by J. C. Cliff
I lean forward and breathe over her lips, “I think I’m falling for you, Angel, which is something I don’t do, and to be honest, it's scaring the hell out of me.”
There is a long moment of silence, her wordless reply weighing heavy on my heart like a lead brick. I’ve just put my fucking heart on the line, and she says nothing. I can’t take it anymore. I break eye contact, looking away from her. Don’t I feel like an absolute imbecile?
“Quinn?”
“Yeah,” I gruffly respond, looking out into the darkness.
“Look at me, please,” she softly pleads. Feeling like a fool, I shift only my eyes to look at her, and I clench my teeth tightly together. “I’m only speechless because I never thought I’d be worthy of someone like you. What you just said to me…it feels surreal. It’s hard for me to believe that you'd want someone like me, but you should know I had already fallen for you thirty miles back.” A short laugh escapes me, and relief consumes me. I think I can feel my heart beating again.
She cracks a small grin and remarks, “Are you speechless now, Quinn?”
I shake my head and flash her a small smile. “Negatory, Sweetheart. I’m savoring it.” I lean in, brushing my lips against hers.
“I’ve never met anyone who is as genuine and sincere as you. I value honesty, Lexi. I’m a “say what you mean, and mean what you say” kind of guy, and when I say you’re worthy, I’m not feeding you a line. I don’t play games; I never have. I’m too old for that shit.”
“I...I don't know what to say.” She's truly bewildered. I turn my body to fully face her and hold her hands, threading my fingers through hers.
“Say you'll give us a chance.”
“With everything I just told you, I can't believe you're not running the other way already.”
I shake my head, my lips curving upward. “Baby, there's not much on this earth that can scare me. I will fight your demons, Angel. I promise.”
She squeezes my hands and pleads on in a whisper, “Please don't get yourself hurt on my account.”
“You let me worry about that. I want to know more about this guy who's framing you. Does he know your dad very well?”
“He used to.” She shrugs her shoulders. “We used to date, but when we broke up, my dad kind of lost respect for him.”
“Why?”
“I don’t really know. It was my decision to break it off. Maybe he didn’t think he was good enough for his baby girl? I have no clue.”
“I can totally see that, especially if your dad had the foresight of him stooping so low as doing something like this. Besides, any loving father would think no man could ever meet the high standards they’ve placed over their daughter.”
I’d love nothing more than to ask Lexi pointblank if she’s pregnant or not, but over the years, I’ve learned the hard way that one just doesn’t come out and blatantly ask those sorts of questions. It’s a touchy as hell subject, and I never know which way a woman will respond.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Like what?” I ask, tilting my head.
“I don’t know. It’s like you went all quiet and introspective.”
“I’m thinking you got a raw deal.” She nods in agreement, and then takes a deep, shaky breath. “So after running away, where were you headed? Besides the trails, of course, what was your end plan?”
She looks up to the sky and gazes at the stars as if they hold all the answers, and sighs, “I don’t really know. All I knew was I had to get away.” She drops her chin, leveling her gaze to mine. “I needed to go off-grid first in order to shake Vince off my tail. Connor gave me some money and set up a safe house for me to run to, but I—”
“Wait a minute, you’re confusing me with these names.” I shake my head as if it would rid me of all the jumbled names.
“I’m sorry,” she says, and then slows down her dialogue as she tries to shed some light on the matter of who is who, “Vince is the guy who wants to marry me, and Connor is my other childhood friend. He’s the one who is helping me get away from Vince.”
“Why did this Connor guy want to help you so badly? Does he love you?” God, I hope not.
“Yeah,” she whispers sadly. “Yeah, he does.” Well, hell, maybe I’m stepping between something I shouldn’t. She said she didn't have a boyfriend, but that doesn't mean anything. What if she loves him? And then I begin to wonder if she’s pregnant with Connor’s baby. This isn't good, not good at all. She sits up on her knees and takes my face in both her hands, studying me as if she can read my mind. “Quinn, I don’t love him.” Yeah, but you could be pregnant with his child.
“Was Connor the friend? The one who packed your bag?” I ask, curious.
She nods her head, and then says, “It’s all so complicated to me. I don’t get why I was being tracked, and I don’t know what those men wanted.”
That’s been my question all day long, and now I think I have a few educated guesses to work with. Connor could've had his men watching her, ensuring she gets to safety while he puts up a front, acting as if he doesn’t know anything like the rest of them. I bet he didn’t bank on dear old dad stepping in, or better yet, me.
She lets go of my cheeks and sits back on her heels. She's been carrying around some heavy burdens, and it's evident it's taken a toll on her. Another angle to consider is if this Vince guy found out about Connor’s plan. Vince could've gotten a hold of the tracking information and now he’s after her. Sounds like a complicated love triangle if I ever heard of one.
“Did you want to disappear? With Connor, that is?” I hold my breath, waiting for her answer on pins and needles, because damn, I feel my jealousy surfacing.
Her forehead wrinkles in confusion for a moment until my question registers. “What? No. God, no.” She shakes her head profusely. “I love my family, my friends, my job, my horse. I’d never willingly want to leave that, but Vince was crazy and out of control.”
“What would’ve happened if you married him?”
“I couldn’t, Quinn. I just couldn’t even contemplate the thought of marrying him. It's not even an option. He’s turned into a monster, because who does those things?” Her voice rises in aggravation. “Who frames someone they supposedly love for a murder they didn’t commit?”
“Someone who’s desperate.”
This morning, I woke up a very thankful man for all my waterproof gear and tarps. Whoever invented all this type of gear is a genius. It rained relentlessly last night. I was glad I had a moment to myself yesterday to check the weather on my SAT phone to get the heads up. I had arranged the top and bottom tarps in such a way all three of us were able to stay bone-dry.
This morning, the sun is shining brightly, but the rain has left for a muddy day ahead. I’m amazed I have spent the better part of an entire week intimately sleeping with the sexiest woman I’ve ever known, and we haven’t had sex. I have no words for that, especially after having my fingers and tongue in places I shouldn't have, and then yesterday, seeing her fully naked body stand before me as I roamed my hands over every square inch of her. I'm already hard just thinking about it.
Lexi stirs in my arms, and I kiss the top of her head and breathe in her sweet fragrance. Being near the river, we've been spoiled with having a daily bath, and whatever soap Connor had packed her compliments her pheromones. I tamp down the jealous feeling that wants to surface, because I think you’d have to know someone on a deeper level to be picking out scented soaps for them.
I refocus my attention on her curvaceous body as she sleeps in my arms. She's with me now, and I plan on keeping it that way. She’s my vision of how I always thought a relationship should be, built on trust and honesty, and she gave me both of those things from the get go. She really bared her soul to me last night and didn’t hold back. I want to know all the intricacies that make up this woman, and I know that will take time, but right now, we're off to one hell of a start.
Granted, I’m applying a few double standards of my own by
having secrets, but I feel somewhat justified. I'm not the one who had a dubious background, and I know I’m one of the good guys. She’ll just have to see that when it comes time for me to explain things to her. When that will be, though, I have no idea. I’m not ready to disclose everything to her just yet. She's had enough things to deal with and digest, and the last thing I want to do is scare her away.
I came to a few serious decisions late last night while she slept. Being out here in the wilderness, far away from the distractions of everyday life and technology, I’ve had plenty of time for reflection. I’ve thought about where I’ve been in life, and where I want to go next. There is no doubt in my mind Lexi and I are destined to be together. God knows it had to take me being trapped, deep in these trails with the right woman, for me to come to terms with myself about the matter. If I had met Lexi in any other setting, I most likely would have treated her the same as all the other women in my past, despite the initial sparks of chemistry. Yes, I’m that much of a hardheaded son of a bitch, to the point I surprised even myself by owning up to my feelings and putting my heart on the line.
While she slept, I had come to the decision that if she’s truly pregnant, I’d be there for her. I’m not willing to let her go, and I don’t want to lose her just because she’s pregnant with another man’s child. I’d find a way to make us work.
“Good morning, Sunshine,” I whisper with a smile, loving the look of her sleepy gaze and her hair all mussed up.
“Mornin',” she replies, then covers her mouth as she yawns. I kiss her cheek as I run my hand over the top of her crazy hair, taming it down. She stretches, arching her back, and in turn pushes her perky breasts into me. I clench my teeth, stifling a growl. I want her. I want to sink my hard cock deep inside her slick heat. I remember how wet she was when I had my fingers inside her tight walls. My dick pulsates, and I groan.
“Are you okay,” she asks, all innocent. She has no idea what she does to me.
“Yeah,” I gruffly reply.
“I have to visit the ladies’ room,” she tells me. Even though my dick is throbbing, I almost sigh in relief. I let her go, and she shivers as the warmth of my body leaves her.
“I'll start breakfast and heat some water for coffee.” She makes a face because I know she doesn't like black coffee. “Yeah, I know; you like your coffee to taste like a damn candy bar. If I'd known all this ahead of time, I would've packed enough flavors to be your personal barista.”
“You'd do that for me?” she coyly teases.
“Of course I would.” I'm serious, too. “Go on to the ladies’ room, Sweetheart.” She unzips our sleeping bags and scoots out to put on her boots, but not without throwing on a sweatshirt first. I order Kimber to stay with me to give her privacy, and then I watch her trail off into the woods before I get up. I don't need her seeing my morning wood, because if she were to look at it with any interest, it'd be all over.
I get up and start my morning duties, retrieving the food sack and then feeding Kimber. I have the water heating up as Lexi catches my attention. She emerges from between two large bushes, and by the disgusted look upon on her face, I know what she had to do. She’s slathering her hands with sanitizer, and I can’t hide the grin from spreading wide across my face. It’s just too damn funny seeing this well refined woman having to rough it, but to her credit, she’s been living this entire week without complaint.
I stand up and walk her way. She sees me grinning at her, so she pauses in her tracks and then looks over her shoulder, wondering if I’m seeing something funny behind her. When she sees I’m finding the humor in her, she asks, “What’s so funny?”
“If I was a betting man, I think I would be very rich right about now.”
Her eyes narrow on mine as she skeptically asks, “And why do you say that?”
“I bet you never thought in a million years you would ever see yourself using the privy in the great outdoors. Were you able to dig a decent sized hole with your silver spoon?” I ask, taking a playful jab.
A look of mortification mixed with annoyance crosses her face. She slowly saunters toward me with a determined look on her face. “Nope, I did not see myself living day after day in the mountains, and yes, I made do with my silver spoon today, but I’ll have you know,” she pauses as she bends down to scoop up a clump of fresh mud in her hands and holds it out to her side, “I don’t need my silver spoon for this.” She slings the mud at me, and it hits the side of my face with a kr-plop.
I stand here stunned as I calmly arch a brow and look at her in disbelief. “You did not just throw mud in my face.” I speak the words slowly as a threat. The reality of what she just did is sinking in, and she knows there are ramifications that are about to take place. She wets her lips out of nervousness, and backs up a step. I take a giant step forward, and she holds up her hands, palms facing outward to ward me off.
“You want to play dirty, Baby?” I challenge with a smirk. She shakes her head frantically, maybe realizing a tad too late she shouldn’t tango with someone three times her size and expect to win. “Oh, I think you do.”
“No, Quinn,” she pleads as she takes another step backward. She then turns around and starts to run, but she doesn’t make it two steps before I have my arms wrapped around her waist. I tackle her to the wet, muddy ground.
She lets out an ungodly scream, and it makes me laugh. Kimber runs to my side, barking, trying to decide if I’m playing or not. I flip Lexi over onto her back while straddling her hips, and then I start to tickle her sides. Her shrieks turn into squeals of laughter. Kimber decides we’re playing, but doesn’t want to get muddy, so she prances around us, playfully barking.
The more Lexi squirms, the deeper she embeds herself into the mud puddle. Her sweatshirt rises in our struggle, so I slather mud across her bare stomach as I tickle her sides relentlessly. Using one hand, I trap both her wrists above her head with ease as I scoop up a handful of thick mud and raise it high.
“Quinn, no,” her eyes are big, round, and full of worry.
I smooth the cool mud over her bare stomach as she kicks, squirms, and laughs, all at the same time. “It’s so cold!” she shrieks. Kimber runs from one side of the mud pit to the other, wagging her tail and half barking, but she still isn't willing to join the party.
“Stop…Quinn…Uncle…” she squeals, gasping for air.
My hand slips through the slick mud on her stomach, and I accidentally rove forward. My palm skirts over her full breast, filling my hand, and I can't help it; I have to squeeze her flesh. Her struggling slowly dissipates, and her breathing changes, turning shallow. Knowing I'm turning her on, my playfulness then turns into dirty caresses. Why can’t I keep my fucking hands off her?
Her lustful eyes lock with mine as I slowly spread the mud over both swells of her breasts, fixated with the feel of her body underneath mine. Her breath hitches when I pluck at her hard nipples, and I know she’s hot for me. I roll the hard nubs of her nipple between my fingertips, and my dick pulses, swelling with need.
I lean down and hover over her lips, whispering, “There’s no charge for this mud wrap, Angel.”
“It’s the best one I’ve ever had,” she breathlessly replies. I grin at her; she’s good at being playful.
“I seriously can’t believe people pay money for this shit.”
She laughs out loud, and I smile at her, loving the rich, melodic sound emanating from the depths of her soul. I scoop up another handful of mud, and then slather it along her upper thigh. I slip my hand underneath her jean shorts, and her laugh dies in her throat. I squeeze the globes of her ass, and then coerce her legs open with my knee. “If I haven't told you before, I'm telling you now. You've got the sexiest ass I've ever laid eyes on.” I lay the weight of my body on top of hers, positioning my erection right between her legs, nestling my cock in the center of her opening.
She wraps her legs around my waist, holding me against her, and then begs, “Kiss me, Quinn.” Those three sultry words coming f
rom her lips are the beginning of trouble, but she doesn't need to ask me twice. I cannot deny the fact I want to kiss her again and again.
Her fingers thread through the back of my hair as she pulls me closer. “I swear, you better not have a significant other,” I huskily warn, biting her lower lip.
“I promise I don’t. You’re the most significant other that’s ever happened to me,” she confesses. Her eyes are half-lidded as she lifts her head to flick her tongue over the seam of my lips in a seductive dance. I let out a deep, rumbled growl, taking over the kiss. My lips crash against hers with such force her head falls back against the ground as I spear my tongue deep into her warmth, imbibing her mouth with ravenous hunger.
My hips thrust forward, as she tugs at the roots of my hair, consumed with blazing need. She wants me; I can feel the heat radiating off her pussy through her jeans. With the pressure of my pelvis rocking against her clit, she whimpers. I undulate my hips into her as my rigid hardness presses firmly into her sex. I release an animalistic growl, frustrated over the fact we have clothes on. I can tell she's so close to coming, because her legs start to shake and go lax.
“Oh, God,” she moans. Both of us are slathered in mud and slick with lust. We're both breathing heavily, trying to steal a breath of air every now and then between kisses, because neither one of us is willing to stop and come up for air.
This couldn’t get any sexier. My cock pulsates and swells to an unreasonable size. I add more friction against her clit so I can get her off. I swallow her whimpers as I continue to grind my stiff cock against her. She thrusts her hips upward, seeking release. She’s beautiful…what we’re doing is beautiful. There are no words, it's long overdue.
“I know you’re soaking wet for me, Lexi. Take it, baby. Come for me,” I encourage. Her legs loosen themselves from around my hips as they fall to the sides, opening herself up to me even more. I grip the back of her neck and give her all I’ve got, thrusting my hips forward hard and fast as if I'm pumping into her. Her grip on my hair loosens and her entire body begins to shake as she cries out my name. I don’t stop the magic. I keep grinding my hips into her, and break the kiss so I can watch her come undone underneath me. Knowing I put her there while still fully clothed is a powerful and heady feeling.
