by Lynn Stevens
“It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me, Em,” he said softly. “We don’t really know each other that well.”
“No, it’s not that…” I really felt like a selfish ass. “You’ve been through … This just feels insignificant. What’s bothering me, I mean.”
“If it’s bothering you, it is significant.” Quinn turned toward the flower bed, shoving the shovel into the solid dirt. “Everything in life has significance. Take this dirt, for example. It’s hard and packed, seemingly lifeless. But you dig in, you let it breathe, and then it flourishes. You leave it alone, and it just gets harder and harder.”
There was a meaning in there somewhere, but I wasn’t seeing it. “And?”
Quinn’s mouth quirked into a sad smile. “If you let whatever’s bothering you just sit there,” he said, pointing to my chest, “then it will grow hard until the weight becomes so unbearable you want to curl up and let it take over your life. Nothing is insignificant.”
I let my mind wrap around what he’d just said. It was intense, but Quinn was intense. I closed the short distance between us and kissed his cheek. His rough skin burned beneath my lips. “Thank you.”
He smiled, and it made him look so much younger. His bright blue eyes lit up. I sat on the short retaining wall and dug my fingers into the dry dirt. The further I dug, the dirt grew more pliable and damper.
“Father Rossi misses having flowers. He says they’re welcoming for the parishioners and add color to an old building.” Quinn pushed his shovel down and twisted it, churning up the soil underneath.
“Did I ever tell you I was writing for the school’s newspaper?” I asked, letting the soil fall through my fingers.
Quinn shook his head and kept working.
“Last spring, I found out my boyfriend was cheating on his papers.” I shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal, but it was. Quinn was right. This had been festering inside me for way too long. I just hadn’t realized how long until now. “He was also paying people to take his tests when they were in the computer lab instead of in class. I was pissed, but I didn’t want to rock the boat. Still, I dug deeper until I found out some of the lacrosse team was in on it.”
“Didn’t they just win a national championship?” Quinn asked. He leaned the shovel against the wall and wiped the sweat away from his forehead. Dirt smeared across his cheek.
“Yep. If anyone found out, the school would lose the championship and face heavy fines, especially if the coaches knew about it.” I stood and brushed the dirt from his face. Quinn smiled, and I returned it. Then I started pacing a small path on the sidewalk. “I kept digging even though I knew it would probably be the end of my relationship with Colin.”
“Colin? The guy who hit you?” Quinn’s entire body tensed as he stopped opening the bag of mulch.
“The very same.” I held up my hand to stop him from saying anything else. The festering knot was loosening, and I wanted to be free of it completely. “I pitched the story to Max, my editor. He told me to get enough proof, or it would sink me and the paper. He wasn’t about to accuse the dean’s son of cheating without enough to back it up. I was building my story when I walked in on Colin with another girl doing the horizontal tango.”
Quinn raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t say a word.
“A few days later, I managed to find the guy who sold the papers to some of the team and arranged for other students to take tests. He made a ton of money off these guys, but he was more than willing to flip after I told him he could go to jail for it.” I let a malicious smile fill my face. “I highly doubt that would’ve happened or if it was even possible, but this guy was finishing his graduate degree and in the process of selling his business. The last thing he wanted was to lose out on money and get a potential criminal record.”
Quinn lifted the mulch and carried it to the other side of the stairs. The flower beds on that side had already been churned and planted with red, yellow, and blue flowers. I had no clue what they were called, but they were beautiful.
“Anyway, the semester was ending, so I had very little time to get anywhere. Once classes let out, the guy disappeared without giving me any of the information he’d promised. His business went into the wind, too. I worked all summer trying to find him. If I did, he pretended I had the wrong person. But I kept digging. Colin found out and, well, that’s how we met.”
Quinn finished spreading the mulch in the bed and stood. “But there’s more.”
“I overheard and recorded a couple of the girlfriends of the players talking about writing papers. I played it for Max. He deleted it and claimed it was to protect me.”
“Did you back it up?”
“Duh.”
Quin smiled. “If you believe in this as much as I think you do, write the story and find someone to publish it.” He shrugged and tossed the empty mulch bag in a nearby trash can. “Or publish it yourself on a blog.”
Why hadn’t I thought of that? The possibilities were pretty endless. And the local paper would love to break a scandal like this. What one wouldn’t? I felt myself bounce on my feet before I did a pirouette. Quinn chuckled beside me. I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him chastely on the lips. His fingers dug into my hips.
Our lips met again, and the kiss turned from sweet innocence into something far hotter and much more dangerous. Especially out in the open.
Quinn pulled back and pressed his forehead to mine. “So about that second date. Friday?”
“Or tonight?” I bit my lower lip. That was a little forthcoming, even for me.
“I have class until nine.” He sighed and stepped back.
“And I’ll be in the library until at least eleven, if not later. I’ve got a paper to write for Madame Gutherie.” Which I’d totally forgotten about. I also hadn’t been into the studio on my own lately. And hadn’t thought much about it. “I’m usually on the second floor in a corner, but I can sit at one of the larger tables. Maybe it’s not a date, date, but it can be a study date.”
“I’d like that.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead. “I have to get back to work.”
“Oh.” That little syllable held a world of disappointment. I didn’t want to leave, but he was right. He had a job to do. And I really needed to log at least an hour in the studio before Madame decided to flunk me on a whim. “I should get back to campus.”
Quinn touched my cheek. “I’ll find you in the library.”
I smiled and nodded. I’d make it easy to be found. Quinn was worth it. He was kind when others would be cold. He legitimately cared for other people. It was rare these days from what I’d seen. There were so many others on campus who would’ve just stared when they saw Colin hit me. Or would turn their backs on a homeless vet. Quinn was not that type of person. He had faith in humanity, which I envied.
He had a heart, and he was willing to share it with everyone. With me. And I wanted to earn his love and respect. I wanted to curl up in his arms on a couch and watch TV. I wanted to wake up next to him on a rainy day and not get out of bed for hours. I wanted to know every inch of him.
I bounced back to campus on a cloud of joy, excitement, and determination. Studying never looked so enticing.
Chapter Eight
By the time Quinn found me that night, I’d already drafted my paper for Madame. My body was sore from spending two hours at the studio, working on my parts for the ballet. Ceci joined me after an hour, and we pushed each other to the edge of exhaustion. She was still there when I left.
We sat together, not talking, and yet I was fully aware of his presence. It was hard to concentrate, but I managed to do a little digging into some of the lacrosse players’ backgrounds. Okay, I stalked their social media pages. A lot of them didn’t come from money, but they partied like they all had an overflow of cash. I wondered if I’d stumbled onto something bigger than cheating.
I stretched my arms high above my head and yawned. It was almost eleven. Between staring at the computer and my sore muscles, I was exhaus
ted.
“Tired?” Quinn asked, yawning himself.
“I’m not the only one,” I said, poking his side. “You wanna get out of here?”
“Yeah, I should get home. I have to get up at six. Father Rossi wants his flowers in before Sunday.” Quinn stood and shoved his books into his bag. “I’ll walk you home.”
“You could come up for a bit,” I said, heat rising to my cheeks faster than cheetah on prey. “If you want. I’m not going to bed right away. I’ll probably watch a movie or something.”
“What about your roommate? Won’t she be sleeping?” Quinn asked as he put his backpack over his shoulder.
“Delilah actually went home for the weekend. It’s her mom’s fiftieth birthday party.” I would’ve sworn my cheeks were on fire.
Quinn nodded, but he didn’t agree. I took that as a sign he really didn’t want to come up to my room. We walked toward the elevators, our hands brushing against each other’s. I wanted to reach for his, but I wasn’t sure if he even wanted to touch me. He’d never flat out rejected any move on my part.
We’d only been dating a week. Neither one of us had said anything about being exclusive. Neither one of us had made a move past the few passionate kisses. God, what if I’d made a huge mistake? What if he thought I wanted to have sex?
The elevator doors dinged open. We stepped in together. My heart hammered in my chest. I was terrified I’d screwed this up already. Then something clicked. Something deep inside me screamed “you’re being an idiot” at the highest decibel. None of those stupid fears made a lick of sense.
Swallowing the fear, I let my finger caress his hand. Quinn responded the same. Then my hand made its way into his and squeezed. The elevator doors closed, and Quinn turned to face me. His gaze sent shivers down my body. I lifted on my toes, all hesitation gone, and kissed him gently.
A growl rumbled in his chest. My mind went blank, and all I sensed was his presence. All I wanted was to feel him everywhere. The elevator lurched to a stop, sending us slamming into the wall. Dazed, I stared at Quinn, then I started laughing. Laughing seemed wildly inappropriate, but our hesitation was so silly. Thankfully, he joined in, and when the doors finally opened, Quinn put his arms around my shoulders and led me out of the building.
“That was intense,” he whispered against my temple before kissing it.
“In a good way or a bad way?”
“Definitely in a good way.” He squeezed my shoulders, tugging me gently against him, then his body tensed.
“Emerald?” Colin’s voice grated against my skin. He stepped into view with two of his cronies behind him. His arms flexed as he crossed his arms over his chest. The typical intimidation stance. He nodded at Quinn. “Who’s this?”
“I’m the guy who made sure she had medical attention after you punched her in the face,” Quinn’s voice darkened and took on an air of authority I hadn’t heard from him yet.
Colin smirked. “You must be imagining things, bro. I was with my boys when somebody hurt her.”
“I saw you,” Quinn said firmly. “And I’m not your bro.”
Colin’s friends stepped forward, forming a solid wall in front of us. I shook my head. This was too much testosterone and too much posturing.
“No? Then you’re gonna be my—”
“Oh, just shut up, Colin,” I snapped. I was so over his attitude. “Whatever Quinn and I are doing is none of your business. Leave us alone, okay?”
Colin’s cold gaze shifted to me. “Hey, Em, I heard Max fired you from the school paper today. Too bad. Guess you’ll never finish your story.”
“Where’d you hear that?” Quinn asked before I could even wrap my head around what Colin had said.
“I’m not talking to you, Quasimodo. Why don’t you take your fucked up face somewhere else?”
Quinn did the last thing I expected, he laughed. It wasn’t funny, but he laughed like it was the silliest thing he’d ever heard. Honestly, I thought he was going to beat Colin down a notch or ten.
“That’s the best you can do?” Quinn’s chest shook. The underlining tension wound him even tighter.
“Oh, hey, Colin,” a perky voice chirped behind us. Colin and I turned as Erin strolled around us toward Colin and his crew. “There you are, baby.”
Colin scooped her against his chest and kissed her soundly, but his gaze was on me the entire time. I didn’t think Quinn could be wound any tighter, but his body turned to marble beside me.
“Now we know how he found out I quit the paper,” I said under my breath. Louder, I added, “Hey, Erin, good to see you. I didn’t know you and Colin were an item.”
She broke away from him and glanced at me over her shoulder, her long brown ponytail hung to her knees. “Hi! I didn’t see you there.”
I snorted to myself.
“Max told me you quit today. Sorry, you’re gone.”
No, you’re not. I faked a smile and nodded. “Good luck with the features.” I glanced up at Quinn. “We should go.”
Quinn nodded and pressed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“It was good to see you, Erin,” I said as Quinn and I stepped around the group. We’d just gotten around them when I said to Quinn, “Don’t look back, okay? He’s got a big enough ego that he’ll take that as you wanting to rumble.”
“Rumble? Did you really just make a reference to professional wrestling?” Quinn’s voice strained to be more lighthearted, but I could still feel his strained muscles.
“I did, and I will continue to do so. I love wrestling.” I did what I could to ease his tension even more by keeping it light.
“A woman after my own heart,” he whispered.
I stopped him and put my hand over his heart. “I plan on catching it, Quinn, and keeping it for as long as you’ll let me.”
He stared into my eyes, and the intensity of our kiss in the elevator returned. I waited for a response, any response. He slid his hand behind my neck and tilted my head back. When he kissed me, it was slow and commanding. I opened up to him, letting him taste every inch of me. He broke the kiss, much to my dismay, and put his forehead against mine.
“You already have it,” he whispered. “For as long as you want me, you’ve got me.”
I pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “Ditto.”
Quinn smiled, and we walked back to my dorm. When we got inside, Quinn settled on the couch and fell asleep as I made a cup of tea. I turned on the TV and sat beside him. Somehow, I lost track of time and of consciousness. I woke early the next morning, half on Quinn and half on the couch. His arm tightened around me.
The only thing I could think was how much I wanted to wake up every day like this.
Chapter Nine
It was weird not turning anything into Max on Friday. Sure, I wasn’t a journalism major or anything, but I was a good reporter and a decent writer. Sniffing out and researching a story was just fun for me. Delilah wasn’t coming back until Sunday, and I had the entire suite to myself. It was quiet, but a little lonely. Taking advantage of the peace, I made tea and settled into the coach. I still had a few hours before I had to be at rehearsal, and for once, I wasn’t rushing to get anything done.
I opened my laptop that afternoon and pulled up the school’s news website.
Then I spit out the Earl Grey I was drinking.
Dangerous Homeless Shelter in Walking Distance of Campus was the headline. My heart raced, and I immediately grabbed my phone to text Quinn. Then I thought better of it. I needed to read it first.
And it was terrible. Not only was it inaccurate, it was also hatemongering at its finest. Erin’s story focused on crime statistics for the city, then blamed it on the homeless problem in Florida. She created fake lines to bridge the gap. There was nothing to substantiate her claims. There was no connection, but it was written as if pure fact.
I smelled Max’s revisions all over it.
My phone rang after I finished reading it a second time.
“You wrote this?” Quinn�
�s voice strained with anger on the other end. “How could you write this?”
“What’re you talking about? I didn’t write anything,” I said as I scrolled to the top of the page. There it was in bold print. Max gave me the byline.
“You said he gave that other girl the story, Emerald.”
I cringed at the way he said my name.
“What was the story before? Did you just use me to get close to the shelter? Is that why you were so nice about it? About everything?”
“What? No!” I took a deep breath before I started hyperventilating. “I can email it to you. Everything I had written and outlined about the shelter. It had nothing to do with the school or any bogus crime statistics.”
He didn’t talk for a long time, and I knew, deep down I knew, he was gone. I’d lost him. And I’d done nothing. My chest ached as if I’d been crying for three days straight, and I hadn’t shed a single tear.
“I thought you were different,” he whispered. “I thought there was a chance.”
“Please don’t do this, Quinn.” The bottom dropped out on me. “I didn’t write it. I had nothing to do with it. You have to believe me.”
“Goodbye, Emerald.” His voice cracked on my name. Then he was gone.
I set my phone on the couch beside me and sunk further into it. This wasn’t my fault. Not one iota. I’d only come up with the idea of writing a piece on the shelter. My goal was to enlighten the community about the homeless, not start a revolution against them.
A tear slid down my cheek. Then another.
This wasn’t fair at all. Quinn was supposed to have my back. He was my boyfriend. Or I thought he was. Hell, I’d thought we were so much more in such a short period of time. I was pretty sure I was falling in love with him. Just standing next to him made me happy all the time, and safe. When Colin had confronted us the other night, I knew Quinn wasn’t going to leave my side. And I knew I wasn’t going to leave his. We were already a united front. How could he believe I’d do this to him?
