N. Walters - Quinn's Quest

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.