by Amy Brent
“Oof!” The breath left my lungs in a rush as I ran into what felt like a brick wall that had suddenly materialized in front of me. My arms wind milled as I backpedaled, trying to keep my balance and then the brick wall was moving forward, steadying me with hands that felt suspiciously skin-like. And then it was talking, low and gravelly.
“Hey, there. Are you alright, sunshine?”
A small shudder ran through me as the words registered. It really wasn’t fair that a brick wall should have a voice like that. Like honey and whiskey and forbidden things all wrapped up together.
“What the hell? Are you trying to kill somebody?! You just came out of nowhere!” I said breathlessly, more embarrassed than angry, and it wasn’t just from the collision.
“Actually, I just came out of Lucky’s.”
“Lucky’s.”
Maybe my capacity for intelligent thought had been lost along with my ability to breathe because all I could do was stand there, repeating the brick wall’s words.
“Yeah, the bar. That I just walked out of.”
“The bar.” I glanced behind him to see the grimy windows of the dive he was pointing toward.
“You sure you okay, sunshine? Maybe we should sit down for a minute, just to be on the safe side.” The brick wall paused for a moment and I could practically feel the warmth of his gaze as it drank me in, “Maybe I can make it up to you. Can I buy you a drink?”
I stood there for a moment, knowing I should keep walking. Knowing that I should go home and face the music. But damned if a drink didn’t sound good. Almost as good as the brick wall.
“What the hell.” I breathed the words as I turned and walked inside. Anything to delay the inevitable. And if I was being honest with myself, I wanted to see if the chills that had raced up and down my body were real, or if I had just imagined them.
It was only four o’clock, so the place was nearly empty. A few of the regulars sat at the far end of the long, narrow room but I took a seat towards the middle, rubbing my hands over the wooden bar top as the brick wall took the stool next to me.
“Hey Stella, can I get a beer, and what about you, sunshine? What do you fancy?”
“Whiskey, neat.”
“Oh, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” The brick wall whispered, leaning so close his warm breath tickled my ear, sounding as if he was telling me a secret, “What passes for whiskey at this place is little more than watered-down motor oil.”
“I’ll, uh, I’ll just stick with beer then.”
“Good choice,” He chuckled roughly and it set off another wave of chills, “Two beers, Stella.”
The brick wall turned back to me as the bartender slid over the glasses and I finally got my first good look at him. It made the breath that I’d fought to get back leave all over again. He was tall, towering over my own five foot two by at least a foot, maybe even more. And he had the shoulders to go with it.
His hair was brown and too long. He kept pushing it back with one hand but it would just fall back over his forehead a moment later. His eyes were so dark they almost looked black in the dim lighting of the bar, but they gleamed with a light of mischief that I knew spelled trouble. Damn if I didn’t like trouble.
It took me a moment to realize that he was staring back at me just as intently and my cheeks flushed hot but I refused to look away.
“It’s not sunshine, you know.” I forced the words out through a throat that was suddenly tight with tension. He raised one dark eyebrow in question, taking a long pull from his beer and my eyes jumped to his lips, wicked thoughts flashing through my mind, and then away again.
“My name,” I finally said, “It’s not sunshine. It’s Quinn.”
“Leo. Leo Delaney,” He held out one big, callused hand and I stared at it, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
I swallowed hard. It’s just a handshake. Nothing to be afraid of. The snide words echoed in my head, but I knew they weren’t true. Quinn Moore had been called a lot of things, I mean a whole lot of things, but a coward had never been one of them. And I wasn’t about to start now.
Slowly, I reached out my own hand, sliding my palm against his and gasped at the feel of electricity that arced from my fingers, all the way up my arm and then down again to pool low and heavy inside me. The reaction was instant and powerful, sweeping through me and there was no denying the tension that wrapped around us.
The next hour drowned in the dark, fathomless depths of Leo’s eyes, the beer left unfinished as we spoke about everything, and nothing at all. His hand never let go of mine, sweeping his thumb back and forth, driving me slowly insane and I didn’t know if I was sad or relieved when he finally let it go as he rose to his feet.
But the next instant, he was back, his voice somehow even deeper and raspier as he whispered against my ear.
“I live in the apartment above the bar. Maybe we could find somewhere a little more…private?”
It was easy to read the invitation in his words, the need in his dark gaze. That same need echoed inside me, pulsing, drawing me to my feet next to him. Over the past hour, I’d forgotten all about school, all about my failures, all about Jonah and the dreaded conversation. I’d forgotten it all and I wanted to stay lost in Leo for as long as I could.
The heavy desire sweeping through me pushed my feet forward. I grabbed my backpack, following him up the steep, rickety stairs but as we reached the top I stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. It made my fingers tingle as Leo cast me a look over his shoulder as he worked on getting the door unlocked.
“I don’t usually do this sort of thing.” I don’t know what made me say the words but in the next instant, the door was open but Leo still hadn’t moved. His dark gaze was lowered on mine and I couldn’t look away. He had me trapped.
“Sunshine, I don’t want you to do anything that you don’t want.” He leaned forward, reaching out to tuck a stray lock of hair behind my ears. That small touch had me trembling right there in front of his apartment.
I looked up at him, and the knowledge filled me like a light suddenly flickering on in the darkness. I did want. I wanted him. And I was tired of not taking what I wanted. Of always having to live by someone else’s rules. Do what other people told me. It was time to start a new life. It was time to make my own decisions. Starting with this one.
I didn’t let myself stop and think any more as I pressed forward. I had to stand up on the tips of my toes and even then, Leo had to bend down so my mouth could reach his, but when it did it was like heaven. That electricity was back, making the hair on the back of my arms stand on end as we danced inside the small apartment. Leo kicked the door closed behind us and then he was back. He crowded closer to my body, pressing me up against door.
His mouth was wicked as it angled over mine, drawing out every gasp and moan and drinking in the raspy noises like sweet liquor. His hands were just as sinful, sweeping down my thighs and under my shirt, his touch soft and almost lazy as his fingers tripped slowly across my skin. It was driving me insane.
“Leo, I need…” I managed to get the words out in between kisses but I inhaled sharply as his mouth dipped lower, trailing sensual bites down the sensitive curve of my neck.
“What do you need, sunshine? Tell me.”
“I need…” I trailed off again, unsure how to put the maelstrom that was storming inside me into words. My hands raked across his back, dragging off his shirt as they went. I threw it behind us. My bag soon followed, along with my high tops and t-shirt. They landed somewhere on the floor, but it still wasn’t enough.
“I need more.”
“I can give you more. I can give you whatever you want, sunshine,” Leo hissed the words as we both tore at the zipper of his jeans, jerking them down. “Just say the word and it’s yours.”
“Less talk,” I whispered back with a wicked grin, “More action.”
He matched me, grin for grin, and then we were both moving, frantic with need and desir
e that was like a wildfire raging between us. And there was only one thing that would satisfy it. One thing in the whole world that could quench the flames.
The next moment, he had my jeans sliding down my hips and I arched my back towards him, desperate for his touch. His fingers toyed with me. Teasing. Drawing me close to the edge as he thrust with his fingers but it still wasn’t enough.
His thumb brushed against my clit and for a moment I was sure my legs would collapse and send me sprawling to the floor. But his strong arms were there, holding me tight between the door at my back and the even harder body pressed against my front.
His fingers were magic as they moved inside me, ratcheting up the tension until I couldn’t breathe. My nails raked across his bare shoulders before looping around his neck, holding on for dear life. But still, he wouldn’t let me come.
Every time he brought me to the edge he would ease off just enough to have me panting with a need that had taken over my entire body. I’d never felt anything like this. All-consuming. I wanted him so much it hurt.
“More, Leo,” I gasped the words, my vision red as my entire body clenched, hanging on the edge. The words were barely out of my mouth before he was moving fast again, knowing exactly what I was asking for. His hard erection slid against my wetness. It coated my thighs, my body ready and willing and wanting worse than it ever had before.
And then he was giving in, thrusting all the way inside me in one long slide that had my head rolling back against the door in ecstasy. His strong hands were holding me up, one wrapped around each thigh and I couldn’t move. I couldn’t think. All I could do was take everything that he gave me.
“Ah, hell, sunshine. You feel so good,” Leo muttered the words against her cheek as their bodies moved together, faster and faster. The words sounded torn from his throat, “Fuck, too good.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, rocking my hips in a rhythm that had moans falling from my lips without even realizing it. I tried to hold it off. I could feel it, climax speeding towards me like a freight train and when it hit it knocked the air from my lungs and made every muscle in my body tighten in excruciating pleasure.
Everything went white and gold, flashing behind my eyelids and in the corner of my mind, I could feel Leo thrust once more, a groan escaping him as he stiffened before letting me slide slowly back to my feet.
It was a good thing he was still there though, standing so close in front of me because my legs would never have supported me. They felt like bowls of Jell-O.
“Fuck.” Leo bit out the curse, and I pried my eyes open to see his dark gaze wide on mine, “Protection. I–.”
“Don’t worry, big guy,” I slurred the words, patting him on the shoulder before letting my arm drop again, “I’m on birth control. And I’m clean.” I grinned up at him, feeling drunk on the orgasm that still pulsed through me in waves of sharp pleasure, “I told you. I don’t normally do this sort of thing.”
“Me too. Clean, I mean, but…” Leo stared at me for a minute before shaking his head, some incomprehensible emotion sweeping over his handsome features before he leaned forward and placed the softest kiss against my lips.
After a long moment, he pulled away. He looked like he was about to say something but a loud, shrill ring cut him off. I jumped, glancing down at my cell phone. It had fallen on the floor next to us, along with my bag, and the rest of our clothes. It looked like a war zone. It rang again.
“Damn it,” I muttered, still shaking from the pleasure that swept through my body like a warm breeze.
“Just ignore it,” Leo whispered the words against my neck, causing another shudder to wrack my body.
I tried. Damn it, I really tried. But the incessant ring had already sent my post-sex glow packing. It fled altogether as I finally gave in, grabbing at the foul thing and glanced at the caller id. Shit. It was Jonah. For the fifth time. I hadn’t even noticed it ringing.
“I gotta take this,” I said softly, my voice full of regret as I slid away far enough to put my clothes back on. The phone was still ringing, sharp and un-ignorable. With a deep breath, I answered.
“Hello.” I tried to make my voice sound as normal as possible but it didn’t matter. Jonah was already talking before I’d even gotten the word out.
“You need to come home, Quinn. Now.” My brother’s voice was just as sharp and un-ignorable as the ringtone had been. I knew it would be bad when Jonah found out. Now, I knew it would be really bad.
I shot Leo a smile, half wistful, half regret, before giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.
“I have to go.” I turned to leave, just about through the door when his voice stopped me.
“Wait a minute, sunshine.” He turned, scribbling on a napkin from the bar downstairs before holding it out to me. I grabbed it, giving him one more small smile before leaving for good. It wasn’t until I was outside that I realized what he’d written. Below the horseshoe symbol for the bar was his number. For a moment, I considered just throwing it away but at the last minute changed my mind, tucking it into my backpack.
Chapter 2
Quinn
It took me three tries to walk up the uneven steps. Another three to work up the courage to make it to the door. I stood there for another five minutes, staring at the chipped paint and peeling siding of the shitty apartment I and my brother had grown up in. I knew every crack.
The window was still busted out and boarded up from when one of the neighbor boys had thrown a rock through it four years ago. The boards were weather worn and grayed now. Probably let in a hell of a draft in the winter but spring was blooming in Coral Springs. Mild weather, a good bit of rain, but nothing the Moore’s couldn’t handle together. They’d handled worse.
Unbidden the memories came. Another spring day. It had been sunny then. That had always seemed wrong to me. Sunshine had blared through the windows of the trailer home. I couldn’t find them. I had looked everywhere but couldn’t find them. It was my birthday and mama had promised to take me shopping for a new dress to wear.
I remembered crying. Knowing something was wrong, even if I didn't know exactly what it was yet. Then Jonah had been there. Hugging me so tight I couldn’t breathe. He’d hugged me for so long but neither of us had let go. That was the day our good for nothing parents had split, leaving their ten-year-old daughter and seventeen-year-old son with nothing but bills to pay and the rent already three days late.
A week later they’d moved out of the trailer home and into this apartment. The only thing a seventeen-year-old with a part-time job could afford. It was a crumbling building with leaky pipes, a terrible draft and loony old landlady who lived in the upstairs apartment. But it was home.
“Are you going to stand out there all night, kiddo, or are you going to come in and tell me what the hell you’re doing back here and not at college where you’re supposed to be?”
Jonah's voice hit me through the broken window and I jumped. I took a deep breath, steeling myself before hitching my bag over my shoulder and walking in.
“What the hell,” I said softly, trying to pretend that I felt brave, even when everything inside me screamed to turn around and run away. Back to Leo. Back to his strong arms. I could just lose myself there and never have to face Jonah. Never have to worry about anything ever again.
For a moment, the vision of Leo filled my mind, warming me through, but it was just wishful thinking. And I had given up on wishes when I was ten years old. I knew they didn’t come true. Not in real life.
I trudged inside and tossed my bag on the kitchen counter. The apartment was little more than a one bedroom, but we had converted the small office into a bedroom for me. I’d outgrown it years ago, just like I’d outgrown this rural town. But here I was, back again. My tail between my legs.
“Hey, big brother,” I spotted Jonah, leaning against the opposite counter. He had a beer bottle clenched in his hand but it still looked full. “How did you know I was back?”
“Mrs. Sh
eldon at the bank saw you get off the bus.”
“Fucking busy body.” I sneered softly, “This place never changes.”
“It’s changed a lot in the past couple of years, Q. A lot more tourists coming through.”
“Well, then the people haven’t changed. Still nosy as ever.” I shook my head in disgust but a few minutes later a small smile broke Jonah’s stern expression and then we were both laughing. The tension broke as he gave me a hug but when he pulled back, that damned look was back on his face.
It was so familiar, that face. Not just the light green eyes, a trait we both shared. Or the sandy blond hair or the freckles that were splattered across his nose. It was that look. The same look that said, ‘you fucked up again, Quinn’. That look of disappointment that I’d known was coming but still hated to see staring down at me.
“Don’t start with me, Jonah.”
“I’m not starting anything, Quinn.” He huffed out on a frustrated sigh. Jonah swept his hands through his shaggy blond hair, shaking his head as if he didn’t know what to say but I already knew what was coming. It was a speech I’d heard a thousand times before.
“What the hell happened, Q? You were so excited to get out of this town. To get away and start a new life. To follow your dreams or whatever the fuck it was.”
