Quinn I (Undaunted Men #1) (22 page)

I bend my knees and tilt my head to get eye level with her. “You’re hardly a stranger anymore. Hell, Kimber would be pissed at me if I let you go now. She thinks you’re part of the pack.”
 

She softly smiles, and it warms my heart. My eyes follow the droplets of water from the ends of her hair as they drip onto her creamy soft skin and then roll down into her cleavage. My gaze is stuck on the dip between her breasts, and I want to lick her there. I’ve stoically held out, but I can’t take it any longer. I’ve lost my last little bit of sanity and self-restraint.
 

“I really need to kiss you again,” I rasp inches from her lips. Her brown eyes soften, turning molten. She’s so mesmerized by the lustful haze in my eyes, she barely nods her head, giving me permission.

I lower my mouth to hers, and her eyelids drift shut. I want to memorize the feel and taste of her kiss. Her lips part in invitation, and I seductively trail my tongue over hers and into the warmth of her mouth. She moans when our tongues collide, and then our kiss intensifies to a heated battle, full of desire. When she presses her body against mine, I curl my fingers into her hips, pulling her against my already stiff cock.

“Please tell me I’m not crazy. Tell me you can feel this spark between us,” I huskily whisper between kisses.

“I do feel it, Quinn,” she breathes over my lips. She tentatively skims her fingertips over the rough stubble along my jawline, and by the look in her eyes, she wasn’t done kissing me, so I happily oblige her. Her kiss is all revealing, full of passion with a thirst for more, making my dick pulsate with need. I want nothing more than to remove her towel and make her mine, but dammit, there’s too much going on, including a pregnancy, which we haven’t addressed yet. My brows furrow for a moment because I'm a little confused. Everything has been moving so fast, I haven't had time to think about what she’d previously said about her being on birth control. I don't have the background training in medicine that my friend Stryker has, nor am I an OB/GYN, but I'm pretty sure a woman shouldn't be taking birth control in order to regulate her hormones while she's pregnant.

“All right, Sweet Lips.” I reluctantly break away and lean my forehead against hers. “Time to get dressed. We need a place to set up camp and start a fire. We'll talk later tonight after I get us settled.” I pull my head back, locking eyes with her, my unsmiling face telling her I couldn’t be more serious. “I’m going to want answers, and not just a few. I want them all.”

I rest on top of my sleeping bag for a little bit after dinner while Lexi washes out her clothes in the river. I had sprayed down her tick-ridden clothes and backpack with the can of Deet, and I’ve got very little of it left.
 

Kimber crawls on top of my body and snuggles herself over my chest. It’s blatantly obvious Kimber has been therapeutic for Lexi. Not only have I seen the laughter she brings her, but a sense of calm washes over her when she’s loving on Kimber, too.

I smile at my girl, proud of her in so many ways as I pet her head. “You were a good girl today,” I tell her softly, and she licks my face. I grin, rolling my head to the side to get away from her wet tongue, rubbing behind her ears. “I’m surprised you’ve got time for your old man now. Ever since Lexi came into the picture, you’ve kicked me to the curb.”
 

She tries to make it up to me by going crazy with her tongue, licking me relentlessly all over my face, and I burst out laughing as I try to peel her face off mine. “All right, settle down now,” I tell her. She relaxes and nuzzles her snout into the crook of my neck, her whiskers tickling me. I rub her back, and she lets out a groan of approval in my ear, making me chuckle.
 

I’ve seen working dogs in action before, but I couldn’t believe how in sync we were with who was taking what man down. We were literally a team, and it felt good to know she’d fight for me. She was all muscle and teeth, and I was so proud of her. That man’s going to need some stitches in his arm; I’m banking on it.

Having a fresh mountain stream nearby, I was able to fill a collapsible gallon container full of water. I had a freeze dried, vacuum-packaged meal of dry soup mix I brought along, so all I had to do was heat up some water using my Sterno gel fuel. All the food I brought has been enough for two people, because I didn’t know what Lexi’s food situation would be. I was glad to see her friend supplied her pretty decently with MRE-type meals.
 

No food goes to waste with us. What we don’t eat, I add it to Kimber’s food, and she gobbles it right up. Not knowing how long we’re going to be out here, I will need to start conserving our food and begin hunting for game to eat.
 

With it being as hot as it was today, I changed my mind about having a fire. Plus, it’s still a tad humid out. I know the temperatures will drop during the night, but with our combined body heat, Lexi should do just fine. It's me I'm worried about.

“Well, you two look mighty cozy,” Lexi comments as she approaches us from behind.
 

“You jealous?”

“I’m not the jealous type.”

“Uh-huh, that’s what they all say.”
 

Lexi sits down beside me and pets Kimber, who starts wagging her tail, eating up all the attention. “We can share, can’t we, girl?” Lexi coos, and Kimber licks her square on the mouth. “Ewww.”
 

I grin at the both of them. “I’m going to need to take a little hike and scout out ahead. I’m going to leave Kimber here with you.” She looks at me nervously and bites her lower lip in worry. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

“How do you know?”
 

I reach out and stroke her arm reassuringly. “Because I wouldn’t leave you for a second if I thought it wasn’t safe. Trust me, okay?”

“Okay,” she responds in a far off sadness.
 

I prompt Kimber to get off me, and then I sit up. I lean in and give Lexi a chaste kiss on the cheek. “I’ll be back before you know it. One hour, tops.”

She nods her head, and I can tell she’s not happy about being left alone. “Kimber, you stay here and watch over Alexis, all right?” She wags her tail as I get to my feet. I gather a few things from my pack, and then when I turn around to leave, Lexi slips into my arms for a hug.

“I’ll be timing you,” she whispers.

I hug her back and kiss the top her head. “Deal.” She reluctantly lets me go, and I leave them behind staring after me.
 

I hike about twenty minutes toward the top of the mountain until I get a decent signal on my SAT phone. I’ll also need to touch base with Stryker and the guys to update them. I scroll through my contacts until I reach Moretti’s name and press send. The phone rings twice before he answers.
 

“Quinn?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

“What’s going on? You find her yet?”

“Yeah, I’ve got her.”

“Thank God,” he breathes, relief evident in his voice. “Is she okay?”

“Yeah, she’s okay for now.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means I’ve had a hell of a day. A couple of armed men tried to ambush my camp this morning. You know anything about that, Tony? They wanted Alexis, wanted her bad enough to kill.” My voice is tense as I restrain my anger. “I thought you said I wasn’t stepping into any crossfire.”
 

“What the hell, Quinn? What are you talking about?”

“Apparently she had a GPS tracker in her bag. Somebody knew she was taking off, and that somebody wanted to track her down, but it makes no sense to me.”

“Aw hell, Quinn,” he says using an apologetic tone, “I promise you I knew nothing about that. I’m in the dark, just like you. Where are you now?”

“I’m not telling anybody my location, including you, and I’m staying on the move. It’s safer this way.”

“Meet me somewhere with her, Quinn. I’ve been worried sick about her,” his voice growing anxious.

“Not going to happen, Moretti.” I stand my ground, he's not calling the shots.

“What the fuck are you trying to do?” he barks, his voice rising a few octaves.

“Did you not hear me?!” I half yell, “We had men after us with their guns drawn, and your daughter had a fucking GPS tracker sewn into her backpack. Hello, Tony, this news should have you crawling out of your skin. What else is going on here?”

“You let me worry about the something else, Quinn. The rest of the bullshit wasn’t part of your job. Just bring her back, and do it now. If there are people after her on those trails, it means she’s not safe with you!” he exclaims.

“We are totally and officially off the grid, and she’s actually safer out here with me this very second than she would be with you. Nobody is going to find us now. Trust me.”
 

“What the hell are you hoping to accomplish here, Quinn?” he growls with a warning.

What the hell
am
I trying to accomplish with his daughter? That’s a great question. “I’m trying to solve a puzzle.”

“Bull-fucking-shit!” he blurts out, yelling. I hold the phone out and look at it oddly. I can’t believe this refined man has resorted to this kind of language. “Are you sleeping with my baby girl, Quinn?”

“Holy hell, no, sir!” I adamantly bark back, and then the line goes silent as he processes my words. “Tony, do you love her?”
 

“What? Of course I do. What kind of stupid question is that?” he asks, confused.

“Then let me protect her for a while. She’s safer with me right now.” I then soften my tone as I try to explain why I’m keeping his daughter. “Tony, she’s got some real issues she’s dealing with, and she’s letting me help her rediscover herself. You’re her dad, so I don’t feel like such a pussy telling you she's finding some real inner peace out here. I’ve got this. I promise she’s safer out here with me than she’d be in her own bedroom at your house.” And I mean those words whole-heartedly.

“I’ll give you a week to get to the bottom of all this mess, and don’t you dare steal her heart and hurt her,” he warns.

“Wouldn’t even think of it, sir. I’ll be back in touch, and I will call with a new meeting place of where and when. I don’t know how long we’re going to be out here, but we won’t be back until I know her head is on straight, and she can properly be protected.”

“Quinn,” he lowers his tone, “are you falling for my daughter? Because if you are…”

“Negatory,” I interrupt. “I’m simply doing my job. This is why you chose me, wasn’t it? Knowing that when I take on a job, I go above and beyond, see things through ‘til the bitter end.”

He lets out a long-winded sigh. A forlorn sadness lines his voice. “You never know. A lot can happen when you spend that much time alone with someone. I know how Lexi is, and how attached she can get. Just whatever you do, don’t break her heart.” Moretti has been around the block long enough to know when a man is falling deep, and apparently, he's reading right through me. He knows there's something growing between me and his daughter; Afterall, he's a mafia king for a reason.

“I don’t plan on it, sir.”

“Keep me posted.”
 

“Will absolutely keep you posted. I’ll chat with you later.” We both hang up the phone, and I let out a huge breath I didn’t realize I was holding. The man is intense and perceptive, but at least he’s accepted whatever it is that's forming between Alexis and me. I’m just glad he didn’t threaten to kill me for not returning her in a timely manner. He’s entrusted me with his daughter’s life and now her heart, and I can only imagine that’s not something a man like Moretti has ever done easily.

As I make my way back down the mountain trails, I hike at a fast clip. I had called Stryker right after I had hung up with Moretti to give him the rundown of what's going on. Needless to say, he wasn't happy about the new turn of events. He was so upset he informed me he and the guys were going to start heading my way. I tried to protest, telling him I had things under control, but he can be just as hardheaded as I at times. Sometimes working with a group of men who have the same strong-willed, stubborn, and unbending characteristics as myself, you have to know when you're fighting a losing battle and just give in to them. Stryker had asked me to call and check in daily, but I told him that might not be possible so we settled on at least every other day.
 

 
Stryker said they've been reading my own tracker just fine, and they've been able to keep tabs on my location at all times. I'm guessing Lexi had a cheap tracker placed in her pack which means her signal would’ve been sketchy at times in this mountainous terrain. Not having top of the line equipment like I do, it would definitely screw up any hopes for being able to accurately track. I’ve got pent up aggression thrumming through my veins over unanswered questions from Lexi, and I have a feeling she’s not going to know but half the answers.

When I get back to camp, it has already turned dusk, and as I approach Lexi, it appears she has made herself comfortable by snuggling into her sleeping bag. Kimber has curled into her side and her ears perk up as I approach. I give her a small smile, and with that bit of acknowledgment, she wags her tail and then gets up to greet me, waking Lexi in the process.