Page 23 of The Lynx and the Llama
Dayton pulled up to the restaurant entrance and opened the back passenger door to let them all out.
“I’ll text you when we are ready to head out, Dayton,” Treasure told him.
“Certainly, Your Highness.”
As soon as they were seated—this time with Erika next to Quinn—King Lear asked for a couple of bottles of white wine for the table and two orders of calamari.
While Erika’s beauty and scent could possibly provide a distraction, Quinn knew there would be no satisfaction. Not with the way she continued to evade his inquisitive gaze.
Frustrated with Erika’s silence on top of Zagan’s escape, Quinn knew he couldn’t sit through more pleasantries—or more suggestions that he looked like a distant relative. He had to ask outright what their next steps were.
“I know I’m new to all of this since I only recently graduated from FUCN’A, but what are we going to do about Zagan? Giving him what he wants—unlimited access to one of you or someone from your families—is clearly out of the question, of course.”
“You’ve got that right, Quinn,” said Lear.
“What if we offer me up, instead?”
The table erupted with objections. Even Erika proclaimed, “I absolutely hate the idea.”
“No, hear me out.” Quinn held up his hands to ask for silence. “We already know he can use my blood for experiments. It clearly worked for him because he kept me for so long. Perhaps if he thinks he’s getting me long-term again, he will leave the rest of you alone.”
“No,” Lear answered, shaking his head stiffly. “He gets no one. Not one of us.”
“It could work,” Carol said slowly. “Lear, you may hate it, but Quinn has a point. He’d be the perfect bait. Zagan will be focused on his prize and won’t see us coming. He’ll lead us to his lair, which might get us closer to the answers of the missing shifters. Plus, eight against one are pretty good odds.”
“There will be no more discussion of this tonight,” Lear hissed. “May I remind you all, we’re in public?”
After his chastising, the rest of the dinner discussion kept to mundane, socially acceptable topics. The weather, the upcoming talks, their plans for tomorrow’s sightseeing. At least Erika started to speak to him again, and he didn’t spot any hints of disgust in her eyes when she looked at him.
Maybe I haven’t screwed things up completely.
Once dinner ended and they took the helicopter back to Marathi Island, Quinn was pleasantly surprised to share a car ride alone with Erika back to his hotel. Heat shot through his entire body when their thighs brushed each other in the now seemingly tight quarters. He closed his eyes and sucked in a breath as the urge to kiss her shook him right to his core.
“Quinn? Are you okay?”
His eyes flew open at the sound of her breathy tone, and as he turned toward her, his palm brushed her thigh. She let out a shaky breath, and her hand was right over his. He began rubbing small circles on her exposed skin, leaving goosebumps where he touched her.
“Erika?” His words were a breath from her ear. “Areyouokay? You hardly said a word to me since Akrotiri. I’m so sorry that I lost my temper. I didn’t want you to see me like that.”
“Ye-yes, I’m fine.” It came out more of a statement rather than a retort back. It was as if she wanted to be kissed just as much as he wanted to kiss her. “I understand how frustrated you were.”
“You do? Then why have you been so quiet tonight? I thought you were upset with me.”
"I couldn't be mad at you. It was just… well, a lot to process. I’m not a trained agent like you are. This is all new to me.”
He pulled back, realizing that he had been so wrapped up in his frustrations that he hadn’t considered her feelings. “I’m so sorry. I should have—"
“K-kiss me, Quinn,” she interrupted him. “I don’t want to think about anything else. All I want is you. I don’t think I can stand another second of waiting.”
And there it was, his absolute understanding that she, in fact, wanted him as much as he wanted her at this moment. He grazed his lips over her jawline until his mouth was over hers. He licked the top seam of her lips, and she opened to him. The gesture alone made him let out a growl that vibrated between their open mouths.
Her hands fisted in his thick, wavy hair, causing his pants to tighten as his dick pressed against the seam of his zipper. And he wasn’t sure how much longer he could take of this purely pleasurable punishment she was dishing out. It made him want to give more of himself to her, but they’d just met, and they were now working together. He would not blow his wad in the figurative and literal sense with this woman. She was far too classy for him to do that to her. He broke the kiss, and cool air rushed to his senses, making him instantly regret what he’d done.
“We should slow things down a bit because if we take this any further, it will be done before it even starts.” He cupped her cheek before continuing. “You drive me that crazy, kitten.”
His eyes didn’t quite meet hers as he shared that nugget with her. And who would blame him? He hated saying no to a woman, especially one this sexy. But this was a little too fast, even for him. How was she turning him on this fast? All they did was kiss. And if he felt this crazy now, what would happen when he took her to his bed?
Shit!
