The Ruby Heart Ch. 03

Morning seemed to come too fast. Elianna brushed at the ray of sunshine that was tickling her nose, moaning her displeasure when it didn't leave her to sleep. She stretched in the bed, feeling the warm body of the man next, her eyes blinking open as she remembered what had happened between them the night before.

She moaned again when she felt his hands wrap around her slender waist, dragging her back against him. "Too early," he groaned, burying his face in her hair. "Way too fucking early."

"The early treasure hunter gets the treasure," she teased, wiggling her butt against the hardness of his cock.

His hands rose and covered her breasts, his fingers twisting on her nipples. "Keep that up and you'll get your thirds," he growled.

"Hmm, promises, promises," she teased, reaching behind her to run her nails up his thigh. She quit teasing, rolling to her back instead to stare up at him. "Have you decided?"

Quinn looked startled at the sudden question and then a look of stunned disbelief came over his face. "Is that what this was all about?"

"What what was about?" she asked, confused.

"Falling into bed with me the way you did. Did you think that you could make me so besotted that I'd have to go with you on your treasure hunt? That by sleeping with me, I'd be willing to go up against your old man?" His hand took hold of her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "That's what this was all about, your willingness to fuck me. Small price for freedom, huh?"

Elianna jerked her head away from his hand. "I'm beginning to think I'd be better off going on my own. Who the hell do you think you are that I would throw myself at you, to make love with you just so that you'd go with me? What kind of whore do you take me for?" She pushed herself out of bed, grabbing his sweatshirt off the floor to cover her nakedness. "I don't use my body to get what I want."

"Well, you are an Antonelli," Quinn snarled. "And we definitely know how they get their way."

"Angel is as much Antonelli as I am. Do you think she'd crawl into your bed to get what she wanted?" Elianna could feel the tears of hurt clogging her throat and she swallowed hard, refusing to let the arrogant bastard see them.

"Angel was raised by her mother, not her father."

"You son of a bitch," she snarled, reaching behind her for something hard that she could throw. She picked up a bottle made from stone and hurled it at him, feeling a small triumph when it struck him in the chest. She picked up another but didn't have a chance to strike.

Quinn had risen from the bed and grabbed her arm. "Those are tourmaline and worth probably five times as much as that piece of shit car you were driving last night. Now, quit throwing fits and tell me the truth. I respect the truth more than any kind of pretense you give me."

For a moment amber eyes met green and she growled, twisting her arm out of his grasp. "Do you want to know why I slept with you? Do you really want to know?"

"Yes."

Taking a step toward him, she could feel the heat of his body against her chest though they weren't yet touching. "This is the reason I slept with you." She reached up and dragged his lips down, kissing him with every bit of desire she felt in her gut. She felt his arms come around her, dragging her even closer, one hand tugging at the sweatshirt to cup a naked butt cheek in his palm. Before he could take over the kiss, she stepped back, pulling out of his embrace. "That's the reason, right there.

"Anna," he breathed, reaching toward her, wanting her back in his arms.

"No, Quinn. No!" She moved further away, reaching down and picking up the sweatpants he'd taken off of her the night before. "I-I don't want you anymore." Before he could say another word, she pushed past him and down the stairs. Quickly picking up the papers she'd shown him last night, she carefully encased them in their plastic and pushed them into her purse. She was sitting on the couch, staring out the front window at the woods that surrounded his peaceful home when he came down the stairs. "I need my clothes."

"We need to talk, Anna."

"No, Quinn, we don't. If you'll get me my clothes, I'll be out of your hair."

"You're ten miles in the middle of nowhere. Where the hell do you think you're going to go?" He sank down on the chair, feeling almost helpless in the face of her rage and her unwillingness to talk to him.

"It wouldn't be the first time I've had to walk. I'll be just fine."

"What kind of man do you think I am, Anna? I can't just let you walk out of here. I won't."

"I think you're a smug, selfish bastard. I think you're arrogant and only care about yourself and what you want. And I think I don't want to be around you now. She stood, going to the door and where she'd taken off her shoes the night before. "Where are my shoes? You can keep the clothes. I'd walk naked out of here rather than have to deal with you."

"Anna?" His tone was disbelieving. He stared after her in amazement as she stalked back, grabbing her purse.

"Keep them." She hiked up the too big sweatpants and then, without another word, headed out his front door. He rose, going to the door and watching out one of the small windows next to the door. She stomped through the mud and muck on the driveway, stumbling only once when she seemed to hurt her foot.

"Dammit Anna," he growled. He quickly threw his shoes on, grabbing the keys to his four-wheel-drive. He ran out his back door, sliding to a stop next to his Jeep. He hit the button on the garage door, waiting for it to almost go all the way up before backing out. Then he was headed down the long driveway.

Elianna had made it almost to the first stop sign down the road, her shoulders stiff, refusing to look at him when he drove up next to her and rolled down the window. "Come on, Anna. You can't walk all the way to town without shoes. Come on, get in. We'll get your clothes dried and then, if you still want to go, we can talk about it."

She ignored him, her chin stubbornly tilted up.

Quinn closed his eyes for a second and breathed out a sigh of resignation. "Anna," he began, his tone very different than before. "I'm sorry."

She glanced his way before turning back to her walking.

"I was wrong, Anna. I was wrong and I'm an idiot. I should have known better than to accuse you with something like that. Please, forgive me." His face was full of contrition and he felt a small spurt of relief when she quit walking.

"You don't believe I would sleep with you to get you to do what I want?" she asked softly.

"No, Anna. I was a complete ass and I'm sorry."

Her eyes scanned his face and something in his expression had her shoulders setting and then she started walking again. "Liar."

Quinn growled, throwing the Jeep into park and getting out of the car to swoop her into his arms. He put her in the passenger seat of the Jeep. "You stay there," he ordered, his voice brooking no thoughts of disobedience. Then he ran around and got back behind the wheel. "We're going to talk about this," he snarled before putting the Jeep back in gear and turning around on a small patch of grass.

"There's nothing to talk about. You think I'm a whore."

"Anna, you look at things from my perception and tell me what you'd think if you were in my shoes." The trip back to his house took no time at all and he pulled back into the garage, growling at her when she went to open her car door. "Stay there."

Her eyes grew wide when she saw him pull open her car door and then felt him reach in and pull her out, swinging her into his strong arms. "Your feet are a muddy mess," he said. "My housekeeper would have my head." He kicked his own shoes off on the mat by the back door before carrying her into the kitchen and setting her down on the edge of the sink. He turned on the water, directing the spray in the empty side of the sink and making sure the water wasn't too hot or too cold.

When it felt about right, he turned on the sprayer, pulling the hose out and spraying the mess off her feet before grabbing a handful of the soft soap that was in the dispenser on the sink. He soaped her feet, running his fingers between her little pink toes and over the high arches, washing every inch. Then he rinsed them again, glancing at her face when he was finished. "Sit there and I'll get a towel."

The words were an order and she would have loved to have told him to go to hell, but he wasn't giving her an option. He brought in a towel, picking up one of her feet and drying it before grabbing the other. When he was finished, he folded the towel and hung it over the cupboard to dry then gave her a hand in jumping down. "Now, we're going to talk about this."

"And if I don't want to?"

"Then you can sit and listen, but either way, I'm going to have my say."

"You already called me a whore, Quinn, what else is there to say?"

He sighed, his eyes rolling before he held out a hand to her. "Not here."

"Not here...what?"

"I don't want to talk about it in the kitchen. We can be comfortable while we talk." He led the way back into the living room.

"Fine," she snarled. "I'll sit and I'll listen but I don't think it will make any difference." She pulled her hand out of his and walked over to the chair she'd sat on the night before, dropping her still soggy purse at her feet. "What?"

"Can we try to keep this civil?" When she shrugged, he heaved a long sigh. "You know what your father has done to my family. Give me one reason to trust the woman he raised."

"Because I hate him almost as much as you do." She bit her lower lip, her eyes focusing upon his feet. "My father has kept me hidden from the world. I was kept cloistered, stuck in his beautiful houses, waited on by the servants that he paid for. I was spied on and reported on, never left alone. Can you even imagine living like that?"

"I have Dillon in my life," Quinn said softly, hearing her snort of laughter.

"I've heard that he can be a little over bearing."

"Yeah, a little." He finally caught her gaze, hanging onto it. "I am really sorry, Anna."

"Then prove it to me. Help me with this. We can keep it strictly business and I will promise you a percentage of any treasure we find."

"And the heart," Quinn added. "I want the heart too."

"I thought you thought it was evil?"

He chuckled. "Anna, no matter what anyone says, I don't believe that an inanimate item can ever be considered evil. People are evil, not things." He nodded at two heavy oak cases that sat against one wall. "The map for the opal and the stone tablet that helped me pin point the fountain of youth. I have a third box being constructed now. The heart would be quite a coup."

"If that's what it will take, it's yours. I just want enough money to keep me out of Sebastian's hands."

"And where is the stone," Quinn asked, sitting forward on the couch.

"Chicago. My father returned it to the place he had stored it before. He's been talking about bringing it over seas but I think he's a bit afraid of it."

"It's in the mansion where he held Angel and Aaron?" Quinn chuckled. "That's definitely one place I'd never thought of looking again. Okay, we should get started today. We don't want to give your father any time to track you down here." He rubbed his hands together. "Do you have any other clothes besides those you were wearing?"

"They were in the car."

Quinn glanced up at her. "Then I guess we go shopping as well."

"And we're going to keep this strictly business, right?"

"If that's what you want..." It wasn't what he wanted. It had been almost impossible to forget what she'd felt like in his arms, in his bed. He wouldn't have minded sharing that again with her but he wasn't too keen on dealing with her temper again. He'd be patient. He could wear her down. "So, Chicago and then, where?"

"We won't know that until we have the ruby. It could be Mexico or anywhere else in the world." She jumped when he got up suddenly.

"I'll put your clothes in the dryer and then go and pack. I should be ready to leave by then." He walked out of the room, feeling her eyes on his back. He could feel his excitement building. Nothing hyped him up more than treasure hunting, finding the clues, making sense of them and then the ultimate, finding the treasure. The treasure itself wasn't a draw. It was the hunt that caught his interest. Finding the treasure of the Ruby Heart would be quite a coup. Especially if he could rub Sebastian Antonelli's face in it.

He opened the washer, reaching in to grab Anna's clothes. Her jeans and tee shirt were thrown into the dryer and then he saw another scrap of material and reached in to pull it out. The red satin thong was scarcely big enough to use as an eye patch much less as underwear. For a moment, he held the tiny scrap of fabric and then he forced himself to toss it into the dryer and then close the door.

"Damn," he hissed. "She's got me all skewed. Turning on the dryer, he reached into a closet in the laundry room and grabbed his duffle bag and his backpack. Then he carried them through the living room. "I'll be back down in a few, Anna." She barely glanced up at him.

Within an hour he was as ready to leave as he would ever be. He'd called his sister, Grace, letting her know that he'd be out of touch for a while. "Off on another trip?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, I just need someone to come over and pick up my mail today and keep an eye on the house until I get back."

"You know we will, big brother. You just be careful. I don't want to lose you."

He agreed and then hung up the phone, knowing Grace would let the rest of his siblings know he was out of town. Elianna came out of the bedroom, dressed in her own clothes, her lovely green eyes glinting with excitement.

"Ready?"

"Yes," she spoke up. "I've been ready for this for a long time."

She followed him out to his Jeep, sliding into the passenger side while he threw his bags into the back. Then he slid into the front seat, starting the Jeep and hitting the button for the garage door. "Okay, Chicago here we come. We'll stop on the way and get you clothes and whatever else you need, Anna."

"I'll repay you, Quinn."

"I know that. Truthfully, Anna, I'm not worried about the money. It will be money well spent when I can hold the Heart in my hand." He rubbed one hand on his jean clad leg, glancing over at her as he turned to glance over at her.

"How long will it take to get there?"

"About three hours. Less, depending on traffic." He glanced her way again, reaching out and taking her hand in his, twining his fingers around her slim ones.

Elianna jerked, surprised that he was touching her after everything they had gone through this morning already. "I thought we were keeping this as a business proposition?"

"I like touching you."

"But what if I don't want you to touch me?"

"Then I think we are going to have other problems, Anna. Relax, I won't do anything you don't want me to do." He refused to let her hand go, instead holding her hand in his against his thigh.

"You are really a hard man to figure out, Quinn Hunter."

Quinn chuckled. "Keeps you on your toes," he teased.

She sighed and sank back against the seat. It had been a long couple of days since she'd left Texas, managing to outsmart her father's men once more. Running into Quinn had been a stroke of luck in all the best ways, even though she'd been furious with him earlier. Now she was letting his quiet charm wash over her, her eyes blinking sleepily.

"Close your eyes, Anna. Rest. I'll wake you when we get close."

"B-but..."

He lifted her hand, kissing her fingers. "Sleep, Anna."

She sighed. "Okay. Scooting down a bit in the seat, she tried to get comfortable. When Quinn reached over and flipped a lever next to the seat, letting the back down, she smiled, her eyes still closed. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He lifted her hand to his lips and then laid it on his thigh. Then he turned on the radio, selecting a soft rock station.

* * * *

Quinn glanced over at her again. He'd had a hard time paying attention to traffic and the road ahead of him with her sitting there. She was beautiful, her red hair loose around her shoulders, her face relaxed in sleep. She'd been sleeping for the last two and a half hours and he was amazed he hadn't run off the road, as much as he kept looking her way.

"Elianna," he said softly, not wanting to alarm her. "Elianna, we are all most to Chicago city limits. I'm not sure where your father's mansion is."

She stretched, her arms going above her head. "We're almost there?" She sat up, flipping the lever to have the seatback return to its place. "I didn't mean to sleep that long. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

"You haven't had a very good couple of days, Anna. It's understandable. You'll be more aware of dangers now."

"Yes, Rylie told me of what she and Dillon had to go through to get the heart. If my father left it in the same place, we had both better be on our toes." She shifted in her seat, turning to face him. "Rylie never said exactly what Sebastian put them through there, did he say anything to you?"

"No, Dillon doesn't like to talk about that time. He and Rylie lost their first child there. He told me once that he thought God gave them twins to make up for taking the other child from them."

"He really feels that way?"

"Think about it. They were trying to save Shanna and Brandon, searching for the treasure to give to Sebastian. It just kind of makes sense."

He stopped at a red light, turning his head to look at her. "Which way?"

She nodded to their right. From there, she gave him directions and before too long, they were outside Sebastian's mansion. It was dark, deserted, the windows looking like great big eyes staring down at them. "Ready for this?"

Elianna shivered. "Yeah. Let's get this over with." He started to walk in front of her toward the front porch, smiling when she jogged after him, grabbing hold of his hand.

"You're not scared to go into the big, empty mansion are you, Elianna?" He was teasing her and couldn't help but chuckle at her next words.

"You've been holding my hand all day and now you complain?"

Quinn's laughter was deep, husky, and he twined his fingers with hers. "No complaints, Anna. Just concerned." He tried the knob on the front door, pushing it open when it turned easily. Inside the great mansion, it was dark and cold. The front hall had once been extremely beautiful, a huge crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling, marble tiles covered the floor. The walls were painted and some walls were wallpapered. But that was torn and falling in long strips. "This place is huge. Any idea where we should start looking?"

"His office was on the second floor. I think we should start there."

Quinn nodded. Then he waved his hand at the stairway. "Ladies first."