Quinn pulled her out of her reverie when he stood and sauntered across the room. He moved to the side of the window on the left, and pushed down one of the slats and peered out, looking from left to right. “All clear,” she heard him say before releasing the slat.
He turned and glanced at her, his intense dark eyes studying her, keeping her rooted in place. Good Lord. He looked sexier than any man had a right to look. His long dreadlocks pulled away from his face allowed his masculine beauty to glow. His mustache and goatee were perfectly trimmed around full lips that were created for pleasing a woman. A shiver scuttled through her body and she ran her sweaty palms down her jean-encased thighs remembering all that he had done to her body the night before.
Wiping the small beads of sweat from her forehead, she continued her perusal of him. Partial to black, he had on a fitted black T-shirt that stretched across his taut muscles and a pair of well-worn black jeans that were haphazardly tucked into his Red Wing boots. Rugged and fine. He leaned a shoulder against the wall, tucking his free hand into his pocket and continued his conversation oblivious to the fact that he was wreaking havoc on her system. If only she had her camera handy. With his good looks and this nonchalant pose, he’d be perfect for the cover of GQ Magazine.
Her pulse quickened when his eyes met hers and his tongue slipped out and swept across his bottom lip. See, now he’s just messing with me.
Despite her vow to stay focused on her reason for being in Chicago, right now all she could think about was how wet her panties were getting at the way his gaze glided over her. So much for her plan to keep her hands to herself and her legs closed because if he kept looking at her this way, she wouldn’t be responsible for what she did to him once he hung up the phone.
The trance was broken when he looked away and said, “Uh, yeah, I have to make a couple of stops, but then we’ll meet you and Malik at your place around seven.”
He disconnected the call, pocketed his phone and stared at her for a long minute before saying, “Come home with me.”
Chapter Nine
Something was wrong, Quinn thought as they traveled down the interstate. For Alandra to agree to stay with him, no questions asked, something was definitely wrong. Prepared for a verbal sparring, he had a mental list of reasons why she should move in with him, but never had to use them. There was no: Why do I have to leave? When will I be back? Or why should I stay at your place? Nothing.
He divided his attention between Alandra and the expressway. They’d been driving for the past fifteen minutes and she either sat with her head against the headrest, eyes closed or staring out the passenger side window deep in thought. When he first arrived at her apartment, all he could focus on were her big brown eyes staring at him and those succulent lips begging to be kissed. Had something happened between the time they talked earlier and when he arrived at her house?
Alandra shivered and hugged herself despite the heat blasting from the car vents. Quinn adjusted the settings to help warm her quicker, but it didn’t seem to help. What he really wanted to do was pull her into his arms and never let her go.
“Lan, baby, is that the heaviest coat you own?” She would never survive a Chicago winter in the jacket she wore.
She nodded and her face clouded with unease. This was not the Alandra he remembered. What happened to the woman who spoke her mind? The woman who shared her thoughts whether he wanted to hear them or not?
Quinn pulled the car to the shoulder of the road and put his hazard lights on. “Alandra, what’s going on? And don’t you dare say nothing. I know something’s up.”
She stared out the passenger window and then turned to him, her eyes troubled. “I’m losing my mind.”
“What?”
She told him about the last few days of feeling as if someone was watching her, and included the morning’s incident.
Quinn reached for her hand and brought it to his lips. He knew he couldn’t shield her from everything, but there were some things he could shield her from.
“Why didn’t you say something sooner?”
She shook her head. “Because I thought I was being paranoid. But now I think it’s more than just being paranoid, I think something is wrong with me. I was so embarrassed this morning.” She pulled her hand from his and covered her face. She released a long sigh before looking back at him. “I feel so stupid. I’m glad the guy only called me a few names before walking away. That whole situation could have gotten uglier, as if what I had done wasn’t bad enough.”
Quinn didn’t respond. What if she was being watched? It was possible that others had found out she’d resurfaced, making it even more crucial that they determine what really happened in Tzbekystan.
He pulled back into traffic and pressed the Bluetooth button on his steering wheel. Within seconds, Malik’s voice came to life throughout the truck.
“What’s up my brother?”
“Hey, just wondering. Did you put one of your guys on Alandra?”
“Nah, man, I was waiting to hear back from you. All it’ll take is a phone call. Do you want me to set it up?”
Quinn glanced at Alandra, shock written across her face. “Uh, not yet. I’ll be in touch.” He disconnected the call and sighed.
“You were going to have me followed?” Her voice small and disbelieving.
Quinn exited the expressway. “I only would have had you followed if you didn’t agree to move in with me. I told you I wasn’t comfortable with you going around by yourself. Had I known about these feelings you’ve been experiencing, I probably would’ve gotten Malik on it sooner.”
“So you don’t think I’m crazy?”
Quinn’s brows furrowed. “Of course not. We all have internal sensors that alert us to when something isn’t right.” He couldn’t count the number of times his gut feelings had saved his life.
“Is that why you’ve been checking your mirrors every few seconds, driving slower and have made three unnecessary right turns in the last few minutes?”
Quinn chuckled. “Glad to know you’re still observant. And to answer your questions, I check my mirrors out of habit, and the extra turns were because there was a black sedan trailing us for the past couple of miles and I wanted to make sure we weren’t being followed.”
“Oh my God.” Alandra jerked around to look out the back window and then back at Quinn. “Are we?”
Quinn glanced in his rearview mirror then shook his head. “Doesn’t look like it, but I wanted to make sure.”
A half an hour later, Quinn drove through downtown Chicago, not surprised traffic was just as congested as a weekday. He spent as little time as possible in the city mainly for this reason. If Tyler hadn’t call, needing his signature on a few documents before Monday morning, he would have headed home.
He pulled into the circular drive of the high-rise that he and Tyler purchased and renovated over a year ago. Originally, they both owned penthouses on the top floors of the building, but Quinn sold his a few months ago. Tyler and Dallas were having a home built outside of the city limits and were living in their penthouse unit until their house was completed.
“The building is magnificent. Did you guys have to do much work to the outside?” Alandra asked when Quinn pulled up to the valet booth. During the ride, he had filled her in on the type of projects he and Tyler took on.
“Not too much. We changed out all of the windows, glass doors, added this circular drive and did a little landscaping. Outside of that, most of the work needed was on the inside.”
“How you doing, Mr. Hamilton?” The valet greeted.
“I’m good, Thomas. How’s it going with you?”
“All is well sir. Good afternoon, ma’am,” he said to Alandra when he opened her door and helped her out of the truck.
“Good afternoon,” Alandra said.
“I’ll take care of your vehicle, Mr. Hamilton.”
“Thanks. I won’t be too long.”
With his hand at the small of her back, Quinn guided Alandra
into the building, pointing out some of the key renovations their company had made to the lobby area.
Minutes later they were being greeted by one of Quinn’s best friend, Tyler Hollister and his wife, Dallas. “Come in you two.”
“Hey, beautiful.” Quinn greeted Dallas with a kiss on the cheek. “What’s going on, man?” He said to Tyler as he and Alandra stepped into the circular foyer that showcased an impressive crystal chandelier, sparkling marbled floors and two large bamboo palm trees.
“You must be Alandra.” Dallas hugged her before Quinn could make introductions. “I couldn’t believe it when Tyler told me about you. Come on in, and let me take your coat.”
“Thank you.” Alandra took off her jacket and handed it to Dallas.
“It’s a pleasure to officially meet you,” Tyler said to Alandra and directed her farther into the apartment. “I guess I should be thanking you. Quinn told me you were one of my attending nurses when I was taken to emergency almost a year ago.”
Alandra nodded. “I was, and it looks like you’ve made a full recovery.”
Tyler had been shot after rescuing Dallas from the clutches of a madman who not only attempted to rape her, but who also tried to kill both her and Tyler.
“So where are my godsons?” Quinn asked when they walked into the large living room that featured a twelve-foot ceiling, wall to wall windows, and a spectacular view of downtown Chicago.
“They must have heard you, Q, because I hear at least one of them now. Alandra, would you like to meet the twins?”
“I would love to.”
Three months ago, Dallas gave birth to twin boys who were born two months premature and were the pride and joy of their father and godfather. Quinn started to follow the women, who were heading to the nursery, but Tyler pulled him back.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Tyler said directing Quinn to his office. “We have work to do.”
They walked down a short hallway in the opposite direction of the nursery, until they reached the first door on the right. Quinn stepped into the office and didn’t stop until he stood in front of the floor to ceiling windows. He would never tire of the view. Dusk was settling over the city and lights from nearby buildings sparkled against the night. From the office he could see Lake Michigan and part of the Ferris wheel from Navy Pier.
When they won the bid for this property, they both knew they had landed a gold mind. It took over six months to renovate the semi-modern building which now housed two penthouse suites, numerous luxury apartments on the twenty floors just below them, as well as office and retail space throughout the rest of the building. As far as Quinn was concern, this had been his favorite, yet most challenging building project to date.
“Your woman is as beautiful as I imagined she would be,” Tyler said from across the room. “But I still can’t believe you’re married.”
“I know.” Quinn turned from the windows and he and Tyler sat in the leather recliners that faced the wall-mounted television where a basketball game was on but the volume muted. “Sometimes I can’t believe it myself.”
Closer than most brothers, Quinn and Tyler had grown up in the same rough neighborhood in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and there was nothing they wouldn’t do for each other.
“Ty, man, I never thought I’d see her again. All this time I thought she was dead. With the type of injuries she sustained that day, she should be dead. It’s nothing short of a miracle that she’s walking around.”
Each time Quinn thought about that night in Tzbekystan ice-cold fear rushed through his veins. He didn’t scare easy, but the night he saw Alandra standing out in the open field, defenseless, was the scariest moment in his life.
“So how did you find her?”
“Actually, she found me.”
Quinn gave Tyler the abbreviated version of the night in Tzbekystan and told him about the last forty-eight hours, leaving out the Isabella incident. Though he trusted Tyler with his life, the fewer people who knew they were at Isabella’s house that night, the better. So far, the last few days seemed like a weird dream, but all that had happened was very real. He was being pulled back into a life he’d left behind and had never planned on revisiting.
“Wow, that’s wild.” Tyler shook his head. “But it does explain a lot.”
Quinn frowned. “What do you mean?”
“When you showed up in Milwaukee after leaving your ‘government job,’ you were different, harder, and distant. I just figured after being a part of the military and then working Special Ops, it had all taken its toll on you. I never would’ve guessed you had experienced that type of loss. And the way you went through women, some who were definitely marriage material, yet you never let any of them get too close.”
Quinn listened as Tyler went on describing his behavior and superficial relationships. Had he really been that bad? Maybe it was lack of closure that directed his behavior with women.
“So what’s next for you guys?”
“The first thing we have to do is find out who tried to kill her. Once that’s taken care of, then Alandra and I can decide where we go from here.”
“Do you still love her?”
Quinn didn’t have to think twice about his answer, but he hesitated. “I’ll love her until the day I die.”
A wide grin spread across Tyler’s lips. “Damn. She must be a helluva woman to get the almighty Quinn Hamilton to hand over his player’s card and use the “L” word. Miracles never cease.” He laughed. “I’m definitely looking forward to getting to know her better. We’re going to have to plan a party or something so you can introduce her to the rest of the family.”
“Well, not so fast. I still love her, but…but I don’t know man, so much time has passed and there’s a small part of me that feels she’s hiding something. Until we clear up this mess, and I’m sure she’s told me everything, then I’ll start thinking about the future. But until then, I’m keeping my guard up.”
****
Alandra sat in one of the rocking chairs, feeding the smallest of the twins, baby Evan, and marveling at how gorgeous he was. He had a head full of black curly hair, silky-soft skin the color of maple syrup, and big brown eyes that he hadn’t taken off her since she started feeding him. He might have been tiny, but the strong grip he had on her pinky finger showed he was stronger than he looked. Her heart melted each time he stopped drinking to smile at her. No doubt he would be a looker like his father, who looked so much like the actor Lamman Rucker that Alandra had to stop herself from staring.
“You may look like your daddy, but I bet you’re going to be a heartbreaker like your godfather. Those little girls aren’t going to stand a chance.”
She couldn’t help but think about the children she and Quinn didn’t have. Had things turned out differently, they would have had at least two by now. A boy who looked just like his father, skin the color of mahogany and a dimpled smile that could light up a Christmas tree. And no doubt their little girl would have him wrapped around her little finger.
Alandra shook her head to free the crazy thoughts. She was getting way ahead of herself. Yes, she loved Quinn and longed to have children with him, but until she knew how he felt about her, they would never have a future together.
Dallas walked into the room with baby Ethan in her arms. “Alandra, I’m so sorry for abandoning you. I’d been waiting most of the day for that call and of course they would choose now to call.”
Alandra waved her off. “No problem, Evan has been the perfect gentleman. You have the most beautiful babies.”
“Thank you,” she said and pulled the rocker’s matching ottoman closer to Alandra before sitting on it. “I’m crazy about these little guys and can’t imagine my life without them. What about you, do you want children?”
Alandra nodded, an inexplicable feeling of emptiness settled in the pit of her stomach. She loved children and at one time considered becoming a pediatrician. But after joining the CIA, she hadn’t thought about having children until Quinn came along. A
nd when their lives fell apart, she stopped thinking about it all together.
“How long were you and Quinn married before…uh, before your accident?”
A small smile tilted the corner of Alandra’s lips. “That’s an interesting way of saying it. I think I’ll start using that term.” She placed Evan’s empty bottle onto a nearby table and put the cloth Dallas had given her over her left shoulder. She lifted him to her shoulder, gently patting his back. “We’d been married a couple of weeks, and had dated eight months prior to that.”
“Three years is a long time apart.”
“Yeah, it is, but not a day went by that I didn’t think of him.” Alandra shared a little of her story with Dallas, including the shock of seeing Quinn at the hospital when Tyler had been rushed to emergency. “I only hope he’ll one day trust me enough to believe that I didn’t stay away to hurt him. I honestly thought I was doing the right thing, but now, I don’t think he knows what to believe as it relates to me.”
Dallas rubbed Alandra’s arm. “Don’t worry, he’ll come around, just don’t lose hope. If it weren’t for Tyler’s persistence and unconditional love, I don’t know what my life would be like. Girl, I gave that man hell,” she chuckled, “but he didn’t give up on me. So don’t give up on Quinn. Besides, if he brought you to meet us, that’s a good sign.”
Alandra smiled weakly. “I hope you’re right, because I don’t even want to think about living the rest of my life without him.”
****
Quinn stood frozen in the doorway of the nursery watching Alandra as she rocked one of the twins. His heart swelled at the sight of her with a baby in her arms. How many times had they talked about getting normal jobs so they could start a family? And that’s what they would have done had some bastard not taken her away from him. She was everything he wanted in a woman, and the only woman he ever wanted as the mother of his children.
Rendezvous with Danger (Reunited Series) Page 10