Ricochet (Locked & Loaded #1) (11 page)

Back in his parking spot at the deserted bagel shop, Rick watched as the man walked with Quinn up the stairs to her door. An unfamiliar feeling gnawed at Rick’s insides. It was making him crazy with anger. Jealousy?

If he fucking thinks he’s going inside with her…

Rick was holding his breath as the couple reached the top step. Quinn’s date leaned down as if he was going to kiss her, but at the last second Quinn moved her head and the man got a hug instead. Rick slowly released his breath, finding himself slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t get to kick anyone’s ass tonight yet smiling at Quinn’s rebuff.

They chatted for another minute or two, then the asshole turned and walked back down the stairs. Alone. The haze of fury that had been clouding his vision since Quinn left for her date started to recede, leaving Rick feeling oddly vulnerable… and ridiculous. He shook his head, hardly recognizing himself any more.

Rick started his car, moving it from the bagel shop to the lot behind Sanctum. His car passed Quinn’s date’s as Rick was pulling into the driveway. Rick scowled at the man behind the wheel of the SUV, though it was dark and he doubted the guy could see him.

Why the fuck am I even here?

Rick couldn’t explain his bizarre behavior tonight. He didn’t want to think about what it might mean either. All he wanted was for the empty ache in his gut to go away. Somehow, he instinctively knew that the only person who could ease it was the girl on the other side of the door he found himself knocking on.

“Chase? Is that you?”

“Chase? Is that the name of the asshole you had me shopping for last night?”

“Rick?” Quinn’s voice muffled by the door.

“Yeah. Can you open the door… please?”

“Why are you here?”

“Quinn, just let me in and I’ll explain.”

Rick thumped his forehead against the doorframe, suddenly scared shitless that Quinn would turn him away. The sound of locks being disengaged made the heavy pressure on his chest lessen… but only somewhat.

The door opened slowly, revealing Quinn, barefoot and still wearing the pale blue dress from her date.

“Come in.” She was frowning, her brows drawn together.

“Thanks.” He knew his face was most likely not friendly. More like openly hostile, actually. He wasn’t pissed at her, he was pissed at— what the fuck
was
he pissed at?

“Were you… were you
spying
on me, Rick?”

Rick moved further into the apartment, needing some space around him so he wouldn’t feel so boxed in. Now that he was here, he didn’t know what to say.

“Fuck, doll. I…” He fisted his hair, pacing in front of Quinn’s couch.

“Rick? Are you mad at me? For not telling you that the dress was for a date?”

“Yes… no. Shit, I don’t know what I’m feeling, Quinn.” Rick stopped pacing and faced Quinn.

“Then why are you here?”

His heart skipped a beat when he looked at her. Why was he here? Because every thought he could manage to form completely centered on Quinn? Rick decided to go with honesty, since he didn’t want Quinn to misunderstand his intentions.

“Because I
have
to be near you. I can’t just sit back and do nothing, let some other guy come in and take you away from me.”

Quinn’s expression turned from irritated to confused to shocked in the span of a single heartbeat. “What? What do you mean?”

Rick saw something there, in her eyes. Lust? Hate? The desire to kick him out of her apartment and never talk to him again? He wasn’t sure, but whatever was there, good or bad, he needed to know like he needed his next breath.

“I
mean
… I don’t know why, but I need you, Quinn. I can’t watch you go out with some preppy douche, when you won’t go out with me.”

Her eyes were as big as saucers. “You’ve never asked me out, Rick,” she said in a whisper.

Unable to stay away any longer, Rick crossed the room, stopping just inches away from Quinn. He was so close he could feel the heat coming off of her flushed skin. Leaning in, Rick inhaled the sweet fragrance of her hair, his cock stirring in his jeans. He lifted a hand— slowly so she wouldn’t flinch, and slid it behind her neck, up into her soft hair. Using his other hand, Rick gently touched Quinn’s chin, tilting her head back until he could look into her wide, nervous eyes.

“Will you go out with me?”

Quinn’s pupils dilated, nearly eclipsing the warm amber. He leaned down, their mouths almost touching. Her response was a faint rush of air across his lips. “Yes.”

Rick’s mouth crashed down on hers. He watched, entranced, as her eyelids fluttered shut. His lips scraped gently over hers, just enough to send a frisson of electricity over his skin. Rick slid his hand down Quinn’s jaw and behind her ear so that both of his hands were cupping the sides of her head, his long fingers threading up into that thick dark hair. Stepping closer, Rick increased the pressure of the kiss, skimming his tongue along the seam of Quinn’s soft lips, his stubble brushing across her chin.

Then, she moaned. That single sound, just a quiet vibration coming from Quinn’s throat, sent Rick’s desire from hot to molten. A fire ignited in his belly, moving lower, pulsing hot through his veins. He broke away, pressing their foreheads together long enough to catch his breath.

“Jesus, doll.”

Rick felt her small hands timidly reach out, pressing against his broad chest. He was afraid she was about to push him away, but to his amazement, her fingers curled into the thin fabric of his shirt, fisting it so she could hold him close.

When Quinn moaned again, Rick’s cock took over and his brain took a backseat to his overwhelming physical need to be with this woman. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, swallowing the sounds she made. Rick grabbed her, pressing the length of her body against his, providing some much needed friction for the rock hard erection that was straining against his jeans. Rick had never wanted anyone like this before, wanted a connection that went beyond sex, a connection that was deepened because of sex. His head spun from the inexorable power Quinn had over him.

Rick grunted as Quinn ground shamelessly against his dick, making him wild with lust. His control was on the verge of snapping. He hadn’t expected her to be so brazen. He had expected her to be timid, almost shy. The fact that she was unashamed at taking what she wanted turned him on more than he thought possible. Rick gripped her hair and gently pulled her head back so he could see into her eyes.

“What do you want?” he panted. “I can’t… I can’t go further if you’re going to stop me, doll. I usually have great self-control, but not… not around you.” His dick pulsed against his button fly, straining for release.

Quinn’s eyes glinted in the soft light of her living room. She looked down, and then back up, studying Rick’s body with an intensity he could feel all the way to his groin. He thought he may combust from the torture of waiting for her response. Her tongue darted out to moisten her full lips. “I want you,” she whispered.

“Thank fuck for that.” Rick wasted no time reaching behind her back and fumbling for the zipper on her dress. He needed to feel her skin— now. Once he found the zipper, he pulled it down, quickly sliding the dress off her shoulders, leaving it in a silky pile on the floor.

Quinn’s short nails raked down Rick’s chest, across his ribcage to the hem of his shirt, leaving his skin sensitive and aching for more. This was a different woman from the shy, frightened girl he first met. This Quinn was bold, brave, and knew what she wanted and what she enjoyed. This Quinn was going to rock his fucking world.

Quinn snagged the edge of the fabric and ripped it up his torso, over his shoulders. Rick’s height kept her from getting the shirt all the way off, so he helped to shrug out of it. Once his flesh was exposed, she immediately put her hands back on his body. They felt hot as coals on his skin, stoking the fire building deep inside. Unable to decide which part of her he wanted to explore next, he dove in to get another taste her sweet mouth.

Teeth and tongues clashing and twisting, skin on skin, Rick walked them backwards, crossing to what he assumed was her bedroom. When he stumbled on a small corner table nearly sending them both to the floor, he toed off his shoes, put his hands under the tight ass he’d been obsessing over, and easily lifted Quinn. With a soft moan, her legs wrapped around his waist and locked behind his back. They continued kissing as Rick carried her to the bedroom, moving until his thighs hit the edge of the mattress. He fell onto the bed with Quinn tucked safely beneath him, his body situated perfectly between her thighs when they landed.

They finally broke their kiss, gasping for breath and staring at each other in awe. He let his eyes travel over every inch of the woman on the bed, laid out and ready for him to take. She was stunning, her lips swollen and wet, her eyes half-lidded and filled with desire, her hips kept arching up into him, grinding against his stiff cock. Need sizzled down his body, whipping the fire inside into a raging inferno.

“Sweet Jesus.” Rick paused, his breath hitching. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, doll. Even better than I imagined.”

Relief and need shook Rick’s body, a deep contentment spreading through him now that he finally had Quinn. Once she gave him permission to touch her freely, he found he couldn’t stop. Propped on his elbows, he used one hand to smooth her wild hair back from her face. The other touched whatever part of her he could reach, her neck, her shoulder, her breasts… he didn’t care what, he couldn’t get enough. He wanted to touch her until his fingers mapped out her entire body.

She met his gaze, her lips curling in the corners. “You imagined me?”

He grunted. “You know I did. You’re all I’ve thought about since the day I met you.”

Rick lowered his head so he could lick and kiss up and down Quinn’s sensitive neck, trailing his hot tongue down her collarbone. His wandering hands traced a path down her sides, reveling in the soft texture and the sweet taste of her skin. Rick slid his hands behind her back, swiftly unhooking her lacy bra and tossing it aside, desperate to see more of her. He greedily took one of her breasts in his mouth, sucking and nipping until Quinn was thrashing wildly beneath him, panting and whispering Rick’s name.

She wedged her hand into the small space between their bodies, tugging at the top of Rick’s jeans. Able to pop the first button one-handed, Quinn struggled to release the rest.

“Let me help.” Rick pushed to his feet, shoving down his jeans and socks in one swift move. He stopped to pull a condom out of his wallet and felt his cheeks heat up, ashamed for Quinn to know he was the kind of guy that kept protection on him at all times. Self-conscious, he cleared his throat and tossed it on the bed. “Always be prepared, right?”

She raised an eyebrow but simply hooked her fingers in the edge of her panties and slowly slid them off, her eyes never leaving his.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

Rick nearly came then and there. He had thought about this moment, non-stop for weeks, in fact. Not one of Rick’s fantasies had prepared him for this moment. Everything about the woman that had dominated his every thought, his every breath, his every reason for living since he met her, was absolutely perfect. His hooded gaze raked across every inch, committing everything to his memory.

Rick watched as Quinn let her eyes skim over his toned muscles, her expression filled with desire— until they focused in on his left thigh and widened.

Fuck.

He was so caught up in this girl that he forgot about his scars. Her eyes wandered slowly back up his body, finally meeting his with a heavy, shamelessly needy stare.
The scars don’t bother her?
She’s not going to ask? If Quinn wasn’t going to mention the scars, neither was Rick. It wasn’t something he talked about with anyone. Ever. Usually, he was fucking a no name stranger in a dark room, so his scars never came up.

Quinn writhed on the bed and moaned, spurring Rick’s attention back to the present. “Are you going to stand there all day?”

God this girl completely annihilates my concentration.

He tore open the condom and quickly rolled it on, lowering himself back over her lithe body. Rick nearly came just from the feel of her hot skin sliding against his. Even the familiar tight pull of the scars on the back of his leg didn’t lessen the pleasure.

“Jesus, you feel so fucking good.”

When Rick dipped his head to taste her mouth again, Quinn responded— more frantic, hungrier than before. Her hips jerked and lifted off the bed, rubbing against Rick’s sheathed cock. The contact forced a huff of air out of his lungs. “You’re going to make me lose it if you don’t stop doing that, doll.”

Quinn’s eyes narrowed on her gorgeous flushed face. “What are you waiting for then?” The challenge in her words was playful but flat out fucking hot.

Rick stilled, his heart thumping loudly in his ears. “You. I’ve been waiting for you,” he admitted in another moment of weakness that he’d certainly regret.

He dropped his forehead to her shoulder and slipped his hand between them, lining himself up with her slick opening. Slowly, he pushed in. His breath stuttered against Quinn’s neck when the head of his cock breached her tight pussy.

Right then and there, Rick knew this was different… she was different. It was as if he had lived his entire life tense and stressed out, and now he was given permission to relax, to submit to the feelings he had held back for so long. The revelation was so powerful, Rick had to hold still or he would lose it before they even began.

“God— shit, doll. I’m not going to be able to hold back for very long.”

He ground his teeth together, desperately trying to rein in his impending orgasm. The tightness in his balls told him he wouldn’t have long. Desperate, he reached down to squeeze the base of his dick, hard. Rick felt the impending wave of release subside to a pleasurable ache.

He looked at Quinn as she bit her lower lip, her eyes glazed over and her chest rising and falling rapidly. Rick didn’t think he had ever seen anything more erotic in his life. Slowly, he thrust his hips forward, pushing inch by inch, taking his time to revel in the tight heat, to listen to Quinn’s soft whimpers, pressing gradually until his entire cock was buried deep inside her. The gripping, wet heat that wrapped around his sensitive flesh was enough to wipe his mind clean.