“She’s so beautiful, Candace. What is her name?”
“Reilly Quinn,” Liam said proudly.
“I love it,” his father said.
Shane ran a gentle hand over his niece’s soft head. “It’s perfect.”
13
Shane lightly traced a finger down Leila’s bare spine, across the perfect heart shape of her buttock, and up her side, over the swell of her breast. She snored loudly, nothing stirring her. Shane was entirely smitten. Even with her obnoxious snoring.
No, smitten wasn’t an accurate enough word. Shane loved her. He’d fallen head over heels in love with Leila. But what exactly did that mean?
Shane carefully crawled out of bed, so as not to disturb Leila, and took a hot shower, washing the past twenty-four hours away. It had truly been one of the longest days he could remember. But he couldn’t complain. He had gotten a perfect baby niece out of it.
After his shower, Shane dressed in a suit, ready for work, and made a pot of coffee. Leila meandered out to the living room. “I’m going to be late for work.”
Shane cocked an eyebrow.
She shrugged. “I have no clothes here. I have to go home to change.”
He sighed. “Fine. But get back into the office as quickly as possible.”
She saluted him. “Yes, sir.” Her breath hitched as her eyes went wide. “Wow.”
He felt his face go hard. “What?”
“Your eyes went black as night when I called you sir.”
“That’s because that term coming off those perfect plump lips makes me want to take you back to bed and make you call me ‘sir’ while I fuck you into next week.”
The minx grinned, saucy. “You wish.”
He set down his coffee cup and slowly stalked around the island. He wrapped his arms around her slim waist and pulled her flush against him. Leaning down, he took her mouth in a blazing kiss. Shane inhaled her, surrounded her, absorbed her. There wasn’t any part of her that he didn’t want to own. There wasn’t an ounce of her he didn’t relish and worship.
His hands went to the hem of her shirt and lifted it off her. He needed the warmth of her to singe him, the silkiness of her skin to melt him, her natural scent to lure him into her thrall. God, she owned him. Breathless, he pulled back, staring down into her hooded eyes.
“I love you,” she said softly.
It was as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from behind. He took a step back, distancing himself.
She bit her bottom lip, her eyes now fully open. Shane’s heart raced in panic. He was caught off guard, an unwelcome rarity.
She plowed forward, even though he’d become unusually mute. “I love seeing you every day, coming to work for you. I’ve loved these past few days, coming back to your apartment and waking up next to you in the morning. I know you’ve loved it, too. But you won’t admit how you feel. Why? Why can’t you tell me you love me? I know you do. You care for me as much as I see you care for your family. You don’t treat anyone else you work with the way you treat me. You don’t look after anyone else like you do me. Yet, you continue to keep a wall up. Why?”
“Because I can’t give you what you want, Leila,” he spat. “You want the white picket fence and two point five kids. That’s not me. I work late. I’m career driven. I look after my brothers and their spouses and my father before I’ll ever concern myself with my own personal life. I travel, and don’t want the hassle of having a relationship.”
“A hassle?” she whispered, horrified. “A relationship is a hassle to you?”
“More than you could ever know.”
She blanched. “So me being here has been more of a burden than anything else?”
He raked a hand through his hair, frustrated. “Not in the least. In fact, quite the opposite.”
She tilted her head. “Then I don’t understand.”
“Neither do I!” He spun away from her, his irritation spiking. God, he kept putting his foot in his mouth. He couldn’t comprehend anything that was happening. But all he did know was that Leila turned his world upside down, and he loved and hated it simultaneously.
The stool scraped his hardwood floor. He spun to find Leila’s beautiful features stricken, tears running down her cheeks.
“I opened myself up to you, Shane,” she whispered, her voice rough. “I thought you were man enough to own up to how you felt. I guess I was mistaken. An error on my part.”
She wheeled around and went to the back bedroom. He stood, cemented in place, his heart telling him to go after her, apologize. Beg for forgiveness. While his head told him that he couldn’t afford to give her the wrong impression. Despite the fact that his mind and heart warred with each other, he didn’t budge. Even when she stormed out of his apartment, slamming the door behind her. The sudden, ominous silence of the room didn’t help the case his head was trying to make.
14
Shane sat in the hospital maternity ward, holding Reilly, whose newborn eyes blinked heavily as she yawned. A little squeak came out of her tiny mouth. Man, he loved her. He kissed her delicate forehead and brushed the patch of fine hair. He ran a soft finger down her cheek and she immediately went for it, wanting to nurse.
Liam laughed. “She’s got my appetite.”
Candace groaned. “My boobs are so engorged, it’s painful when she eats.”
Brayden turned a bright shade of red. “Candace.”
Aaron and Justin moaned and muttered under their breaths about TMI from their sister-in-law. Mike laughed.
Once again, the entire Quinn family camped out in Candace’s room. Shane was surprised that Aaron decided to cancel his flights for the next few days and hand off his itinerary to a friend. Justin was even more shocking: he didn’t have anyone to open the shop. He decided to close early so he could stop by before visiting hours ended. The hospital wouldn’t release Candace until at least twenty-four hours after birth, so it wouldn’t be until tomorrow morning that she got to take Reilly home.
Liam handed his wife a spoonful of pasta. He’d been doting on her like she was his princess. His brothers totally couldn’t ride him for it. She had just given him a precious daughter; she deserved to be ridden around on a throne, carried so her feet didn’t have to hit the floor. Okay, maybe that was extreme, but Shane understood.
“Where’s Leila?” Candace asked.
Shane didn’t respond, immersing himself in the tenderness of holding his niece. His admin hadn’t shown up for work after she left his apartment. Not only was he disappointed in the fact that she’d bailed out on her job, he was downright pissed that she didn’t confront him for being a jackass.
“Shane?” Liam asked. “Did you tick off your secretary?”
“By playing secretary?” Aaron waggled his brows.
“Or by playing ‘big bad boss needs help from his admin’?” Justin mocked.
Brayden scooted over to Shane and sat down next to him. “Can I please have an opportunity to hold her?”
Shane sighed and reluctantly handed over Reilly. His baby brother beamed as soon as Reilly laid and settled into his arms. Brayden looked up at Mike, his eyes shining. “She’s perfect.”
Mike smiled, leaned down and kissed Brayden lovingly on the lips as he placed a gentle hand on her head. “She is.”
“Hello? Mr. Avoidance? Where is Leila?” Candace asked, more forceful this time.
Shane closed his eyes and his head hit the wall behind him. He was so tired. “I don’t know.”
A hush blanketed the room.
“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Aaron asked, his normal light humor vanished.
“She left my apartment this morning, angry.”
“What did you do?” Candace growled.
Shane opened his eyes. Yep, her glare said it didn’t matter if she had just given birth. She was about to fly across the room and pummel him.
“She told me she loved me.”
Candace squealed and clapped her hands, causing Reilly to jerk an
d her face to scrunch up.
“Honey, you have to watch yourself,” Liam said. “You’ll wake baby girl.”
“Baby girl needs to get used to her mother’s sudden outbursts,” Justin said, out of the corner of his mouth.
Candace shot him a glare.
“That’s terrific, Shane. Congrats. She seems like a good one,” Mike said.
“Yeah.”
His brothers and his in-laws waited, but he refused to indulge further.
“That is a good thing, right Shane?” Justin asked, his eyes narrowed. “I know we’ve mocked you over the years, but you seem to have found someone willing to put up with your hard ass. Women like her don’t grow on trees. You need to snag her.”
“I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?” Liam barked, his loud voice echoing off every hospital surface. That caused Reilly to break out in an ear piercing wail.
“Seriously, Liam?” Aaron scolded, taking the newborn off Brayden, placing her on his chest and rubbing her back while pacing and shushing. If Shane hadn’t been so damn distracted over Leila, he might have appreciated the scene of Aaron being able to settle down a day-old baby.
“You,” Justin pegged him, “are a dumbass. Dumb. Ass.”
“Fuck off.” Shane didn’t need their shit.
“Why the hell would you think you can’t have a relationship with her?” Aaron demanded.
“I just...can’t.”
“Again, not a reason.” Liam crossed his arms over his massive chest.
“Because I work long hours, I constantly travel, I like to live in the city. I don’t have time to invest in a relationship. I’m too busy working on my career.”
Brayden tilted his head. “Why can’t you have all of that and Leila?”
“Because she’ll want more than I can give her.”
“Like what?” Brayden asked.
“Children.” He pointed to Reilly. “Me home in the evenings. My undivided attention. All things I can’t promise to give her.”
“Why not?” Justin asked. “You’re home in the evenings and weekends. You go to the gym. You have dinner at your place a couple times a week for all of us. You visit Dad all the time. If we need anything, you’re there in a heartbeat. I must be missing something. So instead of giving us all that, why don’t you transfer it to Leila?”
Shane went to respond, but had nothing.
“Unless you’re afraid to let us go,” Brayden quietly said.
“But it wouldn’t be letting us go,” Liam countered. “He doesn’t own us, and we don’t need him. Do we love the family dynamic, absolutely. But we’re not relying on you, Shane. You have your own life to lead. Nothing will change. We’ll just have the added bonus of another woman in the family to care for. There’s nothing wrong with that. Why the hell would you commit to a life of solitude when you can come home to a bright smile waiting for you at the door? Or to have someone to lean on when you’ve had a shit ass day at work? Or someone to hold at night, someone you love? Someone to go on vacation with, take time off with, plan holidays with? God, my life was so dismal that year Candace was gone. I couldn’t imagine my world without her and all those things we take for granted. Why on earth would you choose bachelorhood over the love of a good woman? All that shit you spewed is just that. Bullshit. A cop-out.”
A sob came from Candace as she buried her head into her hands. “That was so beautiful.” Liam crawled into bed with his wife and held her, her face hidden in his chest as he lovingly stroked her hair.
Liam was right. Why would he go back to being single? It wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Looking at Liam and Brayden, both happily married and settled with their perfect partners, he could easily see himself embracing Leila in the same manner. They’d played house for a few days, and it didn’t interfere with his work schedule. In fact, quite the opposite. He’d gotten his workload finished during office hours and was able to focus on Leila and Candace. He’d enjoyed waking up to Leila in his arms and having her vivacious presence in his normally quiet and obscenely pristine apartment.
Shane looked around the room: Mike comforted Brayden, Liam whispered into Candace’s ear, and Justin and Aaron stared at the floor. He didn’t want to end up like them: Aaron, alone, jetting around the world with meaningless relationships taking up his weekends. Justin, working his ass into the ground to keep his business competitive, barely time for any semblance of a social life.
“Shane, I want to see you happy,” Brayden quietly said.
He reached across and slapped his brother’s knee. “I do too, Bray. I do too.” He sighed heavily and ran a hand down his face. “Except she didn’t show up to work after I upset her this morning.”
Mike moaned and rolled his eyes. “Flowers, man. Flowers.”
“Diamonds,” Liam said.
Shane’s eyes grew wide. “Holy hell, I’m not giving her a ring.”
Every man in the room burst out in laughter. Aaron wandered over to the window, Reilly sound asleep on his shoulder.
Shane’s trill ring of his cell interrupted their moment of poking fun at him. He glanced at the caller ID. “Speaking of the devil herself.”
He answered, but before he greeted her, Leila cut to the chase. “Shane, I’m sorry. I won’t make it into work tomorrow. I’m still not feeling well after leaving the office this morning.”
What the hell? She never made it into work. Hence his deeply, unwelcomed personal discussion with his brothers. Her voice was off. A slight panic in the tone. Something was wrong. “Leila, are you all right?” His brothers went quiet.
“No, no I’m not,” she said. “But thanks for offering to bring me soup. I have some here.”
He jerked up from the chair. “Leila, is that man at your place?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Are you hurt?”
“Not yet.” She inhaled, her breath hitching. “I’ll talk to you later. I’m going to get some rest now.”
“Leila, I’m coming for you. You stay safe. I’ll be there.”
She disconnected the call. He had no idea if she’d heard him.
“What’s going on?” Liam was out of the bed, slipping on a jacket.
Shane was out the hospital door, with Liam, Aaron, Justin, and Mike on his heels. He didn’t know what the hell was going on or what that jackass had in store for his Leila, but he’d be damned if he allowed one hair on her precious head to be harmed.
15
“We should call the police,” Liam growled as they rushed up the stairwell.
Shane didn’t want to hear any rational talk. His mind was only concerned with getting to his Leila, making certain not a hair on her perfect head was harmed.
They reached her floor, his brothers on his heels, all trying to reason with him. Aaron was on his phone, talking to someone. Shane burst through the stairwell door, but Liam grabbed him from behind and shoved him against the wall.
There weren’t too many men in the world who could get the jump on Shane. His gym regimen kept his strength at a maximum. His self-defense courses over the years had given him the skill to fight, though he never utilized the expertise. He wasn’t a violent man. Except for now. His blood boiled with anger, his mind raced with dread, his heart pounded rapidly in fear.
Liam held his forearm to his neck and spoke lowly and harshly. “Play this cool. Aaron’s called the cops. We don’t want her hurt because of some stupid actions.”
Shane closed his eyes and growled. “What if that were Candace?”
Liam snorted. “The man would already be dead.” Shane went to respond, but Liam held up his finger. “Only because my wife would take care of the issue first. She’s a hardass like that.”
Shane couldn’t argue. Candace could be a bit crazy, which could be a result of being with Liam for so damn long. His younger brother would drive the sanest of women nuts.
He pushed out of Liam’s hold and stormed to the door, ignoring any advice they had. He’d made a mistake this morning. An enormous err
or by not admitting to Leila that he loved her, by allowing her to walk out his door. He couldn’t allow that lack of judgment to take away the first woman to own his heart. If he hadn’t been moronic enough to let her storm out of his apartment, his heart wouldn’t be plunging into his stomach in fear.
Shane hesitated, his arm raised, and checked himself so he didn’t pound on the door like a madman. He knocked firmly. His brothers took positions on either side of the door, hiding themselves out of the peephole view. They waited anxiously. No one answered the door.
Shane knocked again, this time calling out, hoping his voice was audible. “Leila, it’s Shane. I brought you some soup and cold medicine.”
It took a minute before he heard some sort of shuffling. He took a step closer to the door, to hide himself from the waist down, so whoever looked through the hole wouldn’t see he carried nothing in his hands.
He heard the deadbolt click, and the door cracked open. Peering at him was the man who visited his office, claiming to be Leila’s boyfriend.
No other thoughts crossed Shane’s mind except for getting into that apartment and getting to Leila. Suddenly, unexpectedly, he shoved at the hard door, it bouncing off the jackass’s nose, a crunch echoing out into the hall. Shane pushed forward. The man stumbled back and landed on his ass.
Liam, his hulk of a brother, was on top of the man, pinning him to the floor, though not before a quick fist to the man’s balls. Mike, his brother-in-law’s massive form, a hard force of nature, loomed menacingly as backup. Aaron managed an “accidental” kick to the man’s balls, again.
Shane rushed into the apartment. He found Leila curled in a ball on the sofa, black streaks from her eyeliner painting her beautiful face. Her eyes were wide with fear. She let out a sob when she saw him.
Shane scooped her up into his arms and wrapped himself around her. She was safe in his grasp. “Are you all right, baby?”
She nodded as she buried her head into his chest, her body quaking with silent sobs. He sat down on the sofa, running his hand soothingly up and down her spine.
Ice: A Quinn Brothers Story (The Quinn Brothers Story Series Book 3) Page 4
