Page 36 of Dirty Roxie
I stalk toward them, face reddening, blood pressure rising.
“Your cover!” Mack half-yells under his breath. I don’t fucking care.
I grab Quinn by the upper arm and pull her after me. “Ma’am, if you wouldn’t mind coming with me, security has a few questions for you.” Not stopping to think about how it may look that I’m dragging a guest from check-in off to a dark hallway just beyond.
“Not sure whether to spank you or kiss you,” I growl as I spin her to face me, then back her against the wall, caging her in with my stance and the press of my hips. “Aw, fuck it.”
I give in to the need to kiss her, capturing her lips with mine, hard and bruising. I bite and nip my way across her mouth, down her jawline to her neck and back. Punishing her with my love until neither of us can breathe.
Again and again. I can’t stop covering her lips with mine. Can’t stop reassuring myself that she’s here, with me, safe, and okay. Her big doe eyes look up at me, blinking and confused as I pull away so I can see her without going cross-eyed. I lean my forehead against hers and sigh.
My hands travel down the wall to cradle her face, and I kiss her again. This time soft and loving, full of feeling and desire, one that goes on far longer than it should. She clings to me, her chest heaving when I finally take a small step back.
“Do you want to tell me what you’re doing here?” I ask. Then, like I just can’t stay away, I bury my face in her neck and breathe her in while I wait for her answer. She smells incredible. Like citrus and sugar, and all Quinn.
“We’re here to see Viktor.”
I bite her earlobe, harder than necessary. “Why?”
“Daria wants to ask him some questions.”
“You couldn’t just call to do that?”
“Oh, so you know about telephones?” She pushes at my chest until I step back.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“What’s that supposed to mean? Seriously?” She throws her hands up in the air and ducks out from under my embrace, turning back to face me. Her cheeks reddening and her eyes blazing. “What the hell, Reed? We spend a beautiful night together, and then you DISAPPEAR WITHOUT A WORD—”
“Keep your voice down.”
She lowers it, but not by much, choosing to hiss at me instead. “I didn’t know whether you were alive or dead.”
“I had to go undercover, Quinn. I’m sorry. I couldn’t reach out.”
“Really? You couldn’t even leave a note before you left?”
She has a point.
“I’m sorry. You’re right. I should have at least done that.” I run my hand through my hair. “You gotta understand, I was in a bad place, what with David and—”
“We slept together, Reed.”
“I know it was one of the best nights of my life.”
Her face softens. “Mine too. I thought it meant something.”
“It did. I swear it did.” I run my hands up and down her arms in what I hope is a soothing motion. I don’t want her to be upset with me. Even though I don’t blame her if she is.
“But then you disappeared again, when I was in the hospital after you rescued me.”
I nod, not sure what she wants me to say. She’s not telling me anything I don’t already know, or that isn’t true.
“I didn’t even know if you were alive,” she says.
“You knew I was alive. Mack was talking to Daria.”
“Mack reached out to Daria at least twice in the time he’s been gone.”
