As I got closer, I started to hear voices, and breathed a sigh of relief when none of them sounded like Quinn. My relief, however, was short-lived when the toe of my shoe caught on a crack in the concrete. Thanks to the basket creating an off-balanced center of gravity I started going down… fast. I let out a loud, startled squeak as I squeezed my eyes closed and braced for impact. I was fully prepared for it to hurt like a bitch — Chloe was going to owe me so huge — but a pair of strong arms wrapped around my waist, catching me mid-fall, before I could face plant.
“Lilly?”
Well, shit. I squinted one eye open and chanced a brief glance over my shoulder. “Quinn… hey. How are you?” It would have been ideal if the ground beneath me had opened up and swallowed me whole. Unfortunately, no such luck.
He gave me a bewildered look as he studied my face, and I was acutely aware that he was still holding onto me tightly, my back pinned to his firm chest. “You okay?”
I took a step away, putting pressure on his arms so he’d let go. It took him a few seconds to break the connection, but once he did, I was finally able to take a full breath. “Yeah,” I answered, as I worked to prop the heavy basket on my hip. “Just tripped carrying this damn thing.”
He blinked, as if only just noticing the abundance of pastries. Reaching out, he tagged the handle and lifted it away from me like it weighed as much as a feather. “Thanks,” I offered sheepishly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Those are from Chloe. She got busy and asked if I could drop them off.”
“Yo, Mallick!” a man called out, his voice getting closer. “Move your ass before Carpenter peeks at your hand — Hell yeah! It’s Delivery Day from the bakery? Score!”
The guy with a one-track mind for food rushed Quinn, pulling the cellophane wrapping from the basket then stuffing nearly an entire muffin in his mouth at once before realizing there was a woman present.
As soon as he did, he stopped chewing and gave me a very slow once-over. He was a handsome guy, in spite of the puffed out, chipmunk cheeks due to the muffin he had crammed in his mouth. He was about the same height and build as Quinn, but with darker features. He looked to be a few years older than Quinn, but the age didn’t detract from his good looks one bit. And he had one of those faces that you just knew he could charm his way out of anything.
His gaze went from me to Quinn, back to me, back to Quinn. “Well, hello.” He might have been going for a flirty smirk, but it was hard to tell with the mouthful of food. Either way, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Hello.”
The guy swallowed hard, his throat bobbing in an attempt to get the muffin down. I silently waited and prayed it didn’t get lodged in his throat. The last thing I needed was to be blamed for bearing the pastries that choked a firefighter to death.
Once he was finally able to speak clearly, he asked, “You the one that brought the basket of Heaven from Sinful Sweets?”
My grin widened. Yep, a total charmer. “I am. I’m on errand duty for Chloe.”
“Delivery Day is like Christmas every month. Every shift hopes they’re the ones working on that day. If I weren’t a happily married man, I’d kiss you right on the mouth.”
I giggled as Quinn glared. Extending my hand, I took a step toward Mr. Charmer. “I’m Lilly. It’s nice to meet you.”
“Tony.” He brought my hand to his lips and kissed my knuckles as he gave side-eyes to Quinn. “And believe me, the pleasure’s all mine.”
I thought I might have heard Quinn growl low in his throat, but it was probably just my imagination. I pulled my hand free and gave them both an awkward wave.
“Well, it was good seeing you. I better go.” I turned toward my car only to have Tony’s voice stop me in my tracks.
“Oh, you can’t go! We’re in the middle of a poker game right now. You should stay and join us. After all, you did just guarantee we’d be well fed the rest of the shift.”
Why was Quinn watching me like he was waiting for my reaction? And why was the fact that I could feel his eyes on me making my skin burn red?
“I couldn’t.” I started to back away, needing to get out of there, away from Quinn and my unpredictable reaction to him. “I don’t even know how to play poker. I’d just be in the way.” A lie. I knew how to play pretty damn well. On top of insisting I learn to change my own tire when I started driving, my dad also taught me how to hold my own at cards. But these guys didn’t need to know that.
Tony snorted and waved me off. “We’ll teach you. Don’t even worry about that.”
I opened my mouth to argue when Quinn finally spoke, and what he said floored me. “You should stay.”
My mouth dropped open a bit as I stared. He wanted me to stay… after a week and a half of acting like I didn’t exist. What was this guy’s deal?
“Perfect!” Tony declared, throwing his arm over my shoulders and leading me into the station through the open bay door, and squashing any hope I had of escaping. “Just stick with me, gorgeous. I’ll teach you everything you need to know.”
Well… I guess I was playing poker whether I liked it or not.
And I was going to take them for everything they had.
10
Quinn
She was a goddamned card shark. Lilly had spent the past hour and a half scamming five men that were twice her size, and didn’t even bat an eye.
And damn if that didn’t make her all the more attractive. Even with my head as messed up as it was over this girl, even though I’d been doing my best to stay away from her because of how drawn to her I was, when Tony invited her to stay, my mouth opened before I could give it any thought.
Because I wanted her to stay. Because feeling her magnificent body against mine when I caught her was enough to blow my mind. Because she was the first person in three fucking years who could make me laugh.
I was fucked.
“Son of a bitch!” Carpenter shouted, slapping his cards down on the table as Lilly scooped up her winnings with an eager smile and did a little dance in her chair. It was safe to say she was cleaning all of us out.
“Beginner’s luck?” She shrugged, giving us a look of fake innocence.
“Beginner’s luck my ass.” I chuckled. “You hustled us.”
She stacked her chips in front of her, a pleased grin tugging at the corner of her mouth. “In my defense, I tried getting out of it, but your buddy over there,” she pointed at Tony, “insisted. I didn’t have much of a choice.”
Tony glowered, his arms crossed over his chest. “Yeah? Well I take my invitation back. I don’t wanna play with you anymore.”
“Aw, poor baby.” She pouted sarcastically. It was nice to see her revert back to the snarky, joking Lilly she normally was after how uncomfortable she seemed when she’d first arrived. I knew it was my fault she felt out of place. I knew it was because I ran hot and cold constantly. But she was tougher than most women I knew and she bounced back quickly. It was just another thing about her I respected and found dangerously attractive.
Yes, the discomfort I felt in her presence originally started because she reminded me of my wife, but now it was totally different. After getting to know her, the differences between Lilly and Addison stood out like a flashing red light. And even though the two women were like night and day, I still craved Lilly’s company, her body, her spirited personality. That was why I had been trying so hard to keep my distance.
Lilly pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and gave it a quick glance. “I should probably be going anyway. I have to get ready for my next class.”
My body had a mind of its own and stood from my seat. “I’ll walk you out.”
Now having officially become one of the guys by taking all their money, she was comfortable enough to pass out good-bye hugs to my crew without giving it a second thought. That was just the kind of woman she was. And as I walked her out of the station toward her car, I couldn’t help but wonder if I’d be on the receiving end of one of those hugs… or if I�
�d be able to handle it if she did.
We walked the short distance to her car in silence, the awkward mood having returned now that we were alone. “So,” I started once we stood at her driver side door. “Thanks for bringing the food.”
She fidgeted with her purse, digging around for her keys as she said, “Yeah. Sure. You’re welcome,” and I got the distinct impression she was having trouble meeting my eyes. I opened my mouth, ready to apologize, when she suddenly spoke first. I shouldn’t have been surprised. I was quickly learning that Lilly was the type of woman who spoke what was on her mind.
“Did I do something to piss you off?”
She was so direct I was taken off guard, and it took me a second to formulate a response. “What? No, of course not.”
She gave me a speculative look, she didn’t believe me. Finally she let out a shaky sigh. “Look, I know we don’t really know each other well, but I thought… God, this sounds so stupid.” She shook her head in embarrassment but pushed on anyway. “I thought, that night we had dinner at my place, that… well, we were kind of becoming friends. Maybe I was wrong?”
My mouth opened and closed while I tried my best to come up with something to say, something that would take the pained expression off her face. I did want to be friends with her. I just didn’t have any idea how to do that. “Lilly—”
To my relief, she interrupted, because I really had no fucking clue what I was going to say. “If I misread the situation I can accept that. I’m not going to force you to be friends with me if you aren’t comfortable. It’s just…” She ran a shaky hand through her hair and swallowed. “…I could really use a friend right now. Things are really hard, and I don’t have anyone to talk to. It was just so easy to talk to you that night, like a weight was lifted off my chest, you know? I haven’t had anyone I could dump all this on. I didn’t realize how much I needed that. But if you aren’t comfortable I’d totally understa—”
Christ, she was killing me. She was so genuine about her grief that some protective instinct reared up from deep within me, having been buried in darkness since I lost Addy. It was right then that I wanted nothing more than to give her what she needed. And what she needed most was a friend. In the back of my mind I questioned why she didn’t go to Eliza with everything that was hurting her, but the knowledge that I was the only one she felt comfortable turning to felt way too fucking good. I could push my own insecurities, my own demons, back in order to provide her with that.
“Lilly,” I cut in, stopping her mid-rant, “I’d love to be your friend.”
Her eyes went wide with shock. “Wait. What?”
I grinned down at her because she was too fucking cute. “I said I want to be your friend.”
She bit into that plump bottom lip of hers and my blood started to roar. “Really?”
Friends, friends, friends, I chanted to myself. She needs a friend, asshole, and you need to get your goddamned head straight. I took a step closer, lowering my voice so the sincerity of my words would shine through. “Really.”
I barely had a chance to get the word out before she launched herself at me and squeezed my neck tighter than I thought someone her size was capable of. “Thank you.”
Those two heartfelt, whispered words made my stomach clench at the same time feeling her pressed against me made my skin tingle. Slowly, cautiously, I put my arms around her and returned the hug as she continued to whisper.
“I know I probably seem crazy right now, but that means a lot, Quinn. I really need a friend right now.”
My arms clenched at that declaration. “You need me, I’m here. Any time.”
Lilly sniffled and pulled away, rubbing the back of her hand across her cheek and alerting me to the relieved tears she’d just shed. “I should go,” she said, only this time there was no awkwardness, no uncertainty. She was leaving with a smile on her face. A smile that I managed to somehow put there. That knowledge made me feel unbelievably fucking fantastic. “I’ll see you at Sophia’s next class.”
“See you then.” I lifted my hand and waved as she climbed in the car, started it up, and backed out of the space.
Friends. I could do that.
Or at least I hoped like hell that I could.
11
Lilly
I was standing in the café downstairs, having just ordered my first coffee of the morning, when I heard the terrifying sound.
“Ms. Lilly! Ms. Lilly! Ms. Lilly!”
I spun around from the counter at Sinful Sweets with my heart in my throat at the sound of Sophia’s screams. The first thought that popped into my head was that she was hurt, the second one was that she was dying. There was no reason for a child to scream like that unless it was a life-or-death situation.
That was, until I heard Quinn’s deep, familiar voice following right after. “Jesus Christ, Sophia. What have I told you about screaming like that?”
“Sorry. I got excited.”
My wide-eyed gaze finally landed on the two of them, just coming through the door to the café. Sophia looked chastised, but not hurt, thank God, but that didn’t mean she hadn’t just taken years off my life.
“Good Lord,” I breathed, putting my hand to my chest to prevent my heart from bursting through. “I thought she was really hurt. I almost had a heart attack.”
Quinn rubbed a hand over his face, and my eyes instantly focused in on the sexy blond stubble that covered his square jaw. “I’m really sorry about that,” he said, looking around the café in embarrassment. He put his hand on Sophia’s head and ruffled her hair. “We’re working on our inside voice… but it’s slow going. Believe me, she’s taken years off my life with that scream of hers.”
I giggled as I looked down at an unapologetic Sophia. “I bet.”
“Sorry for scarin’ you, Ms. Lilly,” she stated, not sounding apologetic in the slightest. “But I saw you through the window and wanted to invite you to my birthday party!”
I turned my smile on Quinn. It had been two weeks since we agreed to be friends, and in that time, things had been great. It really was nice to have someone around to help take my mind off things. With our work schedules we didn’t see each other regularly, but we did text. And on the days he dropped off and picked up Sophia for dance class, he always hung around to chat for a while. It was nice. That connection I felt was still there, just as strong as before, but I had a friend in Quinn so I wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardize that. We were slowly getting to know each other. He was giving me exactly what I needed during a difficult time in my life, and I was eternally grateful for that.
I wasn’t going to ruin it by falling for someone who was so clearly unobtainable, no matter how much I was growing to like him.
I squatted down in front of Sophia and took the invitation from her extended hand. “A birthday party, huh? Will there be cake?”
I hadn’t thought it was possible for her to look any more excited than she already had, but clearly I was wrong. “Yep! Ms. Chloe’s makin’ me a humongous princess cake! It’s gonna be as big as our house!” She held her hands high in the air in an attempt to show how big it was going to be.
“Wow! That’s really big.”
“Uh huh. And I’ll even let you have two pieces!”
I forced my eyes to go wide, mimicking her exuberance. “Two pieces? Well, then I have to come. I wouldn’t miss your birthday for the world, Little Miss. Even if I was only getting one piece of cake.”
She squealed loud enough to burst my ear drum before launching herself into me and wrapping her arms around my neck. “Yay! It’s gonna be so fun! I can’t wait!”
I looped my arms around her and stood up, keeping her tiny body propped on my hip for support. In the weeks Sophia had been in my class, I’d grown to adore the little girl. Her exuberance was infectious. She was so generous with her affection that it was impossible not to fall for her. “I can’t wait either, sweetie.”
She offered me up a smile that would have made her look exactly like h
er dad if his own smiles ever reached his eyes. I could almost picture Quinn’s full-fledged grin in my head, and it caused a pain to shoot through my chest. I would kill to see a smile like that from him.
“Great,” Quinn spoke up, pulling my and Sophia’s attention in his direction. “Then we’ll see you this weekend?”
“Absolutely.”
He smiled… and it came so close to reaching his eyes that I was suddenly determined to make it happen one day soon. “All right, Angel. It’s time for school.” He reached his arms out and Sophia all but threw herself at him. Man, seeing him with her really was dangerous to the female population.
“Bye, Ms. Lilly!” Sophia shouted, as Quinn carried her toward the door.
“By, honey.” I waved, as Quinn turned to look over his shoulder, shooting me a wink before disappearing outside and out of sight.
A wink. It was quick, there and gone in the blink of an eye. But damn if that one simple wink wasn’t potent as hell.
Friends. You’re just friends, my brain screamed.
If only my body would get on board.
* * *
As I made my way to Quinn’s front door, my palms grew clammy. My fingers tightened around Sophia’s present, the wrapping paper crinkling under my touch as I held tighter to not drop it. I wasn’t sure why I was nervous, but there was no denying I was. I told myself that it was because of all the cars lining the street in front of his house; the loud sounds of the party coming from his back yard. I told myself it was because I wasn’t a huge fan of crowds since I’d always been somewhat of a loner. But I knew that wasn’t it.
For some reason the thought of seeing Quinn totally in his element, surrounded by family and friends, left me feeling off-balance. Normally our interactions took place in or around my dance school. That was my territory. Today, right now, I was firmly in his. And without Eliza, or even Ethan, here the only friend in attendance was Quinn.
Welcome to Pembrooke: the complete Pembrooke series Page 47
