"Did you catch the guy?"
"Yeah. Only fucking good thing about the day. He rabbitted, but we found him in an apartment out in the 'burbs with his girlfriend. Asshole took some shots at us, but we used a flashbang to take him out." He blew out a breath. "Girlfriend attacked us when we cuffed the guy. Asshole fell apart when we laid out our evidence, and he and the woman are both sitting in lockup. But...God. It was a tough day."
Tessa's chest squeezed so tightly that she couldn't breathe. She could focus on nothing except those terrifying words. "He shot at you?" Quinn could have been hurt. Killed. She closed her eyes. They might have brought him into her emergency room. Just like what happened with Brian.
"That wasn't a big deal." Quinn waved his hand, dismissing her fear. "He was on meth. Hands were shaking so bad, he almost shot his own foot."
"People whose hands are shaking can still land a lucky shot," she said, staring at him. Her stomach heaved, and she bolted for the bathroom.
She was rinsing her mouth five minutes later when Quinn knocked on the door. "You okay, Tessa?"
"Yeah. I'll be right out." She wasn't okay. Quinn had just reminded her why she didn't get involved with cops.
Her hand shaking, she reached for her toothbrush and scrubbed away the taste of her fear. Finally she splashed cool water on her face, blotted it dry and opened the door.
Quinn stood in front of her, his eyes full of regret and concern. "I shouldn't have said anything. Hell, I shouldn't have come over here. I upset you."
In spite of her warnings to herself, her heart fluttered. He'd come to her for comfort. "Only because the guy shot at you," she said carefully. "I was upset at the thought of you getting hurt."
"I was wearing my vest. We all were."
Brian had been wearing his vest, too. It hadn't stopped the bullet from hitting his femoral artery. "Doesn't make you bullet-proof."
"It's one of the hazards of the job, Tessa. Believe me, I don't take chances. I'm not one of the hot heads."
"I didn't think you were. It's still scary."
"Yeah, I know," he said quietly. He tugged her close and wrapped his arms around her. "Thanks for letting me come over. You made it easier."
Her heart fluttered again. "You want to stay here tonight?" She wasn't getting more deeply involved – a man she cared about needed her. She could keep her heart intact. She could enjoy Quinn and keep it light.
"I'm not in the mood for love-making," he said, meeting her gaze. "And I don't want to burden you with my crappy mood. I just needed to see you for a few minutes. I needed something good in my head."
Tess touched his cheek. "Stay," she said softly. He needed someone to hold him. Someone to comfort him if he had a nightmare. And she needed some comfort, too. "Your virtue is safe with me."
"So not what a guy wants to hear," he said, but some of the sadness in his eyes receded. "Are you sure? I don't want to impose on you."
"If you were imposing, I wouldn't have asked."
"Are you always this straightforward, Tessa? Last night, too. Do you always say what you think?"
"I try to."
He smoothed his hand over her hair. "I like that. I like that a lot. And as long as I'm not imposing, I would love to stay with you tonight."
"You, ah, want to shower?" If she'd been working on a crime like that all day, it was the first thing she'd want to do.
"I stopped at home and took one. I didn't want to bring any of this case into your place."
"Okay, then. She shoved the rest of the pizza into the refrigerator and took his hand. "Let's get some sleep, Quinn."
***
She startled awake when a garbage truck braked in the alley behind her building. For a moment, Tessa was disoriented. Then she remembered the late phone call, Quinn's case, his description of the crime scene.
The fact that the bad guy had shot at him.
She should roll over, but Quinn was still sleeping. She touched his shoulder, found him ice cold. As she reached for the thin summer blanket to cover him, he stirred.
"Mmmm," he said. "You smell like Tessa."
Even mostly asleep, he knew her scent? Pleasure moved through her, followed quickly by need. But he was asleep again, and she didn't want to wake him. She curled into him and held him close.
As she snuggled closer, he turned and wrapped his arms tightly around her. "I need to hold you," he murmured into her hair.
That was okay. This...whatever it was between them...couldn't last. She needed to hold him while she could.
Chapter 11
The alarm on Tessa's phone buzzed, and she reached to turn it off. Her hand collided with a hard body, and she saw Quinn's face on the pillow next to hers. Sound asleep.
Memories flooded back – his early-morning phone call, the case, the darkness in his eyes. The way he'd clung to her.
Hearing him say someone had shot at him.
Her heart trembled, but she ignored it as she reached over him to turn off her phone. Then she lay next to him, watching him sleep.
His ridiculously long eyelashes were dark on his skin. The lines on his face had gentled, making him look young. More carefree than the anguished cop she'd seen last night.
His full lower lip begged to be tasted. She wanted to rub her cheek against the dark stubble on his face and feel it rasp against her skin. Arousal swept over her, the need to have him while she still could – he could be lost in a heartbeat.
She couldn't stop herself from leaning closer. His breath stirred her hair, lifting it from her face. She drank it in. Wanting.
He startled awake when her hair brushed his chest, and his dark blue eyes stared at her for a moment, disoriented. Then he gave her a lazy smile.
"Tessa. Good morning."
"Quinn." She cupped his face and studied his eyes. "How are you feeling?"
She watched the shadows fill his eyes as he remembered, but he smoothed a hand over her back and tugged her closer. "Better than I was last night."
"I didn't mean to wake you." Unable to resist, she brushed her mouth over his. "Go back to sleep."
He tightened his hand on her hip and tugged her closer. "Go back to sleep? With you naked in my arms? Don't think that's possible."
Heat sizzled through her, but instead of draping herself over him, she propped herself on one elbow. "Maybe I should get out of bed and let you finish sleeping."
"Try it and I'll come after you." He cupped her breast and stroked her nipple with his thumb. "Think I'd be able to convince you to come back to bed?"
The slow movement of his thumb made her arch into him, made her clit swell and throb. "Maybe if you tried a little harder," she managed to gasp.
"Harder? I can do harder." He pulled her on top of him, and his cock was hot and swollen between her legs. She moved her hips, closing her eyes when he stroked through her cleft.
"Tessa," he groaned. "You're so wet." He gripped her hips and thrust again. "So hot." He pulled her closer and kissed her deeply, his tongue mimicking the movements of his hips.
"Quinn," she gasped. Their slippery friction had her on edge already. She lowered her head and nipped at his shoulder, his upper arm, his neck. As need swelled and crashed over her, she sucked on the soft skin above his collarbone, helpless to stop herself.
She rose up and took him inside, and his hips lifted to follow her. His eyes half-closed, he cupped her breasts in his hands, playing with her nipples, watching his hands moving over her skin.
Then he lifted his aroused gaze to her face. "Tessa," he groaned. His hips moved a little faster. "I can't control myself around you. I'm going to come, and I want you to come first."
He slid his hand between them and gently squeezed her clit. She screamed his name as she lost control, as the waves rolled over her, one after another. Her orgasm went on and on, until she felt Quinn tense beneath her, felt him swell inside her, then he thrust harder once, twice. The third time his hands tightened on her hips and he bucked wildly beneath her. "Tessa. Oh, God, Tess."
His breath sawed in and out, matching her gasps. Finally, completely drained, she collapsed onto his chest. His arms closed around her, holding her so tightly it was hard to breathe. But when he tried to loosen his grip on her, she burrowed closer.
***
Quinn lay tangled with Tessa, their skin slick with sweat, his heart slamming against his chest. Beneath his hand, her heart raced, as well. "Tessa," he began, then swallowed. He had no words. None. He couldn't tell her how much their lovemaking had meant, because he'd lost the ability to form coherent thoughts.
"Quinn," she whispered. Her voice sounded wobbly. Thready. As if she could barely force the words out.
As she moved her head, silken strands of her hair slid over his skin like cool water. He smoothed his hand over it, letting the waves slip through his fingers and curl around his wrist. He could lie here all day, holding her. Touching her. Inhaling her scent.
Did she feel the same way? Did she want to lie here with him for hours, cherishing their closeness? Or was she just recovering from the orgasm that had gone on and on? Made her scream his name?
Finally she kissed his neck. The soft suction made him stir, and he felt her smile against his skin. "Really? Already? I still can't feel my legs."
"I hope that's a good thing," he said. He stroked her back, lingering over every bump in her spine, loving the way she shivered beneath his hand. "Because I'd love to make you lose all the feeling in your legs again."
"Yeah?" She squirmed against him, and he sucked in a breath when her breasts brushed his chest. Her nipples were already hard. "What did you have in mind?"
"So many things, Tessa," he whispered, nipping her earlobe. "Do you want me to tell you about all of them? Or do you want to be surprised?"
She sucked in a breath. "Tell me." Her voice was a low moan, and she slid down until she rode his thigh. "Please, Quinn."
She wanted him to talk to her? His cock swelled even more, and his balls drew tight against him. He'd love to tell her what he wanted to do to her. "I'll start by kissing your mouth. Slow, so I can taste you. Feel the way you respond to me." He pressed a kiss to her mouth, licking slowly at the smooth skin inside her lip. "Then, when you're arching against me, I'll kiss the rest of you."
He smoothed a hand down her chest, taking one breast in his palm. "I'll spend a lot of time here. And here." He slid his hand down farther, brushing the dark red hair at the top of her mons. "And here."
He touched her cleft, still wet and swollen. He wanted to linger there, to feel her tense around his fingers, feel her come apart beneath him. But he trailed his fingers down her thigh.
He touched her lightly on the inside of her thigh, so close to her center that she squirmed against him. "I'd spend a lot of time right here. I can nibble on you here, and no one will see a mark. Only you and me. And when you take a shower, when you see my marks on your skin, you'll remember how I tasted you. How you came for me."
"Quinn." Her voice was breathless. Needy. Urgent. "I need you. Now."
He managed to rein in the desperate craving to slide inside her, to give them both what they needed. "What about all the things I want to do to you?"
"Next time. Too late now. Hurry!"
He groaned, struggling for control. She gripped his arms tightly, trying to pull him closer. "Tessa," he said into her mouth as he slid into her. "I have no control around you. You make me blind to everything but how much I want you."
"No more than you do to me," she said, her voice hitching as he moved inside her. "Quinn!" She wrapped one leg around his, opening herself to him.
He thrust into her and she arched into him. Her fingernails dug into his ass as she urged him on, and he felt himself teetering on the edge.
Suddenly she screamed and clamped around him, her contractions rippling over his length, and he couldn't hold himself back any longer. He came and came inside her, one spasm after another. He kept thrusting until she sagged onto the bed, her arms falling away from him, lying limp next to her.
They lay holding each other for a long time. When his heart rate slowed and his skin cooled, he kissed her gently, nuzzled into her neck. "So talking does it for you, huh?"
"Who knew?" Her voice was still thready. Breathless. "But I think it's more than the talking." She cupped his cheek, brushed her thumb over his mouth. "You do it for me, Quinn."
His heart clenched, a quick, tight squeeze. "You do it for me, too, Tessa."
He felt her smile against his chest. "Hard to believe I've only known you for...what? Two days? Three? I've never...this doesn't happen for me. I'm cautious. Careful. I don't get involved easily."
"This is different for me, too, Tessa. Kind of scary, if you want the truth." He lifted his head so he could see her eyes. "I had breakfast with my brothers yesterday. They knew I'd been with a woman, because they heard you over the phone. They were busting my balls about the fact I'd forgotten our lunch. I wanted to punch them for even talking about you like you were some kind of fling. A one-night stand."
She eased away from him. "We are a fling, though," she said quietly. "Aren't we? You don't want a relationship, I don't want to get involved with a cop. We agreed we'd have a good time together and that was all."
His arms tightened around her. This was a lot more than a good time. And as far as not wanting a relationship? Too late for that. He'd never gone to a woman for comfort after a tough case. He'd get a beer with the guys, hang out in some cop bar until it closed. Last night, all he could think about was Tessa.
But he wasn't going to freak her out by telling her all that. Sooner or later, he'd find out why she was so set against cops. And he didn't want to scare her away before then. He wanted a chance to convince her that he was a good guy. A guy she could trust. "You said it a moment ago – it's been a few days. We're just getting to know one another. We're not rushing into anything."
For a moment she was rigid against him. Then she relaxed. "You're right. We barely know one another. I don't know why I'm so nervous."
Because you feel it, too. The connection. The way we fit together. And not just in bed.
"Aren't you always a little nervous when you start dating someone new? I am."
She blew out a breath. "Yeah, that's probably what it is." She leaned away so she could see his face. "It's been a long time for me," she said. "A long time since I...dated." Her cheeks got pink. "Since I had sex."
He opened his mouth to tell her. To confess that he'd watched her from his bedroom window. Wanted her so badly that he'd ached. But he stopped himself in time.
He'd already said it to her – it had only been a few days. He needed to give her a chance to know him before he told her about that night. He needed her to trust him a little more first.
"I'll be happy to help you make up for lost time," he finally said, kissing her again.
"I think you already have that covered," she said with a grin, tangling her fingers in the hair on his chest.
Kissing the crown of her head, cupping her neck, he asked, "Since it's been awhile, do you have any special requests?"
"Mmm," she murmured against his skin. Her warm breath made him shiver. "You're doing fine on your own."
"I'd hate to disappoint."
"Don't think that's possible." She propped herself on one elbow, and he wanted to drag her closer again. Wanted to feel her skin against his.
She kept her gaze on his face, and he lost himself in the amber depths of her eyes. "You're amazing, Tessa. You could never disappoint me, either. I've never met anyone like you."
She tensed, then slid away. "How about breakfast?"
"Sounds good." He sat up, wondering what was going through her head. She'd backed away so fast she'd almost fallen off the bed. "I'm starving."
"Me, too." Her shoulders relaxed. "Mind if I shower first?"
"Is there room for two in there?" He'd seen her bathroom and knew there wasn't room for both of them in her shower, but he wanted to see how she'd react.
"Don't think
we'd both fit," she said easily. She got out of bed and grabbed her robe instinctively, glancing toward his window.
"You don't have to worry about that guy," he said. "He's already gotten an eyeful." Thank God he hadn't said anything about watching her.
"Yeah," she said. She glanced at his window again, then smiled at him. "A lot has changed in a couple of days." She kept the robe on, though.
"I'm really glad it has," he said quietly.
She paused at the door to the hall. Her smile faded, but she said, "Me, too."
***
Tessa didn't lock the bathroom door. But she thought about it.
She'd panicked in the bedroom. Quinn had been staring at her, his eyes both possessive and tender, and it freaked her out. Then he'd said he'd never met anyone like her. That she couldn't disappoint him.
She was afraid he wasn't talking about sex.
He couldn't know that. Not after three days.
But he looked as if he meant it. As if he'd wanted to say a lot more than that.
What shocked her was her reaction to his words. They'd made her heart pound, made her want to pull him close and hold him tight.
It made her feel as if they were connected, and not in a casual, light-hearted way. She'd felt a bond that went soul deep.
After three friggin' days, the word 'soulmate' was dancing in her head.
No way. That kind of stuff only happened in books. It was the amazing sex and the hormones that resulted from that sex. That's all it was.
She'd practically run out of the bedroom because she needed some distance to settle herself down. To banish the buzzing in her veins and the flutters in her heart. A shower, some breakfast, and back into her routine would take care of those disturbing, dangerous feelings.
Fifteen minutes later, she headed back to her room, once again wrapped in her robe. Quinn wasn't there. He wasn't in the living room, either, or in the kitchen. Frowning, she sank onto the unmade bed. Why had he waited until she was in the shower, then left without saying anything?
She turned and stared out the window, looking for him in the apartment across the way. There were no lights, no signs of life. He hadn't gone home.
Watch Me (The Donovan Family Book 2) Page 10
