The Land of Rabbits (Long Shot Love Duet #1) (8 page)

My cell rises in his direction, revealing a handsome smile as he holds up two bottles of beer. He uses his foot to open the door further then motions to join him inside.

I brush my feet free of debris while standing in the doorway. The building’s obviously used for storage, full of garden equipment—lawn mowers, rakes, and shovels—and upon further inspection, a bedroom.

An army-style steel cot is alongside the back wall. It’s about the size of a twin bed and reminds me of the uncomfortable furniture in my freshman dorm room. A stack of books is next to it and a cardboard box is being used as a nightstand.

“Is this where you sleep?”

He puts the bottles on a workbench and takes off his shirt, turning his back for a moment. The red marks from the hose are still noticeable and make my heart ache. I’m sure his skin’s sore. And why isn’t he talking?

“You’re quiet.” I walk closer and place my hand on his forearm, experiencing a strange shift in time.

Life feels like it’s decelerating into half-speed. His turn is measured. An unhurried hand reaches to cradle my jaw, causing my lips to separate as I’m consumed by the desire in his eyes.

Conquered.

He leans in, his mouth barely touching mine... playing... flirting... it’s so affectionate.

I rest my hands on his chest, feeling his tense muscles. We breathe deeper... louder... until my head starts to spin in expectation. A kiss. I want a kiss.

His tongue grazes the outline of my lips, ending the curved path with a nibble and a tug. Such disciplined caresses cause my insides to melt. Shit, and that grin on his face. What a tease.

“Fuck.” I take a step back and place my cell on the workbench. “That was the best non-kiss ever.”

“I wanna show you something special.” He drinks while lighting a candle, acting nonchalant.

“Answer my question first. Do you sleep here?”

“Most of the time, unless it’s too cold. Employees have beds in the basement and can stay in the suites when guests aren’t around, but I enjoy my privacy and I like it better out here. It’s quiet in the woods and easier to read.”

“And full of bugs.”

“That doesn’t bother me.”

He sets his bottle on the makeshift nightstand and stares toward the corner of the room. With a careful step on the plywood floor, and a finger gesture to remain quiet, I follow him in that direction.

“Do you see her, yet?” he asks in a low voice.

I shake my head and he leads me closer to a wooden antique box, the size of a small suitcase. Four Victorian era girls frolicking in a garden and the words FLOWER SEEDS are lithographed on top. I look further down and see brown fur partially hidden under twigs and clumps of dried grass.

“She’s a peculiar cottontail.”

“Peculiar how?”

“I’ve seen plenty of snowshoe hares, but this is the first cottontail. And she should be sleeping underground. They burrow. I’d expect to find a hare in a nest like this, not a rabbit.” He motions for us to move away so we don’t disturb her.

“So this is who you wanted me to meet? Cool. Can we pet her?”

“She’ll freeze if she sees us coming, then she’ll take off into the woods if we get too close. I don’t like to scare her so I tend to let her be.” He sits on the cot, untying his sneakers to get comfortable. “So why weren’t you afraid to walk through the woods to meet a guy you hardly know? I’m surprised you came. Excited, yet shocked. You’ve got balls.”

“No. No balls. I have fears like everyone else.”

“Like what?”

“I’m afraid of memories and the night... not the darkness, but having to spend time alone. And people tend to be alone late at night.”

“Yeah, I can relate.”

“I’m anxious during the moments before I fall asleep... I think too much and search for distractions. And I’m afraid of sleep itself—not knowing what I’ll wake up to the next day and whether or not the people I love will still be around... trust me, I jumped at the chance to meet a creepy guy in the dark woods.”

He laughs. “So I’m your distraction for the night?”

I give him a tight-lipped nod, looking back at the rabbit. “She must feel safe here,” I say.

He pats the cot and I sit down, facing him cross-legged.

“Maybe, but she’s alone. I’ve never seen her with another rabbit. Makes me wonder if she used to be someone’s pet.”

I take another sip of beer, listening to the outside sounds of crickets while examining the room. The books next to the bed are how-to guides for giving great massages, with a handful of crime novels and one book on surviving drug addiction.

“It was practice,” he says.

“What was?”

“I’m good at my job because of all the practice I’ve had, not from Roxanne’s books. They didn’t help a whole lot. I got better by paying attention to how people reacted to my touch. But I was awful at it the first month I got here.”

“I’m sure the women didn’t care.”

A breeze causes the barn door to sway and the candle to flame out, leaving us in the dark.

“Nope, the women didn’t care.”

My heart’s sprinting.

“I’ll relight that.”

“No, don’t.”

I touch his leg, keeping him next to me. My fingers tiptoe to his knee... then higher... higher... a vigorous breath... holy hell, here we go.

He moves forward, following my lead. Our lips meet and our depraved tongues swirl—at last, awakened from a dormant sleep. Fuck, it’s good. The man can kiss.

We collapse side-by-side, our hands crossing one another’s bodies in an erotic chase. He bites my neck, making me whimper as I stroke his stiff dick through his jeans. My smile’s so wide and tight that my cheeks hurt... it’s the type of smile that reaches my ears... a smile that happens when I sense the moment’s so fucking right, even though my practical side tells me it’s so fucking wrong, but I snub the latter, not giving a shit.

“You have no idea how much I want you,” he says.

“I do. I feel it.”

He takes off my hoodie and shirt and caresses my chest.

“Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”

“Quinn...”

“Huh?” He works his hands up my body, stopping with a finger tracing my lip. “What?” His heavy breathing warms my cheek.

“What are we doing?”

“Whatever you want,” he whispers. “What do you want to do?”

He bites my chin and my stomach twists. I’m becoming more and more aroused. This is wild. I’ve never lusted after a guy this fast. Total craziness. I don’t even know his last name.

Screw it. I need him. And he needs me.

I grab the back of his neck and say in his ear, “Let me suck you off.”

“Fuck.” He exhales.

I unbutton his jeans, tugging them down to his ankles. He kicks them away then races to remove mine—pulling them off, pushing my underwear aside, and sinking his finger impatiently inside my pussy.

“Fuck, that’s good.” He rests his head on my chest. “I haven’t felt this in years. You’re so wet.” He slides slowly out and back in. “My God.”

“I... whoa, where are you going?” His mouth skims down my stomach, on a direct route. “Wait... oh!”

His sinuous tongue flicks my clit, gliding around and circling in a firm dance. My feet rise onto his shoulders as I grip his hair.

“Jesus, that’s good.”

My hips rock with the motion of his tongue while my mouth drops open. I can’t believe the feeling. My clit’s only been bitten and nipped in the past and it always hurt, this is different... stimulating... passionate.

“Ohh... fuck!” I clutch the sheet. “I...” His finger twists and rubs inside my pussy, causing my hands to slam onto the bed... once, twice, a third time before gripping and twisting the sheet again. “God!”

“That’s the spot.” He sounds pleased, going back for more.

I writhe and squirm, gasp and moan, until my eyes clamp shut, my breathing stops, and my legs start to quiver.

He senses I’m about to cum and possesses my hands, keeping them securely confined in his. My clit spasms, a wave of heat claims my body, and an immense burst flows through my sensitive nerve endings. I can’t speak... can’t breathe... can’t see...

“Yesss.”

... can’t move.

“Bet that’s good.”

“Mmm.”

“Beautiful.” He holds my chin and his thumb slips inside my mouth. “I’m gonna make you cum so many times you won’t be able to stand in the morning. Get ready to be kissed, licked, fingered, and fucked.”

“I already can’t stand.” I struggle for a full breath while trying to put my brain back in order. “And now, I know.”

“Know what?”

“That the other men I’ve been with didn’t know shit.”

He laughs while taking off my underwear. With a sweet kiss, he rolls on top and places his dick over my clit. I look down, wishing I could see it in the dark.

My mouth is captured in a commanding kiss as his warm skin presses over mine, humping me with long and steady thrusts. Our legs and arms entwine, the closeness electrifying.

He’s affectionate, massaging my breasts and paying attention to my needs with a devoted touch of his mouth and hands.

“I want you to cum again,” he whispers. “With me this time. You can suck me off later, after we play together.”

He lowers my hand to my clit and sits up, rubbing himself off as I do the same. I can barely make out his contour in the darkness—a large shoulder and an arm moving, but no face.

The sounds of forceful breaths and flesh being jerked fill the room. He rises, leaning forward, using one arm to support himself while tugging faster with the other.

“Fuck, I can’t wait to hear you cum.”

My fingers accelerate in a firm rub, back and forth, my toes pointed toward the night sky.

“My cock’s so fucking hard.” He leans back and slides a finger back inside.

“I’m close.” My words are breathless. I grip the sheet in my free hand as fiery sensations sneak down my legs. It’s starting. Another flash of heat arrives, rushing up my chest to penetrate my throat. It’s stronger this time... stunning... silent. I can’t even whimper.

“Fuck, fuck.” A shot of cum hits my stomach, and another, and another. “Uh!”

His sturdy body lowers and our wet lips hug. I embrace his face, assuring that he stays on top while I enjoy every last spasm... ending with an intense quest for air.

“I’m gonna be smiling for days, weeks, the rest of the year.” He rolls to my side, touching my lips in the dark. “Good. You’re smiling too. A nice start?”

“It was excellent.” My feet swipe his in a friendly meeting at the end of the bed. “That was... it was beyond what I was expecting. I knew we’d kiss, but the orgasms were a bonus,” I joke. “Can you light the candle again? I wanna see you.”

“Yeah, hold on.” He gets up and flicks a lighter by the workbench, lighting two this time. “They tend to go out when the door’s open. I hate to close it because I don’t want to lock Grace in, so I leave it open a crack most of the time.”

“Grace? That’s what you call the rabbit?”

“Yep.” He walks back over and cleans his cum off my skin with his T-shirt. “God, I never thought I’d see the day when such a beautiful woman was naked in my bed.”

I blush and my arm covers my chest.

“Don’t be shy now.” He moves it out of the way. “Your tits are perfect.”

“Thanks.”

“I noticed during the massage that you don’t have any tats.” He tosses his shirt and runs his hand across his chest, gazing down at my body.

“That’s another fear of mine. I’m terrified of needles. But...” I turn and lift my hair, showing a small tat high on the back of my neck. “When you’re drunk enough, anything can happen.”

“I would’ve never seen that. What type of bird is it?”

“A linnet. They’re part of the finch family.”

“Why’d you pick it?” He steps into his boxers and hands me my underwear.

“Linnet was my mom’s name. Linnet Moore. She was named after those birds. What about you?”

“Tats? No, I have enough marks on my body. Besides, they’re fucking expensive. My money’s spent on ‘needs’ not ‘wants.’”

I look around the room, my head in a surreal state. In less than nine hours, I went from opposing this trip to almost fucking a guy in a barn in the woods. I haven’t had this much fun in forever.

“Quinn, I want to ask you again, what are you doing here? You sleep out in this barn, are annoyed with Roxanne, aren’t allowed to enjoy the touch of a woman... why not leave?”

He sits next to me with his back against the wall, touching my leg while drinking his beer. He gives me a sip, taking his time to answer.

“Tell me. No one’s out here to stop you from talking.”

“Sometimes it’s hard to know where the right place to be is. Other times you don’t have much of a choice.” He reaches to the foot of the bed and takes a small box off the nightstand, setting it next to me on the cot. I sit up as he opens it.

“Here.” He hands me a high school ID card. “That’s about all I have to offer.”

“Quinn A. Ellis,” I whisper. “Good-looking pic. You used to have a crew cut.”

“It was taken when I was seventeen.”

“How’d you get a black eye?” I fall back onto the pillow and hold his photo closer to my face, studying it in the dim light.

“A fight. He got his too. Typical teen shit.”

“What’s your middle name?”

“Anthony.”

“You lived in Schenectady, that’s twenty minutes from where my aunt and uncle... where I live now.”

“I know. I heard you mention it.”

“Are all the employees from there?”

“There, Albany, Troy... that general area. Those are the closest cities to this place.”

“Huh.” I hand it back to him. “At least I got a name... and a good one at that. Quinn Ellis. I like it.”

“You’re easy to please.” He returns the box to the nightstand and slides next to me, bringing my body close to his.

“I guess this is wishful thinking, but I hope I can see you again after tonight,” I say.

He nibbles my neck then gives me a light kiss on my earlobe. “You too.” My earrings are swept with his tongue before he brushes his cheek along mine. “Right now, I have no plans on sleeping for the rest of the night. I just want to be with you until you leave.” His tongue separates my lips, moving in for further play. It swirls while his firm hand squeezes my ass and his body shifts forward, pressing his flaccid dick into my leg. “I can’t wait ‘til I’m hard again.”