Authors: Lisa Sanchez
“I cloaked the both of us. Now, can we go inside, or would you like to continue standing out here playing twenty questions?” A wry smile adorned his handsome face, and I returned it while sweeping my arm out in front of me, motioning for him to lead the way.
As I stepped through the entryway into Quinn’s home, one word came barreling into the forefront of my mind: posh. Extravagantly decorated, the house looked like it belonged on the cover of a magazine. Leather couches filled the rooms and giant flat screen TVs covered the walls as I was lead through the enormous house.
We ended up in an oversized kitchen, complete with a stainless steel Wolf range oven and an enormous refrigerator built into the wall.
“Wow,” I said, taking it all in. “This,” I circled my arm mid-air, “is impressive.”
“Thank you.” Quinn glided toward the far counter and fiddled with the buttons on a high tech machine that looked somewhat like a coffee pot.
“How did you come about acquiring a place like this? I mean, it’s not like you’re pulling a day job.” I’d been wondering about this for quite some time, how he paid for things. If there was no pot of gold waiting for him at the end of a rainbow, where did all of his money come from?
“Ah, I wondered when this conversation would take place. Have a seat,
a ghrá
, and I’ll answer some questions for you.”
I pulled out an expensive looking barstool and sat down, letting my arms rest on the cool marble countertop of the massive island that sat stationed in the center of the impressive room. Seriously, his kitchen was bank and would have Martha frigging Stewart’s tongue lolling out of her mouth with its high tech gadgetry and spotless décor. I felt a twinge of insecurity, sitting in his posh home in a pair of ratty sweats, but forgot my worries the moment he opened his mouth.
“So you want to know how I pay for things if I’ve no job, eh?”
I nodded silently, trying to keep my cool though I was bursting with curiosity.
Quinn flitted around the room, pulling out various cooking utensils. “You could say I’m a good investor. I own property all over the globe, several companies, restaurants…”
“Okay, I get it. You’re smart. You’ve diversified your money. Where did it come from?” Deep down I knew what his answer would be, but I needed to hear him say it.
Quinn let out a sigh, no doubt resigning himself to the fact I was not going to let it go. He placed both hands on the countertop, leaned forward and spoke.
“I wasn’t always the charming, good-natured bloke you see before you. There was a time, many, many years ago when I was angry, filled with bitterness and hate for what had been done to me. Before leaving the women I’d seduce, I’d persuade them to give me all of their money. Of course, I’d make sure to charm only the wealthiest—noblewomen and the like.”
“Enough!” I put my hand up to stop him. It was just as I’d suspected. I couldn’t let myself get angry with any of the appalling things he’d done centuries before. Well, I could, but it wouldn’t do me a damn bit of good. Besides, I couldn’t say I’d have behaved any better if I’d been cursed, and I felt a momentary pang of pity for his unhappy plight.
He treated me to a look that plainly said,
I told you so
. “We need to talk about what happened this morning, Ryann.” His voice took on a serious tone. He bent down and rifled through his oversized refrigerator as he spoke, pulling out the makings for what looked like some sort of egg breakfast.
My eyebrows shot up.
He cooks?
The look of astonishment on my face must have been plain as day because Quinn rolled his eyes at me before reaching up for a copper pan that hung above the stainless steel range. “Yes, I cook. I’ve got to eat, haven’t I?” He shook his head and scrunched up his mouth and nose. “Quit trying to change the subject. Is there a reason you didn’t heed my warning about going off on your own?” He slammed the pan down onto the counter and leaned forward, his expression a mask of controlled frustration. “And tell me, lass. Just what were you thinking when you decided to go for a run during the wee hours of the morning? That’s just asking for someone to attack you!”
His words came out with the force of a storm, his face grim, serious, and marked with worry. This was why I’d been trying to avoid this conversation. I knew I’d disappointed him. I’d placed myself in danger, and I felt, well, I felt plain stupid. I hated being wrong, and having to admit it was even worse.
Tears of anger and frustration welled in my eyes and I blinked, desperately trying to keep them from falling. My words came out in a garbled mess. “I know…I’m sorry, okay? I was stupid…you don’t have to rub it in. I just felt so awful and I didn’t sleep, and well…after the break-in yesterday, and my car being stolen, I needed to do something to get rid of my anxiety.” I dropped my head, lifted my shoulders, and looked up at him through my lashes like a little kid trying to talk their way out of a punishment. “I took my phone with me.” And it hadn’t done me a damn bit of good.
A tic formed in his jaw. “Break-in? What break-in?” His powerful voice filled the room, bouncing off the walls as he eyed me fiercely. “Start talking.”
Unwilling to keep things from him any longer, I quickly filled him in on the details of both break-ins. “I should have listened to you and Voodoo Martha,” I trailed off, feeling like an utter moron.
He looked at me with his brows knit together. “Voodoo Martha? Who the hell is that?”
“My new roommate. She told me I was surrounded by a dark aura and that something evil was following me.”
Quinn stopped what he was doing for a moment and stared fixedly at me as I spoke. “Did she now? And how would this Voodoo lady know about such things?” He looked a bit shocked that someone else knew of my dark stalker.
I shrugged. “I think she’s a witch, or she’s into the dark arts. I don’t know,” I said, dismissing the whole Martha issue with my hand. “She doesn’t matter. What does matter is that I know better now. I won’t be running by myself again. I just need to figure out a safe way to get rid of my anxiety.”
“I’ll run with you,” he offered, placing a plate with a rather large omelet on it before me. “Eat.” It was more of a command than a suggestion, and I watched as he pushed a glass of orange juice next to my steaming plate.
My stomach reacted to the delicious aroma wafting from my breakfast plate and growled in excitement. I didn’t need to be told twice to eat and dove into my food greedily. “You don’t have to run with me. You aren’t my keeper,” I said with a mouth full of food. I was too hungry to be embarrassed.
He filled the large sink on the opposite side of the island with hot, soapy water and began scrubbing away at the copper pan. “No, I’m not your keeper. But I do care about you. Friends look out for one another, don’t they?”
Friends: the most God-awful word in the English language. The last thing I wanted to be with Quinn was a friend. I wanted so much more from him. I thought he wanted more than friendship from me as well, but maybe I was wrong. At that point, it didn’t matter to me. If friendship was all he wanted to give, I’d gladly take it.
As he dried the large copper pan with a nearby towel and hung it back on the rack overhead, I was a bit stunned that faeries did the Suzy Homemaker thing like the rest of us. “So is that what you were doing for me this morning then, looking out for me?” I couldn’t imagine what else he would be doing traipsing around my apartment building that early in the morning.
How long had he been waiting around outside?
Quinn tossed the towel over his shoulder and eyed me with a panty-dropping grin. “I had a feeling your stubborn nature would win out over common sense, so I came back later in the evening to keep an eye on you.”
If it were possible for my insides to actually melt, I’d have been nothing more than a spineless bag of flesh at that point. Gulping down half of my juice, I set the glass down and stared at him. I had another topic I wanted to discuss. “So you touched me this morning.” I knew if I didn’t mention it, the subject would never be broached. He’d held me in his arms, taking care not to touch my skin with his, and I’d felt no reaction whatsoever. Hope burst forth like water escaping from a dam.
“Aye, that I did.” He stiffened a bit as he answered me, obviously not wanting to proceed down this particular path of conversation.
Hopping down off the stool, I slowly walked around the large island, one hand tracing along the edge of the marble countertop to steady me, as my knees were weak and my body shaky. In fact, my heart threw flip-flops because it knew what I intended to do. I was going to lay my hands on Quinn.
“Easy there, lass.” He held his hands up in front of him as if to ward me off. “What was I supposed to do? Leave you to cry on the cold pavement? I had no choice but to touch you.”
“So touch me again.” I continued to stalk forward, my breaths coming in shallow pants. The mere thought of our skin making contact had me breathless.
“No.”
I stopped moving. He’d shot me down. “Why not?”
“Because I have a choice now, and I choose not to.” He looked pained as he spoke, torn almost.
“Why don’t you want to touch me?” The sour pangs of rejection flooded my system, and doubt took over. Who was I trying to fool? Quinn was the very image of perfection, beautiful, charming, mythical, and deadly. I, on the other hand, was a very sweaty, very mortal, Big Booty Judy. I remained where I was, a mere two feet away from him, gawking at him like a complete dolt.
His expression softened. “It’s not that, love. If you only knew how badly I want you, you’d never ask that question again. I choose not to touch you, because I don’t trust myself. I don’t know if I have the willpower to keep my hands where they should be.” His sapphire eyes met mine head on and I knew he told the truth.
The butterflies returned full force and a big goofy smile made its way across my face. He wanted me as badly as I did him. That fact sent my heart soaring.
My earlier determination returned with gusto. I crossed the small gap that lay between us, standing as close as I could, without actually touching him.
Lifting my hand up toward his chest, I looked him in the eye, willing him with my heart and mind to let me try. “Please? I want so badly to touch you, to connect with you.”
“Aye, I feel the same way.” He spoke softly, staring at me intently.
The magnetic pull between us intensified with each passing second.
I licked my lips in anticipation, every inch of my skin screaming out for his caress. “You can touch me through my clothes. That much we found out when you carried me here. I know we can do this. I trust you. You just need to trust yourself.”
He frowned for a moment as he took in my words, and then nodded quietly. “Very well, we can try.”
My heart leapt the moment he gave in, and I was sure I would burst from the excitement.
Quinn seemed to enjoy my glowing mood and let out a low chuckle.
Unable to wait a second longer, I slowly raised my hand toward his muscular chest. He wore his standard black t-shirt under a black leather jacket, and my heart quickened, knowing only a thin piece of fabric lay between my fingertips and the warm flesh of his chest.
As I made contact with the cotton fabric of his shirt, a powerful surge of joy nearly swept me off my feet. His rock hard pecs, the deep ridges of his abdominals, felt amazing against my hand as I let my fingers trail down his shirt. What I didn’t feel was euphoria. There were no aftereffects from his wretched curse.
“Oh…oh, God…I can touch you.” I was breathless with anticipation and sure I’d burst if he didn’t reciprocate soon. “Your turn. Try.”
Wearing a pained look on his face, Quinn raised his hand, holding it mere inches away from my chest. My heart beat wildly as I watched him hesitate, warring with himself internally about his decision.
It felt as though time stood still. There was only the two of us in existence. I heard nothing else, saw nothing else, and smelled nothing else. Quinn enveloped each of my senses completely.
And then he touched me.
My breath caught the moment his warm hand gently came to rest over my heart. Electricity sparked, and a gentle surge of energy flowed between us, but there was no over-the-top, near orgasmic reaction from the contact. What I experienced was the normal electric attraction that came when two young people were in…love? No. It was too early to be in love. I’d only just met Quinn. Any talk of love was just crazy. Yet, as I looked at him, my heart filled, bursting with an emotion so strong, I didn’t know what else to call it. It had to be love.
I gasped, awareness knocking me off my feet like a wrecking ball. I was in love with Quinn. And it wasn’t some piddly, preteen crush either. I was thoroughly captivated, completely enamored, one hundred percent in love with him. I didn’t care that he didn’t share my feelings. The fact he was a mythical being didn’t matter. The legendary creature standing before me was all I’d ever want, and I knew deep down he was essential to my survival. He was the very air I breathed.
He stared down at his hand still pasted to my chest, his eyes full of surprise, shock, and joy. His lips parted slightly and I could swear I heard his breath catch.
He felt it too.
I raised my hand, placing it gently back onto his chest. We stood a hair’s breadth from each other, touching, feeling, wanting. His ancient heart thumped rapidly in his chest and, God…I
loved
the fact I had such an effect on him. My own heart worked overtime anytime he was near. The moment was intimate, very intense, and not nearly long enough.
Quinn dropped his hand, stepped back from me, and cleared his throat.
I mirrored his action. “Um…yeah. Wow.” Words couldn’t describe how I felt at that moment. Enraptured. On fire. Complete.
“We should get you home,” he said with a stutter, and took another step back, scrubbing nervously at his closely shaven head. A hint of a smile peeked out of the corner of his mouth.
Having made great strides in such a short time frame, I didn’t push him any further. I followed him down a long hallway and out into his large garage, where several different cars sat, all sleek, shiny, and expensive. I looked at Quinn, then back at the cars and shook my head in astonishment. The faerie was loaded.