by Laura Farr
After using the facilities, I washed my hands and fluffed my curls in the mirror before heading back out to the restaurant. As I neared our table I could see a waitress talking to Brody. Jealousy bubbled in my stomach as she flicked her long dark hair over her shoulder. Resting her hand on his arm, she was obviously flirting with him. Brody looked a little uncomfortable and moved his arm out of her reach. Looking past the waitress, he smiled when his eyes landed on mine. Smiling back, I watched as the waitress turned to see where he was looking. The smile slipped from her face when she saw me. As I neared the table she scurried away, and I sat down opposite him.
“You know I don’t have anyone to call, don’t you?” I picked the phone up off the table and pressed the home button. As the screen lit up, I burst out laughing and held the phone up for him to see. “I take it you did this?” I asked him, referring to the picture of his smiling face on the screen.
He nodded, a grin forming on his face. “I figured you needed a picture as your background. I thought that was a good one.” Looking down at the picture, I noticed he was wearing the same dark blue shirt he had on now.
“Did you take this while I was in the bathroom?”
“Yep. And you do have people to call. I’ve saved Savannah and Libby’s numbers in your contacts.” He picked up his drink and took a swig.
“Thank you. I really do appreciate everything you’ve done for me.”
“There’s no need to thank me, Quinn. Like I said, the phone is ranch policy.” He winked at me and grinned. I shook my head at him, smiling back.
The food arrived shortly after, the flirty waitress being the one to bring it to us. I noticed that while she tried to flirt with Brody, she barely acknowledged me. Brody took no notice of her though. I smiled sweetly at her as she looked over at me before flouncing off. Maybe not everyone in Marble Falls was as friendly as I first thought.
“This is delicious, Brody,” I said through a mouthful of steak.
He nodded. “It really is. We’ll definitely have to come here again.” Excitement bubbled in my stomach at the thought of another date with him.
“Do you want dessert?” he asked after we’d finished eating and the plates were cleared away. “I thought we’d go to the ice cream parlor in Marble Falls if you do. They do the best hot fudge ice cream sundae.”
“Mmmmm that sounds good,” I moaned. “I love hot fudge.”
“Come on then, let’s get out of here.” He paid the bill, and we walked outside to the truck.
“Thank you for bringing me here. I’ve had a great night.” I linked my arm through his as we walked to where the truck was parked.
“You’re welcome. I’ve had a great time too.” He put his hand over mine and squeezed. “It’s not over yet though. Let’s go and eat ice cream.”
Quinn
We drove the twenty minutes or so back to Marble Falls, parking outside Pete’s Ice cream parlor. Looking through the window as I climbed out of the truck, I could see it looked like a 1950s diner inside. Plush leather booths filled the floor space, with the counter and ice cream fridges on the back wall. As we entered, a man behind the counter called out to Brody.“Nice to see you, Brody. Come in, come in.”
“Hey, Pete,” he called out, waving to the middle-aged man behind the counter. “Let’s sit there,” he suggested, motioning to a booth in the back corner. Walking over, he let me sit down first and I slid across the leather seat to sit by the wall. Brody followed me into the booth, passing me a menu as he sat next to me. I took the menu off him and looked down at the pictures of all the sundaes they served.
“Oh my God, these look amazing! Are you having the hot fudge one?”
He nodded. “I’ve tried them all. It’s definitely the best.”
“Okay,” I said, laughing. “I’ll have the same then.” Putting the menu back into its holder on the table, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye. He didn’t look like he ate loads of ice cream. I’d seen him without his shirt on and there wasn’t an ounce of fat on him. I guess working on the ranch kept him in shape. He’d rolled the sleeves up on his shirt and his tanned forearms looked so sexy. I never knew forearms could be sexy, but they definitely were on him. Dragging my eyes away before he caught me staring, I looked around. Nearly every booth was taken. It was obvious from the amount of people in here that it was popular.
“I’ll go order at the counter,” he said standing up. “They’re busy tonight.” I nodded as I watched him cross the room, my eyes glued to his perfect ass. Everything about him was perfect. Even though I hadn’t known him long, I knew I was falling for him. How could I not when he looked so good and had been so nice to me?
I’d had the odd boyfriend in high school before Mom had gotten sick, but nothing serious. Certainly no one had made my stomach flutter and my heart race when they’d smiled at me like Brody did. It was just typical that I was at a shitty time in my life where falling in love wasn’t really an option. I had no idea how long I could stay in Marble Falls. I was sure Evan would be looking for me. Although he had no idea where I’d gone, I knew my safest option was to keep moving on. Falling for Brody would only complicate things, making it even harder to leave.
After Brody had returned from ordering, we only had to wait a few minutes until our sundaes arrived. My eyes went wide as the waitress put mine in front of me. It was enormous. “Brody, this is huge! We could have shared.”
“Nu-huh,” he mumbled around a mouthful of ice cream. Swallowing what was in his mouth he tried again. “Oh no! I can’t share. If you can’t eat all yours, I’ll finish it off.” I stared at him, my mouth open.
“You’re going to eat yours and half of mine?” I looked at him in disbelief. “How can you look as hot as you do, if you can pack away that much ice cream?” He turned his head, his face erupting into a smile.
“You think I’m hot?” he asked cockily. Realizing what I’d said, I felt my face heat up with embarrassment. Deciding not to answer him, I took a huge mouthful of ice cream and pretended I’d not heard him. He continued to stare at me and eventually I turned to look at him, raising my eyebrows in question.
“Sorry, what?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t say it,” he teased, bumping my shoulder with his. “You think I’m hot.”
I burst out laughing. “I think you might have brain freeze.” I grinned at him before turning to continue eating my ice cream. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his face light up with a smile and my stomach fluttered with nervous excitement. He bent his head level with mine and brushed his lips against my cheek.
“I think you’re pretty hot too,” he whispered into my ear, his hot breath on my skin making me shiver. He moved back into his seat and carried on eating his ice cream. My heart pounded in my chest and I swear the whole ice cream parlor could hear it.
We ate the rest of our sundaes in comfortable silence. When I was so stuffed I couldn’t manage another mouthful, I pushed my bowl along the table, offering it to him. He was more than willing to help me finish it and quickly devoured what was left. “Are you ready to go?” he asked, turning in the booth to face me. I nodded, a little disappointed that the date was coming to an end. As we got up, he reached for my hand, enveloping my small hand in his. Looking up at him he smiled. “Come on, let’s go.” We walked hand in hand to his truck, where he led me to the passenger side, holding the door open as I climbed in. Coming around the truck, he slid into the driver's seat. Sitting with his hands on the steering wheel, he looked over at me.
“Do you want to go somewhere else? I’m not sure I’m ready to go home just yet.”
Loving he felt the way I did about the date ending, I nodded. “Can we go to the Brass Hall? Savannah and Libby were telling me about it earlier at the spa.”
“Sure. It’s just up the road. Come on, we can leave the truck here.” Jumping out, he came and held my door open for me. Reaching for my hand again we walked a short distance down the road. I had no idea what time it was, but it was dark, and
the road was illuminated by streetlights. “Here we are.” He gestured with his free hand to a large building across the street. There was a small gathering of people outside, waiting to go in.
“It looks busy.”
“Yeah, it’s pretty popular. It’s really the only place in the town with live music and a dance floor.” Walking across the road we joined the line. “We shouldn’t have to wait long to get in.” There were all ages of people waiting to get in and I guessed it was a place that appealed to everyone. Standing still in the line next to Brody, I realized how cold it was, and I shivered.
“Hey, are you cold?” he asked, slipping his hand from mine. Moving to stand in front of me, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me against him. I found my arms involuntarily wrapping around his back and I turned my head resting it on his chest. My ear was pressed against his chest and I could hear his heart racing. I smiled, knowing he was as affected by being this close to me as I was to him. “Better?” he muttered into my hair. I raised my head and nodded before snuggling back into his hard chest.
Not wanting to step out of his embrace, I hoped the line would move slowly so I could stay like this all night. Unfortunately, after a few minutes the people in front of us had gone in. Brody pulled out of the embrace and reached for my hand again. After paying the entry fee and having my hand stamped, which left a large UNDER 21 stamp on my hand, we were finally inside. Loud music reverberated around the darkened room which was packed with people. Brody had been right when he’d said it was a popular place. The large dance floor was full of men and women dancing and the tables around the edge full of people drinking and having fun.
Stopping at the bar, Brody turned to face me. Leaning in close he shouted. “What do you want to drink?”
“Just a Coke, please,” I replied, standing close to him while he waited to be served. His hand never dropped mine as he ordered and passed me my drink.
“Let’s see if we can find a table.” I nodded, following him as he led us away from the bar and past the dance floor. Spying a table, I tugged gently on his hand and he stopped and turned to face me. “You okay?” I nodded and pointed to the free table. Following with his eyes to where I was pointing, he nodded and made his way to the table. Dropping my hand, he placed his drink on the table and pulled a stool out for me.
“It’s great in here,” I shouted after he’d sat down. He nodded and moved his stool closer to mine so we could hear each other.
“Once Savannah’s had the baby, we’ll have to all come out. She and Lib love to come here and dance.”
“I’d love that. I’ve never been anywhere like this. There were bars and clubs in Westwood, but with all that happened I never had the chance to go.” Taking a sip of my drink, I looked around, loving to people watch. With the music playing, I found myself dancing in my chair and I heard Brody chuckle.
“Do you want to dance?” he asked with a smile.
“Can we?” I had no idea if Brody danced. He’d mentioned Savannah and Libby dancing but not himself.
“Of course. Come on.” He jumped off the stool and finished his drink. I drank what I had left before standing up. Grabbing his hand, I tugged him across the room and onto the dance floor. It was busy, and I had to push my way through people to reach a gap in the middle. Dropping Brody’s hand, I began to dance, moving my body to the music. My hands went in the air and I closed my eyes. Sensing someone coming up close behind me, I felt arms wrap around my waist and I was gently pulled back onto a hard body. Recognizing Brody’s aftershave, I relaxed into his embrace, my head dropping back onto his shoulder.
We danced like that for the rest of the song before a slower one came on. Turning me in his embrace his arms tightened around my waist. I reached up, linking my arms around his neck. “Having fun?” he shouted in my ear. I nodded.
“Best birthday ever,” I told him, repeating my words from last night. He chuckled and held me even closer to him, my head resting on his chest. After a minute or so I raised my head and our eyes locked. Moving one of his arms from around my waist, his fingers brushed my cheek before his hand cupped my face.
“You are so beautiful, Quinn. You have no idea,” he muttered, his words just loud enough for me to hear over the noise of the bar. Tilting my head, his eyes dropped to my lips, and I felt my stomach erupt with butterflies. Lowering his head, he gently brushed his lips against mine. He pulled back slightly as if seeking permission and I found myself winding my hands into his hair and pulling his head back toward me. This time his lips met mine for longer and I closed my eyes, barely able to believe he was actually kissing me. His tongue swept over my bottom lip and I parted them, moaning as I felt his tongue push into my mouth. All the sounds of the bar disappeared leaving the pounding of my heart all that I could hear. He was kissing me like we were the only two people in the room and at that moment we were. Nothing and nobody else existed but us, and it was the most perfect kiss I’d ever had.
Deepening the kiss, his hand moved from my face and tangled into my hair. His other hand held me tightly to his body and I could feel the effect our kiss was having on him. Moving his lips from mine, he brushed soft kisses along my jaw and down my neck. My head dropped to the side, and I tugged on his hair, never wanting him to stop. As the song came to an end, his lips found mine again, and he kissed me softly before resting his forehead on mine.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the hospital,” he said, lifting his head.
“Me too,” I confessed. “It’s complicated though, Brody.” I dropped my head, figuring there was no point letting him think anything could happen between us. I felt his hand on my face, and his fingers lifted my chin so that I was looking at him.
“Quinn, I know you’re running from something, but you’re safe here in Marble Falls.” He paused, his eyes locked on mine. “You’re safe with me. I won’t let anything happen to you. I promise.”
Sighing, I tried to take a step back from him, but he held me close. “You don’t know that, Brody. You can’t promise to keep me safe. I have no idea how dangerous Evan and the people he’s involved with are. If he finds me… we’re all in danger. I can’t let him find me. I need to keep moving.” Kissing me gently on the head, he wrapped both arms around me and held me tightly.
“You can tell me everything tomorrow. We’ll figure it out.” He sounded confident, but I couldn’t see a way of figuring it out. If Evan found me it was game over.
Brody
Pushing my lips into her hair, I sighed. Hearing her talk of leaving made my heart ache. I might not have been looking for a relationship, but now that she was here, in my arms, it just felt right. She felt right. Even though she was wary of getting involved, for me it was too late. I’d somehow become all in with just one kiss. I knew now that I’d gotten her, I wasn’t going to be letting go anytime soon.
As much as I hadn’t wanted to admit it, I’d felt a connection with her as soon as I’d pulled her from the stables. She might think she needed to keep running, but what she needed was to be with me. I would keep her safe. Whatever it took.
The music had changed to a more upbeat song, but we were still wrapped up in each other, every other person in the bar fading away. All I could see was her. After a few more minutes, I felt her let out a sigh, and I moved back slightly so I could see her face. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, she wound her arms around my neck, her hands finding their way into my hair. “Will you kiss me again? Make me forget?” Her voice was so low I could barely hear her.
Cupping her face again, my thumb gently stroked her cheek. Not needing to be asked twice, I lowered my head and pressed my lips to hers. She pulled on my hair and I deepened the kiss, snaking my tongue into her mouth. She let out a moan as our tongues collided. Her moan was a direct line to my cock which was now straining against the zipper of my pants. Moving one of my hands to her ass, I pushed her body closer to mine, and I knew she could feel the effect she was having on me. I wanted to pick her up and carry her straight home
to my bed. I knew Quinn was special though, and something told me she wasn’t ready for that just yet.
After dancing for a few more songs, we fought our way off the dance floor. “Another drink?” I called over my shoulder as we cleared the crowds.
“Yes, please. A Coke would be great.” I squeezed her hand and set off for the bar.
“Hey,” she said, pulling on my hand. “Why don’t I find a table while you go to the
bar?”
I shook my head and frowned at her. “No, stay with me.” I tucked her into my side, my arm slipping around her waist. There was no way I was letting her walk around the bar on her own. Not in that dress. She looked incredible and I wouldn’t be the only one to think that. There would be all sorts of jerks trying to hit on her. She nodded, and we made our way to the bar.
Once we’d been served, we looked for a table. The table we’d sat at earlier was now taken and we had to go almost to the back of the room to find somewhere to sit. There were some leather loveseats tucked away in a corner, and thankfully one was free. Placing our drinks on the small table next to the loveseat, I sat down, pulling on Quinn’s hand. Giggling she fell onto my lap. “Having fun, sweetheart?” I muttered into her ear, my lips brushing a kiss against her neck.
“Mmmmm,” she mumbled as my lips continued to graze her neck.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Her dress had ridden up slightly and I found my fingers stroking her thigh. She tilted her head, her face lighting up in a smile.
