Page 34 of Hollow Trace

Quinn sighed, stepping back into her personal space. “It’s not that bad. You’re bruised, too.”

She hovered her hand over the lines of glue and tape. “But you got this protecting me. Saving my team.”

Quinn shook his head as he reached down and grabbed the edge of her shirt before gently easing it up her torso and over her head, revealing a similar patchwork of bruises across her skin. He grazed his fingertips over the edges, his touch feather-soft across her flesh. “And you got these saving all of our asses.”

He smoothed his hand up her chest to her jaw. “I have to admit, watching you in action these past couple of days…” He grunted as if it hurt. “I’ve never been so damn proud and so fucking scared in my life. Knowing you’d willingly give your life for mine. For your teammates. And yeah, I know… That’s part of the job description, and it’s not as if I ever thought differently, it’s just…”

He sighed, again.

She smiled and moved her hands along his chest, avoiding the worst of the bruising before anchoring them around his neck. “You do the same thing. Every day. Put your life on the line for strangers, half of whom don’t even appreciate what you do. The toll it takes. And you’ve never once lost your humanity. Your compassion. But I know what you mean. Watching you shield me, risk everything for people I consider family…” She cocked her head to the side. “It’s different when it’s someone you love. And I’ve been in love with you since that first kiss under the bleachers.”

Quinn’s eye twitched before he snorted. “You did not just admit you love me first. That’s not how this is supposed to go down.”

She laughed, loving the way he stared at her, all rosy lips with hints of pink along his cheeks. “Quinn. I’ve told you I love you before. Tons of times throughout the years.”

“As have I, but this…” He leaned in, brushed his lips across hers. “This is different. This is the one that’s gonna stick because if I’ve learned anything over the past few months it’s that I can’t live without you. Or maybe, I just don’t want to. Either way, this is the start of forever, and I promised myself I’d tell you first. That I wouldn’t leave you hanging, wondering if I was serious. If our last second chance was worth your time.”

She released his neck, trailed her thumb across his jaw. “Fine, then, I rescind it.”

“You can’t rescind it. I’ve already heard it.”

“Then, stop bellyaching and start showing me, because that means more than anything you can whisper.” She tiptoed up, kissed him. “You, being here with me, means more. I know you’re scared. I’m scared, too. But all of that disappears when you hold me. Even if it’s just for a few hours. So…” She nipped at his lip. “Show me what you’ve got, Mountie.”

He rolled his eyes at the nickname, taking his time as he removed her pants and shoes before slowly lifting her sports bra over her head. The muscle in his temple jumped, that blush growing deeper before he shucked the rest of his clothes, leaving them in a heap and gathered her in his arms.

A lift and a few steps, and he had her centered on the bed, her hair spread out around her, the sheets pulled tight beneath. He braced his weight on one elbow, his other hand caressing her face. Looking as if he wanted to memorize every second, every subtle nuance as she touched his cheek, drew him down to her.

He toyed with the ends of her hair, twirling the strands around his finger. “I really hope that Mountie thing isn’t going to stick.”

She smiled. “I don’t know. It has a nice ring to it.”

“You know what else has a nice ring to it?” He loomed over her. “The way you shout my name.”

Slanting his mouth over hers, he took her from zero to primed in a single heartbeat—all the previous heat reigniting beneath her skin. She slid her hands around to his back, holding him close, wanting more of him touching her.

The brute kept kissing her, acting as if they had nothing but time, chuckling when she wrapped her leg around his, tried to shuffle him on top.

Quinn nuzzled her nose once he’d eased back, smiling against her cheek. “Someone’s impatient.”

“I need you.”

“I know. Right there with you, baby.”

“You can drag out the next time.”

His eyes narrowed as he gazed down her body. “Already took you against the post, even though I knew you needed something more… romantic. Soft.”

“All I need is you. Any way I can get you.”

“Then, you’re in luck. You’ll get everything, but after dreaming of this every night, I’m not rushing it, again.”

Had he really been dreaming about her? God knew she’d been dreaming about him. The kind that left her hot and desperate and ready to wage war. Just thinking he’d been doing the same…

It changed her perspective. Allowed her to see it all through his eyes, and there wasn’t a force on earth that would make her take this moment from him. Ask him to alter his approach.

Quinn trailed his hand down her neck and across her chest, circling her nipple as he grinned. “God, Scout, you’re so damn beautiful.” He arched a brow. “I wonder if you taste wilder than before.”

Dipping down, he licked a path across her flesh before sipping her nipple into his mouth, all that warm, wet pressure arching her off the bed. Her fingers landed in his hair, the silky strands sliding against her palms. He’d always been able to take her to the brink from nothing more than a caress, and he seemed determined to do that again tonight.