Wasted Love Boxed Set: Second Chance Romance Parts 1-3

by Charles, Colleen

  “You are a definite and welcome distraction, but that’s not it.” I paused inside the foyer and put my purse and the manila folder on the hallway table. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Sure.”

  We walked into the kitchen and I rummaged through the refrigerator for some appropriate beverages. While I didn’t want to get lit up before the big day tomorrow, I desired something alcoholic to take the edge off. Moving plates of food around, I spotted a six-pack of Blue Moon. I felt Quinn pressing up against my body. The shear spandex of my pink dress a paltry barrier to the heat.

  “You sure have a lot of food in there.”

  “It’s all the wedding stuff. Where there is a wedding or a funeral there is always massive amounts of food,” I said. “You should know that by now. It’s a southern thing.” I handed him a beer.

  “Do I get the orange slice too?” Quinn asked.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Do you need an orange slice?”

  “It does make a nice accouterment.” I wasn’t sure which I liked better, his sexy voice spitting sass or the smirk tugging the corners of his lush lips.

  “McBee’s Bar is down the road if you want accouterments,” I countered, handing him the can. “But I can pop the top for you as a reasonable accommodation.”

  Quinn laughed before popping the top himself and taking a long swig. He raised his beer. “This will do. When we’re alone, I’ll take a different reasonable accommodation.”

  “Excellent choice.” I opened my own beer and walked through the French doors that led to the backyard. We settled in on the porch swing. The evening was as perfect as it gets. Warm with a slight breeze, no clouds in the sky, and plenty of stars to gaze at.

  “So what’s on your mind?” he asked. “Did something happen since you came home that I should know.”

  “No, before I even left. Albertson wants to hire me,” I blurted out.

  “My boss?” Quinn turned to look at me. “He offered you a job?”

  “I accepted already.”

  “Wow,” Quinn said and pushed off with his feet to set the swing in motion again. The gentle sway calmed my frayed nerves. “When did this happen?”

  “The day we closed on the deal.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “That’s what’s in the package I delivered to you? Your new employment contract?”

  “I haven’t looked but you could be right,” I admitted.

  Staring into his beer bottle Quinn asked, “Why did you wait to tell me?”

  “Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I was going to go through with it and sign on the dotted line,” I said as I placed a hand on his knee. “So much was still up in the air. About Griffin. About us. I still haven’t told my boss.”

  “Are you sure that’s all?” he asked, staring at my hand touching him.

  “I wanted to see how things turned out for us,” I admitted. “I think we can both agree that failed office romances are uncomfortable for everyone involved.”

  “What would you be doing for Albertson?”

  My heart started pounding. Damn the fragile male ego. I’d known in advance the conversation would veer in this direction.

  “Your job is safe if that’s what you’re worried about.” I bumped his shoulder with mine.

  “I guess so, unless you got your law degree overnight. You have been pretty busy lately. Did you succumb to the midnight infomercial where you can purchase a degree for a couple hundred bucks?” Quinn bumped me back. “Seriously, what role will you have with the company?”

  “Albertson asked that I take over sales and development,” I explained. “He wants to retire soon.”

  “It was my understanding that Cassie would take over,” Quinn countered.

  “He said she is just there to get a husband and a paycheck.”

  Quinn laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” He paused for a moment. “So, you’re going to take the job?”

  “I think so,” I said. “He offered me a sweet deal.”

  “How sweet?”

  He knew I couldn’t divulge the particulars. He was a lawyer for the love of God. “Enough to make me say yes.”

  Quinn whistled. “Albertson must really like you. I’m not sure I like it. I’m used to being the heir apparent at my firm.”

  “What’s there not to like?” I lifted up my hands. “I can be a golden child, too, you know, Andrews.”

  “I guess I can’t blame him. I kinda like you too.”

  “Kinda?” I pursed my lips into a fake pout and batted my eyelashes in his direction.

  “You’re growing on me.”

  I nuzzled up against him. “Well, I kinda like you too.”

  Quinn put his arm around my shoulder, pulling me closer. I bent my head toward him and pressed my lips against his for a moment.

  “Ashton,” Quinn touched my cheek gently. “You have no idea how much you mean to me. I have something to confess to you. No more lies between us. Ever.”

  I sat up straighter. “What?”

  “It wasn’t by accident that you were given the task of coming to Destin to broker that deal with Albertson. It was a year of wheeling and dealing in the making before you were involved.”

  “What do you mean?” I asked, heart pounding. Had he manipulated Henri into sending me to Destin?

  “Like I’ve told you, I’ve kept tabs on your career. When I heard through the grapevine that your boss was looking for new development in the Destin area, I had Albertson call him and offer the hotel. Albertson had been toying around with selling that building for years. The final feather in his cap. It was a long shot, but he agreed to do it. We called Henri and gave him first right of refusal to buy the hotel. It was a lot of hard work to orchestrate, but in the end it was worth it. Because I got to see you and throw my pathetic self on your infinite mercy.”

  I sucked in a breath. “This is a lot to take in. Hmm …” For once I was totally speechless. After a moment I said, “Why? Why would you go through all this trouble?”

  Quinn drained the rest of his beer and set it down. “I told you I messed up back then. We were basically kids. I kinda freaked out because I’d just had sex with my best friend’s younger sister. A virgin. Plus I wasn’t sure what to do with all these crazy feelings that I was having about you. Then Griffin put me through the ringer with the drug charges …”

  I put a comforting hand on his knee. “I’m sorry about that.”

  Quinn shrugged. “I’ve grown up and I just felt compelled to go back and clean up the mess I left. I’ve learned how to handle conflicts and manage a relationship. I promise you that I won’t screw things up again. When I say you mean the world to me, that you’re the most important thing in my life, I’m being honest. I want to take care of you. I want to hold you in my arms and comfort you.”

  Quinn slid up his sleeves to reveal a threaded blue and yellow bracelet. My eyes squinted in puzzlement. I ran my finger over the soft fabric. It was a friendship bracelet, one that I had given him when I was thirteen. Quinn had spent the night at our house with Griffin and I gave it to him while we were watching Jurassic Park.

  Tears welled up in my eyes. “I - I can’t believe you still have that. Why did you keep it all these years?”

  “Ashton, you’ve always been a part of my life. Even though we’ve been apart for ten years there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of you. Regret you. When I got the gift of a second chance, I knew I needed you to be a permanent part of it,” he whispered softly. “You are the one woman who has been in my heart for over fifteen years. I’m not going to let you get away from me again.”

  “I can’t believe this.” It was the only thing I could think to say.

  Quinn had jumped through a hoop of fire in order to see me again. Make amends. He still wore the bracelet I’d made him in middle school when all I could think of was his thick hair and dimpled smile. He drove all the way to Atlanta to make sure that I knew how much he cared for me. He even extended the olive branch to my
undeserving brother when he didn’t have to.

  “I can’t believe you still have this,” I said again, fingering the string in a tender caress.

  Quinn shrugged. “I’ve always worn it. This bracelet was the only piece of you I had, and I didn’t want to let it out of my sight. Now I just want to know what it will take to have you in my life permanently. It’s been my lucky charm.”

  I didn’t have a reason to stall on accepting the job and moving to Destin. I loved him. I always had and I couldn’t let fear hold me back for another minute. I scooted into his lap.

  “I guess you should know that I’ve been crushing on you longer than ten years.” I kissed him again. There was nothing left to discuss. “Shall we go somewhere more comfortable? Like my bedroom?”

  Quinn picked me up as I wrapped my legs around his waist. “I don’t think I’ll be able to make it upstairs.”

  I pointed to a large lounger that overlooked our in-ground pool. “No one will be home for a while. Let’s go over there. I’ve always fantasized about making love under a blanket of stars. Make my dream come true, Andrews. Seal the deal.”

  I unzipped my dress and shrugged out of it while Quinn yanked off his own clothes. We discarded everything into one big pile in the grass before climbing into the lounger.

  I patted the cushion. “Come here. I don’t like waiting.”

  He leaned up and gave me a steamy kiss as I climbed on top of him. I was already wet for him and had been since we’d slid into the swing. Quinn had that effect on me. He had a level of hotness that shouldn’t be legal.

  Not wanting to delay another second, I lowered myself onto him, breathless as his cock filled me. “You feel so good,” I said.

  His fingers dug into my hips. I moved against him, setting the rhythm for us. I could get used to this being on top thing.

  Faster.

  Harder.

  As I hurtled toward release, I slowed down the pace. A pressure built up and the stars in the sky were nothing to the stars behind my eyes. It felt fantastic.

  “You’re so amazing,” Quinn gasped. “So hot. So tight for me.”

  Quinn reached between our bodies and pressed against my clit. I pulled my fingers through his hair and screamed Quinn’s name as I came, waves of pleasure flooding my convulsing body. Quinn climaxed with me, his cock pulsing with his release as we collapsed in a sweaty heap.

  “Does this mean you’re moving to Destin?” he asked, voice low and sexy.

  “If that’s where you’re going to be,” I whispered, pressing my lips to his in a soft kiss.

  I wanted to take the job and move to the beach. Start a new life, a new beginning. My brow knitted together in thought.

  “What?” he asked.

  “Let’s get a place together,” I suggested. “Someplace that can be all ours.”

  “I’d like to do that,” he whispered into my ear and bussed a kiss to my temple. “As long as I’m with you, I’ll go anywhere.”

  “Do you really mean that?”

  “Of course I do.” Quinn kissed me on the lips to seal our agreement.

  Chapter 3

  Quinn

  Since returning to Florida after the wedding, I hadn’t even had time to unpack my suitcase or get settled back into my normal routine. Albertson had me busy working on new projects and closing out old business. He was preparing the company for Ashton’s surprise arrival and everyone on staff could feel that changes loomed ahead. However, this morning I had to get Nanna ready for her doctor’s appointment and this wasn’t going to be an easy one.

  “Nanna, we need to get going if we’re going to make your appointment on time.”

  Getting my grandmother anywhere on time required a lot of patience and sometimes some bribing. The memory loss was getting worse by the day, and she didn’t like to leave her house for any reason.

  Today’s doctor appointment was an important one. We would be making the decision on whether or not we should place Nanna in a special Alzheimer’s residence where she would receive around the clock care and the aid of experienced healthcare professionals with specialized Alzheimer’s training. The home was geared toward patients with memory loss and it had a high retention rate.

  I had resisted this change for months now because it made me nauseous. What kind of traitor put their beloved grandmother in a home no matter how nice? I really wanted Nanna to stay in her own home for as long as possible. I had lived with her for so long that I felt guilty for putting her in someone else’s hands.

  My parents had finally convinced me that it was for the best but when had they ever known the best for anyone, like me? After the wedding, my mother had a long talk with me about how it was time for me to live my own life. I wouldn’t be able to do that and care for Nanna. With my budding relationship with Ashton, and our future plans to move in together, I felt it was time to find an appropriate place for Nanna. But that didn’t mean I had to like it.

  “I don’t know why we have to go to that doctor again. Your dad doesn’t like the nurses. They also hurt him when drawing blood. Am I getting my blood drawn again? You know how much I hate needles.” My Nanna put her cardigan around her frail shoulders. “And it’s always so cold at that office. Why do they have to keep the exam rooms cold like a meat locker?”

  This was my Nanna’s way of stalling. She would start complaining and throwing a fit if she didn’t want to go to a certain destination. It was going to take some cajoling to get her in the car so we could be on our way.

  “This is just a medical checkup Nanna,” I soothed. “No one is going to stick you with a needle. I promise.”

  She looked at me through narrowed eyes and clucked her tongue.

  “We’ll go to Olive Garden afterwards.” I bribed her with her favorite place to eat lunch. Bread sticks and the endless salad bowl.

  “Last time I ate there it gave me heartburn,” she muttered while grabbing her purse.

  “Where do you want to eat?” I asked. Anything to get her in the car and on our way. “Your choice and my treat.”

  “Ed’s Diner. They have the best cheeseburgers. And a chocolate shake with extra whipped cream. And a cherry. It’s not the same without a cherry.”

  “Nanna, we can’t go to Ed’s,” I said in a calm tone. “Remember? They closed down after the hurricane.”

  She closed her eyes and shook her head in frustration. This is what she did when she couldn’t remember particular things. Ed’s Deli had been a favorite place to dine when my grandfather was alive. It had been closed for eight years. This was going to be a doozy of a day.

  “Hurricane? Why we haven’t had storm in a long time,” Nanna argued, opening her eyes.

  “We’ll talk about it in the car. We have plenty of time to decide where to eat.”

  After I got Nanna situated in the car, we headed for the doctor’s office. Summer in this coastal town was already in full swing. It didn’t matter what time of the day it was, the main highway was always congested. As we came to a red light, I decided to get off the highway and take the back roads to the doctor’s office. When I was halfway into the turn, I saw a landscaping truck in my peripheral vision. It was barreling through the light heading straight toward our car and there was nowhere to go.

  Crash!

  The steering wheel jerked out of my hands.

  Crunching metal, breaking glass, and screams filled my ears. Before I lost consciousness the last thing I saw through my swollen eyes was my grandmother’s face covered in blood.

  * * *

  “I think he’s waking up,” a voice said quietly.

  I tried to open my eyes, but even a sliver of light hurt my head too much. I felt a hand on mine. More quiet voices in the background. What the hell had happened? And why was my head hurting so bad? My whole body felt numb. Like I’d been hit by a truck. Then I remembered. I had been hit by a truck.

  “I’ll get the doctor,” another voice said.

  “Doctor?” I tried to speak. The dryness scratched my
throat in the attempt. “Where - am?”

  “It’s okay, honey.” A soft hand stroked mine. A familiar voice tickled my ear. “You’re going to be okay,” the voice soothed. “The doctor is coming.”

  “Mom?”

  “Yes, sweetheart. I’m here.” More quite voices and the shuffle of bodies.

  I closed my eyes and let the warmth take me back under. Sometime later, a deep, male voice woke me.

  “Quinn? This is Doctor McNulty. Can you open your eyes for me?” This time a strong, commanding tone.

  My eyes felt gritty like sandpaper had scrubbed my eyeballs clean. I tried opening them. My vision was blurry. I blinked several times.

  “That’s good. Very good.”

  More murmuring voices.

  “Where…” I couldn’t get all the words out. My throat was on fire.

  “You’ve been in accident, honey,” my mother’s voice came through again. “But you’re going to be okay.”

  “Accident?” I tried to focus on my mother’s voice.

  “Yes, you’re at Sacred Heart Hospital. You’re going to be okay,” she said in a reassuring voice. “You’re going to be okay, honey.”

  My whole body ached. My head hurt. I felt a weird sensation in my lower half of my body.

  I faded out again. Too much. Too much too soon.

  Chapter 4

  Ashton

  I willed the car to go faster.

  “Can we hurry?” I asked the taxi driver again.

  “Not unless you want to pay the speeding ticket lady,” he shot back in a gruff tone.

  “Buddy, you think I care about a speeding ticket?” I argued. “Whatever it takes. My boyfriend is in the hospital and I need to get to him as soon as possible.

  “If I go any faster we both may end up in the hospital too. We’ll be there in ten minutes tops,” he assured me. “Calm the hell down.”

  I laid my head back and allowed my eyes to flutter closed for a few seconds. When Quinn’s mom had called and said he’d been in an accident, I had been at work. Quinn had been driving his grandmother to an appointment earlier in the day. Mrs. Andrews had explained that a commercial truck sideswiped the Mercedes. His grandmother didn’t make it. She had passed within a couple of hours after the accident. Quinn was still in and out of consciousness and in critical care.