40
Truth and Taunting
Q uinn sucked in a breath. He said “love.” She shouldn’t get ahead of herself, but there was that word. Did he love her? His hand squeezed hers.
“Could ye forgive me fer the way I behaved?”
“Forgiven.” The word slipped out and she meant it whole heartedly.
Quinn never expected Alex to open up to her this way and she still wasn’t sure what it meant for the two of them, but it felt pretty damn good that the walls were down—and by the sounds of it not just down, but gone. At least with her. The fact that he could speak with her what was on his mind so openly and honestly was a testament to that.
Alex let out a breath as if he’d been holding it. “Ach, thank God, I’m truly sorry, Quinn. I will never shut ye out again. Ye have my word lass.” His eyes were intense on hers as he squeezed her hand in his.
Quinn’s heart was bursting. His words meant the world to her. She believed him. Somewhere deep inside, she knew she could trust what he was saying. God, all she wanted to do was sit in his arms and kiss his handsome face, but his police truck made that a bit awkward. The console was a plethora of electronics.
Alex seemed to sense the direction of her thoughts, and right on cue, someone came over his radio. “Mackenzie, are you headed back to the station?”
Alex pressed a button and answered. “Aye, I’ll be there at 1900 hours.”
“Ten-four.”
He leaned back in his seat and looked at her. “I huv to get the truck back to the station. Will ye come back and stay at my place tonight?” There was a sweet hopeful look in his stormy blue eyes.
She nodded a smile touching her lips.
“Ah shite,” he groaned, throwing his head back in his seat.
“What?”
“Lachlan, my brother.” He looked at her subdued. “He’s at my place.”
“Oh right, I met him. We actually had a really great afternoon together.”
Alex looked at her from under a raised brow. “Really?”
“Yeah, it was nice. We had such a good chat. He seems like such a genuine guy.”
“He’s great, but he’s married. And I’ll kill him if he so much as looked at ye wrong,” Alex blurted.
Quinn threw back her head and laughed. She kinda liked possessive, jealous Alex even if it was at his brother’s peril.
“Dinnae think I joke, little lass.”
Quinn settled in a smile, knowing full well, that Alex would never do anything to harm Lachlan, but loving all the same that he was protective over her.
“I’m well aware he’s a married man, to Violet. The blond-haired woman from the photo in your sporran.” Quinn regarded him, silently daring him to deny it.
“Ah, shite. Right, the picture.” He winced as he leaned back in his seat.
“Yes. The picture,” she chirped her eyes boring into him.
He looked incredibly uncomfortable, and Quinn felt vindicated. Good, let him wallow in guilt . He’d intentionally let her believe that it was him in that picture, and she waited to hear how he would explain himself.
“Ach, lass, when ye assumed the photo was of me and my family, my wife, and babies or whatever ye thought—” Alex stopped mid-sentence looking contrite. With a heavy sigh, he dared to look into Quinn’s expectant eyes. “I’m sorry, lass. It feels so daft now that I wasn’t just straight with ye. I should huv been honest.”
“Yes, you should have,” she said emphatically, but then she almost laughed seeing big strong sexy Alex looking like a guilty puppy. She bit her lip as she observed him and realized she didn’t enjoy watching his guilt. “I understand why you didn’t tell me the truth.”
“Ye do?” he arched a disbelieving brow.
“I think you knew I wouldn’t get involved with a married man. I practically handed you a brick to build your wall. An easy way to keep me out.” She eyed him to see if she was on the right track.
“Aye, I suppose. It did feel like a little extra fortification, but it was silly really as I’d already said I wasnae married,” Alex countered.
“True,” she agreed. “But you still left me feeling apprehensive. It’s the only picture I’d seen in your cabin, and it was hidden away. A mystery. And my God, from what I could see, it was you with your loving wife and children. I believed you when you told me you weren’t married, but then I assumed you had to be divorced. I couldn’t understand how you could have just abandoned your children.”
“I’d never ever do that,” Alex interjected.
“I know,” Quinn said. “I was baffled, and you were so tight-lipped about it. I wondered if they’d all died!” she blurted.
“Christ!” Alex’s lips tugged like he was about to laugh, and Quinn saw the mirth in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare laugh.” She shot him a glare.
“I’m sorry, lass.”
She could see the great effort it took him not to laugh, and she couldn’t help but find him all the more appealing. Curse him.
“Ach, Quinn, I confess, I suppose I knew ye were thinking that it was me in the photo with Violet and the boys, but I didnae consider that you’d try to rationalize their whereabouts. I didnae think much about it at all except that suppose I thought it would be easier if you assumed I had too many skeletons in my closet.” He looked repentant.
“I knew there were skeletons, but I have skeletons in my closet too. Everyone does.”
Alex nodded resting his good hand over the steering wheel.
“When you opened up about Kate, I would have thought you’d come clean about the picture too.”
“Aye, I suppose it would have made sense. That night I told you about Kate, it changed things for me. I hadn’t ever spoken about everything that had happened to anyone. People knew, of course, but I never talked about it.”
Quinn’s heart squeezed. How had he carried that all these years without talking about it? “I’m glad you were able to talk about it with me,” she said, gently putting her hand on his arm.
He looked down at her hand stroking his arm and then his eyes drew back up to hers with that stormy blue that seemed to set her soul on fire.
“I never want to keep anything from ye, lass. Talking to ye freed me somehow. I’m sorry fer the picture and fer being such a coward. Truly I am. Can we start over? No more walls. No more secrets or half-truths.”
The moment he’d implored her with those eyes, she was lost. She nodded, feeling the soft sting of unshed tears.
“Ach, Quinn, I have never liked dishonesty. I believe in being truthful contrary to what I may have shown you. I want there to be truth between us. Always.”
“I want that too.” She smiled as a tear escaped and slid down her cheek.
Alex reached up and gently wiped it away, but the moment his finger touched her bare cheek, she felt a sizzle jump through her. The air between them changed. Invisible electricity snapped heightening their awareness. Quinn shifted in the leather seat of his truck not missing the hunger in his gaze as it dropped to her lips, but as quick as she saw it, he seemed to blink it away.
“I’m going to huv to get the truck back to the station soon,” he said reluctantly, and Quinn understood the silent message. If he kissed her, she’d be in his lap quicker than a kid ripping open presents Christmas morning.
“So back to yer date with my brother today?” Alex eyed her from under a dark menacing brow.
Quinn giggled, seeming to find pleasure in his jealousy. “I admit, I did enjoy his company,” she said to toy with him.
“Not too much, I hope.” In truth, Alex was so pleased to know that Lachlan and Quinn had hit it off. It struck Alex that he wanted Quinn to meet the rest of his family too. He cared deeply for his family, and now, he realized he also cared deeply for the woman sitting beside him.
“He’s certainly not as handsome as you,” she teased.
“We’re identical twins, lass,” Alex deadpanned.
She laughed. “Maybe so, but there are differences.” She threw him a flirtatious look that stoked his fires.
“Do tell,” he murmured intrigued.
“First off, your smile is similar but different. His is crooked and almost boyish, but yours? Yours is rugged and very manly,” she said as her eyes dropped to his lips.
“Aye?” He could barely think straight.
“Mm-hmm, and your lips…” Her voice trailed off breathlessly.
“My lips?”
She bit her own lip, and he felt his cock thicken in his uniform. “It’s just that they are so kissable.” Her voice was breathy, and Alex struggled to contain himself.
“And your eyes…” She leaned in closer to him, over the console of electronics.
“My eyes?” he repeated, barely able to breathe as he leaned in closer to her.
The way she looked at him said it all. Like she was hungry and he was a buffet she wanted to devour. Alex was hanging on by a thread.
She reached up and slowly ran a finger over his stubbled jaw. “Don’t get me wrong, your brother is a handsome man, but you, Sergeant Mackenzie.” She bit her lip again, inching her face closer to his. So close, he could feel her gentle breath against his mouth. “You are so hot,” she said in a breathy whimper like his hotness was scorching her.
“Christ, lass.” Alex was entranced. He wanted desperately to kiss that tempting mouth, but he was too damn aware that they were in his police truck.
“When I first saw you step out of this truck, you were so tall and broad and dangerous looking dressed in your uniform.”
“Dangerous?” Alex asked fascinated.
“Mm-hmm… I confess, you scared me a little, but it turned me on.” She bit her lip shyly.
Alex had to adjust his now very hard cock in his uniform. Jesus. He loved this confessional. “The day I gave you the ticket?” She had the hots for him then?
“Mm-hmm, I think even then I wouldn’t have minded if you handcuffed me, bent me over the hood of my car, kicked my legs aside, and did as you pleased,” she drawled, eyeing him and seductively licking her lips.
“Christ,” he breathed. Alex could hardly believe what he was hearing. He had no idea his little lass had such a dirty mind, and God help him, he fucking loved it. It scorched his soul. Blood was pounding through him now as he looked at her stunned by her admission.
“I know it’s wrong, but I was also turned on that first night in your bed when you thought I was an intruder.” She looked up at him with big innocent eyes that were in complete contradiction to what she was saying to him. “You were so strong and lethal.” Her voice dripped with desire, and Alex was on the edge riveted.
“Ye liked that?” he asked in equal parts astonishment and intrigue.
She nodded coyly.
Alex groaned, his cock almost splitting his pants now.
Her teasing lush lipped grin was almost his undoing. “My point is, your brother is a good-looking guy and super nice, but you?” She shivered. “Mmm.”
He was a hair’s breadth away from hauling her onto his lap and devouring those full taunting lips when his radio came on again. “Mackenzie, park out front instead of your stall. They want to take the truck in for detailing.”
Alex was snapped painfully back to reality. “Copy that,” he responded soberingly.
He blew out a breath, trying to calm the blood that was pounding through his veins. As much as he wanted Quinn now, he knew the second he kissed her, he’d need his cock in her, and that certainly wasn’t gonna happen on the side of the road in his police truck.
“I’d better get the truck back,” he said reluctantly.
She nodded, sitting back in her seat. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It should have been benign, but after everything she'd just said to him, every fucking thing about her, every fucking move she made, had him on fire.
“To be clear, I want to pick up this conversation where we left off.” He shot her a look from under his arched dark brow.
With a demure little smile, she opened the door and hopped out of the truck. Alex got out and walked alongside her to her car. The cool night air doing little to calm his desire for her.
“Ye’ll head back to my place?” he asked, hating to leave her even for a short time. Even though they’d talked about things and Quinn had said she’d forgiven him and that she understood, he somehow felt like he just needed to keep her close. It was irrational, but he didn’t want her to change her mind.
She nodded. “I’m going to zip back to the inn to grab a few things first, but I’ll be back at your place within an hour or so.”
“Okay sounds good, lass. I’ll see you soon.”
He wanted to kiss her, but he knew that when he kissed those lips again, he’d not be stopping. Instead, he brought her hand to his lips and kissed it before opening her door for her.