by Jewel E. Ann
“Leave it on.” He traced his fingers over the swells of my breasts then his eyes lifted to mine with a naughty boyish grin. Sitting there with his hat on backwards and his shirt off wearing faded jeans, he looked young and playful.
“You’re right, we should leave it on. I’m not sure you deserve to get past second base tonight,” I goaded him.
He flipped me on my back and pushed his hips into mine. The hardness straining at his zipper rubbed between my legs and caused me to subconsciously lift my hips to meet his. He’d taken me in almost every way possible, but being with him on the couch, half-dressed and grinding into each other like two teenagers dry humping, was raw and sensual. We hadn’t been intimate for a while, so taking it slow and letting our desire build was intensely gratifying.
He kissed his way up my neck then paused, looking deep into my eyes. “Sin ti no puedo respirar. Te necesito enmi vida.” Without you I cannot breathe. I need you in my life. He smoothed back a few errant hairs from my face and kissed both of my cheeks. “Tu eres mi luz en oscuridad. Tú eres la mujer más bella que he visto.” You are my light in the dark. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen. “Te amo.” I love you.
My emotions caught in my throat. He was seducing me with his words. When they melted off his tongue, it felt like he was serenading me with a song. They were a whisper, a confession, a promise. He eased off of the couch and lifted me up, cradling me in his arms. I fought back the tears as he carried me upstairs and laid me on his bed. He pulled off my pants then stood at the end of his bed looking at me. His eyes shone with adoration, appreciation, and yes, love. He slowly removed his pants and briefs then looked at his bedside table.
“Don’t,” I whispered,”you don’t need it.”
He nodded in trust before crawling over me and removing my bra. “I thought you wanted it left on?”
“Quiero hacerte el amor.” He breathed into my bare chest, reverently kissing both of my breasts before sliding off my panties.
The moment was beautiful and seductive. He was opening up to me yet hiding behind a language he assumed I didn’t speak. Fear held our emotions hostage; we both wanted to say the words we’d already physically expressed. They were just words but saying them somehow nurtured small insecurities in our souls. It was my turn to rescue him. I wanted him to know the feelings were mutual. I needed him to know before our physical connection blurred our emotions.
He kissed his way back up my legs, pausing at my sex. When his tongue parted my folds, my body melted into his mouth.
“Ah, Quinn.”
I grabbed his hair and pulled his head, aching for him to be inside me, but I wanted this to be slow and more emotional than physical. He followed my lead and continued to move up my body. He kissed my neck and my earlobe. It was time to let him know.
“Quiero hacer el armor contigo también,” I whispered.
Static—his face resting at my neck—it was in that moment my instincts were validated. He thought his confessions were hidden in a woven tapestry of language. Then he lifted his head searching my emotion filled eyes and translated my words as if his mind hadn’t yet absorbed their implications. “I want to make love to you too?”
I nodded before the tears escaped. Baring all, I was completely exposed to him, body, mind, and soul. He kissed away my tears while one hand slid under my knee, pulling my leg up, as he eased into me.
A soft moan escaped my mouth as he filled me. He kissed me deep and passionately as his hips found a slow rhythm. We took our time, letting our hands explore each other’s body, like we hadn’t done it so many times before. It felt familiar and new at the same time, our bodies iterating our verbal confessions. We were making love, and in that moment I was exclusively Quinn’s. Not one part of me was held hostage by my past. I wasn’t the pretty girl feeling inferior to the god-like man. Together we were one and we were beautiful.
“God, I love you so much, Addy.” His voice was urgent as his release approached. He reached between us and massaged my clit. “Let go with me, my beautiful.”
“God, I love what you do to me,” I breathed, orgasming around him as his warm release filled me.
Our movements gradually faded like the ending of a song. He rolled to his side hugging me in close and kissing my forehead. “Well, well, my beautiful girl speaks Spanish. I suppose it was an insult to your extreme intelligence to think you didn’t speak another language.”
I laughed in between kisses to his chest. “Five, my Latin lover … I fluently speak five other languages.”
He pushed me back so he could look into my eyes. “Are you shitting me?”
I shook my head.
“What other languages?” He looked at me wide-eyed with his mouth agape.
“Spanish, French, Arabic, Mandarin, and Hindi.”
“Hindi?” He furrowed his brows.
“Yes, I spent a lot of time in India.”
He pulled me back into him. “Huh.”
“Surprised?" I smiled as I inhaled his intoxicating scent with my nose nuzzled into his chest.
“I guess I assumed someone who could have gone to any college she wanted and yet chose to stay close to home, probably didn’t even have a passport.”
“Oh, I’m full of surprises, Mr. Cohen.”
He scooted down until he was even with my breasts. Then he cupped and kneaded them before flipping his tongue over my nipples. “That you are, and it’s so fucking sexy.” He wrapped his arms around me and continued his oral assault on my breasts. “Now that we’ve established that you are mine, I’m going to claim every inch of your body. There’s not going to be any part of you where I haven’t left my mark.”
We spent the next two hours claiming each other in every possible way. We spooned and Quinn continued to whisper words of love in my ear. I opened my eyes and looked at the clock. It read 12:01 a.m.
“Happy New Year.” I spoke with a trace of excitement in my voice.
He lifted his head to see over mine. “Happy New Year to you too, my beautiful.”
I turned my head back toward his and we kissed, bringing in our new year together.
*
I woke on New Year’s Day in my favorite place—in bed, wrapped in Quinn. The night before replayed in my mind so many times I wondered if in the light of day everything would change. His grip around my waist tightened, letting me know he was awake. I rolled to face him.
“Morning, beautiful.” He nuzzled into my neck.
“Good morning. I love waking up wrapped in you.” I ran my hands down his chest.
“How long are you staying?” he asked as he unabashedly lifted the sheet to gaze at my naked body.
I rolled my eyes, trying to ignore his horny teenager antics. “Good question. I hadn’t thought that far ahead. How long will you have me?”
He smiled bigger than I had ever seen him smile before. “Not a day past … hmm … forever. I can have all your belongings here tomorrow.”
“What if I have all your belongings in Milwaukee by tomorrow?” I chided back.
“Not possible.”
“And why not?” I gave him a single raised eyebrow.
“Well, for one, your resources are not as good as mine, and for two, my stuff would not fit in your loft, and for three, I can’t leave New York.”
I chewed on the inside of my cheek, thinking my response through. “I see, well for one, I guarantee my resources are just as good as yours if not better, and for two, the reason all your stuff would not fit into my loft is because your overindulgent life has allowed you to acquire way too many unnecessary possessions, and for three, you could leave New York, you just don’t want to.”
Quinn pulled me in for a long kiss before resting his forehead on mine. “I’m tempted to say yes just to check out your ‘resources,’ but I’m not going to because negotiating with your feisty little ass gets me hard.” He palmed my butt and pulled me into his waiting erection. Then his tone went from playful to sober and serious as he met my eyes.
“But, Addy, at the end of this day and everyday forward, you need to know there is nothing I wouldn’t give up for you.”
I’m free falling off the cliff and all I can do is trust Quinn to catch me … please catch me.
“Oh, I bet you say that to all the girls.” I smiled shyly trying hide my emotions.
“Don’t … I hate that you don’t see how incredibly amazing you are. I’ve never said that to anyone else. The truth is there is very little I would even consider giving up for any other woman. You’re only the fourth woman I’ve ever loved.”
I couldn’t believe he said that. It ranked up there with “I enjoy beautiful women.” I looked away trying to hide the pain in my eyes, but he pulled my chin forward forcing our eyes to meet again. Then he smiled.
“The first is my mother, the second is my sister, and the third is my niece.”
I blinked away the impending tears and shoved him in the chest. “You shit!”
He laughed. “Sorry, baby, I know that was mean.” Pulling me back into him, he kissed me like crazy. “God, I love you.”
I bit his lower lip, hard.
“Ouch! What was that for?” he whined.
“Just a reminder to watch your smart mouth if you know what’s good for you.”
He flipped the sheet up over his head and wiggled his body down mine, nestling between my legs with his head positioned at my sex. Then he grabbed my thighs and spread my legs out wide. His tongue swept through my slit and my hips jerked in a needy response.
“Oh, baby, I’m pretty sure I know what’s good for me.”
*
I once had a conversation with Mac about the male characters in romance novels that had endless stamina. They required virtually no recovery time and defined the images of endurance and vitality. That was Quinn. If I was a “musical prodigy” as Mac referred to me, then Quinn was the ultimate sex prodigy. And he spent the morning showing me all of his talents.
“Since you mentioned insanity, I’m curious about this unprotected sex we’ve been having … It’s been great but I’m wondering if you’re going to be showing me a stick you’ve peed on?”
“Uh … no. I have a copper IUD now. I don’t want to leave it in for years, but right now I like the spontaneity it provides.”
“Agreed …” he interlaced our fingers “ …I’d ask more questions about the copper IUD but I know I’d be lost in the first few words, so I’ll just trust you on the matter.”
“Yeah, well, as I said, don’t get used to it. You’re the only ‘foreign body’ I like in mine, so the IUD won’t be staying long.”
After a quick kiss, he sat up and walked his delicious nakedness to the bathroom. “Listen, beautiful, I’m going to see my mother and brother today before they go back to Spain. Make yourself at home while I’m gone and we’ll go out later and make up for missing the excitement of New Year’s Eve in New York City.”
I heard the shower turn on so I stayed in bed half-covered in tousled sheets. Dumbfounded. It wasn’t the most eloquent word but if one word described me in that moment, that was it. Oh how I fell so quickly from cloud nine. Quinn confessed his feelings for me at Christmas in front of his family, and then just twelve hours earlier he declared his love to me, so why did I feel like his dirty little secret he was leaving behind?
Before Quinn finished his shower, I slipped on one of his T-shirts and went downstairs for some hot tea. I didn’t want to overreact after such an amazing night. Unquestionably, the logistics of being together had to be ironed out, but keeping me from his family hurt. A few minutes later, he came downstairs wearing dark jeans and a grey V-neck sweater with his hair a perfect mess but dry. Did he use a hair dryer? The thought made me smile.
“What are you smiling about?” he asked as he pulled me away from the counter into a hug. I held my arm out so my tea didn’t spill on him.
“You. I was picturing you with a hair dryer styling that sexy mop of yours.”
“Mop?”
“Sexy mop.” I stretched up on my toes to give him a sweet kiss. “Can I make you some breakfast?”
“Mmm, as great as that sounds, I can’t. I’m meeting my family for an early lunch at Masa. Do you want me to bring you something?”
Deep breath … I am peaceful, I am strong.
“No, the thought of eating one meal that costs as much as it does to feed a family of four for two weeks makes me lose my appetite.”
“Jesus, Addy, not this again.” He released me and grabbed a water from the refrigerator. “If you had a fraction of the money I do, you wouldn’t suffer from such guilt-ridden sentiment indulging once in a while. It’s not like I don’t make plenty of charitable contributions.”
He had no fucking clue, but I wasn’t ready to enlighten him on the matter … yet. After taking a long swig, he set his water on the counter and cradled my face in his hands. “I don’t want to argue with you. If it will make you feel better, we’ll feed some homeless people or make some donations later. Whatever you want, okay?”
“Whatever I want?” I asked for clarification.
“Yes, whatever you want. Now I have to run, babe, okay?” He quickly kissed me and headed to the door grabbing his coat on the way out.
Desperately, I tried biting my tongue but my ego won anyway. “Tell your lovely family ‘hi’ for me and maybe next time they’re in town we can visit more.”
Quinn’s back was to me but I could see his whole body flinch. I headed to the stairs contemplating the gamble that would be my next statement. “Oh, and make sure Olivia knows if she so much as breathes in your direction I will break her skinny ass twig of a body, okay?”
Halfway up the stairs, I paused when he spoke. “Why would you think Olivia is going to be there?” His question was slow and cautious.
But my answer was quick and forthright. “Because you didn’t invite me.”
He sighed. “It’s complicated, Addy.”
I turned and glared at him so he would know my next words were serious and nonnegotiable. “Well, you have approximately three hours to un-complicate things.” Not waiting for a response, I continued to his bedroom.
Rarely do people want to be wrong, but I did. I wanted Quinn to tell me Olivia wasn’t going to be at lunch. I wanted him to feel like an ass for not inviting me and extend me a last minute invitation, which I would have declined. But that wasn’t the point. I needed him to show me love beyond the bedroom. Alexis was family and I admired Quinn’s loyalty, however, Olivia was quite simply a complete bitch who didn’t deserve one minute of his time. He told me there wasn’t anything he wouldn’t give up to be with me. Whether he liked it or not, the time had come for him to ante up.
*
I spent the next three hours going through Quinn’s stuff to carry out my plan. I didn’t pick out the most expensive things, I saved those for later, but I chose the items that were most repulsive to me.
Quinn was later than I had expected him to be. I was reading a book on the couch when he stormed through the door. “What the hell is going on?” he yelled.
Avoiding eye contact, I simply kept my eyes glued to my book. “I’m not sure yet. I’m just on the second chapter.”
“I’m not talking about your fucking book! I’m talking about the silent auction in the lobby … Of. My. Stuff!”
“Oh, that? I know, PETA would have a field day with that horrific junk.”
“Junk? My thirty-eight thousand dollar Testoni alligator skin shoes are not junk, neither is my forty-seven thousand dollar Montblanc alligator skin brief case … and the trophy zebra skin rug. Do you have any idea how much of my money is sitting down in the lobby being ogled by the other residents?” He looked just seconds from self-combustion.
I set my book down and leisurely walked into the kitchen to grab a banana. “Well, we’ll know by ten o’clock tonight how much your stuff is worth. That’s when the silent auction ends. I can’t wait to see the warm fuzzy feeling you’re going to have in the morning when we donate all the mone
y to the African Wildlife Foundation.”
He paced back and forth like a caged animal, but I didn’t let it faze me. “Why are you doing this?” His voice was still strained, but he managed to take the volume down a few notches.
“Because you said I could,” I mumbled through a mouth full of banana.
“And when exactly did I say that?” Both of his hands were on his hips, chest puffed out.
“Before you left for lunch. You said, ‘we’ll feed some homeless people or make some donations, whatever you want.’ I said, ‘whatever I want?’ and you said, ‘yes, what—”
“I know what I said. I don’t need it repeated back verbatim. But that’s not what I meant. God! You’re so fucking frustrating.” He raked both hands through his hair.
“Did you get everything straightened out at lunch?” It was my turn to glare at him with my hands on my hips.
“What? We’re not …” he sighed an exasperated breath “ …that’s not what we’re talking about right now.”
“It is now. I’m done watching your tantrum over a bunch of overpriced shit that was made from killing innocent animals.”
“If I didn’t buy it, someone else was going to. I don’t understand what the big deal is.”
“The big deal is the simple concept of supply and demand, if there is not a demand for something then there wouldn’t be a need to kill these animals to supply a non-existent demand. It’s about being part of the solution, not part of the problem. Be the change, Quinn … be the change you wish to see in the world. Are you familiar with Gandhi? Now. What. Happened. At. Lunch?”
He walked over and stared out his massive windows. His silence answered my question. He didn’t have the balls to say to his family what had to be said, and that was the only answer I needed. I walked upstairs and started putting my stuff back into my suitcase. My back was to the door but my “Quinn-sense” detected him looking at me.
“What are you doing?” His voice was softer.
“I’m going home until you’re ready to do more than say you love me.”