Quinn II (Undaunted Men #2) (6 page)

“Hey, sweetheart.”

I let out a loud scream, jolting back from his backpack, and promptly land on my ass.

He tilts his head to the side, studying me, and then gives me a silly grin. “You're a little jumpy. Should I have left Kimber here with you?”

I fan myself with my hand, trying to get air movement so I can breathe life into my lungs. Quinn finds my reaction amusing, but I am anything but amused. My heart thunders and roars in my ears, anxiety and fear settling deep in my bones.

When he realizes I'm really upset and about to cry, his face turns serious. He gets down on his knees in front of me and cradles my cheeks in his hands. “Hey, it's all right. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you like that. Are you okay?”

I nod my head and rasp, “Yeah, I think so.”

It dawns on me at this point why his last name sounds so familiar. It's the name Vince had spoken into his cell phone when he had me cornered in the barn the day before I ran away. Vince was suddenly tense when his name was spoken, and then he had to leave. I swallow hard against the fear lodged in my throat. A full-blown panic attack is imminent; I can feel it coming on.

“Lexi?” Quinn searches my eyes. “What's going on? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Like what?” I managed to ask, my mouth dry as hell.

“Like you've just seen a ghost. What happened here while I was gone?”

There’s no shaking myself out of this anxiety attack, but I somehow manage to give him a false smile and say, “Nothing is wrong. You just scared me that bad. Ever since those guys invaded our camp, and those villains got a hold of me, I get really edgy and tense when I’m alone.”
 

“Aww, Baby.” His eyes turn all puppy dog-like as he pulls me into an embrace, and at this moment, his touch makes me feel worse. I no longer feel safe. One way or another, I have to play this off. I tentatively rub his lower back as he holds me. “I will never let anything hurt you. I swear.”

When I don't respond to him, he pulls back and gently lifts my chin. I’m forced to meet his brilliant blue eyes, which hold nothing but sincerity and promise. “You believe me, don't you? Nobody's going to hurt you, Lexi. I'd die before that happened.” God, he sounds so much like Vince when he says those things, yet he acts nothing like him. Is he putting on a front? Once he gets me to his house is he going to change into a crazy man? I’ve read about things like that happening.

“Yeah.” I nod my head and force another small smile. “I believe you.” Satisfied, he gently presses his lips to mine in a show of compassion.

This is so fucked up. I feel sick to my stomach. I need to find a way to escape everybody once and for all, and I swear I’ll never talk to another stranger for as long as I live. I promise not to have sex either for the rest of my life if I can get out of this unscathed. I don’t know what I’m going to do, because I’ve already shown Quinn all the detailed plans Connor had put together for me; all except for the safe house information, thank God. That’s the only smart thing I’ve done this entire trip.
 

 
Everything is so deranged I almost feel like I’m going to burst into maniacal laughter. Quinn knows everything, and I can’t figure out what I am to him.
Am I a game to be played? Is he some weird stalker? What does he want from me?
 

I’ll have to find my own way out of these mountains, and oh, fuck me, but I just remembered those men stole all the cash from my backpack. I’m triple screwed. I thread my fingers through my hair and dig my nails into my skull. I just want to slam my head against a tree because it dawns on me Quinn still has my phone.

My head continually spins with questions, so much so I could barely sleep last night. Quinn is hiding some serious secrets from me, and it's killing me not to ask, but I’m scared. I'm terrified of finding out the truth. Part of me is mad too, and I want to take him by the scruff of his neck and give him a piece of my mind, but I’m paralyzed by fear. What if he isn’t who I think him to be, and he turns into someone worse than Vince?
 

I’ve allowed myself to fall for him, and I berate myself for being so stupid, having become emotionally involved while being on the run. If there is one thing I’ve learned from my family, it is to always be cautious of people with hidden agendas, no matter the level of safety and trust I might feel with that person. Growing up, I had to quickly learn which types of situations, confrontations, and acts of defiance would keep me safe or get me my way. I also learned which actions were not worth the cost.
 

But the situation I find myself in has me seriously confused as to what I should do. My dad is so damn perceptive and all-knowing, and he’s not here to help give me advice, and sadly, considering the blackmail Vince has placed me under, I don’t think anyone can help me anyway. Actually, I’m positive no one has the power to undo what Vince has done.

We are supposed to go to Quinn’s house today, and I’m petrified. The unknown is giving me an ulcer, and he has remained elusive about all the details. The closer we get to surfacing, the sicker I feel. When I asked him how we’re supposed to get transportation out of the mountains, he just grinned and said to leave the details to him.

My head tells me I need to stick to Connor’s plan and get away, but I don’t know how I'm to do that if I have no money. I close my eyes in defeat, because my life is so fucked up. I’d be lying to myself if I said I wasn’t falling in love with Quinn, which is absurdly crazy. I need to check myself into a psych ward first chance I get.

We stumble upon a clearing, and as I look around, a large brick building comes into view, standing off to the side with picnic tables dispersed throughout the open field. This is the most civilization I've seen for almost two weeks. “What is this?” I ask.

“This,” Quinn gestures to the building as he rolls out his hand while wearing a smirk on his face, “is a surprise for you.”

I look at him warily, tilting my head to the side. “And what would that surprise be?” He turns to me and grabs me by the hips, pulling me into his hard body.

“A nice, hot shower,” he slowly whispers into my ear.

I pull back as surprise registers on my face. My lips form a genuine smile, and he chuckles. “Oh, wow! Are you serious?” I think I’ve forgotten what a shower felt like, let alone hot water.

“Yep, it’s a bathhouse. It's not the Sheraton, but it’ll do.”

“Heck yeah, it’ll do.” I’m so excited about a real shower I have momentarily forgotten my woes.

He leans in to kiss my lips and my insides quiver. “I figure my lady would like to clean up and go home in style.” The mention of the word home twists my gut, and instantly I’m put back on edge again. The secrets are killing me.

“Where is your home, Quinn?” I ask nervously. Even though I saw his license, all I can remember is he lives somewhere in North Carolina.

He raises a brow, taps me on the nose, and then tugs my hand forward as he guides me toward the bathhouse. “It’s a surprise.” Of course it’s a surprise. I can’t handle any more unexpected bombshells or the unpredictable future. With each step, as we approach the building, I grow irritated and clench my teeth tightly together.

The entrances for the men and women’s facility are on either end of the building. They have no doors, but instead have walls in a zigzag pattern in order to enter. I don’t know if it's because the place is desolate, but Quinn tries to follow me into the women’s side of the bathhouse. I turn around and poke my index finger into his chest, trying to act playful.

“No way, Mister. I’m not sharing my hot water. You’ve got a men’s side, so use it.”

He pouts like a five-year-old, but I’m not bending. “Fine.” He rolls his eyes and crosses his arms. I’ll wait right here for you.

“Aren’t you going to take a shower?”

“Nah, don’t need one. I washed up this morning.”

Lovely, another wrench is thrown into my escape plan. I had planned on sneaking away while he took his own shower. Nerves are beginning to creep up on me, so I take a deep breath and slowly exhale. At this point, I pray to God there is a window in the women’s bathroom. I turn around and work my way through the zigzag maze, my boots echoing in the empty hallway against the concrete floor. I turn the last corner, and sigh in relief; my prayers have been answered. Decent-sized windows line one side of the wall, sitting about five feet off the ground, and they’re all cracked open. I do believe I can scale that wall and get myself through the opening.
 

I tell the voice of my heart to shut-up. It wants me to throw this idea out the window and confront Quinn instead. I internally laugh at myself because I'm a runner; I always have been. Confronting problems head on had never worked for me in the past, because ten times out of ten, it had been the only way to solve my dilemmas, which almost always included Vince. It's been my answer for handling stress ever since I was a kid.

If I’m going to do this, I need to just do it. There are wooden shower benches in the stalls, so I grab one, careful not to make any noise, and place it against the wall. I’ve grown much stronger over the past couple weeks, so scaling this bench and taking off my backpack to hoist it up to the window’s ledge isn’t really a hard task.
 

A light bulb goes off in my head, and I think about what Quinn expects me to be doing. I go to the first shower stall and turn on the water full blast. Hopefully he’ll be able to hear the water running, thinking I’m taking an actual shower.

I go back to the window, step on the bench, and then lean down to pick up my backpack. I lift it up effortlessly, more than likely because there’s less food in it. I push the pack through the window, and I barely hear it hit the soft grass below on the other side.

Up next is me. I hold on to the window’s ledge while I swing my foot through the opening. The window is wide enough for me to swing myself around on my belly, and then dangle both feet out the other side. I peer over my shoulder and take note that the ground is farther down on the outside than it is from the inside. It looks to be about an eight-foot drop, but I'll have to manage.

 
Here goes nothing. I hang by two hands from the window above, my arms extended as far as possible, and I’m about to let go when two hands clamp tightly around my waist.

“Where do you think you’re going, Sweetheart?” Startled, I scream bloody murder. Blood rushes through my veins at an ungodly pace, and I think I'm going to stroke out.
 

Quinn lowers me, and when my feet touch the ground, he spins me around and pins my wrists above my head. He uses the force of his weight to compress my body against the brick bathhouse, immobilizing me, and he doesn’t look happy.
 

My heart is beating wildly, and my breathing pattern reflects that. My lungs scramble for air as his eyes narrow on mine. “I asked you a question, Alexis.” His nostrils flare as he tightly drawls out my name. Quinn knows I was planning on running away, and he's not going to put up with any excuses this time. I draw in a lungful of air. I’m still not able to catch my breath from the shock of it all. “Kimber would like to know too. She's the one who heard something on the backside of the building. When she was acting funny, I followed her around the building, and there you were, trying to escape out this window. Do you want to know why she alerted me? I'll tell you why.” His voices changes from angry yelling
 
to a low, growling pissed-off. “Because she fucking loves you, and now we’re both confused.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, but it doesn’t go down. His blue eyes blaze brightly, penetrating me with his fury, and I find I’m speechless.
 

“I’ve risked it all for you, Alexis. I’ve given you my entire heart because I know what it’s like to wake up lonely. Did you know I could see myself waking up every day to you and growing old together?” His eyebrows cast downward, his anger being exchanged for hurt and confusion as his eyes search mine, trying to understand me. His voice comes out in such a way to let me know I’ve devastated him. “Did I somehow not convey my want for you enough? Do I have to say the words?” His voice cracks on the last sentences, and it breaks my heart in two.

I don’t know what to say, I think I’m still in shock that he caught me. Did I think he would ever hurt me? No, at least not this side of Quinn who stands before me now, but he's holding out on me. “It’s too dangerous, Quinn,” I lie. My voice comes out shaky as I plead with him to believe my excuse. “Everything that surrounds me
is—”
 

“I get to decide what’s too dangerous,” he growls. “What’s too dangerous is you walking away with my heart.” He then crashes his lips against mine, assaulting me with rough, hungry kisses. He’s holding nothing back. His tongue slips past my lips, and I go weak in the knees. They’re hot, sinful open-mouthed kisses, and by the time he stops for a breath, I’m done for.
 

He moves his lips to the base of my neck then nips and grazes his way in a slow, sultry trail upward, breathing heavily over my skin. My eyes flutter closed when he nibbles my earlobe then whispers over the shell of my ear, “Are you not feeling this chemistry, Lexi?” He slips his hand down to my thigh, grabbing me behind the knee, and hikes my leg up over his hip. He has has come to life, growing thick and hard as he grinds himself into me with a vengeance. He’s like a live wire out of control, and I’ve been drawn into his web of electricity and can’t break free.