by Debra Kayn
The squawk of a bird over the hum of the air conditioner startled her. She gazed up at the sky and found two large black birds flying over the river.
Used to seeing birds at the campground, she went back to watching Quint and found him and his friends shielding their eyes and looking up at the sky.
Quint moved away first, turning from the others, and walked toward the truck. Happiness flooded her. She couldn't get enough of being with him.
He got inside the truck and made a wide loop in front of the others turning the vehicle around. She waved to his friends and noticed Quint left without saying a word.
His forehead stayed wrinkled, and he gripped the top of the steering wheel without taking his gaze off the road. Not wanting to force him to talk, she let him have the quiet ride to himself and studied the scenery as he entered the rocky road.
For the next twenty minutes, Katelynn concentrated on not bouncing around. The seatbelt only held her to the seat but her head constantly tried to break away from her neck, and her arm kept banging against the door. The road was bumpier coming down than going up.
"Two more turns and we'll be on pavement again," said Quint, breaking his silence.
The road became a washboard. Her breasts bounced opposite her body. Once she became aware of the problem, she got the giggles and clamped her lips together. The whole truck vibrated.
As suddenly as the massive vibrations started, they stopped. Quint braked in the middle of the road and looked at her. Caught off momentum, she strained against the seatbelt and stared at him.
Several silent seconds passed. She took in Quint's drawn brows and his eyes studying her. Neither one of them moved. His gaze intensified and his chest expanded with each breath. The fleeting thought that something was wrong with the truck, causing him to stop, disappeared as she recognized his heated look.
That look melted her and caused all the sensations from the ride to pool between her legs. She couldn't look away. This wasn't a random emotion thrown in her direction. Quint would often pull her into his world, his feelings, his space without saying a word or touching her.
She panted. "Quint?"
"I want you."
"Here?"
He never looked away. "Back at the cabin where I can hold you all night."
She shivered in anticipation and nodded. "I'd like that."
"Good." He dragged his gaze away and continued driving.
All night in his bed? She stared at the road ahead of them. Yes!
Quint often showed her what he wanted instead of talking to her. She read his moods by how he controlled himself. Skipping breakfast and heading out to the campground ahead of her meant he was in no mood to talk or be around her. Other times, he could talk about what he worked on while sitting on the porch and ask her what happened during her day until they both yawned and walked their separate way to go to bed.
He reached over and gathered her hand in his. She gazed at him. The seriousness of his mood etched on his face, unhidden to her. Was he also worried about the small amount of time they had left together?
Chapter 24
She stood in the cabin staring at Quint, afraid to move or speak. An aching need had grown in Katelynn all the way back from Will's house.
Fearful she'd imagined his declaration in the truck, and he'd changed his mind about having her tonight, she looked for any sign that he was going to block her from going to his room.
Time seemed to be her worst enemy lately. Maybe he'd had time to think about their situation. She planned to leave in three weeks.
He worried about their age difference, and maybe his maturity allowed him to see things differently. Maybe with his independent life, he decided he liked living alone and running the campground, and inviting her into his bed would complicate things.
She wanted to put all the doubts out of his mind.
Quint tossed the keys on the counter and stalked toward her. She stared at him, raising her chin the closer he came to make sure she never looked from his eyes and gave him an excuse to turn her away.
He kissed her, hard.
Whirling from her uncertainties it took her a moment to realize he'd nudged her mouth open. Her soul cried in joy at the stroke of his tongue. He wanted her. The power behind his intent came through loud and clear.
The proof of his desire showed in the frantic pressure on her mouth and the hardening of his body. He slid his hands down her sides and around to her ass, pulling her against him.
He lifted, picking her up with ease, his mouth never leaving hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his hips, pressing her body against him.
His fingers explored her thighs, her ass, her hips. She tightened her legs, overcome with wanting her clothes off and to have his calloused, big hands on her.
Quint pulled his mouth away, and she whined until he wet a trail to her neck, sucking on her skin. She tilted her head, giving him more access.
He groaned. That desperate, needy, vocal longing from him fueled her arousal.
Having sex with Quint showed her a different side of him. After the first time, they'd shared an intimacy that stole her breath away and left her reeling. She had a hard time believing she connected with someone else to the mind-blowing level she had with Quint.
That kind of relationship happened to others, more privileged, normal people. But, it had happened. It was happening.
Quint nipped her neck with his teeth and quickly soothed the spot with his tongue, marking her. A wave of hunger fluttered inside of her. Now that she'd found someone who completes her, she became more determined not to lose him.
He carried her to his bedroom and tumbled her back onto his bed. The force took him away from her, and she scrambled to a sitting position, reaching for him.
"I need to grab a condom out of the bathroom." His deep voice rolled through her, turning her on. "Get undressed."
Grudgingly, she let go and watched him stride across the room. She struggled to inhale deeply, little hitches in her breath caused her to shudder. Her desperation rocked her mental state. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before.
She belonged to him. She did.
She only had to show him.
Taking off her jeans and shirt, she laid back down on the mattress and wiggled out of her panties. Quint walked back into the room as she unclasped her bra and flung it toward the dresser.
He stopped walking. His lust-dazed eyes swept over her body as if seeing her for the first time and she found herself sucking in her stomach wanting to give him whatever pleasure he found from her body.
He raised his gaze, connecting with her. Putting the small, square package between his teeth, he bent and took off his boots, his jeans, and his shirt.
She inhaled swiftly catching her lip between her teeth. The startled sound grabbed his attention.
He removed the condom from his lips, stepped toward the bed, hard and ready. "What?"
She pried her tongue off the roof of her mouth. "You go commando. How could I not know that?"
His low chuckle made her tremble in pleasure. "We were in too big of a rush last time."
"But..." She raised her head off the bed, trying to look. "Wow...no underwear? No boxers? Do you know how incredibly hot that is knowing there is nothing between your jeans and your...cock? This whole time, you were right there, hanging free and—"
"Katelynn." His head came back and his gaze narrowed. "Say it again?"
She let her head fall back on the mattress. "Cock," she whispered.
He grunted in approval. Opening the wrapper of the condom, he rolled the protection over his hardness.
She found it shockingly poignant how easily he seduced her. It wasn't only his attractiveness or his powerful body, but his ability to reduce her to a puddle of feelings with a simple groan or aroused look.
He straddled her thighs with his knees and looked down at her. Her breath caught in her chest. His muscles bulged with the effort of holding back. The last thing s
he wanted was him to go slow.
She raised her hands and spread her fingers on his stomach. The wiry trail of hair leading down his body hid scars she had never seen before. The corded muscles over his abdomen constricted. The heat of his skin warmed her fingers. His cock danced for attention, reacting to her touch as if she controlled the movements.
"How did you get so many scars?" she whispered, wrapping her fingers around his hardness.
"It's a rough world." Quint lowered his upper body and captured her lips, breaking her view of his body.
His knee slid in between her legs, spreading her. She cupped his whiskered face and found her hands shaking.
He reduced her to a bundle of nerves, attuned to everything around her.
His breath on her skin.
His lips on her mouth.
His callouses, his hardness, his weight, his hair, his rugged smell, his dominating presence. He was the polar opposite of her, and she craved every part of him.
Quint raised his head, hovering above her. Unable to take his retreat, she pushed her elbows into the mattress and followed him, kissing his collarbone. She ran her tongue lower over his flat nipple.
He hissed.
As if he couldn't take anymore, he shifted, lowering himself between her thighs. She took the bulk of him, letting his size pin her to the bed. His mouth found hers again. His needy lips nipped at the desperation building inside of her. She closed her teeth, pulling and tugging back.
His breath caught. She'd given up on breathing and settled into remembering tonight for the rest of her life.
As if gasping for strength, they both pulled back and stared into each other's eyes. An unspoken moment passed between them. From the way his breath caught and his cock pulsed against the inside of her thigh, she knew he felt the same realization that what they shared was special.
In an equally perfect moment, they both moved. Her body grew wilder at his touches until a desperate, needy edge left her begging against the salty taste of his throat. He lowered his head and groaned against her ear, the sound vibrating clear through her.
Wrapping her legs around him, she propelled her hips off the mattress, searching for the part of him that hovered out of reach.
He entered her swiftly. She gasped at the intimacy, loving how they fit together perfectly.
Quint claimed her mouth as he moved. Both of them feeding off the other, swallowing the gasps, the groans, the moans that naturally came out.
Pleasure built inside her. A tension that exceeded her capabilities on her own wound throughout her body. The wonderful emotions and sensations too incredible, she never imagined the possibilities.
Holding him tighter, she pulled him deeper. He moved faster. Losing her mind, she blinked, spiraling higher, as he blurred in front of her.
She buried her face in his neck and squeezed her eyes closed, knowing...knowing...
Her orgasm exploded through her. Pleasure flooded every inch of her.
"Quint," she cried.
His muffled grunt followed, and he plunged inside of her, holding himself still.
Pressed against the bed, she held on as the tremors rocked both of them, believing he was the only one who could save her. Flashes of loving him mixed with her walking away. How could she leave him?
How could he let her go back to Vancouver?
Chapter 25
Katelynn carried the dustpan out the door, keeping her back turned to block the breeze. Quint stepped out from the woodshed and took in her flushed face. She wore her hair piled up on her head, and he recognized the bandana she used to hold all the strands off her neck as one from his drawer in the bedroom.
He jumped over the firepit on his way to her.
She bent over and dumped the dirt under the bush at the side of the building. He hurried forward and hooked her around her waist, turning her.
He captured her squeak of surprise and soothed her adrenaline rush with his tongue until she melted against him. The heat was getting to him.
Coming up for air, he let her go, but she continued to hold him. It wasn't even noon, and he'd found every excuse to stay close.
Katelynn plucked the front of his flannel with her thumb and finger. "I don't know which one of us is dirtier."
Just like that, ideas involving soap, water, and her naked body filled his head.
He turned around and squatted down. "Get on."
She laughed. "What?"
"I'll give you a ride." He patted his shoulder.
"Oh, I'm sure you will," she drawled, wrapping her arms around his neck and laughing as he straightened to his feet, and she left the ground. "What are we doing?"
"You'll see." He walked across the road carrying her on his back, cut through an empty camping spot, and followed the road around to the back loop.
Campers nearby stopped and watched him. He nodded, not missing a step. There was no trail where he planned to go.
He stepped over branches, dodged bear grass, and wound his way around the huckleberry bushes. Five minutes later, at the river's edge, he let go of Katelynn's thighs and let her slide down his back.
"Get undressed." He bent at the waist and unlaced his boots.
"Oh, my God. You've got to be kidding me." She planted her hands on her hips. "I'm supposed to be in the office."
"Your boss won't fire you." He toed off his shoes and undid his belt, working on his zipper. "You've got thirty seconds, and I'm going to take you in the river with me."
Her eyes widened. "Any of the campers could walk up on us."
"Then, the faster you get in the water, the better chance at not getting caught naked." He unbuttoned his shirt, eyeing her.
She studied him, catching her lip between her teeth. He peeled off his flannel and pushed his jeans down, leaving them in a puddle at his feet. It took him no time to remove his socks, and he stepped toward her.
She gawked. He wrapped his arm around her thighs and picked her up fully dressed.
"Put me down. I can't..." She bounced against his chest. "Don't you dare get me wet."
He strode out into the river, ignoring the slick rocks trying to unbalance him. The coldness seeped into his bones, and he gritted his teeth as the water went from his thighs to his waist. Even the shock of the temperature failed to take his desire to have Katelynn in the water.
"Quint! You're crazy." Katelynn arched in his arms as the cold water hit her ass. "You're going to drown me."
"Can you swim?" he asked.
"Yes, but I have my clothes—"
He tossed her into the water. Following her, he dunked below the surface. As he came back up, he caught sight of her flinging her hair over her shoulder, gasping for breath.
Blinking wildly, Katelynn glared at him, but amusement touched her lips. She swam over to him and stood, wrapping her arms around his neck.
Her legs floated up around his hips. He cupped her ass and felt her relax.
"Despite it being the middle of a workday, and it's going to suck when I have to get out of the water, and my clothes are soaking wet, this feels wonderful." She kissed him. "I hope you realize the office is open and nobody is there to help the guests."
"They can wait." He kissed her.
"What about the petty cash?" she mumbled against his lips. "Or, the—?"
He shoved his tongue in her mouth to shut her up. No amount of money would make him get out of the river and away from her.
She giggled and broke the kiss. Tightening her arms around him, she laid her head on his shoulders, sighing heavily.
He held her, relaxing in the sunlight without feeling the overwhelming heat. Closing his eyes, he tilted back his head. With Katelynn around, he found himself making excuses to get out of work to be with her. He couldn't remember the last time he went swimming in the river.
There was always something to do at the campground. The land needed to be maintained—the trails manicured, the firepits cleaned, the conveniences kept in working order. And, the requests from the campers was ne
ver-ending.
Katelynn shivered. He rubbed her back, opening his eyes.
"Cold?" He squinted against the glare coming off the water.
She rubbed her face against his shoulder. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, shuddering.
"Hey," he said, trying to pull her off him to see her face when she refused to answer but she held on tighter.
His heart pounded. Was she crying?
"Katelynn?" He kissed the side of her neck. "Talk to me."
Her upper body expanded and deflated as she struggled to gain control over her emotions. He held her, wanting to take the pain she was going through.
She'd been doing better lately after suffering each day over what she'd done to Miller. He kissed the back of her head. But he knew, flashbacks would come back to her at the oddest times, and she'd need to learn how to handle them.
He lived with his past and understood how devastating those feelings could be when they caught him by surprise.
"Bitterroot Campground closes in two weeks," she said, barely loud enough for him to hear her over the rush of the current.
Aware of the time limit, he steeled himself. If he could invite her to stay and know she'd be safe, he'd have already asked her. But, with Jaster and McCloud still out there, he wouldn't risk her life by keeping her.
The memory of losing Two-crow last winter and how close they'd come to losing Iliana fresh in his mind, he wouldn't risk her life.
What good would he be to her if he ended up getting killed? She'd have more pain to deal with alone.
"You deserve to start fresh and forget what happened here." He swallowed. "You're a strong woman, Katelynn. You need to look toward the future—"
"No." She pulled back, her eyes bloodshot.
He carried her to the bank of the river and set her down on her feet without saying more. Grabbing his clothes, he dressed as an excuse not to answer the questions he spotted in her gaze, and yet remained unasked.
"I'll cover the office while you go to the cabin and change into dry clothes." He turned to her, and his gut tightened.
He'd hurt her.
"Change of plans." He moved toward her and cupped her face. "I want you to take the rest of the day off. The cabin will be cooler than headquarters, and you haven't had any time to yourself to be lazy since you started working for me."
