Was he trying to frighten her? When she looked at him, she only saw resolve. Concern. "Okay," she said slowly. "I'll wait inside."
"Thank you." He tapped his notebook back into his pocket. "I'll see you in a few hours."
"Yes," she said. She watched him walk toward the elevator, and noticed that the two nurses behind the counter were watching him, too. She couldn't blame them – Quinn was a hot guy. But a tiny flare of jealousy burst up inside her. No one but her got to look at Quinn like that.
Whoa! What was going on here? She wasn't the jealous, possessive type. If a guy wanted to be with another woman, she let him go. Yeah, sometimes it stung a little. But better knowing sooner rather than later that a guy had a roving eye.
Quinn hadn't looked back at the two nurses. He'd just kept walking. But Tessa wanted to scratch their eyes out. Wow.
"Who was that guy, Tessa?" Carole, one of the nurses, sidled over to her when she sat down at her desk. "He's smokin’."
"He's a Detective with the Chicago Police Department." Tessa felt her face redden. "He was here about a case."
"Involving you?" Carole's eyes were bright with curiosity.
"The detective asked me not to talk about it," Tessa said.
Carole's mouth fell open. "Tessa! Was it something awful? Something like..."
Tessa interrupted. "I'm not talking about it Carole. Okay?"
"I'm sorry, honey." Carole squeezed her shoulder. "But if you ever want to talk, I'm here."
"Thanks," Tessa said softly. The other nurse stood next to her for a beat too long, as if hoping Tessa would break and spill the details. When Tessa began typing again, Carole moved away.
It was hard to ignore the whispers of her co-workers. She could feel their gazes burning into her. When she looked up, they moved apart quickly, looking away.
Maybe she shouldn't have let Quinn come here to question Kyle. Maybe she should have just let it go.
But Kyle had frightened her last night. It felt as if he was escalating. Pushing harder. Less willing to hear 'no'.
At least now he knew that someone was watching. That Quinn would be back if he pushed too far.
Ignoring the speculative glances shooting her way from her coworkers, Tessa checked the clock and stood to make the rounds of her patients. She had another three hours to get through tonight. The time would go by much more quickly if she kept busy.
***
Tessa made it off the floor by 11:10. As the elevator doors closed in front of her, she slumped against the wall. Tough night. Kyle had come back about an hour after Quinn left. He'd glared at her, but he hadn't said a word.
She hadn't seen Dr. Hunter again.
Now she was meeting Quinn, and that thought put everything else out of her head. She could enjoy his company, enjoy spending time with him. Enjoy making love with him. They'd make each other forget this awkward, uncomfortable night.
Standing in the vestibule between the inner and outer doors, watching for Quinn's car, she checked her phone to make sure he hadn't texted her. No. So he would be here soon.
"Waiting for someone, Tessa?"
Oh, God. Kyle. Without turning around, she said, "As a matter of fact, I am."
"So, you sent a detective after me."
She gripped the push bar on the door. "He asked for a list of the men I work with, and I gave it to him. Your name was one of them."
"So how come he only talked to me?"
She spun around to face him. "For God's sake, Kyle. He didn't just talk to you." And thank God Quinn had been smart enough to see the need for that. "He talked to Dr. Hunter. And he wanted to talk to Dietrich and Glover and Jessup, but they weren't on tonight."
"Hey." He put his hands up. "Fine. Sorry." He sighed and rubbed a hand across his face. "I get ticked off sometimes."
"Yeah, I noticed. Have you, ah, talked to anyone about that?"
He scowled. "Like a shrink?"
"A therapist. They can be very helpful. I know from personal experience."
"You've been to a shrink?"
"Yes." After Brian died, she'd known she had to see someone. "Think about it."
Quinn's car pulled up to the curb and she pushed the door open. But before she could step out, Kyle grabbed the door, trapping her in the vestibule. "That's who you were waiting for? The cop?" His fingers turned white on the door. "You did sic him on me."
"I told you, Kyle, he's talking to everyone I work with."
"Are you fucking him? Is that what this is about?"
She shoved past him. "This conversation is over." Quinn had spotted her and Kyle and was half out of his car. She motioned him back and yanked open the passenger door.
"Was he hassling you again?"
Quinn's voice was dark. Angry. She glanced over at him, surprised. "No more than usual."
"If he doesn't lay off, I'll have another talk with him."
"That's pretty caveman, Quinn." She should be appalled, but part of her was thrilled. He wanted to protect her.
Instead of pulling out of the parking lot, he leaned closer to her. "I'm not going to let anyone hurt you, Tessa. Not the guy who broke into your apartment, not a loser like Kyle Nolan, not an asshole like Jonathon Hunter. Okay?"
Wow. "Not all the guys I work with are jerks." It was the only thing she could think to say.
"The ones I've met are." He held her gaze for a moment, then eased back into his seat and shifted into gear. "You're m...important to me, Tessa. And I take care of the people I care about."
"I can take care of myself, Quinn."
"Yeah, I know you can. You're one of the strongest women I know. But I'm not going to stand back while someone hurts you." He shrugged. "Sorry, babe, but I can't do that."
Babe? "I'll let you know when I need help."
He maneuvered through the parking lot and turned onto the street. "Not going to wait for you to ask." He held up a hand as she started to speak. "Non-negotiable. Hot wired into my DNA."
Tessa flopped against her seat. "I don't want to fight about this."
"We're not fighting. We're discussing."
He sounded so reasonable. So sure of himself. And she was uncharacteristically confused about it. In the past, she would have walked away from a guy with such a...a macho attitude. In Quinn, it was reassuring. Comforting. It made her feel safe. Cared about. "Okay, I don't want to discuss it right now." Not until she figured out how she felt about it.
"Good, because there's nothing to discuss." He glanced over at her. "So I'm guessing from your attitude that we won't have a repeat performance with the scarves and handcuffs tonight."
She burst out laughing. "Tonight might not be the best time. Besides, don't you think it's a little soon for a repeat performance?"
"Hell, no. That was the hottest thing I've ever seen. Or done."
"Really?" She slid her hand onto his leg and caressed his inner thigh. "Anything else that pushes your buttons?"
"With you, Tessa, everything does." He put his hand over hers. "But I do have some ideas."
***
A week and a half later, Tessa clutched a bottle of wine in one sweaty hand and clung to Quinn with the other as they headed up the sidewalk to a dark brick Chicago bungalow in the Beverly neighborhood. Her heart was pounding so hard she was certain Quinn could hear it.
"Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe it's too soon. We've only been seeing each other for a few weeks," she said, knowing she was babbling. "Maybe next month would be better."
"You can come again next month," Quinn said, squeezing her hand. He stopped at the foot of the stairs. "Are you nervous, Tessa?"
"Of course I'm nervous! I'm meeting your entire family! Including your mother. All at once." She let go of his hand and wiped her sweaty palm down the skirt of her sundress. "Wouldn't you be nervous if you were meeting my parents and four siblings?"
"I guess I would." He tugged her close and gave her a hard, quick kiss. "But they're going to love you." He bent his head and kissed her again, a softer,
gentler one this time. "Don't tell them what you did with my handcuffs last night, though. Not sure I would ever live that down."
She sucked in a breath. "Don't even joke about that."
"Not joking," he assured her. "Serious as sin."
"Which is what we were doing with the handcuffs," she muttered.
"Smart ass." He laughed. "And that's why they're going to love you." He squeezed her hand again. "Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
He tugged her up the cement steps and opened the front door. "Hey, Ma," he yelled. "Your favorite son is here."
"The rest of my favorites are already here," a woman called from the back of the house. Something metallic clattered on a stove, then a short, slender woman with wavy dark hair hurried through the dining room and into the living room. "Quinn." She enveloped him in a hug, and Quinn wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on the top of her head.
Then he drew away. "Mom, this is Tessa Porter. Tessa, my mother, Rose Donovan."
Tessa shifted the wine to her left hand, wiped her palm and held it out. "Very nice to meet you, Mrs. Donovan."
Rose ignored her outstretched hand and pulled her into an embrace. "Tessa. So glad you could come with Quinn." She stepped back, studied Tessa with a smile. "And please, call me Rose. Mrs. Donovan was my mother-in-law." She wrinkled her nose. "Not a pleasant woman."
"Okay," Tessa said faintly. Rose had the same blue eyes as Quinn and one of the kindest smiles she'd ever seen. "Thank you for inviting me for dinner."
Rose grinned. "My kids know their friends are always welcome. And I should be thanking you for coming. Meeting four siblings, a mother, aunt and uncle at the same time has to be daunting."
Tessa's shoulders relaxed a little. "A little. But Quinn assured me everyone would be on their best behavior."
Rose laughed. "And you believed that smooth talker?"
“Mom. Who invited Helen and Jamie?” He scowled. “Who are not my aunt and uncle, for God’s sake.”
“Technically, they are,” Rose said. “Helen is my sister, even though she’s only a few years older than Mac. And they just stopped by.”
“Stopped by, my ass,” Quinn muttered.
“I heard that.” Rose pulled her son's head down and planted a kiss on his cheek, then smiled at Tessa. "Come on back and meet the rest of my family." She spotted the bottle of wine that Tessa was still awkwardly holding and took it from her. "This is for us, I assume." She studied the label. "Very nice. Thank you, Tessa." She handed the bottle to Quinn. "Why don't you make yourself useful and open that for us?"
Then she tucked her arm through Tessa's and led her toward the kitchen. A young woman with wavy dark hair curling below her shoulders burst through the kitchen door before they made it all the way into the next room. "Sorry. I waited as long as I could, but you guys were taking too long." She held out her hand and made no pretense about studying Tessa. "I'm Mia, Quinn's sister."
"I'm Tessa," she answered cautiously. Would Quinn's sister, who looked like a younger version of Rose, be all protective about her older brother? "Good to meet you, Mia."
"Thank God there's another woman here besides me and Mom and Helen. We're usually way outnumbered." She pulled Tessa away from Rose. "I don't know what Quinn's told you about us, but probably none of it's true. We're perfectly nice people."
Tessa couldn't stop the bubble of laughter that snuck out. "Actually, he didn't say much."
"Probably didn't want to scare you off." As she walked into the kitchen, a guy who looked just like Quinn was sneaking a piece of noodle from a pan of lasagna on the stove-top. Mia slapped his hand away. "God, Connor. Act like you've been allowed in public before."
"Geez, Mia." He snatched another piece. "Watch the hands."
He caught a glimpse of Tessa behind his sister. "You must be Tessa. Welcome. I'm Connor. That one's," he jerked his thumb at Quinn, "evil twin."
"Hi," Tessa said, her gaze traveling between Quinn and Connor. "I bet you two had a lot of fun with the whole twin thing when you were kids."
"When we were kids?" Connor grinned, and it was spooky how much like Quinn he looked. "Lots of fun around the precinct."
"You work together?" Tessa laughed. "I can just imagine how interesting that must be."
"Yeah, the rookies love the two of them," Mia said dryly.
"Just doing our part to build their character." Connor grabbed another noodle, dodged Mia and pushed through the back door. "Mac and Bren are in the yard with Helen and Jamie."
"Overwhelmed yet?" Mia asked Tessa with a grin.
"Getting there," she answered.
"Then let's finish the job. Come meet our oldest brother, Mr. Straight and Narrow, and our youngest brother, the wild man. At least Helen and Jamie are normal."
With a glance over her shoulder at Quinn, standing in the doorway to the dining room, Tessa followed Mia outside.
Chapter 17
Quinn saw the tension in Tessa's shoulders, the nerves she was trying to hide, but she smiled at Mia and followed his sister outside. Maybe he'd been wrong to push her to come here. Maybe the Donovans were better digested one by one, rather than swallowing the whole family in one gulp.
He glared at Connor. "Behave yourself. I don't want you to scare her off."
"She that much of a wimp?"
Quinn narrowed his eyes. "I can still kick your ass with one hand tied behind my back."
"You think so, big brother?"
"I know so."
His mother shoved her way between her twins. "Stop it right now. Both of you. Connor, I raised you better than that." She pointed a finger at him. "Torment your brother all you like, but leave his girlfriend alone. At least until she has a chance to get to know us."
Rose turned to Quinn. "I don't think you have to worry about Tessa. She looks like she can handle it."
"Of course she can handle it. But she's an only child. She's not used to big families who rag on each other all the time. She said she always wanted a big family, and I don't want to squash her illusions a half-hour after she walked in the door."
"Jeez, Q," Connor muttered. "What is this, serious or something?"
"What it is, is none of your business." Quinn glared at his twin. Connor's mouth twitched.
Connor slapped him on the back. "Okay, lover boy. I'll be good. She'll see nothing but sweetness and light from me."
"She'd better not." Quinn blew out a breath and unclenched his fists. What was wrong with him? He rarely fought with Connor. Usually, the two of them were united against Mac. "Maybe I'm a little touchy," he said.
"You think?" Connor glanced at his mother, then pushed Quinn toward the door. "Let's go make sure Mac and Brendan are behaving themselves."
They let the door to the screen porch close behind them, but Conner grabbed Quinn's arm before they headed to the yard. "What's going on, Q? Are you serious about her?"
Quinn stared at Tessa through the screen. The breeze lifted her red hair from her shoulders and teased it around her face. Laughing at something Mia said, Tessa tucked a curl behind her ear and nudged his sister's shoulder with her own. Her green sundress fluttered around her legs, and Quinn wanted to sweep her into his arms and never let her go.
"Not sure what's going on, Con. It's kind of scary, actually."
"You going to be the first Donovan to take the fall?"
Quinn shrugged. "We're casual. No promises, no commitments. I mean, come on. It's been three friggin' weeks."
"Mom said she knew the minute she laid eyes on Dad."
Quinn had known, too, but he was trying not to think about that. He didn't want to send Tessa running for the hills. "Mom's a romantic."
"Seemed to work out for her."
"Yeah, it did." Quinn poked his elbow into his twin's side. "Let's go make sure Brendan isn't scaring her off. And that Mac isn't boring her to death."
***
By the time they'd finished eating, Mia and Tessa were practically finishing each other's sentences. Connor a
nd Brendan were teasing her, and Tessa was teasing right back. She talked easily with Helen and Jamie, asking them about Helen’s job as an attorney and Jamie’s job as a contractor. Even Mac, Mr. Serious FBI guy, was laughing and smiling, as relaxed as Quinn had seen him in a long time.
When Mia, Helen and his mom got up to clear the table, Tessa immediately stood up to help. After the table had been cleared, Quinn heard the four women chattering in the kitchen. Mac, sitting next to him, leaned over.
"She's great, Q. Not sure how you got so lucky."
"Me, either," he answered.
"Yeah, bro, she's a keeper," Brendan said, glancing toward the kitchen. "Don't screw this up."
"Trying not to."
Mac studied him long enough to make Quinn squirm a little. "What does she have against cops?"
Quinn frowned. "Nothing."
"There's something there. At one point, she looked at all of us and said, 'your poor mother,' or something like that."
"We all have dangerous jobs." Quinn shrugged. "I'm sure Mom worries. She just doesn't say anything to us."
"It was more than that." Mac leaned closer. "Did you check her out? Did something happen with a cop? You ought to take a look."
"Are you really suggesting I do a background check on my girlfriend?" Quinn asked, incredulous.
Mac shrugged. "I would."
"Which is why you're not dating. Jesus, Cormac. Do you run background checks before you ask a woman out?"
"I have."
"You poor sap." Quinn shook his head. "What do the women do when they find out?"
Red flared in his oldest brother's cheeks. "They tend not to like it."
Quinn snorted. "There's a news flash."
"I have to be careful," Mac insisted. "I can't get involved with someone who might...target me specifically."
"Get over yourself, Mac." Connor leaned across the table. "Most of the time, people are exactly who they seem to be."
"Until they're not." He arranged the fork and spoon precisely next to each other. "Then it's too late."
"Well, I haven't run a background check on Tessa, and I'm not planning on it. I guess I like walking on the wild side."
"Go ahead and laugh. At least I don't have any nasty surprises."
Watch Me (The Donovan Family Book 2) Page 15
