Locked & Loaded (Ricochet 1)

That smile combined with Quinn’s bright amber eyes when they flicked back up his body, sent a jolt of desire straight to Rick’s cock. He had been unable to stop thinking about her all weekend, and now with all of that blatant desire being aimed directly at him, it was becoming uncomfortably tight in his jock. Better the cup than poking her eye out, he supposed. Rick decided light conversation was the way to go to divert his pressing need and to make her stop her leering. A man could only hold back just so long when a woman eye-fucked him like that.

“You like watching MMA?”

He watched, stunned as she completely cl

osed down right before his eyes. Quinn stiffened up, her body becoming rigid and tense. Her sparkling caramel irises went flat. “No. I don’t like fighting. I-I have to get to my desk.” She spun on her heel and was gone before Rick could blink.

What in the fuck just happened?

Pissed that he somehow unraveled the progress he made with the nervous Quinn, Rick stormed off to the showers. Still half-hard from her blatant appreciation of his body, he stripped off his shorts and jock, climbing under the spray before the water even had a chance to warm up.

It was cold, but he didn’t care. He really needed to get Quinn out of his head. Rick didn’t want the trouble or the aggravation of a relationship.

Relationship? I must be losing my mind.

Meeting the girl once, bumping into her a few times, and taking her to the store hardly qualified as anything resembling a relationship. Besides, Rick was never the relationship type, and never would be. He wouldn’t even know how to have a relationship, which he definitely didn’t want so it didn’t matter either way. His cock was the one that was interested in Quinn, all wavy brown hair and long legs leading up to a pert ass.

But damn, the way her eyes burned into him out in the gym had made him even harder, his dick now physically aching for relief. Quinn’s dilated pupils and the gorgeous blush that spread up her neck gave away the fact that she had, at the very least, a carnal interest in him. The thought made his cock twitch again.

Shit.

Frustrated, Rick stared down angrily at his traitorous dick, standing tall and erect from his body. He cursed himself for letting Quinn get to him so quickly. His long fingers curled around the hard, smooth shaft, sending shivers down his spine.

Fuck. I can’t believe I’m doing this at work.

Knowing he was alone in the showers, Rick reached a hand down to stroke his cock. He got to work right away, alternating between quick pulls of his shaft and swiping his wide thumb over the sensitive head. The now hot water rained down on his slick skin, steaming up the small space quickly. Within minutes, he felt a steady pressure building in his groin, his balls becoming heavy and sensitive. Visions of lush lips and amber eyes flashed behind his closed eyelids.

Rick dropped his head back, his mouth parted as his breath began to speed up. He pulled harder on his sensitive shaft, his breathing growing heavier and his body more desperate with each stroke.

Pleasure rocketed through him, causing his fatigued legs to begin to shake. He had to reach out and slap his free hand against the wet tile to keep from collapsing on the shower floor. Rick grit his teeth, picturing the way Quinn’s face looked while looking at his nearly naked body, her eyes hooded and filled with lust. That image pushed Rick right over the edge. With one final thrust of his hips, he shoved his cock through his tight fist and spiraled into an explosive orgasm with a stifled groan. Streams of white jetted out powerfully as he came, hitting the floor before swirling down the drain.

Jesus.

Rick took a minute to let his pulse steady. He was spent. First from the intense work out with the heavy bag and then from jerking off to images of Quinn. Now that he had released the pent-up tension, Rick was thoroughly disgusted with himself. He shouldn’t want the beautiful brunette. Mack made it clear he couldn’t have her. It was obvious that Quinn had been though something traumatic, and fixing broken people wasn’t Rick’s expertise. But for some inexplicable reason, Rick was drawn to Quinn. He wanted her to trust him enough to confess all of her secrets, and he knew she damn well had them. He wanted to know what she was so afraid of so he could protect her from it.

With an annoyed huff, Rick quickly dressed, throwing his dirty clothes into his bag.

“Hey Rick!”

Rick became instantly alert at the worried tone of his coworker’s voice, the Recon Marine in him shifting into operational mode. “Tucker?”

“I need your help. Mack has me working on the Alvarez op. Can you back me up for a few? I could use your advice since you’ve been to the area before and know the layout of the terrain. Pax is in a tight spot.”

Rick ran a hand over his damp hair. “Sure big man, no problem.”

He followed Tucker out of the locker room and down the hall to Mission Command. Tucker swiped his badge and punched in his code to open the secure door.

The smaller man took his seat behind a massive wall of computer screens, each one depicting different information. Three screens were monitoring the perimeter cameras outside the gym. One displayed the view from a government satellite set to monitor South America, specifically a well-known Columbian drug lord’s estate and base of operations. The other screens showed various other images, including one from a small camera strapped to the helmet of Clint Paxton, former-CIA operative and resident kickboxing champ.

Tucker slipped on a headset and threw a similar one at Rick. “Paxton, I’ve got Ricochet here.”

“Pax, what’ve you got?” Rick never used his snarky nicknames on the job, only the ones that the men used in their official capacity. He studied the sat map while the mercenary filled him in.

“Mission completed, on my way back to the helo for extraction. The bridge that’s supposed to be over the river is gone. You’re familiar with this god-forsaken jungle, Rick. Where can I cross this thing?”

“Okay Pax, hang tight. Give me a minute to check your coordinates.”

Rick swiped the topographical map that had been pulled up on a secure touchscreen computer on Tucker’s desk, scrolling so he could see the entire area at once. Tucker read off Pax’s coordinates for him.