More Than Just Baser Instincts.

“I—I have to go,” I stuttered, pushing Camden away as he stumbled over his tongue and feet to chase after me.

My legs made quick work of the stairs, and I bid Anne a quick farewell before throwing open the front door. I hardly stopped to pull the door open before dashing outside! This was just too much to—

I groaned loudly, staring up in a daze as I sat on the carpet. What…had just happened? A hand shot out in front of me, and I took it with a small mutter of thanks.

A part of me rejoiced, and my hand squeezed around the welcomed skin in reflex. A groan rose in my throat at the absolute bliss filling my entire body. I sought his eyes hungrily. The sight made my breath catch in my throat, and my heart all but stopped.

“Elaine,” he whispered, relaxing as if he had been holding that breath since I last saw him. His arms tightened around me, and he buried his face in my neck.

“Umm… Would you like to come in, Quince?” Anne muttered awkwardly; I could feel her stern gaze on me, like a mother scolding a child whose hand was caught in the cookie jar.

And, damn, he was quite the tempting cookie!

“I’d love to.” His eyes burned into mine as he spoke, but then he finally untangled himself from me. I gawked at the hand pulling me back inside; silence fell over me as my body rebelled against me in favour of this man’s touch never leaving again.

Quince dropped haphazardly into a recliner separate from the couch where the rest of the men sat (including Camden, who clearly thought he had pieced two and two together and had lost all interest in me whatsoever). He pulled me down with him, holding me tightly in case I tried to leave his lap for anything—save for the world ending. I had to purse my lips against a delighted sigh as he ran his nose along my neck before burying his entire face there and inhaling deeply.

No one seemed to even notice—no one except Anne, that was. She was giving me quite the look from her spot on the arm of the couch, all but screaming at me with her eyes that I had told her Quince and I were never going to happen. But damn it, he had ruined me for other men! What was I supposed to do?

“Elaine, could you help me set up dinner?”

I cringed at her tone, but Quince gently pressed me away from him. My feet stumbled beneath me before finally reacting and carrying me—albeit reluctantly—away from the man still staring intently at me from his chair.

“What the hell are you doing?” Anne shrieked, throwing her hand in the air as she closed the bedroom door behind her. “What do you think you’re doing with him? You said nothing was going on! What the hell, Elaine!”

“Aren’t we supposed to be in the kitchen?” I grumbled, not liking the idea of no witnesses being around.

“Start talking—fast.”

I groaned loudly. “What do you want from me? I tried giving Camden a chance, but he just…didn’t feel right. It’s Quince’s fault, not mine!”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

With obvious reluctance, I was forced to tell her about the dream that seemed too real and our one-night-stand, how he told me that he was the best I would ever have. It seemed he was right, that if anyone so much as touched me I would cringe and run to Quince to wash me clean of such filth. And that was definitely not what I had wanted.

Her eyes softened. “Oh, Elaine… What you just described…”

I didn’t like how this was starting to sound!

“Please spit it out.”

“That’s what people in Home call ‘mates.’”

“Shut up, Anne,” I growled, narrowing my eyes at her. “I am not marrying Quince.”

She scoffed. “Like it’s a choice. Do you think I chose Bryce? Do you think Julian chose Marie? You don’t have a choice; it’s destiny. I’m surprised you don’t know about mates, to be honest.”

“Stop it. I am going to choose a nice guy to settle down with, to have a family with; it’s not going to be the first egotistical maniac I slept with!”

A sad smile graced Anne’s lips. “Sure sounds like it to me.”

I wrenched open the door while gnashing my teeth together, not paying any mind to the crying baby I left behind. The guys hooted and hollered when I walked into the room, saying something along the lines of “speaking of which.” I didn’t really care; I just grabbed Quince’s arm roughly and jerked him to his feet.

“Elaine?” he whispered, such confusion and concern in his eyes, which I ignored completely.

“Come on,” I hissed, dragging him toward the door.

“Thanks for a lovely evening…?” he called just before I had managed to get him outside.

He let me pull him a few hundred feet before digging his heels into the ground and wrapping me in his arms. I fought the tears tugging at me and instead focused my pain on trying to get out of his embrace.

“Please, Elaine; what is wrong?” he murmured, not looking as if my struggling was even worth noting.

“Where is your house?” I hissed angrily, blinking furiously as I stared at the material of his shirt.

“A few steps that way. Why?”

He let me out of his hold, but he didn’t let me get away without catching my hand.

“I am going to get you out of my system, Quince.”

“And what exactly does that mean?”

Once I saw the familiar house, I stopped and turned to him. His eyes widened when I threw myself at him, groaning at the electricity shooting through wherever his skin met mine. Quince growled against my lips and grabbed me roughly before forcefully pulling back.

He repeated, “What does that mean, Elaine?”

“I kissed another man today,” I whispered, noting the way his nostrils flared.

“You did what!”

“But all I could think about was you, you, you!” I hissed before he could truly be angry with me. My latest words seemed to please him, as he purred appreciatively. “I couldn’t stand his hands, couldn’t endure his lips; I wanted to scream for you to kill him for touching me like that.”

“I would do anything for you,” he murmured, his eyes burning intensely. “Give me any word.”

“I want you to make love to me tonight, Quince.” He nodded fervently and tried to kiss me, but I stopped him. “I want you to do it as many times as necessary—to do it until I can’t stand the sight of you anymore and all I want is someone else. Can you do that for me? I want to never want you again.”

Hurt festered behind his gaze, tempting me to drop my resolve for but one split second.

“Elaine, I don’t understand. Why don’t you want me? I want you forever,” he whispered, shaking his head. This was definitely a different Quince than I had ever before met! “Please don’t do this.”

“I do want you; that’s the problem. You said you would do anything for me,” I murmured, caressing his cheek with my hand. He leaned toward my touch, his eyelids fluttering. “This is what I want, Quince.”

“It will… It will make you happy? To never see me again?”

“So very happy. Don’t you want to make me happy?” He nodded again, but his lip quivered. “Will you do this for me?”

“I…” He choked before slamming his eyes shut. “I just want you to be happy; if it will make you happy, then I will do what you’ve asked.” He opened his eyes again, but now they were so cold. “But not even I can control your heart; that is obvious to me now.”

My life was supposed to be with a sweet man, one who just…fit. Quince wasn’t him, so it was just the kinder thing to do—to let him go. But I couldn’t exactly do that in my current state! He took my hand and pulled me toward his house, not once looking back at me.

But this was all for the best; I would choose an adoring husband, not be thrown at some player mate.