Locked & Loaded (Ricochet 1)

Rick’s jaw dropped at the sight in front of him. It was Quinn, but somehow… not. The pale blue sheath she was wearing hugged every single one of her curves perfectly. Her fair skin was glowing, a healthy pink staining her high cheekbones. The dark fall of wavy hair down her back contrasted perfectly with the fabric.

“Wow. You look —”

“Ridiculous?” Quinn stood in front of the tri-fold mirror, biting her lip anxiously.

Drawn to Quinn like a magnet, Rick’s eyes found hers in the reflection as he came up behind her. “I was going to say stunning, but I’m not sure it would do you justice.”

He struggled to keep his hands to himself, to resist the urge to slide his fingers down the soft skin of her arms and watch her shiver from his touch, to lift that thick hair and put it over her shoulder so he could kiss her slender neck. He wanted it so much that it physically hurt to hold back when what he craved was within reach.

Instead, Rick balled his hands up into fists, grinding his teeth together so hard he was surprised Quinn couldn’t hear it.

“I’ll try another one.”

“Okay.”

Rick backed up so Quinn could slip past him. Once she was behind the closed door, he palmed his now-hard dick, willing it to go down before Quinn finished in the changing room. Ten long minutes spent thinking about the time a fellow Marine got a compound fracture of his tibia during jump school and Rick’s cock was back under control.

Quinn emerged from the dressing room with the pale blue sheath dress over her arm. “I like this one.”

Rick stood as she approached. “Me too.”

He saw Quinn’s eyes widen slightly and realized he was probably staring at her like a lovesick puppy.

Fuck me. I’m such an ass.

“Are you ready to pay for that so we can get out of here?” Rick barked.

Quinn flinched at his hostile tone. “Yes.”

“Good.”

He didn’t really care that he was being a dickhead. Well, he did, he just didn’t want to admit to himself that he was falling for this girl. He didn’t want her to see it, didn’t want to think about it, let alone discuss it with her. It was much easier to push her away by being a massive asshat.

The ride back to Sanctum was quiet, neither one of them having much to say. After Quinn’s freak out and Rick’s cold shoulder, it wasn’t surprising that things were awkward between them.

He pulled the car around the back of the building, turning it off so he could walk Quinn to her door.

“Don’t get out,” Quinn snapped, holding a hand up to stop him. “I can do it myself. Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you later.” Before he could say anything or explain his shitty behavior, she grabbed her dress and bolted up the back staircase, disappearing into her apartment.

Rick punched the steering wheel, pissed at his inability to act like a normal fucking human with normal fucking emotions. Years of purposely distancing himself from people other than his teammates wouldn’t be an easy thing to overcome. Hell, he hadn’t wanted to overcome it. Rick had been perfectly happy on his own, only spending time with women for stress relief.

Until now.

Chapter 9

QUINN GLANCED AT the clock… two hours until her date. She should have cancelled it. She wanted to cancel it. But when she was truly honest with herself, Quinn knew she had to go through with it in order to move on.

It had been over a year since she left Travis, and Annette Hardy, behind. She had spent months in different women’s shelters as she made her way from Texas to Georgia. Every counselor she met with along the way told her the same thing. She would always carry the mental, and physical scars of the abuse she suffered, but only time would heal the gaping wounds enough to carry on with her life. Uncurling her fingers, she stared at the three-inch, jagged pink scar on her palm, a constant reminder of how she finally was able to get away from her husband.

Fidgety and anxious, Quinn took a long, hot shower to loosen her tense muscles. She dried off and meticulously began to straighten her long wavy hair, one small section at a time. Fifteen minutes later, when she turned off the hair dryer, Quinn could hear someone loudly and persistently banging on her front door.

Ice ran through her veins, sending chills down the back of her neck. That gut reaction came rushing in like an out of control freight train.

Travis. He found me.

Quinn put down the hair dryer, moving silently from the bedroom to the kitchen. With a shaky hand, she pulled a large knife from the butcher block and tiptoed to the door.

The banging started up again and Quinn had to bite back a scream. Her heart was beating so fast, she thought it might fly out of her chest and take off.