Ricochet (Locked & Loaded #1) Read online

  “Will you go out with me?”

  Quinn’s pupils dilated, nearly eclipsing the warm amber. He leaned down, their mouths almost touching. Her response was a faint rush of air across his lips. “Yes.”

  Rick’s mouth crashed down on hers. He watched, entranced, as her eyelids fluttered shut. His lips scraped gently over hers, just enough to send a frisson of electricity over his skin. Rick slid his hand down Quinn’s jaw and behind her ear so that both of his hands were cupping the sides of her head, his long fingers threading up into that thick dark hair. Stepping closer, Rick increased the pressure of the kiss, skimming his tongue along the seam of Quinn’s soft lips, his stubble brushing across her chin.

  Then, she moaned. That single sound, just a quiet vibration coming from Quinn’s throat, sent Rick’s desire from hot to molten. A fire ignited in his belly, moving lower, pulsing hot through his veins. He broke away, pressing their foreheads together long enough to catch his breath.

  “Jesus, doll.”

  Rick felt her small hands timidly reach out, pressing against his broad chest. He was afraid she was about to push him away, but to his amazement, her fingers curled into the thin fabric of his shirt, fisting it so she could hold him close.

  When Quinn moaned again, Rick’s cock took over and his brain took a backseat to his overwhelming physical need to be with this woman. He thrust his tongue deep into her mouth, swallowing the sounds she made. Rick grabbed her, pressing the length of her body against his, providing some much needed friction for the rock hard erection that was straining against his jeans. Rick had never wanted anyone like this before, wanted a connection that went beyond sex, a connection that was deepened because of sex. His head spun from the inexorable power Quinn had over him.

  Rick grunted as Quinn ground shamelessly against his dick, making him wild with lust. His control was on the verge of snapping. He hadn’t expected her to be so brazen. He had expected her to be timid, almost shy. The fact that she was unashamed at taking what she wanted turned him on more than he thought possible. Rick gripped her hair and gently pulled her head back so he could see into her eyes.

  “What do you want?” he panted. “I can’t… I can’t go further if you’re going to stop me, doll. I usually have great self-control, but not… not around you.” His dick pulsed against his button fly, straining for release.

  Quinn’s eyes glinted in the soft light of her living room. She looked down, and then back up, studying Rick’s body with an intensity he could feel all the way to his groin. He thought he may combust from the torture of waiting for her response. Her tongue darted out to moisten her full lips. “I want you,” she whispered.

  “Thank fuck for that.” Rick wasted no time reaching behind her back and fumbling for the zipper on her dress. He needed to feel her skin— now. Once he found the zipper, he pulled it down, quickly sliding the dress off her shoulders, leaving it in a silky pile on the floor.

  Quinn’s short nails raked down Rick’s chest, across his ribcage to the hem of his shirt, leaving his skin sensitive and aching for more. This was a different woman from the shy, frightened girl he first met. This Quinn was bold, brave, and knew what she wanted and what she enjoyed. This Quinn was going to rock his fucking world.

  Quinn snagged the edge of the fabric and ripped it up his torso, over his shoulders. Rick’s height kept her from getting the shirt all the way off, so he helped to shrug out of it. Once his flesh was exposed, she immediately put her hands back on his body. They felt hot as coals on his skin, stoking the fire building deep inside. Unable to decide which part of her he wanted to explore next, he dove in to get another taste her sweet mouth.

  Teeth and tongues clashing and twisting, skin on skin, Rick walked them backwards, crossing to what he assumed was her bedroom. When he stumbled on a small corner table nearly sending them both to the floor, he toed off his shoes, put his hands under the tight ass he’d been obsessing over, and easily lifted Quinn. With a soft moan, her legs wrapped around his waist and locked behind his back. They continued kissing as Rick carried her to the bedroom, moving until his thighs hit the edge of the mattress. He fell onto the bed with Quinn tucked safely beneath him, his body situated perfectly between her thighs when they landed.

  They finally broke their kiss, gasping for breath and staring at each other in awe. He let his eyes travel over every inch of the woman on the bed, laid out and ready for him to take. She was stunning, her lips swollen and wet, her eyes half-lidded and filled with desire, her hips kept arching up into him, grinding against his stiff cock. Need sizzled down his body, whipping the fire inside into a raging inferno.

  “Sweet Jesus.” Rick paused, his breath hitching. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, doll. Even better than I imagined.”

  Relief and need shook Rick’s body, a deep contentment spreading through him now that he finally had Quinn. Once she gave him permission to touch her freely, he found he couldn’t stop. Propped on his elbows, he used one hand to smooth her wild hair back from her face. The other touched whatever part of her he could reach, her neck, her shoulder, her breasts… he didn’t care what, he couldn’t get enough. He wanted to touch her until his fingers mapped out her entire body.

  She met his gaze, her lips curling in the corners. “You imagined me?”

  He grunted. “You know I did. You’re all I’ve thought about since the day I met you.”

  Rick lowered his head so he could lick and kiss up and down Quinn’s sensitive neck, trailing his hot tongue down her collarbone. His wandering hands traced a path down her sides, reveling in the soft texture and the sweet taste of her skin. Rick slid his hands behind her back, swiftly unhooking her lacy bra and tossing it aside, desperate to see more of her. He greedily took one of her breasts in his mouth, sucking and nipping until Quinn was thrashing wildly beneath him, panting and whispering Rick’s name.

  She wedged her hand into the small space between their bodies, tugging at the top of Rick’s jeans. Able to pop the first button one-handed, Quinn struggled to release the rest.

  “Let me help.” Rick pushed to his feet, shoving down his jeans and socks in one swift move. He stopped to pull a condom out of his wallet and felt his cheeks heat up, ashamed for Quinn to know he was the kind of guy that kept protection on him at all times. Self-conscious, he cleared his throat and tossed it on the bed. “Always be prepared, right?”

  She raised an eyebrow but simply hooked her fingers in the edge of her panties and slowly slid them off, her eyes never leaving his.

  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

  Rick nearly came then and there. He had thought about this moment, non-stop for weeks, in fact. Not one of Rick’s fantasies had prepared him for this moment. Everything about the woman that had dominated his every thought, his every breath, his every reason for living since he met her, was absolutely perfect. His hooded gaze raked across every inch, committing everything to his memory.

  Rick watched as Quinn let her eyes skim over his toned muscles, her expression filled with desire— until they focused in on his left thigh and widened.

  Fuck.

  He was so caught up in this girl that he forgot about his scars. Her eyes wandered slowly back up his body, finally meeting his with a heavy, shamelessly needy stare. The scars don’t bother her? She’s not going to ask? If Quinn wasn’t going to mention the scars, neither was Rick. It wasn’t something he talked about with anyone. Ever. Usually, he was fucking a no name stranger in a dark room, so his scars never came up.

  Quinn writhed on the bed and moaned, spurring Rick’s attention back to the present. “Are you going to stand there all day?”

  God this girl completely annihilates my concentration.

  He tore open the condom and quickly rolled it on, lowering himself back over her lithe body. Rick nearly came just from the feel of her hot skin sliding against his. Even the familiar tight pull of the scars on the back of his leg didn’t lessen the pleasure.

  “Jesus, you feel so fucking good.”

  W
hen Rick dipped his head to taste her mouth again, Quinn responded— more frantic, hungrier than before. Her hips jerked and lifted off the bed, rubbing against Rick’s sheathed cock. The contact forced a huff of air out of his lungs. “You’re going to make me lose it if you don’t stop doing that, doll.”

  Quinn’s eyes narrowed on her gorgeous flushed face. “What are you waiting for then?” The challenge in her words was playful but flat out fucking hot.

  Rick stilled, his heart thumping loudly in his ears. “You. I’ve been waiting for you,” he admitted in another moment of weakness that he’d certainly regret.

  He dropped his forehead to her shoulder and slipped his hand between them, lining himself up with her slick opening. Slowly, he pushed in. His breath stuttered against Quinn’s neck when the head of his cock breached her tight pussy.

  Right then and there, Rick knew this was different… she was different. It was as if he had lived his entire life tense and stressed out, and now he was given permission to relax, to submit to the feelings he had held back for so long. The revelation was so powerful, Rick had to hold still or he would lose it before they even began.

  “God— shit, doll. I’m not going to be able to hold back for very long.”

  He ground his teeth together, desperately trying to rein in his impending orgasm. The tightness in his balls told him he wouldn’t have long. Desperate, he reached down to squeeze the base of his dick, hard. Rick felt the impending wave of release subside to a pleasurable ache.

  He looked at Quinn as she bit her lower lip, her eyes glazed over and her chest rising and falling rapidly. Rick didn’t think he had ever seen anything more erotic in his life. Slowly, he thrust his hips forward, pushing inch by inch, taking his time to revel in the tight heat, to listen to Quinn’s soft whimpers, pressing gradually until his entire cock was buried deep inside her. The gripping, wet heat that wrapped around his sensitive flesh was enough to wipe his mind clean.

  “Please, Rick.” Quinn panted between words, her hands clutching at his muscular shoulders. “Move. Do something, anything, fuck me!” Hearing Quinn’s sweet voice utter such a filthy demand spurred Rick into action.

  Unable to form a rational thought, Rick let pure instinct take over and began to move— sharp, deep thrusts he used to create a rhythm that had them both moaning and grunting shamelessly. In the span of a few minutes, the pleasure went from merely mind-blowing to holy-shit-I-can-die-happy-now.

  “Jesus, oh god, fuck, fuuuuck…” he muttered a string of expletives and braced his knees on the mattress as he drove them closer to their goal.

  Quinn’s hands slid up and down Rick’s taut arms as he braced them on either side of her head. His sensitized skin reacted to her touch, sending a crackle of electricity down his spine, coiling, building in intensity in his groin. He pounced on her swollen mouth again, licking her lips and plunging his tongue in and out fiercely, fucking her mouth as he fucked them to the sweetest, most intense pleasure he’d ever known.

  She whimpered, skimming her fingers down his sides until they dug into his backside as he devoured her mouth. Quinn gripped his firm ass, pulling Rick further forward with each snap of his hips, helping to drive his cock deeper and deeper with every thrust.

  Even though she had been loud in her vocalizations and the moment was hotter than any he had ever experienced, his name came out as a reverent whisper on her lips, a quick breath against his mouth as she crashed over the edge. “Rick.”

  Then Quinn detonated, her entire body stiffening beneath him. She cried out as her short nails dug into the smooth skin of his ass, gripping the hard muscles. He felt her contract around his cock, the tight spasms propelling him right over the edge with her.

  Rick choked on a gasp as the pleasure that had been building in the base of his spine exploded from deep inside him. With a loud roar, Rick let himself go, spilling into the condom as he drove through Quinn’s orgasm into his own toe-curling release.

  Exhausted and elated, Rick’s arms gave out, too tired to hold his body up any longer. He collapsed in a sweaty heap on top of Quinn, both of them panting, struggling to catch their breath. Not wanting to crush her small frame, Rick rolled over, pulling out and quickly tossing the condom to the floor.

  Lying next to Quinn on the bed, he pushed his arm under her shoulders and scooted over until she was curled up next to him. It surprised Rick that he wanted to “cuddle”. He didn’t do cuddling, or feeling, or sleepovers for that matter, but he wanted them all with Quinn. Hell, he wanted everything with Quinn, and that scared the fuck out of him.

  Quinn’s fingers drew light circles on his chest. He could feel her soft, warm breaths against the side of his neck. Rick pressed a small kiss on the top of her head, inhaling the addictive fragrance of her hair.

  “You okay?” he asked, worried that Quinn would regret what just happened.

  “I’m good.”

  “Want to talk about it?”

  Who the hell have I become? Cuddling? Talking about feelings?

  “No. I’m tired, Rick. Let’s just go to sleep.”

  An odd sensation churned in Rick’s subconscious. Something was off with Quinn, but he couldn’t pinpoint exactly what. He didn’t want to push her to talk about it, at least, not right now. All he wanted to do was bask in how right this felt. Sex before had never been bad, but it had never been like it was with Quinn— overwhelming, emotional, and hitting him right smack in his previously empty heart.

  Rick reached down and tugged the blankets up over them both, making sure Quinn was fully covered. Sleep started to drag him under. Pulling her close, Rick wondered how he would bring up the fact that he was falling in love with her.

  Tomorrow, he decided. They would talk tomorrow.

  QUINN WIPED AWAY the tears that ran down her cheeks as she drove up a nearly empty highway early on Sunday morning, headed towards her father’s place on Lake Lanier. She never sold the old house when he died, instructing her father’s lawyers to continue paying the taxes out of her inheritance until she said otherwise. A sizable inheritance she never told Travis about, wisely choosing to keep it hidden from him the entire time they were married.

  She had been afraid to access the account until now. Worried that when Travis started looking for her— and she had no doubt he would— that he could use the money to track her down if there were any activity on the account. Now, over a year after leaving him, Quinn felt it was time to confront her past and claim what was hers.

  Then there was Rick. Just thinking about him hurt her so much she thought she’d die from the pain. What she was feeling was too much, too soon. In her mind, what they did was more than just fucking, it was everything. It was pleasure, comfort, safety, and love all wrapped up in one amazing night. Quinn might be inexperienced, but she felt real emotions in every single touch, every kiss.

  What shocked her the most was how safe she felt in his arms. She was tiny compared to him, fragile, vulnerable. Rick could really hurt her. Physically, he was much larger and more dangerous than Travis, yet Quinn knew that even though he could hurt her, he never would. Beneath Rick she felt protected, loved… and that was exactly why she left.

  She couldn’t afford to get involved with Rick. She was still married to Travis, for god’s sake! Quinn needed to tie up her old life before she could create a new one, especially with someone like Rick. He had heartbreak written all over him. He was a good-looking player, used to fucking and running. Rick was the complete opposite of what should be her first post-Travis relationship. She must have been crazy to let emotions and desire overrule her brain last night.

  A relationship with Rick was doomed to fail, not that he would even want a relationship. Better to stop now than when she got in too deep. It was less painful to be the one to leave than to be the one who woke up alone after Rick did one of his infamous midnight escapes.

  Quinn turned the wheel, pulling Mack’s old Ford pickup truck into her dad’s driveway, the driveway where she learned to ride a bike, where
she used to draw with chalk and play jump rope with her friends. She put the truck in park, scrubbing her hands over her tired, tear-streaked face. Drained, Quinn trudged up the path to the front door.

  Time to take care of my shitty past, so I can finally start my future.

  Quinn put the key she got from her dad’s lawyer in the lock and turned.

  BRIGHT SUNLIGHT FILTERED through the window, streaking across Rick’s face. He squinted, his sleep-addled brain taking a moment to catch up. Rick turned onto his stomach, burying his head into the blankets to block out the light. He slid his hand under the pillow, reaching for his Glock and jerked awake when he realized it wasn’t there.

  Trained to quickly assess his surroundings, Rick oriented himself and finally recognized the room from last night.

  Quinn. I spent the night with Quinn.

  He turned to her side of the bed, finding it empty. With a groan, Rick swung his feet to the floor, gripping the soft wool rug with his toes. The huge scars on his left leg felt extra tight this morning when he flexed, probably because he didn’t do his stretches before falling asleep.

  Jesus, I must have been tired. I never forget to do my stretches, or where I am when I wake up. If I had met this girl while I was in the Marines— shit, I wouldn’t have made it through a single mission with a clear head.

  Rick walked around the bed and found his jeans, shuffling into them without bothering to locate his boxers. He smiled, thinking about last night. Quinn was amazing. They were amazing together, just like he knew they’d be. After their intense, almost desperate release, they slept for an hour or so, and made love again, slower, tasting and touching and feeling until they were both too tired to move. Rick had felt things that he never felt during sex before.