Captured: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)
Page 11
Any skepticism I had about how I looked took a back seat to the flip my stomach did when I heard the doorbell ring. I hurriedly slipped on my peep-toe black heels and grabbed my clutch from the dresser, tossing in my lip gloss among the other items.
“Wish me luck.” I rushed from the room only to return and pull a sweater from the closet in case it got chilly. I had no idea where he was taking me, and I wanted to be prepared.
“If you think I’m not saying hello to Mr. Moody, you’re crazy.” Avery followed me down the steps and toward the front door.
“Please don’t call him that.”
“Why? He is. Or he was until your little hangout last week.”
With my fingers on the handle, I looked back at her. “Don’t embarrass me.”
She made a face, looking as innocent as could be, but I knew better. Something was going to come flying out of her mouth the moment she saw him. I just hoped it wasn’t too mortifying. Avery was known for speaking her mind, no matter what.
A soft rap on the door pushed me to open it, coming face to face with Nolan. The sight of him literally took my breath away, and I feared I stared too long to be polite. My mouth suddenly went dry, and the muscle in my chest thundered faster.
He was dressed in black slacks and a cream sweater, the fabric stretching over his toned muscles, his broad shoulders looking like they could carry the weight of the world. His dark hair was purposefully tousled, and I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through the thickness.
When his heated gaze landed on mine, I finally found my voice. “Hi,” I greeted, gifting him a smile of appreciation. The man was drop-dead gorgeous, looking even better than the last time I saw him, which now seemed like forever ago.
“Hi.” His eyes ran the length of me. “Wow! You look amazing.” His lips parted as he stared, but rather than feel unsure as I had in my bedroom, I felt sexy.
“Thank you. So do you.”
Avery appeared at my side, perusing him like I’d just done. “You clean up nice, Nolan.”
“Thanks.” A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “Nice to see you again.”
“How come you haven’t been in for a drink?”
“Avery.” I said her name in warning.
“Just been busy,” he replied.
“Uh-huh.”
I pushed my sister to the side. “You can go now.”
Before I made it out the door, though, she managed to whisper in my ear, “You better fuck him. All of womankind is counting on it.”
A burst of unexpected laughter erupted from the hollow of my throat as I shoved her further away from me. She started to say something else, but I closed the door behind me before she could let loose.
“Why did you laugh?” Nolan walked me toward his SUV, his hand resting on the small of my back.
“Just Avery being Avery.”
“Ah,” he responded, drawing out the two-letter syllable. A few steps later, he opened the passenger door for me, his free hand brushing against mine. “You really do look fantastic, Quinn. I’m not so sure I want to take you out in public, though. I might want to keep this vision all to myself.”
“Aren’t you sweet.” Our eyes held for a moment before I took the leap and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. He didn’t freeze up or back away, which was a good sign. Careful not to flash him a view of my underwear, I slid into my seat and buckled the belt. The click of the door meant I had only seconds to compose myself.
When he finally joined me, he turned to face me, resting his arm on the console. My chest rose and fell, the warmth in his stare stealing my breath before I seized it back to fill my lungs.
At first, neither of us uttered a word, allowing the silence to act as the unspoken conversation. Normally, this type of engagement would make me self-conscious, wondering if I had something on my face or pondering if I was making any weird expressions. But not now. I could sit here all night and stare at this man. Every movement intrigued me, from him licking his lips after he glanced at mine to the slight flare of his nostrils right before he swallowed.
“I made reservations at Russo’s,” he uttered. “I hope that’s okay.”
I watched his mouth move, heard him speak, but his words never registered. It wasn’t until he smirked and reached over to touch my knee that I came out of the trance I was trapped in.
“What?” My voice was breathy.
His smile widened. “I asked if you were okay going to Russo’s.”
“Oh.” Reel it in, woman. “Yes, of course.” Russo’s was a fancy steakhouse. And by fancy… I meant expensive. Fifty-dollar steaks and thirty-dollar chicken. And nothing came with the meals. The entire menu was à la carte. “You’re pulling out the big guns, aren’t you?” I hadn’t meant to, but my eyes veered toward his lap before landing straight ahead.
“Something tells me you’re worth it.”
“I won’t disagree.” He chuckled at my response as I nestled into my seat, the leather molding around my body. “I almost bought this exact vehicle.”
“Oh yeah? Why didn’t you?”
“Because it was a toss-up between this and the Audi. It’s just me, so buying an SUV kind of seemed pointless.”
“It’s only me and I have one.” There was a hint of something in his voice when he answered that I couldn’t pinpoint.
“Do you ever miss driving a car?”
“I do drive a car. A squad car.” He turned the volume on the radio down. “We have SUVs as well, but I mainly take the Charger when I’m on duty.”
“Those are nice, when they’re not flashing their lights at me from behind.”
“No one likes to see that.”
“Do you ever get pulled over?”
“I have. But I haven’t gotten a ticket since I joined the force.”
“That’s not fair.” I faux pouted.
“To be truthful, it only happened twice, and both times I was caught speeding was because I was en route to the station, called in for reinforcement.”
“Oh, I guess that’s excusable, then.”
“How about you? How many times have you been stopped?”
“This year?”
“This year?” he parroted. “I meant ever. Do you get pulled over that much?”
“No. I don’t even know why I said that. The time you got me was only my second time ever. And it was the first time I ever got a ticket.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I wanted to handle it for you.”
“When I got home, I bitched to Avery about what an ass you were.” His knuckles tightened around the wheel. “But I might have also mentioned that you were above average in the looks department as well as sexy.”
“Really?” His amusement made me smile.
“Possibly.”
He gasped, but I knew he was only teasing me. I parted my lips to speak again but my phone rang. I let it go to voicemail, refusing to let anyone interrupt the flow of our conversation.
“Don’t you need to see who that is?”
“I know who it is.”
“Your ex?”
“Do you have a partner?” I hoped by switching the subject, he’d take the hint that discussing Todd was the last thing I wanted to do on our date. Thankfully, the diversion worked.
“I did years ago, but he and his family moved to Seattle. I didn’t want another one. Some of the other officers come with me to assist sometimes, and vice versa depending on the nature of the call, but I typically ride solo.”
“Doesn’t that get lonely?” I couldn’t imagine being alone most of the time. I think I’d go out of my mind with boredom.
“Not for me. I like it that way. Or at least I did.”
I didn’t know exactly what he meant by that, but I had a good feeling it was directed at me.
22
Nolan
“You’re telling me that you’ve never tried cheesecake?” Quinn’s voice was filled with astonishment, and I found the entire conversation about desserts amusing.
“It’s not just cheese and cake mixed together.”
“Then what is it?”
“Um… I don’t know exactly, but it’s not just that.” Using her fork, she sliced off a piece of her dessert and stabbed at a fallen strawberry before lifting everything to her lips. “It’s so good,” she mumbled, her hand coming to rest over her mouth as she chewed.
“I’ll take your word for it.” I wasn’t a big sweets guy, so I didn’t order anything for after my meal, but I encouraged her to get what she wanted, watching her eyeing up the cart as the waiter rolled it to the table behind us.
Dinner had been delicious, but it was our conversation I enjoyed even more. Tonight was the first time in as long as I could remember that I didn’t want to second-guess myself or drown in a sea of doubt. I wanted to live in the moment, enjoy the brief happiness that dueled with the armor around my heart. Being with Quinn was effortless, and I wanted to harness her laughter so I could hear it anytime I wanted. I loved the way her eyebrow would jut upward whenever she thought intently about an answer or the way her teeth toyed with her lip when she was unsure, deciding on dessert a perfect example.
“Are you sure you don’t want something? I feel bad wolfing this down in front of you.”
“Do you?”
There goes that brow again.
“Nope,” she answered, another piece of cheesecake disappearing into her mouth. After two more bites, she pushed the plate away from her and leaned back. “That was the best meal I think I’ve ever had. Although, don’t tell my mom because she’d never let me live it down.”
“Your mom is a good cook, then?”
“Very. She makes the best parmesan chicken casserole.” She shifted in her seat. “It was my brother’s favorite.”
“Was?”
Quinn was quiet for a moment, the smile she’d worn seconds ago vanishing. “He passed away.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” I took a moment before speaking again. “Do you want to talk about it?” She shook her head and briefly closed her eyes. I knew that look. I’d worn it harder and more times than I could count. Reaching across the table, I placed my hand on top of hers, and when she looked at me, I saw the sorrow she carried inside for her sibling. “I’m here if you want to.” I had no idea what I was thinking, offering to listen to someone talk about their pain of losing a loved one. I had enough to deal with on my own. But it was Quinn, and if I could alleviate any sadness from her heart, I’d do so gladly, time and time again.
“How about you? I know you have a brother. Any other siblings?”
“No, just the two of us. Our parents died when we were young, so we’re literally all we have.”
“Oh.” She fiddled with her steak knife, accidentally clinking it off the side of her plate. “At least you have each other.”
“Is your dad still alive?”
“Yes.” She smiled at the question. “I just saw him last week.” As quickly as the corners of her mouth lifted, they fell. There was something she wanted to say, but she didn’t part her lips again.
Our waiter approached the table a moment later, resting the billfold on the edge. I pointed at the other half of her dessert that she failed to finish. “Do you want to take that home?”
“No. It was delicious, but if I take it home, I’m only going to eat it.”
“Yeah, that’s the point.” Pulling some cash from my wallet, I inserted it inside, then closed the holder, motioning to our server I was ready to pay.
“I think you should take it home and try it.”
“Not going to happen.”
“Even if I say please?” I shook my head. “What if I fed it to you?” The image of Quinn sitting close enough to feed me a piece of the cheesecake was enticing, but still, I had to refuse. “Still no.”
“Fine. But one day, I’m going to convince you to eat a piece of one.”
“We’ll see about that.” Why did I find myself excited about being urged to try something I didn’t want to? Because any talk of a future with Quinn made me happy.
As we sat there, long after we’d finished eating, we talked about our jobs in a bit more detail. She told me about some of her cases, and I told her what I typically did during a shift. The minutes drifted away, our conversation flowing, our comfortability with each other easy and effortless. It was only when we received an annoyed look from our server that I knew it was time we left.
“I decided to take your advice,” she said, walking next to me as we weaved through a small group of people waiting to be seated. I held the door for her, and she walked a few steps ahead of me.
“About what?”
“Finally talking to my ex.” I had no right to feel jealous, but I did. When I told her to stop avoiding his calls, I had no idea how much I’d grow to like her, or how often I’d think about her. And now it seemed that the possibility existed that once she talked to him, some of her feelings for him might resurface.
“I don’t remember telling you any such thing.”
She stopped to look at me, initially baffled until she saw the tiny smirk on my face. “You were right, though. He’s not going to stop until I speak to him.”
“And what are you going to tell him?” I clenched my lips shut because I feared something inappropriate might come flying out of my mouth.
“What do you think I’m going to tell him?” Her answering my question with one of her own irritated me, but I worked hard not to show it. Was she purposely avoiding answering, buying time to come up with a response she thought I wanted to hear? All I wanted was the truth.
“I don’t know.”
We stood next to my Jeep, her leaning against the passenger door, and even though the sun had dipped below the horizon a while ago, the illumination of the streetlights set a glow upon her face, allowing me to see her frown.
“I haven’t avoided him for three months just to play hard to get. I can’t trust him anymore, which means there’s no future.”
“Do you still have feelings for him?” I shoved my hands into my pockets, my feet spread a distance apart.
She sighed, looking to the ground before meeting my eyes again. “I was with him for four years, Nolan. He’s not a bad guy. He just messed up.”
“By fucking someone else.” She flinched at my harsh words.
“I know what he did.” Her tone was filled with a mixture of hurt and anger, and if I had to guess, some of it was directed at me.
“So?” A brief pause ensued. “Do you still have feelings for him?”
“I don’t love him, but I don’t hate him. Not anymore, at least.”
There we stood, several feet from each other, yet it felt like miles. I didn’t like talking about her ex, but it was only fair to her that we discuss him, if the resolution meant he’d stop contacting her.
I stepped toward her and reached for her hand, gently pulling her closer. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you like that. God knows I have my own shit to deal with. It’s just that I like you a lot, and I want to see where this goes without anyone else interfering. But I understand that you have to close that part of your life.”
“Thank you.” Her feet shifted and she looked unsure as to what to do next, as did I. “I really like you too.”
Her admission caused me to smile again for the hundredth time tonight. I could certainly get used to this feeling.
Kiss her. Kiss her. My brain screamed at me to make a move, but I stood there frozen instead. She watched me intently, grinning as if she understood my internal battle. But how could she? She didn’t know about what happened; therefore, she could never grasp why I was so guarded. Why I hesitated with her.
Quinn squeezed my hand, drawing me out of my head. “I guess we should go.”
“Right.” I stepped back, our hands slipping from the other, and opened her door. She t
ucked herself inside without another word, and the walk around the back of my vehicle gave me time to compose myself before I joined her.
The ride back to her house was silent, except for the low volume of the radio. Every once in a while, we’d catch each other’s eye and smile, but as far as conversation, there was none. My heart thrashed inside my chest when I finally pulled into her driveway, and the walk to her front porch was even more nerve-racking. I froze up the last time she kissed me. Would I again?
Her attention bounced from me to the keys in her hand and back again. “Thank you for dinner. I had a great time.”
“Me too.” I stood there like a dumbstruck fool, willing myself to take a chance, to go for it and live in the moment. Seconds passed and still nothing, until she turned to the side to put her key in the door. It was now or never. “Quinn.” Her name came out so low I was surprised I’d gotten her attention. When I crowded her space, she had to look up at me. “Can I kiss you?”
“Yes.”
She leaned up on her tiptoes to meet me halfway, and in that split second before our lips met, I released a breath of uncertainty, and of reservation. I wanted this moment between us to be liberated from all the emotional baggage that had weighed me down over the years.
I wanted to be free.
23
Quinn
From the moment he pulled into my driveway, all I kept thinking about was whether he was going to kiss me. Scratch that, from the second I laid eyes on him on my porch earlier, I wondered if he would take that step.
When he asked for permission, my answer was immediate. No hesitation. In fact, I had to restrain myself so I didn’t steal his moment. What I really wanted to do was ravage him, jump up and wrap my legs around his waist and coax him into my house. But if I dared to be so forward, I was sure he’d run back toward his Jeep and take off. Or maybe he wouldn’t. Maybe he wanted me to be aggressive, so he didn’t have to be. So many thoughts rambled through my horny brain I couldn’t keep track, but the first contact of his lips on mine washed everything away.