Awakening (Earth Evolution Series Book 4) (7 page)

Chapter 10

It had been several days since she had overheard that conversation in the gym. Squirrel refused to see Quinn each time he came by her quarters. She also had not left her quarters in that time. She needed to be on her own to think about things and to clear her head. She couldn’t do that if she saw him. If he touched her she would be lost to her feelings for him.

That didn’t mean she didn’t think about him all the time. In fact, he was all she could think about. He invaded her dreams at night. Her body ached for him. She swore she could still smell his scent on her sheets and it drove her nearly crazy with want for him.

She slept late and dressed. Why she got dressed when she didn’t plan to go anywhere was beyond her. Squirrel went to the kitchen and scrounged around for something to eat. She was going to have to send out for more supplies if she didn’t leave the ship soon. A knock on the door had her jumping and her heart start racing. Was it Quinn again?

She walked over and waved her hand in front of the security panel. The door slid open and she was disappointed to see Lily, Rachel, and Maggie with her baby were there instead of Quinn.

Lily gave her a smile. “Sorry to stop by without calling first. We brought lunch.”

She let them in and checked to see that Tagar was there. She didn’t know the other guard who took the nightshift that well, but since she’d changed the security on her door she felt safer. She turned to follow the females over to the kitchen table.

“Thank you for bringing the food but you didn’t have to do that.”

Lily uncovered the dishes and the smell of the delicious food had Squirrel’s stomach rumbling. All of them laughed.

“I guess I’m hungrier than I thought.” She sat down and took the plate that Rachel handed her.

She could feel Maggie staring at her, and she looked up. “What?”

Maggie held the baby in one arm while taking a fork to stab at some food. “I’m just wondering why you’ve been holed up here all by yourself and refusing to see Quinn. I thought you two were getting together.”

Lily sighed. “Maggie, we didn’t come here to interfere with their relationship.”

“I’m curious, too,” Rachel added, backing up her sister. “Quinn is a great guy.”

Squirrel took a few bites, trying to find the right words. “I know he’s a good guy, but he had plans before he met me. I think it would be best if I went back to the tunnels so that he could move on with his career.”

“Is that what Quinn said he wanted?” Maggie asked.

“I heard him talking to his cousins a few days ago. He pretty much said that he wasn’t going to let a relationship that was so new get in his way.”

Lily reached out and touched her hand. “He admitted that but you didn’t hear the whole conversation, did you?”

“I left while they were still talking.”

“There was more, way more. We all make plans that take a sudden change. When we were in the tunnels we had to learn to adapt to change. It took Quinn a little bit of time to come to terms with the changes in his life.”

“I don’t want him to have to change.”

Maggie snorted as she lowered her top to feed her baby. “Sometimes we don’t get to choose what happens to us, but change can turn out to be the best thing. I knew the moment I saw Liam that he would change my life forever, then I knocked him out.” She laughed.

“What was the rest of the conversation about?” Squirrel couldn’t help but ask.

“I think you should ask him that. It’s something that the two of you should really talk about.”

“That and the fact that she could be pregnant,” Maggie commented without looking up.

“What?”

“Maggie.” Rachel and Lily were glaring at her.

“Let’s not sugarcoat it. She needs to know.”

“What do I need to know?”

Lily sighed as she looked at her. “You and Quinn shared sex. There’s a possibility that you could be pregnant. If you are, you will have to remain here at least until the baby is born.”

“You may have to stay longer than that. It’s not safe for a mixed species child to be on Earth right now,” Maggie corrected her.

Squirrel was in shock. She placed her hand on her flat stomach. Was she pregnant? “We were only together one night.”

Rachel placed her hand on her own swollen stomach. “It only takes one time sometimes.”

Maggie nodded her agreement. “These Drastans are extremely potent. I expect Lily to turn up pregnant any moment now.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “We’re waiting, you know that.”

“How soon can I find out if I am or not?”

“Give it another few days and we’ll try a scan. The Drastans have great technology that can detect an early pregnancy.”

“I have to pee.” Maggie stood, came over to Squirrel, and handed her the baby.

Squirrel held the baby in her arms and looked into her beautiful little face, so tiny and trusting. Little fingers, little toes, and the most striking dark brown eyes she had ever seen. They reminded her of Quinn. Is this what their baby would look like? She felt her heart squeeze at the thought.

“Give Quinn a chance to explain things. He really does care about you.” Lily reached over and rubbed the baby’s cheek.

Rachel nodded. “He comes by your quarters every night and stands outside your door to guard you at night.”

That surprised her. “He does?”

“Yes, he does,” Lily confirmed.

She leaned down and kissed the baby’s forehead. “I’ll think about.” The other two females looked at each other and smiled. She decided to ignore those knowing looks and focused her attention on the baby. She could have what she never had before, a real family. It was so tempting and appealing. She never knew she wanted that until now, but she longed for it desperately.

*****

“Tell me about the mission and I’ll see what I can do to make it work,” Quinn told his uncle.

Liam passed him a handheld computer. “Watch the video. These are several people that we suspect meet secretly once a week. Their locations for the meetings are always changed so we can’t get surveillance set up properly. We think that since you are the youngest, you could pretend to be disgruntled about being here on Earth. Try to see if any of them will offer to bring you to a meeting.”

“These people are on board the command ship, but don’t you think there are more on the other ships in the fleet?”

“Yes. We’re hoping by infiltrating the group on this ship, we can get names of others who are participating in these traitorous meetings,” Liam explained.

Quinn wasn’t sure if this would solve anything, but if he didn’t take this assignment it could leave his Lihali in danger. He would do whatever it took to keep her safe.

“I’ll do it.”

“Liam, leave us, “Devlon ordered.

He waited until the two of them were alone. “I heard that Squirrel had a rough time.”

“Yes. She likes to be called Lihali. I need to apologize to her.”

“If this mission is to be successful, the traitors have to believe that you and Lihali are still angry with each other. In fact, it would make them more likely to accept you if they thought you turned on her.”

“I can’t let another day go by without explaining what’s going on. She deserves that.”

“Don’t go back to her place. I’ll make arrangements for her to come to you. As far as anyone else knows, the two of you are not getting along.”

“I guess this is the best way to keep her out of things.”

“It is. She is family to me now whether you have officially claimed her or not, and I will make sure she is protected like my other girls.”

“Thank you, Uncle Devlon. I don’t know if she’ll forgive me and want me to claim her.”

Devlon chuckled. “You’ll just have to remind her how good getting claimed by a Drastan warrior can be.”

Quinn laughed. “I plan to, absolutely. I can’t wait to claim her and take her home to meet my mother.”

“Your mother will love her and welcome her with open arms.”

“I’m concerned about what kind of reaction we’re going to get when we do return with the human women. If there are those opposed on board our fleet, will others on our home world be just as hard to accept?”

“I’m sure that there will always be those who oppose what they don’t understand. It is up to us to educate them, and if they get out of hand and endanger the females, we will take them down. I won’t allow my family or anyone else to be harmed. Other warriors have expressed interest in human females and I have allowed a few to pursue them with the Earth leaders’ agreement. They will need to be protected as well. There’s something else you may not have considered. What if she wishes to remain on Earth? She has already requested to be returned.”

“I won’t let that happen. She cannot go back to the tunnels. It nearly killed her before.”

“It is her decision to make. It’s up to you to convince her that she is better off with you here. The good news is that she doesn’t have a family she would have to leave behind. It’s a problem that Liam and Kyle have to find a way to work out with their amahalas. You won’t have that problem with your Lihali.”

Quinn hated that his female had found out she had no family the way she did and he hadn’t been there for her. Then she overheard part of his conversation where he was only venting his frustration, not the part about him not wanting to live without her.

“I’ve got to go.”

“I’ll have her brought to you. Wait for me to notify you of where to go to meet her,” Devlon reminded him.

Quinn left the office feeling unsure whether she would accept his apology. If she refused to remain on board the command ship, he would not be able to let her go back to the tunnels alone. He was determined that she would never be alone again.

Chapter 11

Squirrel heard the knock at the door and her heart skipped a beat. Was it Quinn? She went to open the door and was shocked to find Quinn’s uncle standing there. “Commander Estro, what can I do for you?”

“Would you take a walk with me? I haven’t been around much to get to know you and I would like to take the time now if you would agree.”

“I guess so.” She walked out and felt reassured at seeing Tagar there. The big man was starting to grow on her. He slowly worked from being her shadow to being her first friend on the ship. She spent more time with him than she had with anyone else, other than Quinn.

“You seem lost in thought.”

She looked up at the tall man. He was broad shouldered like Liam and had the same good looks all the Estro men had, but the silver streaks in his dark hair made him look very distinguished. “Sorry, Commander, what did you say?”

“I said that you look like you are deep in thought. Is there something bothering you?”

“Commander Estro—”

“Call me Devlon.”

“Devlon, I’m curious why you came to talk to me.”

“I heard that you and my nephew, Quinn, have begun a relationship.”

Squirrel was once again surprised and a little bit embarrassed. She never had a relationship with anyone before and it was awkward to be talking about it to another person, let alone the uncle of the man she had feelings for. She looked around to make sure no one else was listening but the corridors were clear and Tagar had given them some space.

“I’m not sure what we have is a relationship.”

“That’s not how he feels.”

“I heard him tell his cousins that he wanted to focus on his career and didn’t have time for me.”

“I don’t know what you overheard, but I know my nephew. He’s as close to me as my own sons. I also know what he told me just today about you. You’re his top priority.”

She bit her lip, not really sure she believed him even though she desperately wanted to. Over the last few days she had come to face the realization that she had fallen in love with Quinn. That’s why it hurt so much to hear what he had said to his cousins.

“I don’t know.”

“I think the best way to put your questions and fears to rest, is to talk to Quinn himself.”

“Yeah, well, it’s kind of hard to talk to someone when he hasn’t bothered to come by to see me or call.”

They had stopped outside a door on a floor she had never been on before. She peeked inside and it looked like a smaller version of quarters like hers. Devlon motioned for her to enter but once through the door she turned to find that he didn’t follow. 

Squirrel looked at him, confused. “Where are we?”

“Somewhere that’s private, where you can have that conversation.” The door closed.

“What the hell is going on?”

“My uncle is playing matchmaker,” Quinn said from the other side of the room.

Her eyes were on him immediately and her heart was racing, her skin tingled, and her nipples were hard and tight. “Quinn.”

He moved toward her slowly. “I’m so sorry, my Lihali. I never meant to hurt you in any way.”

God knew how she wanted to believe him. She wrapped her arms around her middle as a protective reflex. “What exactly are you sorry for? Wanting to advance your career? Or for making love to me which threw a wrench in your plans?”

He ran a hand through his hair anxiously. “I don’t know how much you heard of my conversation with my cousins—”

“Enough. I heard enough.”

“I had to work out my feelings for you and it took that conversation to do that.”

“Right. You, you told you cousins that you did not want to pass up missions you worked hard all your life to get for a person you barely knew.”

His expression was stoic. “I did say that. That was me, not admitting the truth of how I felt about you. Did you hear the rest?”

“I left. Was there more than that?”

“What about me saying that if anything happened to you I would be devastated? How about when I said that I was in love with you and that I couldn’t live without you? Did you hear that?”

She shook her head. “You’re in love with me?”

He moved so fast she blinked and then he was suddenly right in front of her. He took her face in his hands gently. “I love you more than all the stars and planets in the universe. I love you more than anyone or anything.”

Tears were falling down her face. “I love you, too. I just don’t want to hold you back.”

“You don’t.” He kissed her tears away and made a trail of kisses down to her lips. “You give me the purpose to fight, the strength to win, and the hope of a future full of love and forgiveness. Will you forgive my words that hurt you?”

“I want to.”

“Give me a chance to make it up to you, to prove to you that you don’t hold me back but set me free to love. Let me love you.”

“I want to give you a chance but I’m not sure if it will work out. I don’t want to be hurt again.” “We’ll take it day by day. All you have to do is give me the chance to win your heart.”

She didn’t want to refuse him or to continue to deny what she felt in her heart. “Quinn, you have my heart. You had it from the first moment I looked into your beautiful eyes. You saved me not just from death but also from a life of only existing without love and acceptance. You gave me life, healing, and you gave me the ability to love.”

He moved to look deep into her eyes. “Say it. I need the words, Lihali.”

“I’m in love with you, Quinn.” She couldn't talk as he took her lips in a deep kiss. The moment their lips touched, all thoughts save one were lost to her. Her only thought was that she had to have him.

She worked the fasteners of his uniform jacket. As sexy as he was in his warrior’s uniform, she preferred him naked. Squirrel nibbled on his chin while her fingers worked to free him. He growled in pleasure and frustration and went to aid her, almost tearing his coat and shirt.

Finally she shoved the coat and shirt over his shoulders and caressed his skin. “God, you’re so warm. I love how hot your skin feels against mine. Inside the tunnels I could never get warm enough, no, no matter how many extra clothes I put on or even if I was able to start a fire. Touching you is like touching the sun. The, the heat might burn me but what a way to go.”

He chuckled. “The things you say to me, my Lihali.” Quinn helped her remove her clothes and shoes. As he was kicking out of his pants, they tumbled to the floor while in a heated kiss. Before they landed on the floor, he turned to hit it with his back and she fell on top of him.

She laughed. “We might break these quarters trying to get naked.” Her laughter turned to a moan of pleasure when Quinn’s hand began to massage her ass. They were finally skin to skin, her breasts pushing into his chest.

The anguish and heartache from the last few days started to fade. She was with the man she loved and he loved her back. As long as they were together, she could face anything.

Squirrel threw her leg over his waist so that she could straddle him. His cock briefly touched her pussy entrance and she felt starved for him. Sliding her body up and down against him brought his tip a little further inside her.

“Easy, baby. We have until morning to make love.”

“I want you and need you so much. I haven’t slept well in days.”

“Me either.” He groaned when his cock slipped a little further inside. “Take what you need of me. I am yours.”

“I’m yours, too.” She leaned up to place her hands on his chest and came down, taking him hard and deep inside her.

Quinn put his hands on her hips and helped her set a slow and steady pace. His hips rose up every time she came down. She may have been riding him but he was taking her every bit as much.

She wanted it to last forever but that fire was growing inside her. She felt it from her toes to her head. He cupped her breasts and pinched the nipples. It made the fire inside ripple throughout her whole body.

“Oh God, that’s—”the words left her.

“Move faster, my Lihali. I need you to let go and take me like I plan to take you.”

She did what he demanded of her. The need inside her to come was increasing with each stroke. She needed to release soon; she was desperate for it.

His hands weren’t idle. He caressed her body all over. At one point he had his hands on her ass, moving her faster and harder against him. Then one of his hands slid between their bodies and he teased her clit.

Immediate zings went through her body as he teased her sensitive bud. “Quinn, I’m going to—”

“Give me your pleasure, love. Give, give it all to me.” He pinched her clit again and that was all it took.

“Quinn!” She screamed out his name as she spasmed all over him.

“By the heavens, you’re beautiful.” He turned them over so that she lay on her back. He pushed her legs up and out and began pumping into her again at a faster pace and a different angle. “You’re mine, Lihali. Tell me you belong only to me.”

“I belong to you, Quinn, only you.” She felt another orgasm quickly building. How he did that to her she had no idea.

“This time—we come together.” He moved hard and deep, making her come.

“Yes!” She could feel his semen as he released inside her groaning in pleasure.

“Mine!”

She was his, for however long he wanted. She must have whispered that because he answered.

“Mine forever.”