The Truth (Butler Ranch Book 5)

by Heather Slade

  Before Mercer could suggest Max leave now to exchange trucks, they saw headlights coming back down the dirt road. The three men moved back into the woods.

  “Jesus Christ,” whispered Paps, watching as Maddox stopped, got out, walked over, and looked inside Naughton’s truck.

  Once Maddox drove away, Paps pointed at Max. “Get your ass to Butler Ranch, put Naughton’s vehicle back where you found it, and get the ranch pickup that’s parked to the right of the winery building.”

  Max left before Paps could say anything else.

  “Let me guess, Naughton’s was parked on the left side.”

  “Hell if I know, but how else do you explain it?” Paps started to walk away, but turned back. “Go. I got this. There’s a plane waiting at the airfield to transport you to New York.”

  “What are you talking about? Why?”

  “Because I said so.”

  “Not good enough.” Mercer had a hell of a lot of respect for Paps, but recently he’d begun treating him like an employee instead of a partner, and he didn’t like it.

  “Skipper, asshole.”

  Mercer wasn’t sure what to do. He’d never been in this situation before.

  “I’m transporting Barbie myself,” Paps added. “And when I get back, I’m hiring a whole new crew.”

  Mercer laughed. “I’m with you there. You say Razor vetted these guys?”

  “With his head up his ass.”

  “Thanks, sir,” he said, slapping Paps on the back.

  There wasn’t any way he would’ve gotten a flight tonight if Paps hadn’t arranged for the plane. This way, he’d fly all night and land in the morning.

  “By the way, Skipper is still on the island.”

  Mercer already knew that. It didn’t matter how much shit went down in the last forty-eight hours; he’d checked in with Razor every chance he had.

  11

  “Are you bored?” Aine asked Quinn at breakfast.

  “A little bit.” She wasn’t bored as much as she missed Mercer. She hated being that girl, but even though she’d vowed not to be, she couldn’t help herself; he was all she thought about.

  “How mad do you think Pen would be if we went back to the city for a couple days, and then came back for the party.”

  “She’s going to be pissed that we’re not staying over the weekend.”

  “I know, but I can’t handle another seven days on this island. It’s been fun, but God, we’re the youngest people here.”

  Quinn rolled her eyes and laughed. If they left later today, by tomorrow, everyone their age would be back here to celebrate the long holiday weekend. “We should stay.”

  “I knew you were going to say that,” Aine grumbled. “Have you heard from the mysterious Mr. Mercer?”

  “Not really.” She’d gotten a few texts, but still no word on when he’d be back. It was one reason she wanted to stay on the island. She couldn’t go back to her apartment and sit there, waiting for him. She’d go crazy.

  “What should we do today? Wait, I know. Let’s go the beach. Again.” Aine rolled her eyes and huffed her way back into the bathroom to take a shower.

  Quinn got up from the kitchen table and filled a bowl with fruit she’d cut up last night knowing that if she didn’t do it before she went to bed, they’d eat crap for breakfast again today. It wasn’t that she didn’t love the freshly baked croissants they’d had every day since they’d arrived, but if she didn’t stop eating them, she’d have to go buy new bikinis because hers wouldn’t fit anymore. When she heard the ping, Quinn left the bowl of fruit on the counter and grabbed her phone off the table.

  Good morning, precious.

  She smiled and did the math. It was six in the morning in California. You’re up early. Hitting the gym?

  Thinking about going for a bike ride.

  Sounds nice. Maybe instead of going straight to the beach, she and Aine should ride around the island, get some exercise to help work off all those croissants.

  Want to join me?

  She’d like nothing better. Sure. I’d love to.

  Then come outside.

  Quinn looked out the breakfast nook window and saw Mercer standing just outside the guest house’s gate, with two bicycles.

  “You’re back,” she squealed and ran out the door, through the gate, and into his arms.

  “I’m back.”

  “You didn’t tell me.”

  Mercer cupped her cheek and covered her lips with his. Quinn wound her arms around his neck, kissing him back.

  “I left late last night instead of waiting to catch a flight today,” he murmured. “I wanted to surprise you.”

  “You sure did. How’d you know I was…never mind. I don’t care. I’m just so happy you’re here.”

  “I missed you, precious,” he said, holding her tighter.

  “Are you here just for the day?” She knew she sounded disappointed. The solution was easy though, if he was going back to the city later, she’d go with him.

  “No. Why?”

  “You don’t have a bag or anything.”

  “I have a friend who has a place here.”

  “Of course you do,” she said, laughing.

  “I thought you hadn’t heard from him,” Aine shouted, coming out the same door Quinn had.

  “I’m a surprise,” Mercer told her right before she hugged him.

  “You’re too good to be true,” Aine said, and then looked at Quinn. “Isn’t he?”

  She leveled her gaze at her friend, willing her not to say anything about Mercer’s lack of internet presence. Instead, Aine went in a different direction.

  “Do you have a twin by any chance? I need one of you for me.”

  “You need one of him for you?” Quinn burst out laughing.

  “You know what I meant.” Aine laughed too.

  “He’s got a buddy with a house here.”

  “Is he single?” Aine asked.

  “He’s not here; I’m just staying at his place.”

  “Oh, well.” Aine leaned forward and kissed Quinn’s cheek. “I’ll see you later?”

  She looked at him, and he nodded. “At some point.”

  “Have fun!” Aine waved behind her and walked through the garden to the main house.

  “Ready to ride?” he asked.

  “Um…sure.”

  He pulled her toward the bike. “Come on.”

  Quinn looked down at what she was wearing. “I should change, and I haven’t showered yet.”

  Mercer wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. “I thought you might want to take a shower with me.”

  “I’d like that,” she murmured.

  “This time we won’t be rushed.”

  “Okay,” she said, climbing on the other bike, and trying to slow down her breathing. “Where are we going?”

  “Not very far.”

  “Thank God.”

  “You weren’t kidding about it being close,” Quinn said when they pulled the bikes up in front of the beach house.

  “We should talk,” he said as they put the bikes on the side of the house.

  Talk was the last thing Quinn wanted to do.

  Mercer put his hand on the small of her back and guided her to the side door. He unlocked it and held the door open for her to go inside.

  She stood with her back to the kitchen counter while he locked the door behind him. Her eyes were glued to his when he met her gaze. Mercer stood in front of her and put his hands on the kitchen counter, boxing her in.

  “Did you hear me?”

  She nodded. “I just…”

  He waited for her to finish, but instead, she let out a sigh.

  “It would be so much easier sometimes if you’d just finish my sentences for me.” She laughed and so did he.

  “I know you think I can read your mind, precious. But I can’t.”

  “Can we talk later?”

  Mercer shook his head. “No, we can’t. Because after we do, our relationshi
p is going to change.”

  “In a bad way?”

  “No, precious. In the best way.”

  “Oh.”

  “Come here.” Mercer led her over to the front of the house, to a sofa near the front windows, which looked out over the water. They sat, and he put his arm around her shoulders.

  “I am affiliated with K19 Solutions, Quinn, but I don’t work for them; I’m one of the owners.”

  “What does K19 Solutions do?”

  “Lots of stuff that I can’t talk about.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll tell you this much. Most of our work is with the federal government and the national security agencies.”

  “Like the CIA?”

  Mercer nodded. “Yes, and the others.”

  “Were you in the military?”

  “At one time I was.”

  “I thought so.”

  Mercer smiled. “Yeah?”

  She nodded and smiled too. “You remind me a little bit of my grandfather, not that I knew him all that well. I mean, I did, but I haven’t seen him in so long.”

  “As far as what I do goes, no matter how our relationship progresses, my inability to discuss the details of the work I do with you won’t change.” He waited again for her to respond, and when she didn’t, he continued. “The majority is highly classified. I need to know, Quinn, do you think you’ll be able to handle this long-term?”

  “It helps that you told me this much. Will it be the same? When you go out of town, will you keep in touch with me? Can we talk?”

  “Not always. When I can, I will.”

  “Oh.” She looked away.

  “Talk to me, precious.”

  “I’m not sure how I feel, to be honest. I’ll worry a lot.”

  “That’s natural.”

  “What if something happens to you?” She regretted the question as soon as she said it.

  “You’ll know in the same way you’d know if I was in a car accident, or something else happened unrelated to the work I do.”

  “That’s fair, I guess. Is there anything else?”

  “That I can tell you?”

  She nodded.

  “Not a lot, except I hope you’ll trust me, and believe I only want the very best for you. I never want to hurt you, or even make you unhappy.”

  “What about your tattoo?” She held her breath, hoping he’d answer.

  “A big part of what I do is to protect people.”

  “You see yourself as a guardian angel?”

  “Yes. To a certain extent anyway.”

  “Okay.” She paused. “Mercer?”

  “Yes, Quinn?”

  “How is our relationship going to change?”

  “Let’s take that shower and see. Shall we?”

  She nodded and crossed her arms, hoping he didn’t notice how much she was shaking. The idea that this was it—she and Mercer were about to have sex—overwhelmed her.

  “Quinn?”

  She smiled. “Yes, Mercer?”

  “What happens or doesn’t happen between us today or any other day, isn’t predetermined. Like before, we’ll go with what feels right to both of us.”

  “Okay.”

  “Anything else you want to ask me, or talk about?”

  “I don’t think so. Not talking would be preferable, actually.”

  He drew her closer to him, and looked into her eyes. When she tried to look away, he put his fingers on her chin. “When I ask how you’re doing, I want you to answer me honestly, okay?”

  Quinn could feel her face turning ten shades of red, and the tremors in her body worsen. When he didn’t look away, she realized he was waiting for an answer. “Yes.”

  —:—

  Mercer scooped her up in his arms, the only way he could think of to alleviate the tension that threatened to derail them before they even got started. Quinn had been bolder than he ever could’ve predicted when she’d undressed and joined him in the shower six days ago, but now she was cautious, worried, and so anxiety-ridden her body trembled.

  He carried her into the bedroom, set her on the edge of the bed, and gently pushed her shoulders back. Then he rested his clothed body against hers.

  He covered her mouth with his, soft at first, but then harder. The idea that she was his—all his—made him crazy with want. He slowed again, pulling back to look into eyes that were glazed over, pupils dilated, as she searched his for what would happen next.

  Mercer slid his hands under her shirt, gripping her breasts through her bra. He had to taste her; he couldn’t wait a minute longer. Quinn’s hands pulled at the fabric, and together they got it over her head and flung it to the floor.

  “God, you’re so beautiful,” he growled, burying his face in her neck as, with a flick of his fingers, he unclasped her bra and moved the cups out of his way.

  Quinn pulled it from her body, throwing it to the floor.

  His eyes took in her perfect, full breasts. His lips followed, and he trailed his tongue down to where he’d feasted only days ago. Now, though, he was breathless in the knowledge he could spend all day lapping their sweetness. Beneath him, Quinn began to writhe, her body reacting instinctively to their shared desire. Her back arched, and she cried out his name as his wet mouth closed over her nipple. She raised one knee, and he stroked her bare thigh with his fingers.

  “These have to go,” he said, unbuttoning her shorts and easing the zipper down slowly, as though he were unwrapping a treasure.

  Quinn lowered her leg, and then lifted for him. He pulled them off with just a glimpse of the pale pink panties that matched her bra. Later, in the days to come, he’d take his time, savoring her beauty as he made her undress before him. Now, though, he couldn’t control his urge to have her naked beneath him.

  Once every inch of her lay bare before him, he stood between her legs, which hung off the edge of the bed, and drank her in, from her pretty pink toes, up the body he’d had countless dreams about, to her eyes that were locked onto his.

  Mercer’s nostrils flared and his breathing became more labored as he pulled his shirt over his head and threw it on the floor. She sat up and ran her hands over his chest. Chill bumps covered her body as his tongue swirled and licked trails over her bare skin.

  “Breathe, precious,” he whispered as he rested each hand on the inside of her thighs. “Open for me.”

  As his fingers trailed up, so close to her sex, she scooted away, farther up on the bed, but his fingers followed until they touched her heat.

  “Oh, God,” she cried, and opened her squeezed-shut eyes, embarrassed by her reaction.

  He smiled down at her with a mixture of pride and desire. “You’re magnificent,” he murmured before kissing her again.

  She tugged at the waistband of his shorts. Tearing his lips from hers, Mercer unfastened his belt, unzipped, and dropped them and his underwear, freeing his hardness. She leaned forward, trying to reach him with her hand.

  “Careful, baby,” he sighed, his jaw clenched tight as he moved her hand away.

  “I’m sorry. I wish I knew what I was doing.”

  “Don’t ever apologize for wanting me, and what you’re doing is perfect,” he said, lowering himself so his body stretched out next to hers.

  “Please, Mercer. Teach me what to do,” she begged.

  His eyes trailed over her body, until she flushed again.

  “I will, precious, but first I want to look. Whenever we’re apart, I want to see you just like this. Open for me, wanting me…I want this every day, Quinn, for the rest of our lives.”

  She shuddered as he leaned over her and reached between her legs. He marveled at her responsiveness, watching as she bit her bottom lip, pulling at him.

  As much as he wanted to be inside her, he held back, taking his time as his fingers explored her body. Her moans of pleasure almost undid him.

  “You like that, precious?” he asked, probing deeper.

  “Yes,” she answered, moving her body against his hand. �
��I want more, Mercer.”

  When he gave her what she wanted, her body arched, her thighs quivered, and her mouth opened, letting the sweetest sound he’d ever heard escape from her lips.

  Mercer waited for her to come down from her climax, licking the perspiration from her neck and shoulder, until he saw her eyes open.

  “Don’t you want to…” she murmured.

  He loved the way she struggled to finish her sentences, particularly when she knew he wasn’t going to do it for her. He watched as her mouth formed words she didn’t speak.

  “I do,” he said, freeing her from her torment. “But you have to be ready first.”

  She continued to writhe as he explored the depths of her with his hand and mouth, wringing cries of pleasure from her again and again.

  He waited again until she caught her breath and opened her eyes. While she watched, he reached over and pulled a condom from the nightstand drawer, and rolled it on.

  “Precious,” he said and waited until her eyes met his. “This will hurt, but only for a moment.”

  She nodded, her eyes beseeching, and her body yearning.

  Slowly he took her, watching as her eyes rolled back in her head. He swept his tongue into her open mouth and swallowed her cry of pain. He stilled then, waiting for it to ease. When Quinn started to push back against him, he knew she was ready for more.

  He thrust harder and harder, his body rubbing against hers, and soon he felt her tighten, clenching him as her body bowed again and her cries escaped. He couldn’t stop himself from joining her in the most intense, perfect ecstasy he’d ever experienced.

  He kissed her throat, her chest, and her nipples. He ran his tongue around her belly button and then his mouth found hers again. She wriggled under him, and the expression on his face changed.

  “Being inside you feels so good, so perfect,” he groaned, as his hips began to move again. Mercer wove his fingers in her hair, and his other hand gripped her hip. “I need more of you,” he growled. His jaw set firm and his eyes stared into hers as he took her higher and higher, until he knew she’d explode again.

  She grabbed his shoulders, digging her nails into his skin, as he withdrew from her body and collapsed beside her.

  “My God,” he groaned against her neck. He pulled her closer so their bodies were flush against each other.