by Nina Croft
Then again, in a few years’ time, it wouldn’t even be standing.
She shook off the thought and got out of bed, headed for the bathroom with its huge claw foot tub. She’d never had a bath and wasn’t sure she wanted one now. She wasn’t too fond of water. But she stared at it for a few seconds, then took the last steps, leaned over and turned on the taps. Steaming water filled the tub. She turned around, closed and locked the door, then stripped off her clothes.
A huge blue-black bruise circled her ribs, though she had no clue at which point she’d sustained it. Probably during the initial crash, when her seat had broken free. That seemed so long ago. It was hard to believe it was only yesterday.
She stepped into the water, nearly scalding her feet, then added more cold, and sank down, lying back and letting the heat soothe her aches and pains. She scooped water over her breasts.
Did Quinn like her breasts?
And what did that have to do with anything?
She lay farther down, putting her head under the water. For a moment, panic fluttered like a trapped bird in her belly, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
Sitting up, she closed her eyes and rested her head back. An image of Quinn filled her mind. She’d seen him watching her, a frown on his face. He was no doubt wondering why she’d backed off after spending the night cuddled up to him. But she could hardly tell him.
Hopefully, she would be able to avoid him until the morning when they would be on the road again, and away from temptation. That made her a little sad. Still, it was for the best.
She stayed in the water until it cooled around her, then stood up. Towels were folded on a stool by the bath and she wrapped one around her head and rubbed herself dry with another, then tied it around her like a sarong.
As she stepped out of the bathroom, she halted instinctively, glancing around for whatever had set off her internal alarms. The door to the veranda was open. It had been shut when she’d gone into the bathroom. Plus, there was a plastic bag lying on the bed that hadn’t been there before.
She doubted anyone with evil intent would have left a bag on the bed. She stepped forward, suddenly aware that she was naked except for a towel. Her clothes were back in the bathroom. She hesitated, then continued on, peering out through the open door.
Quinn was seated in one of the chairs along the veranda, his long legs stretched out in front of him. He’d obviously showered—his hair was damp and brushed back from his face. He’d also gotten a change of clothes from somewhere and was dressed in black jeans and a black T-shirt. He stood up as he caught sight of her in the open doorway, then went still, his gaze wandering over her.
She almost backed away but held herself immobile.
He cleared his throat. “Rose ran into town and got some things. Clean clothes. I left them on the bed.”
“Is that safe? Did anyone seem suspicious? You’re all very distinctive.”
“She took Pete. He did the actual shopping.”
“Very sensible.” She fiddled with the edge of her towel. “I should go get dressed. In my new clothes.”
His lips curled in a slow smile. “Don’t bother on my account.”
He walked toward her, coming to a halt only a foot away. Heat washed through her at the look in his eyes. Desire. He wanted her. Lying in the bath, only minutes ago, she’d hoped she would avoid him, avoid temptation. But suddenly, she wanted to be tempted. More than that, she wanted to give in to temptation.
This world she was in wasn’t her world. But she had never felt so alive. Things were different in her future. People were different. Somewhere in the next two thousand years, they had lost the ability to feel deep emotions. Or maybe lost was the incorrect word—after all, she was feeling something now—but they had buried their emotions deep inside. Survival had become a priority, and feelings an expense the human race couldn’t afford. Logic and reason had taken their place.
She would go back, and she would be the person she needed to be, once more.
But couldn’t she just have this as a time out? Just once in her life, she would know what it felt like to lie in a man’s arms and feel more than sexual stimulation. She’d experienced that before; she’d had lovers in the future. But there’d been no one she cared about, and in the end, she’d stopped, because it had meant so little and left her feeling a strange emptiness that she hadn’t wanted to understand.
The world was as it had to be.
Besides, giving in to temptation, taking Quinn up on the offer in his eyes, would not go against logic or reason. She could find an argument as to why it would further her assignment. She had a job to do, yes, but giving in to these feelings wouldn’t hinder that. In fact, it would get her closer to Quinn. He would trust her more. Let her in.
But she still had to acknowledge a simple truth—this would also make it harder to walk away at the end, when her mission was done. Harder to leave him to his fate. She pushed that thought from her mind. She couldn’t change Quinn’s future, because it was her past. But just once…
Everything about him was so beautiful. She loved the long, lean lines of his body, the broad shoulders, the hard planes of his face, his expressive eyes, his mouth.
Would he kiss her again?
“I wish I could read your mind right now.” His voice broke into her thoughts.
A short laugh escaped her. “And I’m really glad you can’t.”
His head cocked to one side and he studied her, a look of interest and curiosity in his dark blue eyes. “And why would that be?” He didn’t wait for her to answer but took a step closer.
A shiver ran through her, and she held herself still as his hand came out and curved around the back of her neck. At his touch, heat pooled in her belly, banishing the shivers. Her skin prickled, suddenly supersensitive. She wanted to feel his hands everywhere. Her breasts, her belly, between her thighs, where a little pulse throbbed in anticipation.
She tilted her head as his face came toward her. His lips touched hers, softly at first and then harder. He raised his head and stared down at her as his hand came up and he rubbed at her lower lip with the pad of his thumb, sending ripples through her. “I told myself I would just come and see how you were. Bring you your new clothes. See if you wanted anything to eat. I was lying to myself.” He dropped both hands to his sides. “Do you want this?”
She nodded mutely. She’d just convinced herself she could have him. If he stopped now, she’d be bereft. She rose up on her tiptoes, and for the first time in her life, she kissed a man. Pressed her lips to his. They touched with nothing more than their mouths for what seemed an age. She felt the moment he took control of the kiss, his mouth slanting over hers. He parted her lips with his tongue and pushed inside and she tasted heat and spice and something indefinable. She stroked her tongue against his. He must have taken it as a sign, because his arms came around her, and he pulled her closer against the hard length of his body, without ever breaking the kiss.
She was aware of his hands flat against the curve of her back, urging her closer, so her breasts were flattened against his hard chest. His hands lowered until they cupped her ass and held her to him. He was already hard, and he groaned into her mouth as she pressed up against him.
Finally, they ran out of oxygen and had to come up for air.
While they’d kissed, night had fallen around them, and a chill prickled across her skin.
He scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the open doorway, kicking it closed behind him, then lowering her to the mattress. Leaning across her, he switched on the lamp beside the bed, so she lay in a pool of light.
She came up on her elbows, so she could watch him as he pulled his T-shirt over his head and tossed it onto the chair beside the bed. She stared at his naked chest, broad and muscular. He wore a clean white bandage high up around his upper arm and had some sort of marking above his heart. A T wreathed in ivy. T for Tribe? A line of dark silky hair bisected his flat stomach, disappearing beneath the waistb
and of his pants.
His hand went to his belt and he unbuckled it, then flicked open the fastener to his jeans. She swallowed, holding her breath, but he paused.
“I don’t have condoms.”
For a moment, she had no clue what he was talking about. Then she remembered—condoms were a form of contraception in this time. It wasn’t something she’d ever really researched, because it had never occurred to her that this situation would come up.
“But I’m clean,” he said. “We’re immune to most diseases.”
So was she, but it was probably best not to go into the how’s and why’s. “I’m clean as well, and I’m covered.” She had a five-year contraception implant.
“Thank Christ.” He studied her for a moment. “You want to get rid of the towel?”
For a second, she felt a sense of vulnerability. That was new. She was no virgin, but something about this man, this situation, made her feel like she was exposing a part of herself that she had always kept hidden. In her time, nakedness was not looked upon as a taboo as it was now. Clothes were more of a convenience, protection against the elements, a convention rather than a social requirement.
This was different.
She loosened the knot between her breasts, then tugged the towel from beneath her and dropped it onto the floor by the bed. She closed her eyes for a moment, then forced her lids open. Quinn was staring down at her, his eyes almost black, feasting on her, and she fought the urge to cover herself back up.
“You’re shy,” he murmured. That was a new one. No one had ever accused her of that before. But he was right. “There’s no need,” he continued. “You’re beautiful.”
She could see the belief in his gaze. And the knowledge that he found her desirable washed away any uncertainty from her mind. She held out her hand.
“Give me one second.”
He pushed down the zipper on his jeans, kicking off his shoes at the same time, then stripped them off in one economic movement. And suddenly, he was as naked as she was, and way more beautiful. Her breath hitched, and her heart sped up. He was already fully aroused, his cock almost vertical against his stomach—growing out of a nest of dark hair. That was something new, as well. Body hair had been eradicated as a matter of course in her day, for hygiene reasons rather than aesthetics. Men didn’t even have to shave anymore, either. They were given a single treatment at puberty. Her body was bare—hopefully he wouldn’t find that too odd. Again, it was something she hadn’t included in her research of this time. But he hadn’t appeared unduly shocked when he’d seen her.
Then there was no more time to worry, because he came down onto the mattress at the bottom of the bed. He took hold of her ankles, parted her legs, crawled up between them, then sat back on his heels and looked. His hand cupped her breast, and her nipple hardened against his palm, pleasure shooting along her nerve endings. Then he lowered his head and took her other nipple in his mouth, stroking it with his tongue, and it felt so indescribably good. Needing more, she arched her back, pushing into him.
He raised his head. “Tell me if there’s anything you don’t like.”
“What if I like everything?”
“Tell me that as well.”
…
Her body was long and slender, her breasts small but full and firm, tipped with dark red nipples, extended now and glistening. He was almost afraid to move. Scared of fucking this up.
He’d never felt like this with a woman. Because it hadn’t mattered before.
His dick was almost painful, and his balls ached. He needed to be inside her, and soon, or he’d go seriously insane. But still, he hesitated. This had to be good for her. He had the idea that she wasn’t that experienced. She kissed like she didn’t know how, which was an incredible turn on, and he had no clue why.
“You’re not a virgin, are you?”
Her eyes widened, but she shook her head.
Her body was smooth and totally free of hair, so he could see the cleft between her thighs, the inner lips pouting out, dark and glistening. And his dick twitched. He lowered his head, kissed her belly and felt her tense beneath him. Her skin was soft, and she tasted sweet. He moved lower, dropping small kisses on the smooth skin of her mound. He glanced up the length of her body. Her eyes were wide, and she was holding herself totally still.
Then he shifted down the bed, lowered his head farther and licked along the line of her sex, his nostrils filling with the sweet scent of aroused woman. He loved it that she was as turned on as him.
He used one hand to part her folds, just stared for long seconds, then kissed her clit.
A little squeak escaped her.
He pushed his tongue inside her, tasting her sweetness, then moved it back to her clit and kissed her again, stroking the little nub with his tongue, pressing down. She was squirming beneath him now, and he slipped his hands beneath her, cupping her ass and lifting her to him, his lips never leaving her. He sucked her clit into his mouth and suckled, soft at first and then harder. She’d stopped squirming now, and he could feel her straining toward him. So close. He bit down gently, and she came apart for him, her back arching, her hands gripping his hair, holding him as he lapped at her open sex. When the tension went out of her, he bit down again, and this time a small scream escaped her. He was glad she’d picked a room at the far end of the house.
Finally, she relaxed, and he released his hold on her. Her expression was dazed as he came down over her. With one hand, he placed his cock at the entrance to her body, then filled her with one hard slide. She was tight, and hot, and wet. It was the best feeling in the whole fucking world. For a few seconds, he held himself still, savoring the sensations washing through him.
Beneath him, she licked her lips and stared up at him, a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead.
He held her gaze as he pulled out of her, loving the exquisite drag of her tight inner muscles against him as though she fought to keep him deep inside. Then he pushed back in, pressing against her clit as he lodged himself fully inside her, and she shuddered beneath him. He withdrew again, rotating his hips as he slid back inside. He wanted her to come while he was deep inside her.
He could feel her closeness in the tenseness of her muscles, the way she pushed her hips against him, the little moans that escaped her throat.
Lowering his head, he bit down on her nipple as he pressed inside her again, then kissed her mouth as he ground against her, swallowing the scream as she came again.
He loosened his control, slamming into her hard and fast, and then he was coming, crashing over the edge as he released inside her.
He thought it would never end. He didn’t want it to end.
Finally, he stopped moving. Then he lowered himself to her and rolled them both over so she was sprawled across him. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, waiting for the frantic thud of his heart to slow.
He wished he could be in her mind. He’d never wanted that connection at a time like this before, hadn’t wanted to know what a woman was thinking—whether she was rating his performance or thinking about something else entirely. Now he wanted to know Mel completely, wanted to know what she thought, felt, her dreams…
He’d never believed there would be someone for him. He’d watched Jake fall in love and presumed it could only end in disaster. It hadn’t. Not yet, at any rate, though who knew what the future held.
Now he was questioning that belief. Was there a chance he didn’t have to live his life alone? He’d only known this woman a few days—it was crazy to even think like this. But there was a connection between them. She felt it as well, he was sure of it. She was just fighting it because of who she was. She was one of the good guys, an FBI agent. Of course, she’d be wary of him until she realized she could trust him with her secrets and with her life. Maybe she just needed a little more persuading.
His hands tightened around her, sliding over her skin, now damp with sweat, soft, yet hard with the resilience of muscle. She stirred under his tou
ch, pushed herself up so she could look down into his face. Her eyes were heavy, her lips swollen. She licked her lips and heat shot to his groin.
“That was…good,” she murmured.
“Only good?”
“Super-good. The best.”
He tightened his grip on her ass and pulled her closer so she couldn’t help but feel his hardening erection. “You want to do it again?”
“Oh yeah.”
This time, it was going to take much longer…
Chapter Nineteen
Mel awoke in the dim light of dawn. She lay unmoving for a long time as the room grew brighter. Quinn’s arm was around her waist, his skin dark against her paleness. One leg was thrown across her thighs, anchoring her to the bed.
Last night had been beyond imagining, a totally different experience than anything she had ever known before. What was different about this time? It wasn’t like all those earlier encounters, which had physically satisfied her but had ultimately left her feeling empty.
Quinn had filled her so completely. She still felt weird, as though there was too much of her to fit inside her skin and she wanted to somehow expand, grow, spread. She felt him not just in her breasts and her sex, but in her heart and mind, and that should scare her. But right now, she couldn’t work herself up to being scared. Soon she would move, and they would leave this place, go find this mysterious tribe who would hopefully lead her to the source of the anomaly, and she could work out the best course of action and her job would be done. Then she’d leave these people and maybe they’d survive the Cataclysm, or most likely, they wouldn’t. Either way, it was not down to her.
