Quiet Nights

Quinn smiled as he thought over the possibilities tonight might present. Tolvin and Rochelle had taken Rajat for the evening. They were all going to be spending the night in the other rooms. Their time in Brazil was coming short and Tolvin had suggested a night out to give he and Tijgerian some private time. That left so many options open. He had gone for many runs in the woods, but she never seemed to want to let go of her inhibitions around him. Perhaps tonight would change that. He heard her in the outer rooms and smiled as he lit the candles and uncovered the plates, winking to her as she walked through the doors.

"Dinner is ready, Sevti."

She walked in the room as she was drying her hair with a towel and stopped in her tracks. She smiled softly and looked around, wondering where Rajat and the others were. She had noticed Tolvin and Rochelle's openness around them lately and was happy her friend had found love. They would soon be leaving Brazil, she had a lot to think about though. Rochelle had asked for a week or two to visit her father in Greece and she had obliged without thought. The girl deserved it.

She ran her fingers through her damp hair and leaned against the counter. "I take it our son is with his favorite security guard again?" She'd noticed how Tolvin was with her son, and she approved. Rajat was fascinated with the stories Tolvin told and how animated he got when telling them. She sniffed the air and walked towards him, dropping her towel to the floor that she had used for her hair. The hotels silk white robe hung around her body, showing the skin of her shoulder.

Quinn chuckled at the question.

"Yes..Uncle Tolvin and Aunt Rochelle wanted to spend some time with him. I did not think it would be a bad idea. Besides, it gives us something we do not get often....time alone..."

He grinned at her as he motioned toward one of the chairs at the table.

She smirked and approached the chair he motioned to, taking her seat. Her stomach rumbled at the aroma of the food, making her mouth water. She looked up at him as she placed a napkin on her lap. "Thanks for being so great while I've been so busy. I know we haven't gotten a lot of time to enjoy the city, but I think...it'll all pay off." She hadn't told him the news yet about her offer and wondered what he'd think. "This smells amazing, by the way."

"Thank you. It took ages to explain to the hotel cooks how to make a decent kofta...that and training them to make the curry just right. I am glad it pleases you, Sevti."

He poured a half glass of white wine for her, and one for himself before joining her at the table.

"No need to stand on ceremony. Feel free to indulge your taste buds..."

She smiled and lifted her fork to begin eating. It was a tasteful explosion of flavors in her mouth. It was one of her favorite meals that he made. The curry had the perfect amount of seasoning and she savored the taste. Nodding her head to show her appreciation, she chewed and swallowed. "Very nicely done. It's been a while since I had some of your kofta." She lifted the wine glass and brought it to her lips, taking a greedy sip and placing it back down. Dabbing her mouth with the napkin, she looked up at him.

"So, how was your day?"

He smiled at her reaction to the food and took a bite of his own before answering her.

"Not too eventful really. I have been spending a lot of my time with Rajat, but managed to get in a game of Foot-volley this afternoon. Rajat was in hysterics as we played. Then we spent about a half hour at the stables. Rajat is actually becoming a fairly competent rider. We just have him on a pony, but he does quite well. How was yours?

He fell silent as he returned to his food, chewing quietly.

She smiled as she heard about their day and chuckled. "He always did want a horse. I don't think those are allowed on planes though. I travel far too much for that." She took another bite of food before thinking about how to approach the subject. "Well, I met with Roman Rodriguez today and the rest of the heads of the company. He offered me a pretty interesting deal actually. Leave Harcos and be their own independent contracted business and public relations person." She saw his face and continued. "They want to expand and open businesses in Miami and New Orleans with me overseeing both locations. As well as the architecture and building plans."

She waited for his reaction.

He slowly chewed his food as she spoke, thinking carefully before responding to this new information. He smiled across the table at her, looking in her eyes.

"Sounds like a great opportunity for you to hit the ground running. You would be taking Rajat with you on these trips then?"

She saw the solemn look in his eyes and knew he feared the worst. Being separated from his son. "Actually...no." She looked down at her food for a moment. "Not all." She looked back up at him. "He needs his father too. I could not take that from him, despite how heartless I seem." She leaned back in her chair and sat up straight. "I know he needs you just as much as you do him. And sometimes this travelling is too much for him. It's too much for me at times..."

She scoffed. "But I also refuse to let George think he's won."

Quinn felt his grip tighten on his fork as she mentioned George. That man would sign his own death warrant if he was not careful. He carefully got a hold of his temper before looking up again. He smiled at her veiled admission. He knew she would never come out and say it. It was not her way, but she had left him many hints over the lat few weeks, and that was more than enough.

"Yes...we do enjoy each other's company. You and Rajat have allowed me to fill a void in my life I never understood was there. You are both very precious to me."

"You mean a lot to us--to him." She thought about her slip and added, "you were the first man I've trusted in a while. To be honest, I never thought I'd see you again after our...arrangement. I knew I wanted a child, but I was skeptical on having a family."

She had noticed him tense at the mention of George and decided to keep George out of the discussion. "I have a lot to think about. The offer and what it means. My options are vast since I can choose Miami or New Orleans. He even offered Brazil." She chuckled. "I guess I need to figure out where I want to be grounded. For the first time in my life, the option to travel sporadically instead of every week has a wonderful sound."

She realized she'd been talking a lot. "What do you think of it all? Of...settling?" She was curious his thoughts on the situation. And part of her...cared what he thought about it.

Quinn listened quietly as she spoke, carefully considering everything she said. He considered what she was asking him and took his time deciding how to work his response. He looked in her eyes smiling and spoke softly.

"Tijgerian Sevti, I could never see you and out son as 'settling', but the idea of having a place to see as 'home' has always had a nice sound to it. Those are some interesting options to consider and I think they would all have their positives and negatives, but as long as you and our son are there, any of the options would be great."

He smiled and sipping from his glass, watching her response to his words.

She looked down at her food after he spoke and let it all sink in of what he had said. "My home..my family...it was all taken from me by him. I spend a lot of time running....running for fear he will find my son. I can't have Rajat go through what I have." She finally looked up at him.

It would take a lot to say the words that lingered in her mind. Even more to actually say them out loud. "For the first time in a long time, I feel safe with you. I...like having you around." She finally admitted it to herself and him. "But don't read too much into that John. Really. All I'm saying is you are very protectant." She added quickly before grabbing her wine glass and downing it, not saying anything more.

Quinn smiled softly as she spoke, listening carefully.

"Of course not, Sevti. I told you before how I see things and nothing had happened to change that. We both lost much in the past. Perhaps it is time to allow Fate to grant us something once again."

He looked in her eyes, wondering what she would say.

She looked into his eyes for a moment and not one word was said. She could see how genuine he was and felt the oddest sensation run through her body. Blinking, she cleared her throat and stood, downing the contents of her wine glass and then picked up her plate and reached for his. "Here I'll clean, you cooked after all." She did not know why she felt the need to change the subject, but she didn't know what else to do. She had softened towards him recently and she wasn't sure what she felt about that. More importantly, she wondered if loving him really was a sign of weakness. So many thoughts flew through her mind as she stood next to him, clearing the plates from the table.

He smiled as she cleared the table and followed her into the kitchen area, stepping close behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist from behind, growling softly in her ear.

"We have the whole night, Sevti. When is the last time you let yourself go and had a good run in the woods? The moon is still young in the sky and you know how good it feels to run."

She dropped the dishes into the small hotel sink and felt his arms slide around her waist. She listened to his suggestion and knew it had been a while since her last run. It would be relaxing and she could use some relaxation. The thick wooded area near their hotel would be the ideal place.

She turned in his arms and looked up at him. "Nothing like getting dirty right after a shower." She smirked a bit and looked at one of his arms around her, running her hand along his biceps. "..but a run sounds nice." She met his eyes and slipped her hands between them to tug at the robe belt, letting it fall open to reveal her bare body. She grinned as his eyes danced across her body. "..about that run, John." Reminding him of the original intention.

As she dropped the belt, he slid his hands inside her robe, caressing the tender flesh beneath. He grinned as he looked in her eyes and spoke softly.

"Well, we can always go for that run later if you like...."

He leaned in, kissing her tenderly as his hands explored her body as if for the first time.