The Lovers (Echoes From The Past)

by Irina Shapiro

  Gabe drove faster than was strictly necessary, but then he always had a love for speed, and Quinn felt perfectly safe with him behind the wheel. Not like there was much traffic. Gabe chose picturesque rural roads rather than taking the motorway, and they’d encountered virtually no other cars, making them feel as if they were alone in the world. They’d tacitly agreed not to talk about Sylvia, Rhys, or the pending results, and instead chatted about mutual acquaintances, the institute, and the latest news in archeological circles. The conversation was light, but there was a current of energy flowing between them that made Quinn catch her breath. Gabe felt it too, and when he pulled off his leather glove with his teeth, tossed it aside, and took Quinn’s bare hand in his own, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

  “All right?” Gabe asked, turning to look at her. Quinn nodded, unable to speak. She’d always felt a frisson of attraction for Gabe, but now that she was ready to acknowledge it, it seemed to have grown a hundredfold, ready to engulf her. He looked so relaxed, one hand on the wheel as he navigated the narrow roads. His hair fell into his face, and his dark-blue eyes crinkled at the corners as he turned to smile at her. He’d worn a short beard at one time but had shaved it off recently, shaving off about ten years as well. She liked him like this. He was a mature man, but there was still something boyish in him, something mischievous. Perhaps it was the happiness that radiated from him. She hadn’t realized how controlled he’d been with her these past few years, not until she finally gave him some hope of a future.

  They were both pulsating with nervous energy by the time they finally got to the hotel. It was a lovely house built of golden stone that the area was known for. The peaked rooftop, chimneys, and mullioned windows were dusted with snow, and the ornamental shrubs all wore caps of white. Gabe brought in their bags and quickly checked in while Quinn took in her surroundings. This was just the type of place she liked: beautiful, luxurious, and permeated with centuries of history. The hotel was decorated for Christmas, and the reception twinkled with fairy lights that were reflected in the colorful ornaments decorating the twelve-foot tree soaring to the ceiling in the foyer. Crimson poinsettias were artfully scattered about the place, adding to the festive atmosphere.

  “Are you hungry?” Gabe asked. “Would you like to send our bags up and have some lunch first?”

  “No,” Quinn replied as she raised her eyes to his. Gabe correctly read the look in her eyes and reached for her hand.

  “Right, then.”

  They were barely through the door before Gabe dropped the bags to the floor and swept Quinn into an embrace, kissing her until she was breathless. This was not a tender kiss of longing. It was hard and demanding, letting her know exactly what to expect. Gabe unzipped Quinn’s coat and shrugged off his own, the rest of their clothes making a trail to the high canopy bed as he expertly maneuvered her toward it and lifted her onto the mattress. Neither one of them could wait a minute more, their desire for each other boiling over after the long drive. It was as if a dam had broken, sweeping away the past eight years, Luke, and all the unspoken hurts and misunderstandings of the past few months. Quinn yanked Gabe’s jumper over his head and went to undo the zipper on his jeans as he pulled off her top. Quinn’s hands shook with impatience as her mind emptied of all thought except that of Gabe and his hot skin beneath her fingertips. He sucked in his breath as she ran her hands over his well-muscled chest and allowed her hand to slide downward, wrapping her fingers around him. He gently pushed her hand aside and covered her body with his own, his knee pushing her legs apart.

  Quinn arched her back and gasped with pleasure as Gabe’s fingers slid into her. He lowered his head to catch her nipple between his teeth, and she cried out as the earth-shattering combination of pleasure and pain nearly brought her to the brink. There was no need for foreplay, she was more than ready for him, but he wasn’t about to rush the moment he’d waited such a long time for.

  “Gabe, please,” she pleaded, but he wouldn’t be rushed.

  “Not yet,” he murmured as he slid between her legs, pushing them apart with his eager hands. “Not yet.”

  Quinn grabbed fistfuls of the duvet in her hands and arched her back as Gabe’s tongue followed where his fingers had just been. He took his time, tormenting her until her legs vibrated with tension, and she felt as if she might explode into a million pieces. She grabbed him by the hair and yanked him upward, unable to stand the exquisite torture a moment longer. “Now!” she demanded, not caring if he was ready or not.

  Gabe plunged into her, bringing her to a shuddering orgasm with only a few rough thrusts and joining her in moments. He collapsed on top of her, his forehead resting against her shoulder, his breathing ragged. Quinn wrapped her arms around him and stroked his hair. Her bones felt like jelly, and a feeling of utter contentment flowed through her veins. There’d been no need to worry. They fit together like two pieces of a jigsaw, their bodies possessed of secret knowledge even if it took their hearts some time to sort things out. They remained that way for a few minutes, their heart rates slowing down as they descended back down to earth.

  Gabe raised his face to Quinn’s, his eyes filled with a combination of wonder and worry. He needed reassurance that it had been as magical for her as it had been for him, and she gave it gladly, wrapping her legs around him and guiding his stiffening shaft back into her body. The second time was slower, more deliberate, but no less exquisite. Gabe took his time, watching her face and enjoying her pleasure as he alternated between tender lovemaking and utter physical possession as he pinned down her wrists and drove into her, making her cry out in ecstasy.

  He finally rolled off her and lay on his side, his head supported on one arm as his other hand cupped her breast, his thumb absent-mindedly stroking her nipple. The room was filled with the smell of arousal, and the sheets were tangled and damp beneath them. Gabe looked sated and happy as he gazed down on her.

  Quinn reached out and stroked his cheek, and he leaned down and kissed her tenderly, the taste of her still on his lips. There was so much she wanted to say, but at the moment, she was speechless. Luke had been her first, so she had nothing to compare their lovemaking to except a few groping sessions when she was a teenager. It had been sweet and passionate at times, but never, not even at the start of their relationship, had it been like this.

  “No, it wasn’t,” Gabe said as he smiled at her, his fingers now tracing a pattern on her stomach and moving lower.

  “What wasn’t?” Quinn asked, although she hoped that he’d read the unspoken question in her eyes.

  “It wasn’t like this with anyone else and never will be.”

  “Why?”

  “Because with my body I thee worship,” Gabe whispered in her ear, quoting the old-fashioned marriage vow and making her shiver. “And with my heart I thee adore,” he added, staking his claim not only to her body but to her heart.

  Chapter 51

  The room was aglow with the crimson haze from the dying fire and the golden light of candles that had burned down to shapeless stubs. The hotel had grown quiet, the patrons having retired to their rooms and gone to bed. The clock at a nearby church struck the midnight hour, but Quinn and Gabe were still awake, savoring their last night away. They hadn’t done much more than make love, eat, sleep, and take a couple of walks, but it had been exactly what they needed, and neither one was looking forward to returning to real life and the news that Monday morning would bring.

  Quinn lay in the crook of Gabe’s arm, her hair spilling over his chest and her legs intertwined with his. She felt wonderfully content, but she couldn’t help but be aware of a restlessness in Gabe. He’d been wonderfully happy for the past two days, but now that the end of their getaway was drawing near, something was eating away at him, and Quinn meant to find out what it was, but she loathed the idea of tarnishing the idyll of this moment. Perhaps he’d tell her on the drive back, but Gabe couldn’t wait. He carefully untangled himself from Quinn and sat up, looking down at her with an
expression that instantly jolted her out of her somnolent state.

  “Why?” he asked, his gaze intent on Quinn’s face. “Why did you choose him? Surely you knew how I felt about you,” he said. The anguish in his voice nearly broke Quinn’s heart. She’d given herself to him body and soul, but he still couldn’t forget the hurt that she’d caused him all those years ago. He needed closure before he could move forward.

  Quinn sat up and covered her breasts with the duvet. She could make something up to pacify Gabe, but she intended to tell him the truth. He deserved that much, and truth be told, she’d asked herself the same question ever since finding out the truth of why Luke left her.

  “I didn’t know how you felt, but I suspected,” she replied truthfully. “Gabe, I was twenty-two, and a young twenty-two at that. I’d never had a relationship that lasted longer than a couple of weeks. Luke was easygoing and fun. He made me feel light and carefree, whereas you . . .” Quinn shook her head in wonder at the way Gabe made her feel even back then. “You had an intensity simmering in you that would have burned me to cinders. Your love would have been all-consuming, all-demanding. You frightened me, Gabe, and I instinctively knew that I wasn’t ready for you. I wasn’t emotionally mature enough to be your equal, so it would have never worked between us, not then.”

  “And now? I can’t lose you again,” he said. “I won’t recover.”

  Quinn reached out and took his hand, smiling up at him. No one who knew Gabriel Russell would believe that the strong, competent, urbane man they were acquainted with could be this vulnerable in the face of love.

  “Gabe, I’m a grown woman now, and I knew what I agreed to when I came away with you. I would never toy with you, knowing how you feel about me. See, what attracted me to Luke is what ultimately drove us apart. I know you, Gabe. You are not a player, you’re a man who sets his heart on a woman and loves her until the end. You want to possess and protect, worship and be adored in return. I’m ready for you now, if you’ll have me.”

  Gabe’s mouth stretched into a joyous smile, his eyes sparkling with relief. He leaned forward and kissed Quinn gently. This moment wasn’t about sex, it was about something much deeper than that. The past was now behind them, and the future stretched ahead with infinite promise. Quinn took Gabe’s face in her hands and kissed him back. “Yours,” she whispered. “Forever yours.”

  Chapter 52

  As the Jag gobbled up the miles and they drew closer to home, Quinn grew more fretful. She’d hardly thought of Sylvia or Rhys during the weekend, but now the anxiety returned full force, rendering her pensive and silent. Her feelings changed from moment to moment. A part of her wished that Dr. Scott would get a match and she could finally put the mystery of her birth to rest and start working on a relationship with her parents, or at least her mother; and part of her wished that things would just go back to the way they were. She hadn’t mentioned anything to her parents. It seemed wiser to wait for the results before disrupting their peace of mind. Quinn knew that although her parents would be supportive no matter what she decided to do, they would still feel the sting of rejection, taking her desire to forge a relationship with her birth parents as some sort of criticism of the way they’d raised her. At the moment, they were the only parents she ever wanted or needed.

  “You seem a million miles away,” Gabe said as he stole a glance in her direction. “You haven’t said anything in nearly an hour.”

  “I’m nervous about tomorrow,” she admitted.

  “I know.”

  “I don’t know that I can ever grow to love them, knowing what I know of the way I was conceived,” Quinn confessed.

  “Darling, like most adopted children, you fantasized about your real parents and unwittingly put them on a pedestal. A child wants to believe that the reason they were given up was not because they weren’t wanted, but because the situation was unmanageable. Everyone likes to imagine that they were conceived in love, but the reality is often very different.”

  “I suppose you’re right, Gabe, but that still doesn’t make this any easier. How do I look Rhys in the eye when I know what he did all those years ago? Do I confront him if he is my father?” Thank God I never responded to his advances, Quinn thought as she stared at the winding road stretching off into the distance. Sleeping with a possible rapist would be bad enough, but having sex with a man who might be her biological father would be something she couldn’t ever come back from, at least not emotionally. Even the thought of the kiss they shared made her shudder with revulsion. Thank heaven Gabe didn’t know that Rhys had tried to romance her.

  “Quinn, why don’t you wait until you get the results, and then we’ll tackle those consequences together?”

  Quinn nodded, her thoughts still in turmoil. It was going to be a long night, and she was glad that Gabe offered to stay. His presence was solid and comforting, his devotion unwavering. Quinn reached over and squeezed his hand. Gabe smiled back and blew her a kiss.

  Monday morning came all too soon, and Quinn stared balefully at the phone as it refused to ring hour after hour. Gabe had waited with her until nine o’clock, but he had a meeting scheduled for ten and needed to get going. It was the last week before Christmas break, and there were finals to grade, paperwork to fill out, and a holiday do for the staff to organize. Gabe would have a busy few days.

  “Call me as soon as you hear,” Gabe said as he kissed her on the threshold. “I should be available by eleven.”

  “Will do.”

  Quinn went back into the house, made herself another cup of coffee, and settled in to wait. She tried reading, but the words just swam before her eyes, refusing to form actual words that made sense. There were three missed calls from Rhys, which she refused to return. She just couldn’t bring herself to speak to him at the moment. He’d scheduled the shoot for the documentary for the beginning of January, so whatever the results, she’d have to work things out by then since she couldn’t break her contract without incurring a lawsuit.

  The wait became unbearable, so Quinn decided to take a walk instead. The day was brisk and overcast, and the heavens threatened to open up at any moment, but it was still better than staying indoors. Quinn tied a warm scarf around her neck, pulled on her wellies, and set off down the lane to the village. The snow had melted over the weekend, leaving behind a muddy slush that had frozen again overnight. It was easier to walk on the side of the road, where it wasn’t so slippery.

  Walking made her feel better. The physical activity relieved some of the tension, and Quinn increased her pace, almost trotting down the lane. A soupy fog swirled all around her, muffling sound and giving her limited visibility. Even the crows, who were usually out in full force in the mornings, were silent. Quinn finally decided that she’d gone far enough and turned in the direction of home. She was cold, and the moisture in the air made her face feel damp. She was almost back to the house when her mobile finally rang. Quinn fumbled for the phone and almost dropped it in her nervousness.

  “Dr. Scott,” she said. “Good morning.”

  “Morning, Quinn. I hope you had a pleasant weekend.”

  “I did,” she answered truthfully, eager to get the pleasantries out of the way. “And you?”

  “Very good, thank you. But I’m sure you don’t want to hear all about my weekend with my partner’s family,” Dr. Scott joked. “I have the results.”

  “And?” Quinn felt as if the air was suddenly sucked out of her lungs, leaving her gasping like a landed fish. She couldn’t breathe and had a stitch in her side that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

  “I can say with ninety-nine percent certainty that Sylvia Wyatt is your mother.”

  Quinn let out the breath she’d been holding. She thought she would feel either elation or despair at the news, but all she felt was a vast emptiness. She had no idea how to feel now that she knew the truth.

  “Quinn? Are you there?”

  “Yes, please go on.”

  “The man’s DNA, however, is not a m
atch. I hope you’re not too disappointed.” Quinn had not given Dr. Scott Rhys’s name since she obtained his DNA by less-than-honest means.

  “Yes. No. I mean, I’m not really sure how I feel about it yet. I suppose I need some time to think,” Quinn replied.

  “Of course you do. It’s a lot to take in. Please, ring me if you need anything else. I’m always happy to help.”

  “Thank you. I appreciate your help, Colin.”

  “Anytime. Give my regards to Gabe.”

  “I will.”

  Quinn rang off, shoved the phone into her pocket, and walked on toward home. She tried to label her emotions but couldn’t quite put a finger on what she was feeling. Relief, disappointment, despair, hope, and a tiny bit of closure.

  Quinn kicked off her boots, put the kettle on, and called Gabe. He picked up after several rings sounding harassed. “Sorry, love, got pulled into another departmental meeting. What did Colin say?”

  “Sylvia is a match, and Rhys isn’t.”

  Gabe was silent for a moment while he absorbed her news. “How do you feel?”

  “Honestly, I don’t know yet. I think I’m actually relieved that Rhys isn’t my father. If he were, it’d make working together very difficult—for both of us.”

  “Yes, I agree. Will you call Sylvia?” Gabe asked, his voice gentle. He wouldn’t attempt to influence her, but he probably thought she should, if only to find some closure.

  “I suppose I’d better. Of course, she already knows she’s my mother,” Quinn said with a nervous giggle.