they took her to the edge and over.
