Extraction Point (Ricochet #3) (12 page)

“You’re more than I deserve, Rick. More than I ever thought I could have.”

He dropped his gaze to her mouth, those full red lips begging to be kissed. Hearing a small moan escape from her throat, Rick knew she was just as affected. He lowered his mouth to hers, and his entire world burned red from the heat.

Quinn was so happy she wanted to scream. She went from completely alone and depressed, to having Rick in her apartment kissing her senseless. His large, warm body pressed her down onto the couch cushions as their tongues twisted and tangled together. The scent of his skin surrounded her, made her feel safe in his embrace.

Home.

That’s what it felt like. She was finally home after being adrift since her father died. Quinn found someone worth being with, worth making a life with, and she wasn’t going to let him go. She was tired of worrying, tired of running, just goddamn sick and tired of not being happy. That’s what Rick did for her— he made her happy.

She groaned as his hips thrust against hers, his hard ridge pressing between her legs. “I need you so much,” he whispered, his warm breath caressing her ear.

Quinn threw her head back as he trailed his mouth down the sensitive skin of her neck, biting and licking as she writhed with pleasure.

“Never gonna let you go, doll.” Rick’s words were making her beyond hot. The unrelenting, rhythmic grinding combined with his talented mouth on her skin had hormones exploding inside her within minutes.

“Rick—”

“I know, doll. I know. I’m going to do all sorts of filthy things to your body tonight. Gonna make you feel so good.” His hips thrust against her harder, making his voice hitch. “Shit… I want it to last. Want to be inside you all night long.” Rick’s wet nips and kisses brushed over every responsive spot on her throat.

Kiss. Thrust. Bite. Thrust.

Quinn thought her eyes were going to roll back in head the sensations were so overwhelming. “Please.” She hated begging, but at this point, she’d do anything to have Rick inside her. Her skin was electrified, like a live wire humming with energy.

Rick stood up, leaving Quinn cold without his weight on top of her. “Bedroom,” he whispered, holding out a hand.

She wanted to grab it and yank him towards the bedroom as fast as possible. Instead, Quinn somehow managed to control the impulse and let Rick lead the way.

Once they reached the bed, they attacked each other’s clothing, unbuttoning and pulling off articles until they came together, skin on skin.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” His mouth crashed over hers again, his insistent tongue driving inside. Quinn had never been kissed like this, not by anyone. It was sweet but rough, kind but possessive— she never wanted it to end.

Screw breathing, it’s entirely overrated.

A floaty, lightheaded sensation overtook her mind. By the time they separated, both gasping for breath, she would have agreed to do anything Rick asked. Anything.

Gently, he crowded Quinn until she fell back on the bed, spread out wantonly on the sheets.

“God, you’re so gorgeous. I can’t decide what to do to you first.” Rick ran his calloused hands up and down her legs, licking his lips as if Quinn were a buffet, waiting to be tasted.

“Do anything… something… I don’t care.”

Rick climbed onto the bed, kneeling between her legs. His hands moved up to caress the sides of her torso, lightly brushing over her breasts. Quinn moaned shamelessly, arching her back up into his touch.

“Anything?”

Quinn met Rick’s gaze and her breath caught. Yes, he was stunningly beautiful— his tan skin smooth, rippling over his hard muscles. His lips were swollen and damp and his thick dark hair thoroughly mussed. But it was those eyes— those expressive turquoise eyes, the color of the Caribbean Sea, that captivated her. Quinn could see so much in his eyes— love, lust, desire, strength, protection— she saw a partner that would always be there for her, no matter what the cost.

“Make love to me,” she whispered, reaching up to thread her fingers into the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. Quinn pulled herself up so she could taste his golden skin, licking a line up his throat to his mouth. The perfect salty-sweet flavor of Rick exploded on her tongue.

“Yes,” he hissed against her mouth. Rick moved forward as Quinn fell back onto the bed, their lips still fused together as one.

This was where Quinn felt calm, where she could lay to rest all of her fears, all of her worries. With Rick’s hard, heavy body on top of hers, she could let go and just feel. When his hot length slid inside her, Quinn nearly bucked off of the bed. The only thing keeping her from fracturing to pieces immediately, was the slow, torturous strokes Rick made, moving until he was almost all the way out before sliding back in until their hips met.

“Faster, more…” Quinn loved the drawn out friction, loved the intimacy of Rick staring into her eyes as they made love. But her body was practically vibrating with need. She was so tantalizingly close, yet that blissful peak was staying at arms length.

“I love you, doll.” Rick devoured her mouth as his hips sped up. His tongue plunged in and out of her mouth, mimicking the fast strokes of his cock.

“God, yes!” Her cries were muffled by another deep kiss. Rick swallowed her moans until his own pleasure became too much.

“Fuck… oh my god, Quinn… I can’t.” His head dropped to her shoulder. His hot, fast breaths gusting over the sensitive skin of her neck and ear. The fast pace was quickly driving Quinn to the edge.

“Rick! Yes, oh god, oh god…”

Rick braced himself up on his arms and thrust wildly, his strokes uneven and deeper than Quinn thought possible.

“Quinn…” Rick warned, letting her know he was close.

Right as his gorgeous face drew tight with ecstasy, his head thrown back as he came with a roar. The sight sent Quinn over the edge. She shattered into a million pieces and convulsed around Rick’s cock, drawing a strangled sound from his throat as he collapsed on top of her.

In that moment, life was perfect. And maybe it would be from here on out. Quinn couldn’t worry about it right now. Now, she was truly loved and cared for, and nothing else mattered.

It was three weeks since the Travis debacle, and no one had seen or heard a peep from the man. He was completely off the grid. Even though she didn’t think he was still in the area, Quinn wasn’t about to relax and let her guard down, not that the men of Sanctum would allow that to happen. When she came to Atlanta, Quinn had expected to find her father’s old buddy, that’s it. What she found instead was a family— a father figure, five over-protective big brothers, a sister in Mara, and a lover that made her happier than she ever imagined possible.

The door clicked open behind her, but Quinn didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. Not only did her body have some sort of ability to sense when Rick was nearby, but the closed circuit camera in the hallway let her know who was entering Mission Control.

“Hey babe,” she said over her shoulder, not looking away from the wall of screens in front of her.

“Hi doll. You almost done?” Rick leaned in close, brushing the hair away from her ear to whisper. “You have no idea how fucking hot you look when you’re working.”

Quinn smiled, a shiver running through her from Rick’s husky, sexed-out voice. “I never would have pegged you as someone with a geek-fetish.” Her fingers stopped typing so she could melt into Rick’s lips as they skimmed along her neck.

“Not a geek-fetish, doll. A
you
fetish.” He fake growled and bit her ear playfully.

“Stop!” Quinn giggled and weakly shoved Rick away, not actually wanting him to stop at all.

“You need to stop turning me on if you don’t want me all over you.”

She rolled her eyes. “Everything turns you on.”

“Just you, doll. Just you.”

Before Quinn could respond, the door clicked and Tucker walked in. “Hey Rick. Quinn,” he crossed the room and dropped into his chair. “This just came for you.” He handed her a large, cream-colored envelope.

The wide grin fell off her face the instant Quinn got a look at the return address. Her stomach flipped inside out and her heart flew up into her throat. For a minute, Quinn thought she might pass out. She must have looked as bad as she felt, because Rick was in front of her, speaking frantically.

“Hey… Quinn! Doll. You okay?”

The warm, comforting strength of Rick’s arms came around her, pulling her out of her chair and into his embrace.

“What is it?” His voice was steady, but Quinn could hear the concern behind the words.

“It’s… it’s from a law office. In San Antonio.”

Rick’s forehead wrinkled as he tried to figure out the importance of that city. She knew the moment he made the connection because his brilliant eyes turned hard and cold.

“Travis,” he said, his mouth in a tight line.

“Yeah.”

“Maybe he signed the divorce papers.” Rick and Quinn turned simultaneously to stare at Tucker as if the man had two heads. Not normally good with reading social cues, Tucker had no problem figuring out that he wasn’t needed in this particular conversation. “Uhhh, I forgot… ummmm, I have something to do.” The man bolted for the door and was gone, leaving Rick and Quinn alone with the letter.

“He’s right, doll. It could be the divorce.”

Rick’s steady hands smoothed up and down Quinn’s back, grounding her, keeping her from freaking out.

“Yeah.”

“Sit,” Rick instructed, leading her back to her chair. He took Tucker’s recently vacated seat and waited for Quinn to open the letter.

“I’m afraid,” she whispered.

He reached over and took her hand. “I’m here. You never have to be afraid again.”

Quinn managed a weak smile, then ripped open the envelope. As she scanned the pages, her heart went into overtime, hammering against her chest with enough force that Quinn thought it might break free. She read them again. Then one more time. Numb, she lowered the papers in disbelief.

“What? What is it?” When Rick snatched the papers out of her hand, Quinn didn’t react. She
couldn’t
react. She didn’t know how to react. It was the best news and the worst news all rolled into one fancy, expensive, watermarked letter.

A loud laugh broke Quinn from her daze.

“He’s dead! This is great.” Rick’s brilliant smile did nothing to assuage Quinn’s dread. “You’re done. We’re done. It’s all over, doll. Don’t you see?”

Quinn watched as Rick’s levity faded with her lack of response.

“Why aren’t you happy? Isn’t this the best possible outcome? Quinn?”

Mechanically, she spoke, her tone flat and unemotional.

Keep it together, Quinn. You don’t know who did it yet. It may not be what you think.

“I need to be alone for a while.”

Rick jumped up from his chair, ready to protest.

“Rick! Please. I’m asking you for half an hour to let this sink in.” She turned her best doe eyed look on her lover, knowing he wouldn’t say no when she did that.

“Fuck,” he whispered, running a hand across the back of his neck. “Twenty minutes. Then we’re talking.” Rick dropped the letter on the desk and stalked out of the room.

She knew he was confused by her reaction, but he’d get over it. Right now, Quinn needed to prove to herself that she was wrong about Travis’ death.

Taking a deep breath, she pulled up a search engine on her computer. Typing quickly and referencing the date and city on the letter, Quinn quickly found several articles of interest. She clicked the first one, reading it multiple times. Blinking back tears, Quinn clicked another article, then another… she clicked and read until moisture blurred her vision.

“No… he wouldn’t. He promised.”

Realizing how ridiculous she sounded talking to herself, she wiped the tears away with her sleeve. Quinn printed the original article and laid it on Tucker’s desk, then deleted her search history. She couldn’t ignore the fact that Travis was killed during the time that Rick had gone missing. Time he hadn’t explained to her or anyone else. Ten minutes until he came back into the room, and Rick was nothing if not punctual— early even.

No, no, no, no, no!

She should have known Rick wouldn’t let it go. Not after what Travis did, leaving Rick to pick up her broken pieces and put her back together. Six minutes.

Quinn was torn. Half of her was so relieved that Travis was dead that it didn’t matter how it happened. The other half of her was horrified and pretty pissed off that Rick would go behind her back against her wishes. Two minutes.

Just as she thought, the door burst open with time to spare, a very agitated former Recon Marine storming towards her with a grimace on his face.

“So… what? What’s going on here, Quinn?”

She flinched at his harsh tone, trying not to take it to heart. It was concern and fear making him prickly, not anger. He wasn’t like Travis and never would be. He would never hurt her… not intentionally.

“I— I…” The words died on the tip of her tongue. Tears spilled over and down her cheeks. She had to decide whether or not Rick was worth it. Could she overlook what he did? Right now, she didn’t have the answer. “I need more time.” With that, she jumped up, snatched the printed article off the desk, and bolted from the room. Quinn heard Rick calling out for her, but she kept going until she was safe behind her the locked door of her apartment.

Thankfully, for once, Rick didn’t follow.

A few hours later, curled up on her couch, freshly showered and drinking a cup of herbal tea, Quinn reread the article over and over until she had it all but memorized. The chime of yet another text message from Rick interrupted her churning thoughts.

He was wearing down her resolve. She knew it, so why keep the charade going? Quinn knew without a doubt she was going to forgive Rick even if the crime itself was unforgivable. One last time, she read the article detailing the death of a John Doe just outside of Oklahoma City, dated three weeks ago.