Mick had ordered her legs to pick up the pace earlier when she headed upstairs to pack for the impromptu getaway. But her legs felt like syrup—all warm and oozy. She was in a dream, a lover’s dream, and never wanted to awaken.
He’s not your lover yet, girl, a voice reminded her. Still, he loved her. He’d said it clearly and she had remained speechless. But he didn’t seem to mind. Now her brows tugged close and she bit down on her lip debating the concern that had suddenly surfaced. Slowly, she turned to face him across the gear console of the Expedition.
“Tell me,” Quest said, knowing she was watching him with a question in her eyes.
Mick’s gaze faltered upon hesitation. She cleared her throat and pushed unease from her voice. “Are you doing this because of the investigation? Do you want me to reconsider?”
“Investigation, book, radio broadcast, Internet, or TV movie, I don’t care,” he replied flatly, his gray stare never veering from the road. “This doesn’t have a thing to do with that,” he told her. “You can ask me whatever you like,” he said when she started to turn away. “I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”
Mick pressed her lips together and nodded.
Quest reclined a bit more in the driver’s seat. “But I’ll tell you later,” he said. “Much, much later.”
When they arrived at a cabin located right on the river, Mick was again stunned. Close your mouth, girl, she told herself. She didn’t wait for Quest to open her doors, but eased out of the SUV as though her feet were about to touch sacred ground.
The cabin was a rustic masterpiece surrounded by towering pines and spruce trees. The river it sat next to mingled the sound of trickling water with birdsong and the gentle sway of leaves and tree limbs against a cool breeze.
“Quest,” she breathed, her amber gaze sparkling as she surveyed the scene, “when did you plan this?”
Quest grinned, reaching into the rear of the vehicle to collect their bags. “I wanted you to think I just snapped my fingers and all of this fell into place.”
Mick pushed one hand into the back pocket of her jeans. “I guess it wasn’t like that, huh?” she teased.
“The cabin’s mine. I usually stay here when I have business in Chicago for an extended period of time. I’ve got my own houseman who stops by to check on things,” he shared, shutting the rear door on the storage compartment. “The place is always ready for a sudden visit.”
“Mmm, convenient,” Mick said, tugging on the lemon-, white-, and blue-striped crew-neck sweater she wore. “It must come in handy with all the women you woo,” she noted softly and walked on ahead having no idea how her tease had affected Quest. She stood on the massive porch toying with the cropped hem of her top while waiting for him to unlock the door.
Surprising her, Quest took her by the arm and turned her back against the door. “I’ve never brought anyone here. Anyone, Michaela. No family and no other woman.”
Mick could only nod, thoroughly off-kilter by the serious tone of his voice and the intensity in the gray of his eyes. She waited, her back still against the door, as he unlocked it and pushed it open. She backed into the magnificent dwelling. Her nostrils instantly flared in response to the crisp, masculine scent of spice and wood. She watched Quest relieve himself of their luggage, which he’d carried in all at once. Slowly, her gaze shifted to assess her environment.
The masculine presence of the two-story cabin was real and heady. Everything was oversized and comfortable. The dwelling was crafted for relaxation, and Mick couldn’t help but feel a bit like a maiden in the lair of a seductive pirate. She almost burst into laughter and turned to Quest again.
Any words she would have uttered were silenced as his mouth lowered to slant across hers. She moaned when his tongue took swift possession, thrusting powerfully before softly stroking the roof of her mouth and ridge of her teeth with subtle mastery. Of course, the same starving quality of his kiss was sweetly present and Mick drank him in hungrily. She scarcely noticed when he lifted her against him and carried her up the stairway that was covered by a carpet bearing distinct Native American markings.
Mick heard another door open and realized she was in the bedroom. Pirate’s lair indeed, she thought when Quest let her ease down the length of his body. The room seemed to be fashioned around the bed. And what a bed it was—a round sea of black satin linens littered with round burgundy pillows. Rich maple casing constructed the surrounding headboard, which housed small speakers and electric candlelights all around.
“Quest—”
“Shh,” he urged, his perfect teeth nipping at the silky line of her jaw.
“But I have to tell you—”
“Later,” he decided, dipping his thumb into her belly button, left exposed by the cropped hem of her top.
Mick gasped when he rotated the tip of his thumb there in the same manner his tongue was encircling her earlobe. She succumbed to the expertise he possessed.
Quest loved her with his hands first, peeling away her top, slipping her out of the lacy bra a second later. His mouth captured hers in a kiss that was the perfect mixture of sweetness and desire. He unfastened and tugged the jeans past her hips and over the full curve of her bottom, dropping to his knees as he removed them with her socks and sneakers.
He literally kissed her out of her panties, his sensuous lips trailing the lacy fabric of the garment. The tip of his tongue disappeared intermittedly beneath, tracing the skin there briefly before his teeth tugged the panties down. Mick could do little else than gasp and grasp his shoulders for support until he rose and carried her to the center of his magnificent bed where he pleasured her all over again.
Michaela enjoyed every moment, but soon her hands greedily sought to feel the devastating hardness lying beneath the softness of his sweatpants. Quest didn’t want to lose his clothes just then. He knew if he felt her silken chocolate form against his skin, “going slow” would be a hollow intention.
“Quest, please,” she whispered, shaking her head against the pillows.
“I will,” he promised with a soft chuckle. His fingers began to tease her shamelessly. He suckled her earlobe while fondling her breasts, taking turns manipulating the nipples into firm jewels. Low moans rose from his throat as he lost himself in the feel of her skin responding to his touch.
Mick arched against him, uttering a cry of disagreement when his fingers moved on past her breasts, dipping once more into her belly button before immersing themselves in the silky black curls shielding her womanhood. He massaged the velvety petals there with his thumbs, his middle finger smoothly delving ever so lightly inside the waiting pool of creamy moisture.
Quest was so in tune to her every reaction that he felt her tense when he touched her there. “Relax,” he whispered while brushing a sweet kiss across her cheek.
“Quest—” she called again, just before his mouth swooped down to capture hers again.
Mick gave up trying to communicate verbally and lost herself in the pleasure of his touch. She kissed him shamelessly, then found his neck and jaw to be the most delectable targets for the nips she applied there.
He could barely stand the exquisite torture she so gently provided. To pacify himself, he settled his fully clothed form between her thighs and began to grind himself against the luscious center of her body, still wet from his earlier attention and her own need.
Michaela cried out at the power raging beneath the front of his sweats. “Quest—” she tried to speak again, and again he silenced her. He placed her arms above her head and held them there while lowering his mouth to feast on her breasts once more.
Tiny, indecipherable sounds fluttered past her lips, so incredible was the sensation of his mouth against her breasts. His lips outlined the rigid nipples before repeating the gesture with his tongue. He paid the same attention to every other part of her body, burying his handsome face between her thighs as his tongue delved into the center of her body. He thrust hungrily, his massive hands curved beneath her derriere to hold her in place. Mick felt completely weak as the unspeakable pleasure overwhelmed her and her thighs quivered uncontrollably. When Quest drove his tongue deep inside her, the inner walls of her sex contracted fiercely.
A low chuckle swelled inside his chest when he felt her reaction. He knew she was more than ready and very satisfied. He broke the intimate kiss and rose above her, watching the beautiful picture she made writhing on his bed in the midst of her second orgasm. He stripped the T-shirt from his back and went to work on the rest of his clothes. At last, he was gloriously nude.
Michaela marveled in his dark beauty, splaying her hands across the chiseled expanse of his chest. The rigid muscles of his arms and abdomen were both extraordinary and sensual in appearance. She moved lower until her fingers grazed his arousal. Her hand cupped the steel power that had ground against her only moments before. Her lashes fluttered as she realized the extent of the breathtaking length and girth of the organ. It was impossible to close her hand around it. Biting her lower lip, she swallowed.
“Quest—”
He silenced her this time with his index finger, slipping it past her lips to massage her tongue. Mick responded with all the zeal of a woman gone mad with desire as she suckled his finger. Quest alternated with his finger and tongue inside her mouth while he reached for protection from a tiny drawer inside the maple casing surrounding the bed. In moments, he had it in place and settled himself against her once more before plunging forward.
A tiny shriek escaped Michaela’s lips and Quest went completely still, but for snapping his head up. He fixed her with an incredulous look.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered, placing his weight on his forearms, hoping not to apply any more pressure to her bruised maidenhead.
Mick gasped. “I tried,” she said, feeling as if she were being ripped apart in the midst of an erotic massage.
Quest’s deep-set eyes, once darkened with passion, were now wrought with uncertainly. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he said.
Mick managed a saucy smile. “From what I understand, it can’t be helped. Just make it fast.”
Quest wasted no more time with words and curved his hands around her thighs to move them far away from his hips. He buried his face in her neck and plundered past the barrier of delicate tissue. Mick’s agonizing cry faded on a low moan as the pain disappeared and was replaced by the most fascinating sensation. That sensation spoke to her hips, invoking them to move in an age-old rhythm that drew sounds of fulfillment from both her and Quest.
Mick could do little more than lie there in ecstasy, her fingers toying in her hair as her hips arched and rotated against Quest’s. The low grunts and growls he uttered gave her a confidence she never knew existed. He shielded his face within the hollow beneath her arm and inhaled the softly sweet scent there as he increased the speed of his thrusts. Their moans gained volume as they arrived simultaneously on a cloud of satisfaction.
“Are you hurt?”
Mick frowned a little, confused by the question as she lay on Quest’s chest, and was lulled by the steadiness of his heartbeat. She had already forgotten the pain associated with the loss of her virginity.
“Michaela? Did I hurt you?” he persisted.
She blinked, finally understanding. “I’m fine. I’m more than fine,” she assured him and pressed a kiss to the middle of his chest.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he asked again, his fingers massaging her shoulder blades. “After all the times we almost—”
Mick looked down at him from her position atop his chest. “I guess I was one hundred percent sure that it would happen this time.”
Quest shook his head, disbelief filling his eyes as he studied every inch of her face. “How?” he whispered. “How could you still be a virgin?” he asked, kissing her nose when she appeared wounded by the question. “Baby, I saw that routine earlier today, not to mention the way you move and react to me. You’re walking sexuality and I just can’t believe you’ve never been touched.”
“Please don’t tell County,” Mick begged, her lashes fluttering. “I’ve done a good job of keeping it from her all these years.”
“Your secret’s safe,” Quest promised, his eyes narrowing with sudden slyness. “And you wanted to be taken on your den floor,” he teased.
Mick giggled and slapped his shoulder. “Well, for your information I have been touched before.”
“But you gave one of the most important things about yourself to me,” he pointed out, all the playfulness leaving his gorgeous dark face. “Why?” he probed.
Mick kissed his mouth. “Because you love me and I believe you.”
Quest’s gray stare faltered momentarily. He steeled himself against commenting that she had yet to return the sentiment. But he could accept that—for the moment. Burying one hand into her curls and cupping her chin with the other, he looked directly into her light eyes. “I hope you know what you’ve done, Michaela Sellars, because you’re never getting rid of me now,” he swore and pulled her into a branding kiss.
Mick ambled downstairs much later that evening. Night had triumphed over dusk hours ago and now the entire lower level of the cabin was bathed in candlelight. Delicious aromas in the air beckoned her toward the kitchen where she found Quest working diligently.
“Mmm…it smells good in here,” she complimented, hugging herself as she inhaled deeply.
Quest ceased whatever he was doing at the counter the instant he heard her voice. Mick’s eyes widened as he headed toward her. His big hands spanned her waist before cupping her hips and lifting her high against his chest. The long, possessive kiss that followed curled her toes. She wrapped her legs high around his waist, while he carried her to the countertop. She moaned, cradling his face in her hands as they savored the sweetness of the kiss they shared. Quest sat her gently atop the counter and quickly pulled her out of the peach sleep shirt she wore. His hands smoothed across her skin, worshipping the satiny feel and flawless chocolate tone of her skin. Mick massaged and grazed her nails across his bare muscular back. When he cupped and fondled her breasts, she threw back her head and moaned.
“Quest…” She sighed, arching closer to his mouth when he began to suckle one nipple and then the other. Her hands fell away from his body to brace behind her on the counter. She was eager to let him have his way and wished he’d do more than torture her with long slow strokes of his tongue gliding across her extra-sensitive skin.
“You need to eat,” he decided, abruptly ending the kisses and leaving her under the spell of his touch.
Grudgingly, Mick obeyed and let him pull her off the countertop. She fixed her shirt and took her place at the beautiful round cherry-wood dining room table in the corner of the spacious kitchen.
“This is so beautiful,” she whispered, taking in the fantastic scene of moonlight shining upon the lake. The tall windows lining the dining area provided an unforgettable view. “How long have you had this?”
Quest took a moment to stare out at the night. “Yeah, it’s incredible. I loved it the first time I saw it six years ago. It’s calm, peaceful, away from the hubbub of the city,” he explained, then graced her with a sexy smile across his shoulder. “Please don’t tell Quay I have this,” he begged, joining in when Mick laughed out loud. After a moment, however, his expression turned grim. “The room was in my name. The room where Sera Black… I’m sure you know that,” he said, his eyes remaining fixed on tossing the Caesar salad he’d prepared to accompany the butter-sautéed shrimp with fresh veggies on a bed of rice.
Mick watched him from the table. She remained silent and let him have his say.
“I had to register the room in my name because Quay had been banned from doing so by most of the nicer hotels in the city. Behavior problems,” he added, shaking his head as he spoke. “Anyway, I only stayed fifteen or twenty minutes before going down to the hotel restaurant for drinks. I must’ve stayed there longer than I thought, because when I went back to the room, everyone was gone.
“I checked out the place,” he said, turning to retrieve the dressing chilling in the refrigerator. “It was a mess, but I was happy to see no damage at least. That was before I walked into the living room and saw the broken balcony doors.” He stopped talking for a moment and leaned against the counter. “I looked over the edge and saw Sera, bleeding and naked on the concrete eleven floors down.” He shook his head, rubbing both hands across his silky waves. “I was in a daze. Obviously she fell from our room. I stumbled backward wanting to get as far inside as possible. I made it to the bedroom.” He sighed, folding his arms across his chest. “Sat down on the edge of the bed. That’s where I found Quay—naked and passed out too.” Quest’s eyes darkened to onyx as he stared off into the distance. “I don’t know what happened before I got there. When Quay woke up and looked at me, I went cold.”
“Why?”
The simple inquiry sent Quest’s eyes flying to her face. “Michaela, I don’t know what happened. All I know is it’s enough to put him away for a long time.”
Mick blinked and scooted forward in her seat. “You think… Quay did it?”
“I don’t know!” he snapped, slamming his fist against his palm before he winced. “I’m sorry,” he grated, reaching out to caress her cheek and smiling when she kissed the back of his hand. “Baby, I’ve never told this to anyone—not even Quay.”
“He thinks you did something,” Mick breathed, as though she were speaking to herself.
Quest leaned close. “What?”
“He’s been afraid to ask you about that night for the same reason. He believes you tried to protect him.”
“Protect him from what?”
Mick fixed him with a pointed look. “He was naked and passed out in bed. Sera was naked and dead on the sidewalk directly below your room. She’d been raped. He thinks you could’ve…to keep her quiet, to keep him safe.”
Quest appeared as though he were in a daze. “Quay didn’t do it…?”
Mick shrugged. “He can’t remember half as much as you. He asked me to continue investigating as well.”
“Who would’ve done this? Sera was a sweet girl,” Quest whispered, his gray eyes even more solemn as he thought about his murdered classmate.
“It’ll be almost impossible to find them since all the evidence is now missing because—”
“My parents covered it up. ‘Made it go away’ was what they said they’d do,” Quest recalled, massaging his hand across suddenly tired eyes. “I’d never been in any trouble like this and they weren’t about to let this touch me.”
“Quay’s going crazy not knowing,” Mick said, smoothing her hands across his arms as a wave of sadness enveloped her. “I have to do my best to get him some answers,” she vowed, leaning back in her chair as Quest went to get dinner to the table.
When he resumed his place, he reached for Mick’s hand and smothered it within both of his. “My brother’s very lucky to have you in his life,” he told her.
“And I’m lucky to have you in my life,” she said, leaning forward to request a kiss that he was all too willing to give.
The simple action quickly turned into something more erotic. Thankfully, Quest’s cooler head prevailed and he ordered her to eat.