“What’s up?” Quinn asks, not even having to look over to know something’s definitely up.
“It’s my dad, five calls and… seven texts.”
He narrows his eyes but stays silent, focusing on the road ahead.
Dad doesn’t worry, and he’s never one to really butt in. Except when I miss his calls and don’t answer texts.
“I left my bag in the car, he’s just wanting to make sure I’m okay,” I tell Quinn innocently, noticing how he’s looking tense again, his jaw working overtime as his knuckles crack above the steering wheel.
“I’ll just text him, tell him I’m fine… that I forgot my phone.”
Quinn just grunts, watching the road, but he glances over at me every time my eyes move away from him.
My phone chimes seconds after I text my dad.
Hi dad… made it alright…
Where are you, honey? I was worried… AM WORRIED
I don’t want to get too deep with dad right now, I’m kind of hoping Quinn and I can get to know each other uninterrupted for a while. I’ve got three days off work too and I know exactly how I’d like to spend them.
I left my phone in the car, I’m OK.
There’s a lag from dad’s end, which ordinarily wouldn’t bother me, but I just know he’s worried.
I can feel it.
A second later, we both jump as Quinn’s phone rings through loudly on his truck speakers. It’s dad, showing up on the display on the dash.
Quinn sighs, his thick finger hovers over the answer button for a moment before he picks up.
“Hey buddy,” he answers, sounding as calm as ever, nothing suspicious going on here… just driving your daughter to a secret location so I can claim her as my own…I’ve already chowed down on first course and now I’m gonna go hit a few home runs up inside her…
“Quinn, how’s things down there at the… are you driving? I thought you were-”
Quinn fills the sudden gap in dad’s conversation.
“Yeah, I got Brad down at the school, something came up… I gotta go deal with it. A private client.”
Dad’s silent but I can feel the tension. Both Quinn and my dad know each other well enough to spot the slightest tell when something isn’t as it should be.
“You see Chelle?” my dad asks, a definite edge to his voice. Hard, almost mean.
“Yeah… Yeah I saw Chelle… even had a run in with old Wilson Tucker there… he hasn’t changed a bit,” Quinn continues.
I get the distinct impression Quinn could go on like this all night if dad wants to talk. I decide real early in the piece to keep as quiet as I can.
Oh god… no… not now…
Feeling smug about my new silence, I feel the distinct tickle suddenly brewing at the back of my sinuses. Not a sniff… not something a scratch will help soothe either.
A sneeze is coming.
Oh shit, not now… please god… NO!
I sneeze. Not just a little kitten poof sneeze either. It feels like I’ve deviated my septum while learning the trombone in an amphitheater.
Quinn’s face is deadpan, he plucks a Kleenex from a small box in the console, handing it to me in between his two fore fingers, which seem to be as tense as the rest of him.
If fingers can flex, Quinn’s an ace at it.
“Bless you,” my dad says sarcastically.
I silently mouth the word ‘sorry’ to Quinn, but we both know it’s too late for that.
“Quinn? Chelle? How ‘bout you tell me what’s going on, huh?”
Quinn glances over to me, his eyes are intense, decisive. He’s already told me what he wants and I him, so I think we’re pretty clear about what we want, between us anyway.
“I already called the school to see if Chelle made it there. Brad said he saw you leave with Chelle… So which is it? Are you working or are you driving my daughter home?” he asks, the strain of his patience about to break.
CHAPTER TEN
Q uinn
Brad’s just doing his job.
If a friend of mine asks after his only daughter, Brad knows to tell him straight up. Especially if said dad is worried.
I don’t play games though and I’m not gonna lie to Randy about Chelle and me, but I’m not gonna discuss it over the phone either.
I know what’s coming once he finds out, which will be when I tell him. Man to man.
I can take whatever he’s got to dish out over it. It’s nothing compared to what I’m gaining with Chelle.
I glance over at Chelle, seeing if she wants to lie in my place, which she doesn’t.
I’m proud of her for that.
“I’ll call you later dad, okay?” is all she says, the strain in her own voice is obvious and I can feel Randy from the other end of the phone. He’s not happy, but he’s also not going to get into anything serious over the phone while I’m driving, and neither am I.
Not with the cargo I’m carrying.
I’m taking no chances.
“Alright, darlin’. But please, call me as soon as you can, alright?”
Chelle opens her mouth to answer, but he’s already hung up.
Chelle winces a little, then shrugs. It’s a little awkward between us after all that, but for all the reasons I never thought it would be
“He’ll come around…” Chelle says absently and I reach out to touch her. Anywhere right now, I don’t care. As long as I can touch her.
I let my hand trace down her face and she takes my hand in hers, settling it in her lap with a devilish grin after we get a few more hundred yards down the road.
I feel my hand getting warmer, and my own pulse quicken as Chelle makes some low sounds and shifts in her seat a little.
“I’ve gotta drive, Chelle,” I warn her and she eases off her own throttle, but it’s too late for me. I’m as hard as oak all over again, half minded to pull over and just bend her over the front seat.
Patience… She’s worth the wait and you know it. You need to give it to her like she deserves it.
Like the Queen she really is.
“How far is it?” she asks, her breath shaking a little as she tries to start a ‘normal’ conversation, making me smile again.
“About an hour, it’s on the coast but that’s all I’m telling,” I say.
“Tell me more about your real estate and security business then, when did you stop teaching?” she asks dreamily, looking over at me and making me feel older than I’d like as I remember how long ago everything happened, even though it still feels like yesterday.
“Well, once you left the school my life was over and I just couldn’t go on…” I register her look of horror and have to tell her I’m kidding.
“I’m only joking, Chelle… but it did happen not long after you left the school. I had some health problems and got myself back into shape.”
She looks over my body again. I like feeling her eyes on me. I don’t like to show off my muscles, but knowing Chelle is into them, it makes every ounce of sweat I shed to get them worth it.
“I used some of my saving to buy into a real estate firm, doing some security system sales and guard services as part of a value added service. I worked my tail off for another few years until I could buy out the other partners, and the rest as they say…”
“Is history,” she chimes and claps her hands together and breathes in deeply.
“I remember your class, I would just smell your cologne and couldn’t concentrate on any work. I had to do all my studies when I got home,” she giggles.
I feel a little concerned, and ask her what she means.
“I’ve had a crush on you since I can remember,” she says and I feel a jolt of apprehension, then gently remind myself that nothing happened when I was Chelle’s teacher. We’re all consenting adults now.
I’m glad for that. I remember her as a student, sure. But with dozens in each class, it’s easy to see them all as the same animal after a while.
“What’s wrong?” she asks, noticing my app
rehension.
“Just an old teacher’s conscience. We have a pretty hefty duty of care. It’s something I’ve transplanted to the real estate business.
“I’m sure you had boyfriends though, growing up.” I hear myself saying, feeling my hands grip the wheel tighter again, my jaw tightening at the mere thought of anyone going anywhere near her.
“Nope.” She announces proudly. “One benefit of being so big, no guy would ever want to come near me, still don’t,” she muses and I feel my head shaking.
“Will you cut that out?” I ask her firmly, really meaning it. Her face falls a little but I have to say something, I’ve heard enough.
“All this self-hate speech, can you hear it, Chelle? It’s almost like you want to bully yourself, picking up where those other bitches left off.”
She turns away, looking out the window and I know I’ve said too much. I’ve taken it too far, but it kills me to hear her put herself down like this.
I reach out for her again, but she moves her hand over to herself, collecting another Kleenex on the way.
I feel worse now for upsetting her, but I can’t have, I won’t have her putting herself down non-stop.
“I suppose we can’t all be as perfect as you,” she sniffs, real hurt in her voice but I don’t mind. I need her to know she shouldn't put herself down.
“Chelle… I’m sorry to speak plainly, but what I mean is, you’ve got no reason to be so-”
“Look at me, Quinn!” She shouts, her red eyes snapping around to grab mine in the rear view mirror.
“Do you think I want to be so heavy? Do you think I woke up one day and thought how good I’d feel to be so big? I’m not putting myself down. I’m just being honest, realistic.”
I decide to give her a minute, to simmer down and I sure as hell don’t want to upset her. I’ve put my big foot in it enough for one night, I think. First Randy, now Chelle to boot.
“I meant what I said,” I murmur, noticing her pretending to ignore me, taking the exit to the coast we slow down a little, making things feel calmer straight away.
“I said I meant it…” I repeat with a sly grin.
“You meant what?” she sniffs, not even looking up at me now.
“About your ass being the finest I’ve ever seen… and I have to say, the rest of you is definitely to my liking. Just saying.”
I feel better when I see the corner of her mouth turning up.
“What about the rest of me?” she asks, forcing herself to pout still, but trying not to smile again.
“Your hips… your hair. Your breasts… Your eyes, your smile… the way you pretend to be mad.”
“Alright, stop it,” she says, swinging wide to punch my arm, which I make out is mortally wounded.
“I’ll stop whining about my size if you stop calling yourself old every five minutes,” she says sharply.
“Touché,” I concede, remembering I’ve had a few digs, just as many at myself as she has tonight.
“It just pains me to hear it Chelle. I’d wanna clobber anyone who said something like that to you, so when I hear it from your own mouth…”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Chelle
“What happened?” Quinn asks, taking my hand and squeezing it again, “at college, why’d you really drop out. I know you got into medicine, your dad told me… he was so proud. I’m proud of you”
I feel embarrassed that I’ve been caught out, but I said it all so automatically at the reunion, I’d never lie to Quinn, not intentionally.
“I can listen and drive y’know,” he says, winking at me from the rear view mirror and I know I’m cornered, but in a good way.
“I feel like I could tell you anything anyway,” I say, voicing my only thought as I exhale loudly.
“You can, and you will.” Quinn says, giving me a firm but friendly cue to start my tale.
“I didn’t even want dad to know that I’d got into college. The medicine scholarship was a big deal, totally left field and not something I thought I’d get.”
“Chelle…” he warns me again, furrowing his brow and only easing it when I ease up on my own version of myself in the story.
“I won’t be too down on myself, I promise,” I tell Quinn, “but, there’s so many things that made it hard, harder than it already was. There was one couple there, sweethearts from a private school someplace, rich. I think they might have actually been related, but anyway…”
I watch Quinn’s brows raise and shiver at the thought of college all over again. It’s all still so fresh. So raw.
Literally.
The truck dips a little as we leave the paved road, Quinn lets me know it’s a private road, a short cut around to where we’re headed. He urges me on with his eyes.
“There’s really not much to tell, but these two, Sam and Tracy, they were like carbon copies of those girls from high school. Just the older versions. I knew as soon as I got to the college that they were gonna have it in for me. The snide comments, the trays of donuts piled four high at my desk whenever we had class, even the dean had words with them, but they had so much money… old money, all tied up in the college itself that they thought they could run the place. They practically did.”
“To think, people like that can even become doctors,” Quinn growls, and I can tell he’s already got his back up even though he’ll never meet them.
“The little pranks and side comments got worse. We had a group project for the term, and of course, the terrible twins, that’s what I called them. They picked me and the rest of the class just watched on as they started to make my whole life a living hell from that moment on.”
I go quiet for a moment, not even sure I want to tell this story, let alone relive it for Quinn’s sake. I can see how worked up he’s getting just thinking about other people wronging me, it feels like we’re torturing ourselves over nothing, over the past.
“It’s silly,” I tell him. “Let’s talk about something else… this is too morbid, you were supposed to be sweeping me off my feet, not bringing us down with my stupid past.”
“I just want to know, Chelle. I need to know, to understand.” He says, looking ahead, not taking his eyes off the road, gripping the wheel tight again, the whites of his knuckles shining in the dim light of the truck’s cab.
“One night, we were all in the lab and I was asked to go get something from the big fridge they have down there, full of chemicals as well as the odd cadaver for experiments. Well, Sam was waiting in the shadows and his partner Tracy locked us in. No big surprise there, but I didn’t know he was in there and he… then he…” I can’t bring myself to even go on saying it, the whole memory is just too terrible.
“Go on,” Quinn urges me firmly. “You’ll feel better once you tell someone, I promise.”
I take a shaky breath in and close my eyes tight, it really feels like I’m stepping into that fridge again, the truck’s gotten colder and the darkness outside as well as inside makes me feel it all over again.
“Sam, he was hiding behind the trolley with a cadaver on it and when I turned to leave, Tracy locked the door from the outside and turned off the lights. I screamed a little, but realized what was going on. Then Sam picked up this body… a torso really, and he grabbed me with it from behind, I can still feel it’s arms and hands, the head all over me… it was horrible.”
“Bastards,” Quinn growls, shaking his head.
“But that’s not it, Quinn. That’s not why I left. Sam had some sort of seizure while he was laughing and hollering, in the end I begged Tracey to let us out but she thought it was all part of the joke. We were locked in there for an hour before she opened the door, and by that time Sam, he was in a really bad way… he never recovered fully. Some kind of brain injury.”
“Got what he deserved if you ask me,” Quinn snarls, and there was a time I would’ve agreed with him.
“They blamed me for everything, of course. I was taken before the Dean, the rich parents demanding an explanation for the tr
agedy. I had to quit, it was spelled out for me. When I tried to tell the truth, I was called a liar, and worse.”
I shiver again, not feeling any better for telling anyone, but I wouldn’t have told anyone if it wasn’t for Quinn being so insistent.
“So I took a few month’s off, I told my dad it was just the pressure. If he knew, my god… there would’ve been a horrible mess. I waited some, then applied to do my nursing training online, going to the local hospital for the internship. Luckily I had friendly faces there… no bullies, so here I am.”
Quinn stays quiet. Brooding, I can tell. We hit bitumen again and before long the road arcs around into a small bay with a marina. A tall, multi-story condo complex looms up like a shadow, with only three top floors lit up.
“Here we are…” Quinn announces somberly, shutting off the engine and I can’t wait for him to hold me, feeling like I need to be close to him now more than ever.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Q uinn
I want to do more than just hold her and I tell her so. Hearing how cruel some people can be doesn’t surprise me, and I know Chelle can look after herself, but it still makes me mad I missed out on being there for her.
“Let’s get you inside,” I tell her, lightening the mood with a kiss and whispering where I want to pick up where we left off.
“Right where we left off…” I remind her, “I insist…” and she nods greedily. Returning my kiss and pumping me back to full attention through my jeans.
“Where are we though?” she asks as I help her step down from the truck.
“A new condo development. The top floor’s ours… for tonight anyway, and as long as you want afterwards… up to three months,” I correct myself, remembering the state of my own apartment and realizing it doesn’t matter but it’s best to have Chelle someplace way nicer.
Chelle giggles, and cranes her neck, straining to see in the darkness the full details of the building. The marina’s almost vacant, but has a few smaller boats berthed, a fenced off area has the remnants of the construction process.
“Owner’s overseas, drumming up prospective buyers,” I tell her, waving a keycard under her nose before scooping her up into my arms, making her squeal out loud in surprise.
Claiming His Reunion Obsession: An Instalove Possessive Alpha Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 162) Page 4
