by Jenna Sutton
“Oh!” she exclaimed, her eyebrows climbing up her forehead. “I didn’t know anyone else was here.”
Ava Grace and Quinn stared at each other for several heartbeats without speaking. Amelia looked back and forth between them, noting that her best friend wore a tight red sweater and a matching short suede skirt she’d made for her.
She glanced toward Quinn to see if he’d noticed Ava Grace’s perky breasts, narrow waist, and long, tan legs. Surprisingly, he wasn’t drooling, and a frown marred Ava Grace’s pretty face.
Stepping forward, Amelia made introductions. “Ava Grace, this is Quinn O’Brien. Quinn, this is my best friend, Ava Grace Landy.”
Neither Quinn nor Ava Grace looked in her direction. They continued to stare at one another, both of them still and silent. Amelia was bewildered by the undercurrents in the room. Was it sexual attraction?
Please, God, no. Not that.
Finally Quinn spoke. “Amelia says you’ve been inseparable since you were five years old. She told me that you’re more than her best friend. She says you’re her only family.” He held out his hand to Ava Grace. “Thank you for being there for her.”
Ava Grace’s hazel eyes narrowed. “I’ll always be there for her. Always.”
He nodded, and Ava Grace cocked her head. After a moment, she clasped his hand.
“You’re not what I expected.”
He smiled, reminding Amelia how gorgeous he was.
“Neither are you,” he replied.
Amelia cleared her throat, more than a little annoyed they were gazing into each other’s eyes like lovers. Ava Grace immediately dropped his hand.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Quinn,” she said before turning to Amelia. “We’ll catch up later.”
Ava Grace headed toward her bedroom with a long-legged stride, but Amelia knew the opportunity for her and Quinn to speak privately was gone. She sat down in her favorite chair and tucked her feet under her.
He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him. “Ava Grace is an unrepentant eavesdropper,” she warned him. “So if you don’t want her to hear what you’re going to say, you better not say it.”
Closing his mouth with a snap, he scrubbed his hands over his face. “Fuck me,” he mumbled.
She felt like echoing his sentiment. She had no desire to tell him the truth about Teagan’s project while Ava Grace listened. She wasn’t happy with the alternative, either, which was waiting until she returned to San Francisco in early December.
Of course she’d probably have several samples finished by then, and she could show him what she’d done. Maybe Teagan was right. Maybe Quinn would react more favorably to the redesign if he could see and touch the new styles.
Throwing himself onto the sofa, Quinn looked up at the ceiling. “Listen, Juice. I want to keep our . . .” He paused. “Would you be willing to . . . to . . .” He stuttered a bit. “Shit.”
He sat up and speared her with his dark blue gaze. “I know we live in different cities, but I don’t have any interest in being with anyone but you. And I don’t want you to go out with any other guys or . . .” He made a low sound in his throat. “Or let anyone else touch you.”
His words surprised her so much she couldn’t formulate a response. She had never imagined he wanted to discuss this.
He frowned at her silence. “Can we at least give it a try?” he asked, leaning forward to prop his elbows on his knees. “Just see how it goes?”
Even though she knew things would end badly, she wanted more time with him. She nodded.
“Okay.”
His eyes widened. “Okay?”
“Yes.”
He frowned. “Just to be clear, no dates and no sex with anyone else.”
“Yes, I’m agreeing. Isn’t that what you wanted?”
He rubbed his hand across his chin, the stubble making a slight rasping noise against his fingers. “It’s a start,” he answered before standing up and pulling his phone from the front pocket of his Rileys.
Looking at the screen, he pressed a button. “Damn. I need to get going, Juice. Walk me out?”
She rose and walked him to the door. He backed her up against the wall of the foyer before sliding his hands into her hair and tilting her head back until he could look into her eyes.
“I’m going to miss you,” he said.
He gave her a deep kiss that made her knees tremble and her mind go blank. Before she could recover, he’d already opened the door and jogged to the limo. He didn’t look back, and she closed the front door because she didn’t want to see him drive away.
Slowly returning to the living room, she grabbed a quilt from the wicker basket beside the sofa and climbed back into her chair. She wrapped the comfy softness around her, pulling up her knees and resting her head on them. He had taken all the warmth with him, and she was freezing.
Amelia heard Ava Grace come back into the room. Her best friend knelt beside the chair, smoothing her hand over Amelia’s hair before resting her head against Amelia’s.
“Did I hear that right? Quinn calls you Juice?”
Amelia laughed at the confirmation that Ava Grace had indeed eavesdropped. But then her laughter stuttered to a stop, and she burst into tears.
Chapter 35
Quinn dragged himself up the steps of his Victorian, the muscles in his legs limp like spaghetti. He had been wide awake at four a.m., and he’d figured he might as well go for a run.
The insomnia he had experienced during the trip to Georgia had intensified now that he was home. He hadn’t been able to fall asleep until he’d indulged in a little self-pleasure, recalling the maple syrup he had poured on Amelia after they had finished Sunday brunch in the suite.
It was Wednesday morning, and he’d been away from her for a little less than seventy-two hours. Apparently, the actual number of hours didn’t matter because he felt as if he was about to crawl out of his skin. He was a little ashamed at how pathetic he felt and more than a little worried that Amelia had so much influence over his emotional well-being.
He let himself into his house, and as he made his way to the staircase, he saw Cal asleep in the leather club chair in the living room, his feet propped on the ottoman in front of him.
Cal’s tablet computer was balanced precariously on his lap, and Quinn removed it as quietly as he could. He placed it on the coffee table before grabbing the cashmere throw from the sofa and draping it over him.
His brother looked worn out, his face shadowed with stubble and his eyes ringed with dark circles. Things had to be bad with Saika if Cal sat in Quinn’s living room when it was barely five thirty in the morning.
He made his way upstairs and took his time in the shower, letting the hot water pour over his tight muscles. He’d done a lot of thinking since he had left Amelia in Nashville, not only about his feelings for her but also about the women’s division.
He’d made some big decisions, and he didn’t want to have those conversations with her via Skype or phone. He was considering a trip to Nashville early next week.
Grabbing the shampoo, he lathered his hair. Amelia planned to attend the American Association of Country Music awards on Tuesday. Maybe he could surprise her and attend the show with her. He made a mental note to ask Teagan for Ava Grace’s phone number to see if his idea was feasible.
He finished with his shower and dressed quickly before heading downstairs. Cal was still asleep, and he made his way to the kitchen where he found a box of pastries and a couple of to-go coffees. He was lucky to have a brother who still managed to be thoughtful even when he was going through some serious personal shit.
He grabbed the coffee and a cream cheese Danish and settled himself on the barstool before powering up his laptop. He was still behind on the work he had ignored while he’d been in Georgia, and he made a serious dent in some of his backlogged emails by the ti
me Cal woke up and ambled into the kitchen with his tablet in hand.
“Hey,” Quinn said.
Cal grunted before depositing the tablet on the island. He scratched his chest through his long-sleeve T-shirt and dug in the box of pastries until he found one he liked. He bit into the pastry, almost halving it in one bite.
Pushing aside his laptop, Quinn leaned his elbows on the bar. He caught Cal’s eyes.
“I know guys aren’t supposed to talk about their feelings, Cal, but you need to tell me what’s going on with Saika. You’re miserable, and maybe we can figure out how to fix things if we tackle the problem together.”
Cal choked on his pastry. He grabbed his coffee, taking a big gulp of it. He swallowed noisily.
“Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” Cal asked, depositing the pastry and coffee back on the island.
“Very funny, asshole. Now out with it.”
Sighing loudly, Cal massaged his forehead with the tips of his fingers. “Saika’s ex-husband has decided to move here. He says he wants to be closer to Valerie, but I know what the fucker really wants. He wants his family back.”
Quinn tried to recall what little he knew about Saika’s ex-husband. He didn’t know much more than the fact that they had divorced when Valerie had been a baby.
“What’s his name? You told me once, but the only thing I remember is that it was something weird.”
Cal rolled his eyes. “Noble. His name is Noble, like he’s some kind of fucking prince charming or something.”
The name jarred loose another fact, and Quinn snapped his fingers. “And he’s in the military, right?”
Cal nodded. “Yeah, I guess he’s some big-shot Navy SEAL. The dickhead.” He snorted. “She said she was going to talk to him when she visited her sister in Southern California, and I didn’t handle it well.”
Quinn gave him a minute before prodding him. “And?”
“And when she got back, I asked her what happened, and she kept changing the subject. Finally, she told me it was none of my business.”
He winced, but Cal wasn’t done. “Then a few days later, she told me that he had resigned his commission and found a job at one of the corporate security firms here in San Francisco. His job was the main reason why they split up.” He swallowed. “She’s still in love with the bastard. She denies it, but I can tell that she is.”
Cal looked down. “I’m going to lose her. Her and Valerie.”
Quinn sighed. Now that he had fallen in love with Amelia, he had a lot more empathy for his brother. He couldn’t imagine how crazed he would be if he had to compete with another guy for her affection. He didn’t have any competition, and he still questioned her feelings for him.
“Are you in love with Saika, Cal?”
Cal’s whole body tensed. “Yeah.”
“Have you told her that you love her?”
“Of course. I tell her all the time.”
Quinn was bewildered. “Why would you do that if you don’t think she loves you back?”
“Because I love Saika regardless of whether she loves me, and not saying it doesn’t mean I don’t feel it. Before her fucking ex-husband came back into the picture, I’d planned to ask her to marry me.”
He sucked in a surprised breath. He’d had no idea Cal had considered marriage.
“What are you going to do?”
“There’s nothing I can do,” Cal answered flatly. “I can’t make her love me. I can’t make her stay with me.”
Quinn was overwhelmed with sadness for his brother. “No, you can’t,” he agreed. “But what if you . . .”
Cal held up his hands. “Quinn, I appreciate that you’re trying to be a good brother, but I’m done talking about this.”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Cal pointed at him. “And you . . . you’ve got your own relationship problems to work through, don’t you?”
“What makes you say that?”
Cal laughed softly. “Come on, Quinn. Sometimes I think I know you better than I know myself.”
He eyed his brother. “Maybe you’re right. So what do you think I should do?”
“First of all, you should man up and tell Amelia that you’re in love with her,” Cal suggested with a smile. “And then you should go buy a ring, brother, because you’re not going to rest easy until you’ve tied her to you in every way you can think of. Getting her pregnant is the next step.”
His whole body jerked at Cal’s statement, and he knocked over his coffee. Dark liquid spilled across the bar, but he just sat there as it dribbled down the sides of soapstone.
Cal grabbed a handful of paper towels and mopped up the mess. He threw the sopping paper into the trash can before turning toward him.
He chuckled when he saw the look on Quinn’s face. “I guess you hadn’t progressed that far yet.”
Quinn shook his head. “No. But I was close,” he admitted.
Soon after he had realized he was in love with Amelia, he’d thought about what that meant for the long term. He wasn’t an impulsive guy. He liked to consider all the pros and cons, mulling over different strategies until he felt comfortable with his decision. In fact, he was more risk-averse than most people, probably because he felt responsible for all the men and women who worked for Riley O’Brien & Co., along with their families.
When it came to Amelia, though, his logical, problem-solving side shut down, and his emotions ruled. Letting them take the lead wasn’t easy, but when it came right down to it, he wasn’t afraid of commitment.
His parents had shown him how great marriage could be with the right person, and he had no doubt Amelia was the one for him. He just didn’t know if she thought he was the one for her.
Cal speared him with his icy blue gaze. “I know you’re scared shitless right now, but you need to tell Amelia. You’re fucked up because you don’t know how she feels. Just think of how happy you’ll be when she tells you that she loves you, too.”
He tapped his fingers on the bar. Cal was right about at least one thing: he was fucked up. But he’d be even worse off if Amelia didn’t love him back.
He broke out in a cold sweat as he imagined baring his soul to her. She might give him a look of pity before saying she was sorry because she just didn’t feel the same way.
It would destroy him.
Chapter 36
Quinn scowled and threw down his phone on the kitchen island when he got Teagan’s voicemail for the fifth time. He hadn’t talked to his sister since he’d asked for Ava Grace’s phone number earlier in the week. Surprisingly, she’d handed it over without a single question.
He tunneled his hands through his hair. He needed to talk with Teagan and Cal before he left for Nashville, and he had hoped they would come over for takeout tonight.
His phone dinged, and he saw a voicemail from Teagan. They must have called each other at the same time.
Her voice came over the line, her message succinct. “Quinn, I’m taking some time off. I’ll be back around Thanksgiving. My team has everything under control. I’m not going to be available via email or phone. Bye.”
He stared at his phone. What the fuck? It was only the first week of November, and Thanksgiving fell during the last week of the month.
This wasn’t like Teagan at all. She never took vacation for more than a few days at a time. And she never was out of touch.
He placed a call to his mother. “Mom, have you talked to Teagan?”
“Hi, honey. I was just thinking about you. I tried a new recipe for lemon meringue pie and—”
“Mom,” he interrupted, “have you talked to Teagan?”
Kate was obviously taken aback by his rudeness because she didn’t answer for several seconds. “Not since yesterday. We got our nails done. We had a lovely time. But you’ll never guess who we ran into. Nick.”
“Did she tell you that she was taking a trip?” he asked and then frowned in confusion. “Nick who?”
His mom laughed. “Priest,” she replied. When he didn’t respond, she added, “You know, your best friend.”
His frown deepened. “You ran into Priest in a nail salon?”
His mom laughed again. “No, honey. He was outside. I’m pretty sure he was waiting for somebody.”
He shook his head. “I don’t care about Priest right now. Teagan left me a voicemail that she’s taking the next three weeks off. Did you know about this?”
His mom made a tsking noise. “She should have asked for your permission. You’re her boss.”
“Mom,” he groaned. “Focus! I don’t care about that. She never takes off for more than a couple of days, and she didn’t say where she was going. I’m worried.”
“Quinn, honey, you need to stop worrying about everyone.” Kate sighed. “She talked to your dad this morning and gave him all the details. She asked him not to tell anyone so she could be off the griddle.”
Quinn rubbed his forehead, the anxiety draining out of him. “You mean off the grid. She’s not a pancake.”
Kate laughed, and he imagined her waving her hand at her mistake. “Do you want to come over for dinner? Cal’s coming.”
“With Saika and Valerie?”
“No, sweetie. It’s just him.”
Her answer made his heart sink. He wanted his brother to be happy, and it wasn’t good news that Saika and Valerie weren’t accompanying Cal.
“What’s for dinner?”
• • •
The spicy aroma of lasagna teased Quinn’s nose as he let himself into his childhood home. His stomach rumbled loudly. His mom wasn’t Italian, but you’d never guess it from her cooking.
Following the delicious smell into the kitchen, he found his mom chopping vegetables for a salad. She smiled when she saw him, her blue eyes lighting up.
