24. Quinn
24
QUINN
I ’ve completely given up pretending to be calm. And as I pace the home theater, I hardly acknowledge the movie playing from the TV. It’s nearly sunrise.
And where the hell is Lance?
Killian and Natasha gave up waiting for him hours ago, my brother saying that he’ll catch him in the morning. And because I don’t want him to know just how desperately I’m freaking out about the man I’m not supposed to be in love with, I pretended like I wasn’t tired yet. That I wanted to stay up and watch one more show.
But the truth is, there’s no chance that I could fall sleep without knowing Lance is safely home. And I haven’t spent the night without him in my bed in so long, I’d probably have nightmares even if I tried.
So instead, I steadily wear a hole in the carpet as I let the movie play, filling my head with white noise. Because I can’t stop envisioning all the things that could have gone wrong—especially since Lance is trying to do recon while he’s injured.
The big, dumb idiot. I never should have let him go.
I should have tried harder to make him stay home.
What if he got captured? What if he got killed?
My heart hammers uncomfortably against my ribs, and I snatch up the remote to turn off the TV because clearly it’s not helping. Then I pause. Because if I turn it off, then the house will be silent. And that would be so much worse.
My breath catches as I think I hear the whisper of a lock turning. Then muted voices.
Silencing the TV, I strain my ears to see if I’m hearing things.
No, that’s definitely Donnie’s brogue—which means someone’s at the door.
Heart in my throat, I turn off the TV and race to the entry of the home theater. If it is Lance, he’ll have to walk this way to go to his room, and I bite my lip to stay silent as I wait impatiently.
Minutes pass that feel like hours, and my stomach sinks. Was I hearing things? I could have sworn I heard Donnie.
Then my heart skips a beat as a tall, looming figure rounds the corner on soft-soled feet. Lance, dressed head to toe in dark clothing, he looks like a dark ops soldier minus the face mask and bulletproof armor. And blessedly, he looks no worse for wear.
I don’t care that we’re in the middle of the hallway where someone could see us. I’m so grateful he’s home, I can’t stop myself from running into his arms.
And as a grin spreads across his handsome face, I jump up, wrapping my legs around his waist, my arms around his shoulders. Lance grunts softly, taking a step back to absorb my inertia, and I cringe at the realization that I might have disrupted his stitches.
But my lips are already on his.
Without a moment’s hesitation, he’s cradling the back of my head with one hand, his other arm curling beneath my hips to hold me in place. And he kisses me back with a ferocity that steals my breath away.
I can’t bring myself to pull back until my lungs are burning for oxygen. And when I finally do, it’s only for a brief moment. “What…took…you…so…damn…long?” I demand between kisses.
Lance stiffens, his arm tightening around my hips, and my stomach drops as I get a cold lump of foreboding in my chest. Pulling back just enough to meet his eyes, I ask him again.
“Lance, what took you so long?”
Releasing a slow breath, he lets his eyes drop in that sign I’m coming to learn means he doesn’t want to admit what he’s going to say. But because I asked, he won’t lie to me.
“I went inside the house.”
“You…? I thought you said this was just recon?—”
“I know.” Slowly, Lance eases me back onto the ground, and he meets my eyes with almost painful reluctance.
“Well? Did they see you? Did you find Lucian?” What am I even talking about? Who cares? He could have died going inside that house by himself. Right now I’m furious, and as my eyes narrow into a fierce glare, I hiss, “You promised you wouldn’t do anything reckless.”
“I know, I know ,” he insists, grasping my shoulders as I cross my arms defensively over my chest. “That’s why I stopped. I knew I made you a promise and that you would never forgive me if I broke it and got myself killed. So no, I didn’t find Lucian. He’s not dead. But I’m confident we can get to him.”
My heart skips a beat at the sincerity in his gaze, the fire behind his confidence. But all I care about is the fact that he stopped. Because he wanted to keep his promise to me.
That means more to me than any possible vengeance he could have gotten by killing Lucian.
It shows me that he was thinking about me. About how I would feel if he died—even in the heat of the moment. I’ve always been so terrified that I would lose Killian or Lance. And neither of them have ever seemed to give that a second thought.
But tonight, Lance did. And it brings tears to my eyes as relief floods my chest.
That means that I might not have to live through a broken heart. Even if he’ll only think of his safety to satisfy me, I’ll shoulder that responsibility. Because I want Lance to live a long, healthy life. With me.
“Are you…crying?” he asks, worry flitting across his face as he runs the pad of his thumb along my cheek.
And I’m surprised to feel the wetness he brushes away. “No,” I sniffle. Then I giggle as I let my arms fall to my sides. “I’m just…That means a lot to me. That you made sure you could come home safe.”
Relief makes his shoulders sag, and he smiles softly. “Good. For a moment, I thought I might have blown my chances when I should have killed that Italian bastard.”
That makes me laugh, and I rock onto my tiptoes as I press my palms to his broad, muscular chest. “No, you definitely did the right thing,” I murmur, and I tip my chin up to kiss him once again.
He hums appreciation, his arms enfolding me, one hand cradling the back of my head as he leans into the embrace.
And because I think we’ve taken enough chances for one evening, I slowly step back, extricating myself from his arms. Then I grasp his hand and lead him down the hall toward our bedrooms.
His eyes light with a different kind of warmth as he follows me, and my stomach clenches giddily at the thought of rewarding him for taking such good care to protect my heart.
We only have a few more hours before the house will start to wake. And no doubt, Killian will be coming to bang down Lance’s door as soon as he’s done sleeping. So I want to take advantage of every moment we have left.
Guiding Lance into my room, I take one last quick glance up and down the hall before closing my door. Then I stalk slowly toward the masculine behemoth who I want nothing more than to satisfy tonight.
“What?” he asks, his lips quirking into a smile as his eyes meet mine.
“I want to reward you for being so considerate tonight,” I say, and reaching up, I pull the tie out of my hair, letting my curls fall around my shoulders in what I hope is a seductive gesture.
Lance’s Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows, and his eyes roam deliciously down my body before flicking back to my eyes. “You’re not too tired? You’ve been up all night.”
“So have you,” I point out, stopping right in front of him and hooking my fingers around his belt. “Do you just want to go to sleep?” I murmur, looking up at him through my lashes.
“Not a chance,” he growls, and his fingers tangle in my hair as he covers my lips in a scintillating kiss.
My breath catches at the unexpected enthusiasm, and my clit throbs with anticipation. But I won’t let him take control tonight—to play my body like an instrument and make me sing like a harp. This time, I’m going to be in charge. And I want to make it about his pleasure.
So I work his belt open and slowly drag it through the loops before dropping the heavy leather to the floor. Lance hums his approval, his tongue exploring my mouth as he lets me undress him. And my skin warms at the bold sense of daring that floods my veins.
Working his pants open, I reach inside the dark fabric to grasp his hard length.
Lance groans, his lips stilling, his body tensing as his cock twitches against my palm. And when I give two slow strokes, he lets his forehead fall onto my shoulder.
“Damn, woman, that feels so good.”
I give an amused hum, relishing the way he responds to my touch—just as ensnared by mine as I am by his. “I bet it will feel even better when you come on my tongue,” I whisper.
The agonized groan that leaves his lips melts my insides, and I bite my lip, suddenly intensely aroused by the fact that he would like to come in my mouth.
“You want me to come on your tongue?” he rasps, making my stomach quiver.
“And then again inside me,” I qualify seductively.
Lance clenches his teeth until the tendons in his jaw stand out against his skin. His nose flares, and his eyes ignite with dark promise that says I don’t know what I’ve just gotten myself into. But whatever it is, I’m sure I’m going to like it.
Slowly lowering onto my knees before him, I hold Lance’s gaze as I untie his boots. There’s something intensely erotic about undressing him. Of having him watch while I do it. It feels like an act of giving even though he’s perfectly capable of undressing himself.
But as he steps out of his boots, and I hook my fingers around the waist of his pants, I soak up every moment. And as I strip him of the heavy fabric, I watch him grasp the hem of his henley and pull it up over his shoulders and head.
All at once, his beautiful, muscular, tattooed body is on full display. His abs ripple and flex, his lats standing out prominently from his ribs as his arms move above his head.
I love the intricate designs in his ink. The black swirls look almost Hawaiian in nature, but the colorful collage of animals in between have become familiar friends over the past few weeks of our intimate relationship. And every time I see them, I associate them with an ungodly, incomparable pleasure.
A slow smirk spreads across Lance’s face as he catches me ogling him, and his thick cock twitches toward my mouth, vying for my attention. “See something you like?” he teases.
“Yeah,” I breathe, grasping the base of his shaft and relishing the groan he makes. “All of it.” Then I wrap my lips around his cock and slide it all the way into my mouth until his mushroom tip hits my throat.
“Fffuu…” Lance groans, his eyes rolling into the back of his head as he leans forward to brace one palm against the door behind me.
Heat gushes into my core, slicking my channel.
Yes, I’m going to enjoy every moment of the reward I have planned for my Knight in shining armor.