Happy Endings (13 page)

He dipped a finger inside her, stroking it in deep before pulling back, only to plunge inside again. His thumb angled upward, stimulating her already over-sensitized nerves with a fast flick every time he moved his hand back and forth. He added another finger to the first, stretching her tight opening as he drove his fingers inside.

Larissa tipped her head back, rocking against his hand. Her breathing became short and she clenched with excitement. “Yes, yes, yes,” she panted.

Within a few moments, Quinn abandoned that tactic, simply rubbing at her tight, throbbing clit and raising her to the very edge of orgasm.

She was almost there when he guided himself to her opening and entered her. As he buried himself inside, Larissa gripped with her thighs and drew him as close as he could get.

With another grin, Quinn grabbed her shoulders and shifted their positions, putting her on top. “I like to be ridden,” he said into her ear. “I want to see those beautiful tits dancing above my face. Show me what you can do.”

Up for the challenge, Larissa pushed off from his chest, sitting over him. The different angle of his cock inside gave her renewed sensations, and Larissa knew she wasn’t far from the finish line.

While she impaled herself onto him hard and fast, Quinn’s moans grew as loud as hers. He dug his fingers into her ass, shoving her up and down with as much aggression as she could wish.

“Come on, come on, come on,” he growled, slamming her against him and raising his hips to pound into her.

After a few more frantic thrusts, Quinn went entirely rigid beneath her. It was time. Reaching down to touch herself so she could finish with him, Larissa also kept up the speed with which she rode him. A few more flicks of her finger, and her shuddering climax reached its highest peak at the same time Quinn grunted out his satisfaction.

***

L
arissa fell against Quinn’s stomach, all soft and feminine once again instead of the wild temptress she’d turned in to. He stroked her face, kissing her softly. He felt more content than he could remember being in a long time. She pleased and delighted him more than he thought possible.

“Thank you,” he said softly, hugging her against him.

She giggled and shook her head slightly. “Oh, no. Thank
you
.”

Quinn smiled, rolling her once again so he was on top. He stared down into her blue-green eyes, knowing he was lost. This was what had been missing with Camille all those years. Quinn knew in this moment, he’d do anything to keep Larissa in his life. “I think I could be very happy living with you forever behind this waterfall.”

Her gaze softened and she nodded. “I know what you mean. I’m not as afraid as I was earlier. Nothing seems so bad, as long as you’re here with me.”

Not wanting to press the issue or force something more than either of them were ready for in their new relationship, Quinn kissed her again. “I’m certainly comfortable and happy, just so long as you’re in my arms. What do you say we nap away the rest of the storm and figure out what to do about our predicament later?”

Larissa nodded and hugged him tight. “That sounds like a great idea.”

Quinn stood, quickly cleaning himself as he shivered in the damp air of the cavern. Once finished, he rushed back to her arms. Quinn grabbed the edge of the blanket and wrapped the excess over the top of them, keeping Larissa tight in his embrace while her heat warmed him again and drowsiness quickly descended on him. “Sweet dreams, beautiful woman.”

“Who needs to dream?” she asked.

“You’re right.” He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent and slipping further into a state of relaxation. “No need to dream when reality is so damn sweet.”

L
arissa woke up all at once, chilled and disoriented. Strong arms closed around her and she relaxed. Quinn. That part wasn’t a dream. They were trapped in a cave and she’d had sex with him. She still didn’t know what came over her. It might be the third date, but in all her past relationships that only meant kissing and handholding. Definitely not getting down and naughty. Then again, with Quinn, naughty was so nice.

When she had decided to tell him about the cancer and he was so angry with Jacob for not standing with her through her treatment, it deepened her attraction. In that moment, she knew how she wanted this day to end. It felt right, being with him.

Crazy, considering Quinn was only the second man she’d ever slept with. And only one week after they met. If a friend told her they did something like that in the past before she met Quinn, she would have judged them as a slut. But she didn’t feel like she’d done the wrong thing. Even if he never spoke to her again, this afternoon with Quinn worked out exactly the way it was supposed to. She wouldn’t apologize for that. Not even to herself.

“You okay?” Quinn asked, startling her. “You seemed to be having horrible dreams. Like someone was hurting you. You cried out before waking up.”

She twined her leg between his muscular thighs and ran her fingers through his thick, black hair. “Waking up to all this manliness makes things better.”

He chuckled, the movement of his chest bouncing her softly. “You’re the biggest flirt, aren’t you?”

Was she? It was crazy all the things she’d said to Quinn the past few days. “I guess being with you brings out the best in me. I’m not usually this bold.”

“That’s even better.” He kissed the top of her head and stroked a warm hand down her chilly back. “I like that I get this version all to myself.”

“Just like I get sensitive, painter Quinn all to myself?” She figured it was that version of him that tipped the scales in his favor as far as sleeping together.

He nodded. “Just like that.”

After a few moments of listening to the waterfall and Quinn’s breathing, he heaved a heavy sigh.

“What’s wrong, Quinn? Did you have a bad dream too?”

“No, nothing like that. I just don’t want to go back to real life. I’m liking being here with you too much,” he said. “But the storm is over and I should try and call for help.”

“Why don’t we wait for tomorrow morning?” She didn’t want the day to end either.

A gurgling sound erupted from her stomach, and Quinn laughed.

“We don’t have any food left, beautiful. It’s obviously past dinnertime, as your stomach has informed us.”

Embarrassed, Larissa rolled off Quinn and clapped a hand over her betraying stomach. “Maybe some water would do the trick.”

“It’s going to take more than that.” Quinn got to his feet and snagged his pants off the ground, turning around to dress quicker than Larissa would have liked. She didn’t mind staring at his firm thighs and butt.

Hopefully, once they left the magic of this place and got back to real life, he’d still want to show it to her again.

That put a damper on her contented mood, and Larissa crawled across to get her own clothing. Quinn truly was a different man around his family. This could have been a one-night stand for him. That might be the reason he was so anxious to call for help now.

Quinn had his phone in his hand and turned it back on. “Damn it. Still no bars,” he said. “I’m going to climb to the top of the falls and see if I can get a signal.”

Larissa nodded. “Sure. Sounds good. I’ll go to the meadow and look for fruit or something while you do that.” Not to mention use the bathroom, but that didn’t sound romantic. She wanted to keep him thinking of her as sexy, for as long as she could keep up the fantasy.

He reached his hand down to help pull her to her feet, wrapping her in another hug as she rose.

“Can you make it down the rocks?” he asked. “I don’t want you getting hurt. You’re too important to risk. I can search for food after calling if you want to wait here.”

Too important to risk? It certainly sounded like Quinn wasn’t calling for help just to get rid of her. Perhaps this was more to him than a fun afternoon with no commitment after.

“I’ll be okay,” she assured him. “Promise me you’ll be careful too? The whole hill must be slick after the storm.”

“There’s a pool of water at the top of the falls. It’s always slick, but I’m used to it.” He rubbed his stubbly chin along her jaw as he closed in for a tender kiss. “I’ve climbed up there tons of times, so don’t worry. You won’t be without me for long.”

Better and better. Larissa grabbed the back of Quinn’s head, drawing him in for a deep kiss. “I miss you already.”

A grin hitched across his face when he pulled away. “I’ll be back before you know it, and we’ll have time to kill while waiting for rescue. I’m sure we can think of
something
to do.”

Before she could think up a sexy response, Quinn turned and ducked beneath the falls, not even bothering to put shoes on.

Shaking her head, Larissa tied the laces on her tennis shoes, knowing her feet weren’t cut out for the cold rocks of the hillside, and who knew what she’d step on in the meadow.

She wondered if there was even hope of actually finding something to eat. At least it gave her a job to do so she wouldn’t feel useless while Quinn hiked the face of the waterfall.

When she ducked out from beneath the water herself, she was shocked to see how late it had become. The sun would set soon. They napped longer than she figured. Maybe the horses had already reached the stables and someone was searching for them.

She glanced up, seeing that Quinn had already scrambled halfway up to the top. As she watched, his foot slipped and his body lurched in a sickening manner.

Larissa sucked in some air, holding her breath and praying he caught himself.

Quinn dropped his body low against the hillside, stopping his sliding motion. He glanced over his shoulder, smiling widely when he saw her. “I’m okay,” he shouted above the roar of the water.

“Be careful,” she screamed back.

With a shake of her head, she knew she couldn’t watch him anymore on the hillside. It would give her a heart attack. Besides, she had her own slick rocks to navigate.

Taking a deep breath, Larissa started down the wet path.

***

Q
uinn watched Larissa pick her way down the hillside, unable to stop the grin spreading across his face. The day turned out better than he dared to hope. While he hated to admit his parents were right for meddling in his life, he’d be happy to hand them this victory. After all, he was the one getting the prize.

Once Larissa reached safety, she never looked back up at him. Quinn could only guess she was too worried to watch his progress. It felt good, having a woman worry about him. Camille’s only worries had been the budget and whether he was making money for the company and for them. After all, she’d had grand plans of being a socialite on the back of Quinn’s family money and those things were important to her. If only he’d understood that earlier.

No one ever understood why he hadn’t worked harder at his marriage. In fact, Quinn often questioned it himself. Being with Larissa, seeing the type of woman she was, he knew why. He’d been destined for something better. Someone who didn’t care about money and fame, but cared about his artwork and the things he wanted in life. He’d never had a woman to share that sort of thing with before. Camille would have laughed in his face and told him to quit dreaming if he’d ever admitted to her that he wanted to spend his life painting, not running the resort.

Larissa disappeared into the trees and Quinn decided it was time to get in gear. If Dad sent out the helicopter to retrieve them, he could have Larissa back home in time to treat her to a nice dinner at Shane’s restaurant.

Climbing the remainder of the hill wasn’t easy. Breathless, Quinn realized just how out of shape he’d become since he gave up exploring the island in favor of managing it.

His parents had been right, however, with their constant nagging. He didn’t need to spend all his time in the office, not really. When he’d agreed to take over the management position, he thought he had to give up his other dreams completely. Spending time with Larissa today, sharing his artwork and having her so appreciative of it, he felt like perhaps he really could have the best of both worlds. And hopefully she’d stick around to be a part of it.

Upon making it to the top, Quinn pulled his cell phone from his pocket. No signal. Cell service had improved on the island over the years, but the signals came from towers on the Hawaiian Islands. It seemed he might be out of range.

Holding the phone up, Quinn carefully made his way around the pool of water, searching for any blip of reception. Nothing.

He returned to the waterfall, defeated. He had been determined that this date wouldn’t end in disaster like their others, but it seemed things just wouldn’t go his way. Now he had Larissa stranded miles from home with no hope of rescue until his family figured out on their own what had happened.

It looked like they wouldn’t get that fancy dinner tonight. At this rate, it would be a miracle if Larissa ever agreed to date him again... or do anything else for that matter. And he really wanted a repeat of their earlier activities. He never knew how nice it could be spending time with a woman who genuinely seemed to care about him beyond his last name and family money.

Quinn stepped out onto the faint path down the rocks to start his descent, deciding it would be best to help Larissa search for food rather than wasting more time messing with a phone that wouldn’t work.

As he made his way down, he tried not to be too nervous about how slick the hillside was. Moss and unstable rocks made his footing even less certain heading down. Suddenly, a small rock turned beneath his foot. Quinn slid several inches, turning and dropping to all fours to hug his body against the hillside. His heart thumped hard, but luckily he stopped sliding. He had to get off this damn thing.

When he took another step, several rocks came loose all at once.

With a shout of fear, Quinn clawed uselessly for purchase as shifting rocks gave way all around him.

L
arissa hit the jackpot, if only she could figure out how to get at the fruit. The papaya lower on the tree were yellowing and appeared ripe, but so far she’d only been able to dislodge two of them by throwing rocks. What she needed was a good, sturdy stick to whack them loose.