Chapter Three
I felt absolutely horrible. I'd made Quinn who'd already felt uncomfortable around me even more uncomfortable. He looked like he was about to climb out of his skin across the backseat from me and I had no doubt it was because unlike last time, he didn't have the window cracked to help with my scent.
I'd thought after a shower, maybe whatever it was about my odor that messed with him would be light enough for him to sit comfortably in my presence, but if the way he was white-knuckling the seat and the oh-shit handle was anything to go by, the thirty minutes I'd spent scrubbing my skin raw in the shower hadn't been enough.
And to make matters worse, my embarrassing rambling from earlier had made him feel guilty about it all, and so he was making himself completely miserable enduring my closeness.
Not able to stand being the cause of his discomfort a second longer, I slowly reached up and pressed the button on the door to my own window, easing it down enough to hopefully dilute my scent so he could get comfortable but hopefully not be obvious over the sound of the radio.
But I forgot I was dealing with shifters and as soon as the barely audible sound of the air leaking into the car registered, a growl followed directly behind it, and I suddenly had the angry attention of the man I was trying to help.
"Pull over," Quinn growled, his eyes never leaving mine.
Shit! I hadn't meant to offend him. I wasn't worried about him hurting me. I might not know him at all, but I just knew in my gut that he would rather cut off his own hands than hurt me and there was a grizzly bear shifter in the front seat that I had no doubt would protect me even if he did.
Harley practically hit the ditch and slammed it into park, and I squeaked as the seatbelt stopped me from smacking my face on the back Harley's seat.
Shoving the door open, Quinn climbed out, slamming the door shut behind him and tromping around the back of the car. At first, I was worried he was just going to keep going until he disappeared across the highway or maybe walk right out into traffic.
When my door was wrenched open, I gasped, freezing to the spot when he reached across me, unfastening my seatbelt and flinging the thing away. Grabbing me around the waist, he jerked me out of the SUV, slinging me over his shoulder.
"We'll be back," Quinn growled, slamming the door shut before marching back around the vehicle and heading for the trees along the highway.
"So much for not dragging him off into the woods," Harley yelled from Carter's open window while the blonde gave me a dry half-smile.
Quinn flipped the bear off with the hand that wasn't wrapped around my thighs, and I tried to think of something that would keep me from getting a hard-on against his shoulder.
My guilt and mortification had only worked as far as it had kept me from springing full-blown wood as I admired Quinn's gorgeous body and face out of the corner of my eye on the trip, but I'd been sporting a semi that was obvious enough if I didn't keep my hands in my lap and now that my face was within inches of his gorgeous ass and my hands were gripping his sides, feeling the flexing muscles beneath the thin material of his t-shirt and the palm of one of his burning hands was gripping the back of one of my thighs while his wrist was pressed against the other and my poor, neglected dick was pressed into the firm muscles of his shoulder…
I was so going to make a fool out of myself.
When I whimpered, wondering just how much humiliation I was going to have to endure before I was granted the ability to melt into the earth’s crust, Quinn must have decided we were deep enough into the woods to bury my body, because he stopped and bent forward, allowing me to find my feet and scramble backward until I ran into a tree.
"I don't hate your scent," he growled, his chest pumping as he breathed, his usually friendly brown eyes now angry and hard.
"Okay," I whispered, nodding frantically, my eyes wide. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you. I must have just misunderstood."
"Damn it, Marshall! I'm not going to hurt you." Throwing his hands in the air, he let them drop to his sides, and he closed his eyes, letting his head fall back on his shoulders.
"I know," I said, quietly after a moment of him looking like he was at a complete loss. "I'm not afraid of you, Quinn. I swear. I was just surprised."
When he finally brought his head back down to look at me, I licked my lips and cleared my throat. "I know you said you don't hate my scent and I'm not calling you a liar, but there is something about it that makes you––" I motioned to him with my hand, sweeping it up and down his still vibrating person. "Not completely comfortable. I just didn't want you suffering in that back seat because you didn't want to hurt my feelings."
He snorted out a humorless laugh and let his head fall forward, shaking it slightly.
"I'm sorry, Marshall," he said quietly, and he sounded so miserable I took a step forward reaching my arm out to comfort him before freezing.
Before I could retreat and pull my arm back, he reached out with his super reflexes and snatched my wrist, jerking me into his body and wrapping his arms around my shoulders. I stayed rigid, suddenly worried there might be something mentally wrong with this guy.
I wasn't one of those people who relied on my gut that much. I mean I had been kidnapped by my own brother twice, and the thing had never so much as made a peep. But something about this man made me feel safe even when he clearly didn't want me near him, and he had doctored my knees, toes, and hands after my little spill in the parking lot.
Now, he was squeezing my rigid body gently against his perfect one, humming softly when he buried his face against my neck and took a deep breath. The same man who'd looked on the verge of murdering the back seat only moments before. What the hell was going on?
When he nuzzled against my sensitive skin, his whiskers rasping deliciously, I whimpered, my body going lax against him as my hands came up and gripped the material of his shirt at his back, not wanting to fall on the ground when my knees went weak.
I didn't know what to think about his sudden change toward me, but my body was zinging with pleasure as he let one of his hands run the length of my spine pressing my body even closer to his as he nipped, kissed and licked along the skin of my neck.
His hand found and cupped my ass, pulling me against his groin and I gasped at the feel of his erection pressing hard and unforgiving against my hip.
Fuck! Why did it feel so good when I still wasn't sure what the hell was happening.
When he moved my hips, lining our cocks up and grinding against me again, my head fell back on my shoulders and I let out a long low moan that only seemed to speed up the frenzied grinding.
My body had basically given up on holding itself up and suddenly I was being scooped up and laid out on the picnic table that had been feet from us.
Oh shit! We should stop. This is clearly a picnic area. But I said nothing, and I definitely didn't try to push him off of me when leaned down and rubbed his lips across mine as his fingers found the fly on my jeans.
By the time he got me undone and the flaps opened, he pressed his lips more firmly to mine, his tongue sneaking out to lick along the seam of my mouth. I opened for him immediately, and he gently swept his tongue inside, moaning and pulling back, his eyes closed as he licked his lips ecstasy on his face.
He did it again, his hands paused on the band of my underwear like my taste had made him completely forget what he was doing.
"Damn, Marshall. I could lick at your mouth all day," he whispered, once again laving his tongue inside my mouth, making me whimper.
My dick was about to explode, and I could feel the chill settling against the wet spot from my pre-cum in the cold January air, but his body was hot where it hovered over mine and I arched up, trying to press my chest to his.
With one last, long lick at my mouth, he moved down my body, his hands finally reaching below the band of my underwear and easing it down over my obvious erection.
Pushing my shirt up to reveal the lower half of my stomach, he stepped back, his dark, dark gaze raking over me again and again.
Licking his lips, he reached down to his own fly, unbuttoning his pants and then easing the zipper down until his gorgeous dick sprung free, hard and thick and long, reaching up toward the sky.
I wanted to touch it. I wanted to taste it. I wanted it so bad another bead of pearly pre-cum dripping from my dick into my belly button, and I couldn't keep from reaching down and wrapping my hand around my shaft, moaning at the delicious squeeze.
"You're so fucking gorgeous," Quinn whispered, placing his hot palms on my thighs and rubbing up and down their lengths, rubbing circles into the tops of my thighs when his hands nearly reached the creases.
Giving a gentle push on the inside of my thighs, he slid my legs opened, falling between them on his knees. Even with the height of the picnic table, Quinn's long body made it to where he could easily bend forward and take my length in his mouth, and I whimpered at the thought, more pre-cum joining the ridiculous amount already pooling on my belly.
Sticking his nose to the base of my dick, he took a long, deep breath, growling on the exhale. "I've been fighting this so hard." His voice was low and rumbled out of him, sounding almost animal. "It's nearly been torture to be in the same space as you while you smell like mine and not be able to taste you."
"Oh," I said on a whisper, coming up to my elbows so I could look down into his almost black eyes.
He ran his nose along my shaft and I whimpered, biting my lip. Sticking out his tongue, he flicked it against the thick vein pounding out its need for relief just below the surface of my skin.
"I've never done this, Marshall," he whispered, his breath tickling the head of my dick just before he lapped at the ridge just below it. "In fact, I've never done anything before except kiss."
His eyes met mine, and I realized he was actually worried what my response would be. "Neither have I," I admitted before swallowing, my mouth going dry when his eyes widened a fraction before he nodded and rolled his tongue over the head of my dick, sliding the tip through my slit and gathering some of my pre-cum on his tongue.
He lifted his head, his eyes rolling back in his head, he groaned, his hands spasming on my thighs. When his eyes opened again, I wasn't sure if I was about to be sexually gratified or eaten alive, but with a growl, he bent forward and lapped at the ever filling pool of pre-ejaculate, making sure to lick my belly button clean before he returned to my head.
One of his huge hands reached up and wrapped around my dick and my hips punched forward. I was completely amazed at how different it felt to have someone else's hand on my desperate and needy flesh. He brought the tip to his mouth, wrapping his lips around it and taking a gentle draw that nearly had me coming as I yelled out and my hips rolled forward, pushing more of my dick into his warm, wet mouth.
"Shit," I gasped, gripping at the edges of the wooden table, wondering how many splinters I was going to get from the weathered and cracking planks. "Fuck, Quinn. I'm not sure I can take it."
Growling, he opened his mouth further, slipping me as far in as I could go before I hit the back of his throat, making him gag slightly.
Oh shit! It won't take much of that.
Readjusting his angle slightly, his head came up a little higher on my body and he sank back down onto my throbbing dick, taking the entire length that time and I cried out as my balls rolled and a zing traveled the length of my spine.
He pulled back and sank back on, and I was coming down his throat in powerful, explosive waves as he slid back enough to take what he could against his tongue.
He moaned, his voice vibrating against my sensitive dick and I gave one more pulse before whimpering and pressing against his shoulder, unable to take any more of his amazing mouth.
Panting, he rested his head against my jean-clad thigh, his fingers running up and down the length of the seam on the outside of my legs as he panted out his breaths.
"Are you sure you haven't done that before?" I finally asked, falling back to the picnic table with a thud as my noodly body refused to hold me up any longer.
He chuckled, standing with wobbly grace and reaching out a hand to help me.
That is when I noticed his big, gorgeous cock was spent, proof of his release still glistening against the head. Blinking stupidly, I watched him ease his pants closed, zipping and buttoning the fly before meeting my gaze and tilting his head in question.
A sneaking suspicion rolled through me as I remembered all the things some of my mated friends––specifically Bennett since he was a massive over-sharer sometimes––had said about soulmates.
Smiling, despite not being sure how to even begin to process something so amazing, I met Quinn's gaze before springing forward and pressing my mouth to his. He gripped my sides, sighing against my lips before pressing his tongue inside and rubbing his along mine.
I tasted my seed in his mouth and was shocked when my dick jumped in the chilly air, and I moaned just from the knowledge that I'd marked him on the inside.
When my ears were ringing from my thrumming heartbeat, I finally pulled back, reaching up to rub my palm against the rasping whiskers of his jaw, watching his beautiful dark eyes and wondering if what I was starting to believe was true.
"Let's get going, sweetheart. I'm sure Harley and Carter are ready to get back on the road." He stepped back, pausing to look me over as I groaned and dropped my face into my hand.
"They know what we did, don't they?" I mumbled, not even resisting when he tucked my half-hard dick inside my underwear and started doing up my fly.
"Uh, yeah," he said, pausing for a moment before continuing as he adjusted my clothing. "Probably have a pretty good idea."
Chuckling, I finally met his gaze, noticing the slightly worried look on his face. "Oh, no," I said stepping forward and grabbing his hand. "I'm not ashamed or anything. I'm just not used to having to do this sort of thing. I see couples slink out of the woods looking sexed up at the leap, but it's never been me, and I'm not sure how to act."
He smiled slightly, rolling his eyes. "Carter probably won't be a problem, but maybe we should prepare for Harley."
"Oh damn," I said shaking my head. "I picked the worst person to do the walk of shame in front of for the first time."
I wasn't surprised to see a path now that I realized we were in a picnic area, but I was still going to let Quinn lead us back. Especially when the trail split. I hadn't even realized we'd made it this far when Quinn had carried me off like some kind of gorilla.
Quinn looked at me out of the corner of his eye, licking his lips. "So, you really haven't done anything like that?
"No," I said adamantly, eyes huge. "I never had the confidence to approach anyone like that in high school, and I was too busy running a restaurant after." I shrugged, pretty pleased with how my first sexual experience had turned out. "Plus, you’ve seen how awkward I can be."
Quinn chuckled, bringing my hand to his mouth for a soft peck to the back of it. "I don't know. I like all my gifts."
I laughed, rolling my eyes. How was my awkward ass actually walking hand-in-hand with a man so gorgeous? "Well, you didn't keep any of them."
"Wanna bet?" he asked, smiling excitedly when I turned and met his gaze. "I have a very heavy concrete, female gnome with a giant ass in my duffle bag."
Laughing, I used my free hand to cover my face again at the sheer ridiculousness of him keeping that concrete gnome. "No, you don't."
Tugging on my arm until I looked at him through my fingers, he smirked. "Afraid I do."
I left the thought about it being a possible murder weapon alone for the moment, not wanting to ruin the good mood I suddenly found myself in on a day that had started out so bad, I'd embarrassed everyone.
"What about you?" I asked instead, turning to frown up at the sexy man and seriously not understanding how it was possible. "Was that really just your first time? Because aside from the fact that it was absolutely amazing, you're also extremely hot." My heart rate spiked, having never been that blatantly blunt about something like that, but I continued anyway, pushing through the thrumming in my ears. "I'm surprised you don't have hotties throwing themselves at your feet."
"Well, I spent my first eighteen years being controlled by my mother, one year in college doing everything I could to make sure I did well enough not to have to go back to living with my mother and half a year with a guy who I thought was my boyfriend but was actually dating someone else and was using me to move drugs around for him." He paused, swallowing hard before looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. When he spoke again, it was through a nervous lump in his throat and sounded strained. "Which got me the next five years in prison."
Oh shit! How the hell did a shifter survive five years in prison?
"You'd think being gay, I'd at least get a little action in prison," I felt my eyes narrow, the idea of him getting action from anyone else, even in the past made my face flush and my stomach churn unpleasantly. When he caught my expression, his eyebrows raised, and he quickly continued. "But if you've ever smelled a room full of men who only about a quarter of them practice marginal hygiene, you know what certain areas of the prison can smell like. Now add to that having a shifter's nose and you are talking some serious turn-offs."
Clearing my throat, deciding I needed to act like a fucking grown up, I turned and smiled sympathetically. "I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how tough that must have been." And then another thought occurred to me. There were many reasons shifters wouldn't do well in prisons, but one was actually a reason that could get people exposed. "How did you shift? Don't you need to shift?"
Nodding, he looked impressed. Like he hadn't realized I would understand the nuances of shifter problems. I had a feeling there was a lot he needed to learn about me.
"There was a guard there that was also a shifter." He cringed slightly. "He wasn't the nicest guard in the world, but he knew how important it was to make sure I at least shifted for a few minutes a week. The last thing anyone wants to deal with as a guard is a gorilla on a rampage."
Eyes shooting wide, I turned to him excitedly, feeling my silent screams of joy bubbling just below the surface as I grabbed his arm in a death grip and shook it a little. "You're a gorilla?" We'd stopped, and I was actually bouncing up and down like he'd given me some kind of present or something. "That's amazing! Will you let me see sometime?"
I looked around, frowning when I realized, though we'd apparently felt secluded enough for a little indecent exposure, I wouldn't trust this area for letting him shift.
"You're not bothered by the fact that I was in prison?" He asked hesitantly. "You heard that part, right?"