Quinn's Quest: Legacy, Book 4 (12 page)

His voice was gruff. “Make your call. We’re leaving in five minutes.”

She watched as he walked away, admiring his firm butt and the way his well-worn jeans cupped it.

“Do you need anything?” The deep male voice was so close she jumped. Michael was standing next to her, staring at her face. No not her face, her mouth. He really was good-looking with his black hair, strong face and stormy blue eyes—a masculine version of his mother. But he didn’t stir her physically or emotionally, not the way Quinn did.

Now she was the one who was staring. “The phone.” Her voice was a bit hoarse so she cleared her throat. “I need to make a call. It’s long distance, but I’ll pay for it.” At least she would as soon as she got replacement identification and was able to get a new bankcard. She didn’t have a lot of money in her account, but enough to cover her debts, including returning the forty dollars that Margaret had given her.

“In here.” Michael put his hand on the small of her back and urged her toward a door. Bethany knew he was simply being kind, but she hurried ahead, not wanting him to touch her. It felt wrong somehow. Like a betrayal.

Which was totally nuts. She and Quinn weren’t a couple. They’d had sex. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“Thank you.”

“You’re very welcome.” His voice was warm, like a caress. “If you need anything else don’t hesitate to ask. And if you’re still hungry, drop by the kitchen and Teague will make you anything you want.” She raised her eyebrow in question and he shrugged. “I noticed you didn’t eat much breakfast and you need to keep your strength up.”

The fact he’d noticed what she’d eaten, or hadn’t eaten as the case may be, made her feel slightly uncomfortable, even though he’d really done nothing to make her feel that way. He’d been nothing but cordial and nice to her. “I will. Thanks again.”

She hurried to the desk and picked up the receiver. When she glanced at the door it was closed and Michael was gone. Bethany released a deep sigh of relief. Being around the others wasn’t easy. She was still trying to understand them and herself.

She shook off all thoughts of Michael and Quinn and dialed information first to get the number for the superintendent of her apartment building. Then she placed the call.

Four minutes later she hung up the phone. She no longer had an apartment, but the super had agreed to box up her few belongings and hold them for another month. She’d had to promise him a hundred bucks to get him to do it. But it was better to lose the money than what few personal possessions she had.

There wasn’t much but there were pictures from her childhood of her and her mother. Those were irreplaceable. Plus, she longed to wear her own clothing. Meredith and Neema had both loaned her some tops and jeans and, while she appreciated their generosity, it wasn’t the same. She’d also like her small collection of books and music and knick-knacks, the little treasures she’d collected over the years. None of it was expensive, but no matter where she ended up she’d want her own stuff around her. It would help ground her wherever her new home happened to be.

She made another quick call, this one to the diner where she’d worked. As she suspected, the owner wasn’t happy with her. She pleaded a family emergency, and he finally agreed to send her final paycheck. She found a business card on Meredith’s desk and gave him the address for the bar. Even if she didn’t stay here until the check arrived she knew Meredith would forward it to her.

Feeling better to have done something to get her life back on track, she left the office and headed back to the main area of the bar. The other men were waiting. Isaiah, Hank and Quinn were carrying duffle bags and she suspected there were weapons inside.

“If you find a likely spot, call before you go in.” Isaiah pinned Quinn with his dark brown eyes. “I mean it, Quinn. Our best chance to get your sister out alive is to do this right.”

Quinn nodded.

Satisfied, Isaiah turned to Hank. “If you think you’ve found her, find a high spot in case they try to slip out.” The alpha turned to her, offering her reassurance. “Hank is former military and is trained for this.” What went unsaid was that Hank would shoot to kill whoever tried to take Chrissten away.

Hank nodded and headed toward the door. Bethany followed the men, her stomach in knots. Would they find Chrissten today? She prayed they would. She didn’t want to think about what had happened to her friend since the escape attempt.

We’re coming, Chrissten. Hang on
. She thought the words, trying to project them out into the world, trying to send hope to her friend.

Chapter Six

They trooped back into the bar hours later, dirty and discouraged. Not only had Chrissten not been in any of the places they’d looked, but there was also no sign that anyone besides squatters had been in any of the locations for months, if not years.

All the men’s faces were grim, but Quinn’s expression was totally forbidding. He’d closed himself off after they’d checked the second location and found nothing.

Bethany had prayed they’d find Chrissten. She felt sick at heart. She couldn’t begin to imagine what Quinn felt like. It was his sister who was missing, after all.

Michael and Benjamin headed upstairs to their apartment to shower and Teague went in search of his mate. Bethany looked around, not quite knowing what to do. She didn’t belong here, yet she couldn’t leave. Not yet. Not until Chrissten was found.

“Come on.” Quinn’s hand was warm on the small of her back as he urged her toward a door in the back of the room. It was usually locked when the bar was open as the stairwell led to the upstairs and the family’s apartments.

“Where are we going?” His finger stroked along her spine and she barely suppressed a shiver of desire. Just having him close to her was a turn on. She knew she should be concerned by her attraction to Quinn, but right now she just couldn’t summon up enough energy to care.

“Upstairs.”

Well, duh, she knew that. Obviously they were going upstairs. Quinn had explained earlier that there were two large apartments on the second floor and three smaller ones on the third. They continued on to the third floor. Teague and Neema shared the larger apartment, while Kevin and Hank each occupied smaller ones. That is, they had until Quinn and Craig had moved in and taken over Kevin’s place.

It had gotten even more crowded since she’d moved in.

Craig was nowhere in sight. He was probably off somewhere working on his laptop, digging for more information. It might be cowardly, but she was glad she didn’t have to face him with the news of their failure. She didn’t want to see or feel his disappointment.

She was depressed enough as it was.

Quinn was silent as he unlocked the apartment door and held it open for her. She hurried in and went straight to the bedroom.

All she wanted right now was a shower and a nap. She’d be working downstairs in the bar tonight. Not that she minded. It felt right to do her share, to contribute. After all, these people had taken her in when she was alone and desperate. She’d been a complete stranger to them, yet they’d opened their door and let her into their lives.

She rubbed her hands over her face. God, she was tired. All she wanted was a week of normalcy, of her ordinary, boring, humdrum life. She hadn’t appreciated how good she’d had it until after she’d been kidnapped, before all this werewolf craziness began.

As though she’d conjured the sensations from her thoughts, her skin began to itch, to heat. Bethany sank down on the edge of the bed, wrapping her arms around herself. The air in the room wasn’t overly warm, but she felt hot. Her entire body ached and she was afraid only one thing would ease the growing need inside her.

Quinn. Or more specifically, sex with Quinn.

Meredith had told her she had to mate with a male werewolf if she wanted to release her own wolf. If that didn’t happen by the time she finished being in heat—God, she hated that word—then her wolf would stay contained for another year. She had about a week, give or take, according to Meredith.

The heat, the sexual longing, would grow to a fevered pitch in another day or so. Maybe longer, maybe less. All she knew was that all the unattached males would find being around her much harder, if not downright impossible. Any unattached female attracted any unattached males. It was simply the nature of the beast.

She didn’t like the sound of that. She didn’t want any male coming around for no other reason than he was horny. That was not the least bit attractive in her opinion.

Yet she couldn’t deny her growing awareness of the other males of the group. They were all strong, virile men.

But it was Quinn who drew her gaze again and again. It was him that her body craved.

She was a total mess.

Bethany didn’t hear him come in but she knew the second he entered the room. The skin on her arms prickled with awareness. Her clothing felt like it was two sizes too small. Constricting. Uncomfortable.

She glanced up and immediately wished she hadn’t. His nostrils flared and his pupils dilated. His hands rested on his narrow waist, emphasizing his broad shoulders and thick biceps. Oh yeah, she had it bad.

He leaned in slightly, sniffed the air and gave a small groan of pleasure. Her nipples automatically puckered as if he’d touched them. She squeezed her thighs together to try to still the ache. Her panties were damp. Again. It seemed to be a common condition whenever she was alone with Quinn.

“Bethany?” There was no denying the question in his voice. Seated as she was, she was at eyelevel with his groin. The bulge was impressive when he wasn’t aroused. When he was…well, she’d never seen anything quite like it before.

His cock was long and thick as it pushed against the soft fabric of his well-worn jeans. She licked her lips and he gave a low, guttural groan. He was breathing heavily now, his chest rising and falling as he sucked in air.

He was as aroused as she was.

This was wrong. This was crazy. They barely knew one another.

Yet, it felt incredibly right. More right than anything else in her life. Everything she’d ever known, ever believed had been turned upside down. She wasn’t human. Not totally. She was part of this group, this pack of werewolves and half-breeds. There were people out there who would kill her simply because of what she was. There were others who would stop at nothing to possess her.

Life was uncertain at best. She, better than anyone, knew that.

Why shouldn’t she reach out and take what she wanted?

Quinn was still standing right in front of her. Waiting.

Feeling bolder than she ever had in her life, she reached for the snap of his jeans. The backs of her fingers grazed his erection as she undid it. He groaned and his hips jerked.

The heat from his body seemed to sink into her skin as she drew down the zipper. The sound was loud in the otherwise quiet room. All the normal noises of the outside traffic faded into the background like white noise, leaving them cocooned in this small room.

Outside, the world waited. But in this room there was only the two of them.

Their problems weren’t going away anytime soon, but didn’t they deserve a respite from all the worry, all the pain? If they could give each other some comfort why shouldn’t they?

Decided, Bethany shoved his jeans and boxer briefs down until his cock jumped free. It was long and thick. The bulbous head was broad and damp.

He groaned when she wrapped her hand around him and stroked from base to tip. The skin of his penis was soft, velvet over steel. He was so hot, so alive, pulsing against her palm.

This was what she wanted, what she craved. She wanted his cock buried inside her, burning her with its heat, filling her, stretching her. She leaned inward and nuzzled his groin, the wiry hair tickling her nose. She breathed in his scent, taking it deep into her lungs—hot and male and musky. Her pussy spasmed, pulling a soft whimper from her. She wanted Quinn more than she’d ever wanted anything in her life.

“You’re killing me, babe.” His voice was gruff with lust.

She no longer cared if it was right or wrong, biology or proximity, or if there was something real between them. All she knew was he was here and so was she. That was enough.

His hands were large and firm on her shoulders as he drew her upward. “You have too many clothes on.”

Now that he mentioned it, her clothing was making her skin itch something fierce. Just being around him seemed to have raised her core temperature. She started to sweat.

She yanked off her fleece and tossed it aside. Her top and bra followed. Naked from the waist up, she let him look his fill. His pale blue eyes weren’t icy cold as they often were, but filled with heat and need.

Bethany arched her back, wanting him to like what he saw.

There was no warning. No hint that the volcano stirring inside him was about to blow. One second he was patiently watching her, the next her back was against the nearest wall and he was devouring her mouth.

Blood pumped through her veins like lava, slow and thick then faster and hotter. Their teeth clinked as they tried to get closer. She couldn’t get near enough to him to suit her. But she tried. Oh, how she tried, rubbing her chest against his, gripping his muscular shoulders, pressing her pelvis against his.

He still wore his shirt and it blocked her access to his flesh. She tore at the fabric. A ripping sound split the air. Quinn leaned back long enough to yank his shirt off and toss it aside.

She made a low purring sound in her throat as all that prime masculine flesh came into view. She stroked her palms over his chest, enjoying the heavy beat of his heart against her hand, feeling the strong, supple muscles ripple beneath her fingers.

His cock pressed hard against her belly, a vivid reminder of what she really wanted.

She shoved at his chest and he took a half step back. His blond hair was tousled, his eyes narrowed. The predator lurking inside him was close to the fore. She could see it in his eyes, sense it in the way he watched her, his eyes narrowed, his gaze focused. If she ran, he’d chase her down.

It was appalling. It was sexy as hell.