He'll come through

Chapter 10

Lilah was wrapped spoon-like against Quinn her eyes closed but her mind reliving the last couple of hours. She couldn’t believe the things they’d done...she’d done. Her body felt bruised, but also well attended, he’d not left an inch unexplored, untasted, untouched...but then she could say the same about him. Blushing at the memory she closed her eyes again, her body craved sleep but she was curled up with this man and lust was still taking over her thoughts. Sighing she turned his wrist to look at the time, still only late evening. They were on a different time zone after being up all night.  Dropping his hand she tried to sleep, but knew it would evade her.

Sliding out of his arms and the bed, she slipped on his t-shirt; it made her almost decent, then made for the bathroom. Once she’d emptied her bladder, washed her face and cleaned her teeth she felt better. Back in the room, she spotted the half drunk champagne and retrieved a glass. Glugging a mouthful, she picked at the fruit so elegantly arranged in the bowl, she was suddenly ravenous. Grapes and apples were flanked with dates, sticky and sweet, as well as figs and dried apricots...her favourite.

As she scoffed a few it was only then she spotted Quinn’s phone, tossed on the side table near the bed. She hadn’t contacted her mother, her father, they’d be worried sick. So without a further thought she picked up the phone and dialled the international number.

                “Hello?” the soft, gentle voice of her mother was like a zoom straight to the past and brought tears to her eyes. She was too absorbed in the familiarity of the sound to notice the lack of concern, fear or worry.

                “Mum? It’s me!” She offered.

                “Oh Dee-Lilah!” It was the way she always pronounced her name, and rather than hating it as she usually did, the term was endearing. Lilah closed her eyes as her mother continued. “How are you? How is it out in the sun? You’re a few days early calling us; this is such a pleasant surprise.”

They didn’t know!  The words hit her straight between the eyes, she’d been off the radar for two and a half days, had ransoms set for her release, and no one had told her parents. No scratch that, GAVIN hadn’t told her parents! The bastard.

Opening her eyes she saw Quinn flat on the bed but now turned to face her, his eyes watching her intently.

                “Yeah I’m fine Mum, just at a loose end, so thought I’d give you a quick call. It’s hot, the sun is always shining. How’s Dad? The dogs?” She met Quinn’s eyes as she listened to small talk for a few moments, then bade her goodbyes, promising to call on the weekend. Hanging up the call she hung her head.

                “Why didn’t you tell her?” He hopped out of bed, completely unbothered at the fact he was naked and strode towards her, catching her just as she crumpled in to a heap.

                “They didn’t know...” she breathed, “you were right! He hadn’t....”

Quinn shook his head placing a finger over his lips, “the man’s a bastard Blondie, I don’t know what his game is...But why didn’t you tell your parents, your mother...”

She smiled a wobbly smile at him emotions ravaging her face, “because I know I’ll be home, that you’ll get me there, and I don’t see the point of scaring them. Do you?”

Quinn felt a surge of emotion for this woman, she was so unselfish, so trusting, so beautiful, “you’re right on both counts, I promised, didn’t I?”  

                “How did I become such a bad judge of character?” Suddenly she was so self critical.

He kissed her nose then broke into a smile, “you got me right eventually! So you’re not that bad!”

                “What would I have done without you?” She shuddered. “If you hadn’t been on that bus I don’t know what would’ve happened.” When he shrugged an evasive response, she reached up to cup his cheeks, to look into his eyes, “don’t be so modest Quinn, I owe you my life, and I’m finding it hard to begin to even thank you.”

Grinning he pulled he closer to him, his hard body pressed against hers, “I think you made a good effort earlier! And...” he leaned in closer and whispered in her ear, “when you had me in your mouth you finally shut up for a minute!”

Lilah gasped in indignation then slapped his arm, “why the cheek!” But she was smiling as his lips descended on hers again. As his hands cupped her bare buttocks, he leaned over her and devoured her neck before pulling up to look at her.

                “How come my clothes look better on you?”

She grinned, “Probably because you’re imagining ripping it off?”

Lifting the t-shirt as his hands stroked up her body he nodded, “you got that right!”

Quinn groaned as he nudged her back to the bed, there was so much he wanted to do, but it’d been so long since he’d been with a woman, and she was so....so....words couldn’t describe. He wanted her so desperately that again he couldn’t wait, he was on her in seconds, but he could tell from her response that she was as desperate as him.

Lilah was exhausted, but it still raised a chuckle that his body responded to her stretching underneath him. Dropping a kiss on her nose, he fell to lie beside her.

                “I had such ambitious plans when I started across the room all of five minutes ago!” he mumbled in a self deprecating way, without her feeling he was seeking pity.

                “I have no complaints Mr Southland,” she ran a finger along the length of his body and loved seeing the way he squirmed.

                “You ready to talk now? We’ve got to at some point.” He was surprised when she agreed, but he launched straight into things. “You’ve now realised that your super hero Gavin is not as he seems.” Unable to accept these facts from someone else, she listened in silence.

“When I mentioned him Amir instantly knew his name, seems he has been investigating him before this. Amir and several other men I work with are constantly investigating suspicious goings on in this country and adjacent ones. Gavin has been on the table for a while apparently, they’ve been trying to find an opportunity to ‘chat’ to him, but he’s always surrounded by lots of support, security. He’s not stupid. But I gather it all changed last week. Did he start acting strange?” The blush that flooded her face was all the answer he needed.

“He’s used his position in an International Charity to interfere in politics, smuggle, deal in contraband. He’ll sell to the highest bidder, and buy from anyone, drugs, arms, anything that he comes across. All shipped in International Aid trucks. Amir thinks he personally helped arm the recent rebel riots in the South of this country. If that’s the case ANYONE could have kidnapped you. He’s fuelled a civil war that almost ended this country, then winds up with his nanny kidnapped and ignores it, rather than have to highlight authorities as to why you may have been a target.”

She had her head bowed, trying to take all this in, Quinn lifted her chin, made her meet his eyes, “this wasn’t about money Blondie, they wanted to hurt him....you were just that tool. It’s all his fault, you have to believe that.”

Lilah shook her head, “I just need to think about this. Can you give me some time?”

Quinn could barely control his surprise as she jumped out of bed and donned the clothes that had been delivered to the room earlier, “where are you going?”

She made for the door before she stopped and turned, “I’m going to look for my self respect!

With that she shut the door and was gone.

Lilah headed to the reception, it was still only nine o’clock, and she was surprised to find the place buzzing with life. She headed into the bar and sat at a small table, hidden away in the corner. She was glad to be out of that room, to have time to think, to digest everything that had happened in the last few hours. Four days ago she’d slept with a man she thought she knew, but he’d literally fed her to the vultures, now, a few hours earlier she’d slept with the man who’d saved her, but also the man who’d divulged Gavin’s wrong doings. What was she doing? She was normally the sensible one, the one who thought things through, worked out the consequences before putting up a shelf. Now she was in this mess.

But she was alive.

With a wry smile she ordered a gin and tonic from the waiter who came to her table, billing it to the room. She had no idea how this wondrous Amir was funding this trip, but hell Quinn could sub her a G and T or three, that much she did know. The brilliant thing about gin, is it’s an assault to the taste buds, each mouthful almost eliciting a groan, but the pleasure definitely outweighed the pain, and made the drink all the more worthwhile. This one was cold, more spicy that the European counterpart, and addressed so many levels of taste that she almost became embroiled in analysing the drink.

She felt a presence before she actually saw Quinn, but when she did he took her breath away. He was a good looking man; she’d long debated the pros and cons of that broad hard body, and the dark yet elegant features, but stood as he was in front of her, in a black shirt that fitted perfectly, closely hugging his physique, and black linen trousers, tied low on his hips. His hair was wet from the shower, and his jaw finally cleanly shaven, a sight which surprised her, until now he’d had a permastubble!

                “Hey!” his voice was soft as he placed a beer on the table opposite her, “can I join you?”

She gestured freely to the chair and averted her eyes as he slid into it.

                “Don’t hate me Blondie; I’m sorry I’m the one to tell you....”

Lilah held up a hand and silenced him, “no you’re not sorry, you’ve been quick to talk derogatorily about him since I met you, and I understand that you were right, that your instincts were sharper than mine, but I don’t need you rubbing it in, ok? I’ve had enough of you being bloody right all the time.”

He grimaced, “that’s a bit harsh isn’t it? I’m not perfect and never claimed to be....” he sat back and crossed his left ankle over his knee, “unlike you Miss Turn On!”

Blushing she glared at him, but he only guffawed - a hearty laugh, “you’ve reduced me to a gibbering wreck of hormones. I don’t think I’ve been this horny since I was a teenager!”

                “Think that’s more due to a lack of use Quinn!” his retort was a little sharper than intended, but she was feeling prickly, he deserved a little of her guilt, confusion and embarrassment! Defiantly she sipped at her drink glowering at him over the top of the glass.

                “Maybe so,” he smirked, but there’s something about you that is driving me mad! And the way you’re sat there with those bullets in your bra, I’d say your body’s telling me you feel exactly the same!”

She’d felt her body respond to him the second she’d known he was there, and whilst bullets was the perfect description for her rock, hard nipples, it didn’t help to have him assess her awareness so readily.

                “So I find you attractive, we’re compatible in bed, that’s hardly marriage material!”

He waved his hands defensively, “I’m not proposing Blondie! You know that, when we get to the capital, to the Embassy you’ll be going home, and I’ll be staying here. We both know that. But that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy things until then.” He was grinning, “This is a lovely bar, I could sit here all night, but I’m also exhausted and I could sleep all night, but all I can think about is peeling those clothes off you and licking you all over.”

Lilah gulped, she really was playing with fire here, hot fire, glancing around she saw that no one was looking, noticing her melting into a blob in the corner of the bar.

Quinn continued, “and I’m a little but partial to you licking me too! I did SO enjoy that earlier!”

                “Quinn!” she hissed, “Please.”

                “You know no one’s looking at us, only you can hear this, and I love how you blush, I’m going to keep making you blush until you agree to get back to the bedroom!”

She shook her head, sipping at her drink, suddenly realising how out of her depth she was. “Why are you doing this? Playing with my mind?”

Leaning forward he smiled gently, “That’s not my intention, I just like you, want you again! If you can believe it! But I don’t want to be blamed for that dick and what he did, ok?”

                “So you just want more sex?”

He laughed, “funnily enough I want more of that quick wit, humour and fun, and definitely more of those dazzling smiles! Is that wrong?” He took her hands, “we of all people know life is too short. 

She nodded, she knew that alright, and to be honest she couldn’t get her head around Gavin, his indiscretions whilst she had this raging need for him. Another bedroom battle might just clear her head, get her over all this, and then she could get home and get on with her life.