“What did you tell her?” Xandy asked Quinn, who’d just picked up a bottle of Guinness and taken a swig.
“Nothing much,” Quinn said. “I just talked.”
“So we should add family therapist to your growing list of talents,” Xandy said, smiling.
“Uh, no,” Quinn said, rolling her eyes.
By this time, everyone in the family had seen the video of Quinn fighting in Belfast the night before, as well as the video of her singing outside the club. She’d become some kind of urban hero, it embarrassed her completely. It was obviously being noticed in America as well, since Xandy had gotten an email from Devin telling her that Quinn was quite the hit in LA. When Xandy had informed Quinn she’d shaken her head and gone out to the porch to smoke. She definitely didn’t like the idea of fame.
The next morning, they drove to Dublin. They toured the city for several hours before checking into a hotel. Quinn had made reservations at a hotel in Dún Laoghaire called The Royal Marine. Quinn had already been recognized a number of times, as had Xandy. They were becoming quite the sensation in Ireland too.
In their hotel room, Xandy had gone into the bathroom to put away her toiletries. When she emerged, she found Quinn relaxing.
She was sitting on the bed in jeans and a tank top. Her feet were planted on the bed, her knees bent with her arms resting on them. She was the picture of sexy in Xandy’s mind. With her red hair falling across her forehead, and her bright green eyes, her prominent cheekbones and very kissable looking lips. Xandy realized how very attracted she was to this woman, yet again. Not that the feeling had ever really tapered off, but she’d been more circumspect about it while staying in Quinn’s parents’ house. She’d known, without being told, that nothing really sexual could happen at the Kavanaugh family home. To Xandy’s way of thinking, that was just simple respect and she knew Quinn would feel the same.
Now standing at the foot of the bed, watching Quinn chuckle, Xandy felt drawn to her. Setting aside the bottle in her hand, Xandy got bold. Crawling onto the bed, her eyes intent on Quinn’s, Xandy moved to position herself between Quinn’s knees. Quinn’s grin indicated pleased surprise.
“Now what are you on about?” Quinn asked, sounding very Irish.
Xandy didn’t say a word, she simply lowered her head, her lips capturing Quinn’s in a kiss. Quinn groaned slightly against Xandy’s lips, her hands sliding around Xandy’s back to gather her closer. Quinn slid her legs down to rest on the bed, as she lifted Xandy onto her lap, their lips never parting.
Xandy felt her body tingling everywhere, heat flowing through her body as she pressed herself against Quinn. Xandy was wearing cotton capris pants and a tank top so there wasn’t a lot of material between her and the jeans Quinn wore. She found that the feel of this combination was quite exciting.
As Quinn’s lips deepened the kiss, she pulled Xandy closer, pressing that very sensitive part of Xandy’s body even harder to her. Xandy felt her body ignite in a kind of slow burn. Every move Quinn made aroused Xandy more, so when Quinn’s thumb brushed upward, just grazing her nipple through her shirt, Xandy cried out. She grasped at Quinn’s shoulders, not noticing Quinn wince in pain, as the throes of the orgasm rocked through her.
Afterwards she lay against Quinn, gasping for breath. The myriad of sensations making her shudder slightly every so often. Quinn held Xandy against her, stroking her hair and grinning. The girl certainly didn’t have any qualms about having sex with a lesbian, was her thought. It had been Quinn’s experience that some women thought they were interested in other women, but when it came to the actual act of sex with one, they shied away. Xandy had definitely not done that, at least not yet.
When she’d finally caught her breath, Xandy leaned back, looking at Quinn. “Wow,” she said simply, causing Quinn to grin again.
“That was…” Xandy began, her voice trailing off as she shook her head. “I mean, we both still have our clothes on!”
This exclamation elicited an outright laugh from Quinn.
“Well, we can fix that,” Quinn said, grinning.
“Can we?” Xandy asked, her eyes alight.
Quinn nodded, leaning in to kiss her again, and sliding her hands up Xandy’s sides, taking her shirt off and reaching back to unclip Xandy’s bra deftly. Lifting Xandy slightly, Quinn shifted them both so she could lay Xandy on her back sideways across the bed, sliding her pants and underwear off. Quinn moved to lie on her side next to Xandy, her hand caressing Xandy’s stomach.
“Well, that just makes one of us naked,” Xandy said, her look expectant.
“And that’s a problem?”
“A very definite problem, yes,” Xandy replied.
Quinn nodded. She stood up, as Xandy watched, and removed her tank top, along with the sports bra, her eyes fixed on Xandy’s. Then she unbuttoned her jeans and slid them off, leaving only black boxer briefs with the word “Tomboy” on the waistband. As Quinn removed those, Xandy noticed that not only were there other tattoos she hadn’t seen before, but that Quinn had the most amazingly toned, leanly muscled body she’d ever seen in her life. Every move Quinn made had sinewy muscles rippling.
As Quinn climbed onto the bed, her body like a panther’s, Xandy drew in a deep breath; her heart was beating madly in her chest. Quinn moved over Xandy, one hand on either side of her head, as she leaned down capturing Xandy’s lips again. The fire in Xandy’s body reignited instantly as she wound her arms around Quinn’s neck, trying to press her body up and against Quinn’s, but Quinn held her body firm. She continued to kiss Xandy, moving expertly; pulling back, their lips just touching, then pressing in again almost teasingly, and making Xandy more desperate for contact with Quinn’s skin.
Quinn’s lips left Xandy’s, first kissing her neck, and then moving further down to the hollow of her shoulder. Xandy gasped with pleasure as Quinn moved lower, her lips touching Xandy’s extremely hard and sensitive nipples, but pulling back right as Xandy would have reached her release. This was repeated a few times, driving Xandy insane.
When Xandy was sure she couldn’t take anymore, Quinn lowered her body, pressing against Xandy and within moments they were both moaning and grasping at each other as they came. Afterwards, Quinn rolled to her side, taking Xandy with her so that Xandy was slightly over her. Xandy laid her head against Quinn’s shoulder, still trying to calm her breathing.
“Wow, doesn’t even begin to cover that,” Xandy said, her voice breathless.
Quinn, who was less winded, but definitely still affected, nodded. “Agreed.”
They both lay there awhile, enjoying the feel of the other’s skin. Xandy’s fingers traced the tattoo that was on Quinn’s right hip. It was a sunburst with an eight pointed star and the words “Óglaigh na hÉireann” in a circle band in the center, with two Fs in script in the very center.
“What is this one?” Xandy asked, her fingers still brushing the tattoo.
Quinn glanced down. “It’s the badge of the Irish Defense Forces.”
“The Army?” Xandy asked.
“The forces as a whole,” Quinn replied. “There are a lot of parts to the forces, like the Army and the Navy. For us, Defense Forces is like your armed forces.”
“Oh,” Xandy said nodding. “So what’s this phrase?”
“Óglaigh na hÉireann,” Quinn pronounced, it sounded like “oogly na herrin.”
“And what does it mean?”
Quinn grinned, Xandy never got tired of learning this kind of thing.
“It basically means Irish volunteers, or Irish warriors.”
Xandy nodded. “Which is what you are.”
“Uh-huh,” Quinn murmured, rolling her eyes.
“And this part?” Xandy said. “The FF?”
“It stands for Fianna Fail,” Quinn said, “which is basically Celtic army and destiny.”
Xandy glanced up at Quinn, moving to lever herself up on her elbow.
“Maybe that’s what’s happening here?” Xandy asked.
“Wot?” Quinn asked, her eyes searching Xandy’s. “Destiny?”
“Maybe this is the light I needed to see,” Xandy replied.
“Or maybe it’s just that you needed to feel close to someone again,” Quinn replied, not wanting Xandy to think that she was some kind of answer.
Xandy nodded, looking slightly deflated.
“Hey,” Quinn said, reaching out to touch Xandy under the chin to guide her eyes back to hers again. “I’m not saying this doesn’t mean anything, Xan,” she said, her voice soft. “I just think that your destiny is much bigger than this.”
Later that night they went down to one of the hotel restaurants to have dinner. It was a beautiful restaurant with large black multi-tiered chandeliers and elegantly appointed tables and booths. Quinn asked for a table near the windows and was greeted with great deference, which she was apparently unaccustomed to, judging by her reaction. Their waitress made it clear why she was being treated with such respect.
“You’re famous,” the waitress told Quinn.
“I think you mean her,” Quinn said, pointing to Xandy.
The waitress’ eyes went to Xandy then back to Quinn. “Of course we know Ms. Xandy Blue,” she said, smiling brightly, “but what you did standing up to those guys like that… you’re a hero.”
Quinn widened her eyes at Xandy, who hid her grin behind her hand.
“Well, ah, thanks,” Quinn said, having no idea what to say.
The waitress nodded emphatically.
After they’d ordered, and Quinn’s Guinness arrived, Quinn looked over at Xandy. “So I was thinking…” she began, not sure how she really wanted to broach the subject on her mind.
Xandy bit the inside of her cheek, worried about what Quinn was about to say.
“Now, I want you to hear me out, okay?” Quinn said, her look cautionary.
Xandy looked even more worried, but nodded agreement.
“You need to consider how much you want this,” Quinn said, indicating the two of them, “to get out.”
“You mean, us being together?” Xandy asked, her look already recalcitrant.
“Yeah,” Quinn said, “for your reputation, and your sales.”
“No,” Xandy said, shaking her head. “I’m not going to hide you.”
“I’m not asking you to hide me, Xan. I’m just saying that this might not be something you want to advertise openly.”
“No.”
“Xan, listen to me,” Quinn said, knowing she needed to make the girl understand. “You and I both know that sex is what sells in this world, and that’s what BJ is selling with you.”
“I don’t care,” Xandy said, sitting back and folding her arms in front of her.
Quinn sighed, knowing that this was going to be difficult.
“I just want you to think about it, okay? ’Cause I can tell you that BJ is going to be pissed about this. This is not what he bought when he signed you.”
“Well, too bad,” Xandy said, her lower lip jutting forward in her determination, “this is too important to me to just pretend it hasn’t happened.”
Quinn couldn’t help grin at her defiant tone and it did feel good that someone wanted to be with her above all else, but she was still worried.
“Xan, what you and I have isn’t reduced by the idea of no one knowing about it.”
“And you’d be okay with us hiding it?”
“It doesn’t matter to me,” Quinn said, shrugging,
“How can it not?” Xandy asked, surprised.
“Because my relationships and how I feel about someone has nothing to do with how many people know about it,” Quinn said, her voice calm and reasonable.
Xandy looked back at Quinn for a long moment, thinking about what she’d said. On the one hand, she liked that Quinn was more interested in being with her than her fame. It was a nice change from Tommy; she knew Quinn wasn’t looking to get anything out of her fame. On the other hand, Xandy wasn’t sure she really cared enough about her career to hide something this important to her.
Finally, she nodded. “Okay, I’ll think about being discreet. But I’m not out-and-out hiding it, if someone asks, they’re getting the truth.”
Quinn grinned at her vehemence, but nodded seriously. “Okay then.”
They spent a few more days in the Republic of Ireland, checking out Dublin and even made their way to Camp Curragh where Quinn had done most of her military training. However, they were only able to see very limited parts of the camp.
Back in Belfast, on the last evening before they flew back to Los Angeles, Quinn’s family came together. Xandy finally met Quinn’s oldest sister, Fionna. She also found out why she hadn’t heard much about Fionna during her time with the family. Fionna had married an English businessman, who seemed to disdain anything Irish. Fionna also seemed to disdain her family. And she definitely didn’t approve of Quinn, her sexual orientation, the tattoos, the short hair, or anything else about her life.
Fortunately for everyone, Fionna’s visit was very short, and it seemed everyone in the family relaxed after she left. Xandy asked Quinn about it later that night. “Fionna doesn’t like you, does she?” she asked, as she lay in Quinn’s arms.
Quinn grinned into the darkness, she was lying on her back, and Xandy was, as always, snuggled up next to her.
“Fionna changed a lot when she married Winslow,” Quinn said, shrugging.
“Were you two close before that?” Xandy asked, glancing up at Quinn.
“Not really, no. She was almost a teenager when I was born, and we never really had anything in common growing up. Since I spent most of my time with the boys, she had no real use for me.”
“But you love her…” Xandy said.
“Of course I do,” Quinn said. “I just don’t really know her, especially now.”
“She doesn’t approve of you, does she?”
“What makes you say that?” Quinn asked.
“The way she looked at you. I noticed that you wore sleeves tonight, but she still made a comment about the tattoo on your neck.”
“Oh, yeah, she just doesn’t get the tattoo thing at all. I covered most of them for my mother’s sake, not hers.”
“What do you mean?” Xandy asked, surprised by the comment.
“My mother likes for us kids to get along. Fionna doesn’t hold back when she doesn’t like something, so she’d start with me about the tatts and I’d go right back at her, and it would upset my mother. So I don’t give Fionna too much of a reason to bitch at me.”
Xandy moved to lever up on her arms, looking down at Quinn.
“Is that why you didn’t respond to her?” Xandy asked.
Quinn nodded.
“You’d do anything for them.” Xandy said.
“I’d die for them, even Fionna.”
Xandy looked back at Quinn, surprised by the statement, but realizing that she shouldn’t be. It had been obvious to her from the moment she’d met Quinn’s family. Xandy knew that Quinn was important to them, and that they were her world.
Reaching out, she touched the family crest on Quinn’s neck.
“Family,” Xandy said.
“Above all else,” Quinn added.
Xandy nodded understanding completely. Her family had been her world, before they’d been snatched away from her. Lying back down, she snuggled against Quinn and they fell asleep.
The next morning, Quinn was up before Xandy, and she was sitting out in the sunroom, smoking and drinking her coffee when her mother walked out.
“G’mornin’ Ma,” Quinn said, smiling at her mother and immediately stubbing out her cigarette.
Brann leaned down kissing her daughter on the cheek, then moved to sit down.
“So you’re leaving today?” Brann asked.
Quinn nodded. “Xandy needs to get back to put some finishing touches on her album.”
“She’s a very sweet girl, Quinn,” Brann said, her eyes shining.
“She is indeed,” Quinn said, nodding.
“There’s kind of a shadow about her, though, isn’t there?”
“She’s been through a lot.”
“But she’s so young!” Brann replied, sounding shocked.
“She lost her entire family, ma,” Quinn said, her tone grave.
“Was it a tornado?” Brann asked, remembering how haunted Xandy had seemed when they talked about tornadoes.
“Yeah,” Quinn said, looking quizzically at her mother.
“She got a bit upset one day when your brothers asked about tornadoes.”
“Oh,” Quinn said, nodding. “She’s still not sure why she’s still here when they’re all gone.”
“Oh the poor lamb…” Brann said, shaking her head sadly.
Quinn nodded, looking sad as well.
“Perhaps you are meant to help her with this,” Brann said.
“Maybe.”
“The good lord never gives us more than we can handle, but he does send angels to help us sometimes,” Brann said, winking at her daughter.
It was those words that Quinn carried home with her as they flew back to America in BJ’s jet.
Chapter 8
Back in California, they arrived to a balmy day in Los Angeles. They also arrived to the good news that Devin had traced the threatening emails back to Tommy Shay, which truly surprised no one. The police made a visit to Tommy’s house and confiscated his computer and laptop. The evidence was quickly found on the computers and Tommy was arrested under the stalker laws. He pleaded guilty and was sent to jail for three months, and was fined $1,000. Quinn hoped it would give Xandy some peace of mind, and it did for the most part, but Xandy was worried and it showed.
They were driving to a celebratory lunch date with Devin and Skyler. Quinn noted that Xandy was particularly quiet. At first she chalked it up to jet lag as they’d only been back for three days, and it had been a difficult adjustment for Xandy. Quinn had gone back home often enough that her body adjusted easily to the time changes.
Break in the Storm (WeHo Book 2) Page 15
