“There’s about a hundred up in my wardrobe. I’m pretty sure you’re covered.”
The last thing I needed was her going back to her place to find something to wear.
“I’d better go; the boys will be waiting for me.”
As much as I wanted to stay here and hold her, I had a plan to pull off, and that meant letting her go right now.
She looked up at me and pressed a kiss to the corner of my mouth. “Don’t get beat up.”
I chuckled and kissed her again. “I make no promises.”
I let her go and headed for the door. I squatted down to get my gym bag and heard her groan.
“What?” I asked over my shoulder.
“Your ass looks so hot in those shorts.”
A loud laugh burst out of my lips. “God I love you.”
She laughed. “I love you too.”
I hope you’ll still love me later.
Quinn wasn’t known for her fondness of surprises. I was hoping she’d make one exception. For me. Tonight.
***
Quinn
“Stella girl, can you stop growing please?” I teased my niece.
“I swear she’s bigger every time I come over.” I looked at El.
“God I know. She’s just grown out of all her shoes… again.” El complained.
“Lucky Aunty Q likes shopping huh?” I asked Stella.
“Wanty Coo Coo!” Stella shrieked before throwing one of her balls for me to catch.
I threw it gently back to her outstretched arms.
“You want more kid’s right?” I asked El, retrieving the ball Stella had sent flying.
She was staring at Stella with a dreamy smile on her face and one hand resting on her flat stomach.
Is she?
“Oh my god, are you pregnant?” I yelled.
El snapped her head around to look at me. “What? No! Jesus Quinn.”
I pointed at her hand.
“Oh for the love of god.” She rolled her eyes and moved her hand. “I want more kids. Soon… maybe just not right now.”
“Coo Coo!” Stella yelled, reminding me I was holding her ball.
“So how are you and Harrison?” El asked as she went back to folding up a stack of Stella’s clothes.
“God no. We’re not ready for kids.”
She rolled her eyes at my answer. “I meant how’s it going? I thought you might have moved in by now?”
“I pretty much have…” I trailed off, biting down on my lip.
“But…?” She probed.
I tossed the ball gently back to Stella. She chased after it when it bounced out of her waiting arms.
I turned to El. “He hasn’t asked me to.” I confessed. “I’ve kind of been waiting for him to ask… but maybe he’s not ready.”
El looked away quickly, busying herself tidying up all of Stella’s crap from the floor.
“Who knows Q. Men are strange creatures.”
“Yeah.” I mumbled.
“You want to live with him though right?”
“Hell yes.” I replied.
I frowned as she visibly exhaled a relieved breath.
***
Harrison
“That’s the last of it.” Logan grunted as he shut the heavy door on the moving truck.
“I should fucking hope so.” I shook my head in disbelief.
There was more stuff here than I’d anticipated. How one woman accumulated so much shit, without even owning a house, was beyond me.
I needed to get it all over to my place, and fast. I only had another hour to pull this off.
“You don’t know what you’ve got yourself into man.” Rome taunted.
Rome, Logan, Lawson and Reeve were all here helping me pull this off. They’d all told me I was mad – that moving a woman like Quinn into your house, without her knowledge or approval, was like kicking a live grenade just to see if it’d blow.
“You might need that foundation of yours to keep you safe and sound after this.” Logan sniggered, thinking his pun was funnier than it was.
“You’ll see.” I boasted. “She’ll love it.”
They all laughed openly at me.
“Fuck you guys. Let’s just get on with it.”
***
Quinn
I pulled into Harrison’s drive way and I was just about to turn off the key when the garage door opened in front of me. My phone beeped simultaneously.
“Welcome home.”
I gasped as I realized Harrison had made space in the garage for me to park my car.
Welcome home?
I drove in, shut the car off and sat still for a moment, taking a few calming breaths.
Does he mean what I think…?
I rushed out of the car, desperate to know if this was his way of asking me to move in with him.
“Harrison?” I called out into the dark house.
Why the hell is he in darkness?
I got the answer the minute I flicked on the light switch. Everything I owned was stacked against walls, in hallways and all over the living room.
I felt my jaw fall lax.
He’s moved me in?
“Penny for your thoughts?” His voice came from the stairway and I immediately snapped my head around to face him.
He was perched on a step, looking incredibly nervous, like maybe all of a sudden he didn’t think this was such a great idea.
“You… you –” I stuttered, looking around at all my stuff again.
“I hope you want to live with me Skippy.”
“It’s a bit late if I don’t.” I managed to reply.
He chuckled and rose to his feet.
“Well what’s the verdict?” He walked slowly down the last couple of stairs. “The boys have got some serious bets going on about how this is going to go down.”
I was going to live here. With him… the man I loved more than I’d thought possible.
“The verdict?” I approached him, keeping my expression unreadable.
He was watching me cautiously.
“Fuck Quinn can you just tell me already. I’m sweating bullets over here.” He rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
My face broke out in a giant grin and I closed the gap between us, throwing myself into his arms. “I thought you’d never ask!”
I crashed my lips against his, kissing him with all the fire I possessed, my legs wrapping around his hips.
I felt him fist pump the air and I busted out laughing.
“You’re such an idiot.” I teased. “Did you really think I’d say no?”
“I knew you’d say yes. I was more worried about the fact that I never actually asked.”
“You’re kind of an asshole like that.”
He grinned crookedly at me and I felt myself fall just a little more in love with him.
“Are you happy Quinn?”
I smiled at the question he’d asked me once before.
“I’m happy right here with you.” I replied.
“God I love you.”
I looked at the man who had stolen my heart and knew that I was truly happy. We still fought like cats and dogs, he could be bossy and arrogant and he drove me crazy most of the time, but he cared about people – really and truly cared about people. And that was good enough for me.
***
Harrison
I was undoubtedly the luckiest man I knew. I got the woman I loved back, and she’d trusted me again when I didn’t deserve it, loved me when I wasn’t worthy and had given me her whole heart. She looked at me and saw what was important to me, and made it important to her.
I twirled her in my arms and listened to her laugh ringing through the hallway of our home.
She made me happy. Happier then the hundreds of dollars the boys were going to owe me for pulling this off, happier than chasing criminals… happier than I’d ever felt in my whole life.
That’s how I knew she was it for me.
I smiled at the thought of the little velvet box h
idden in my bottom drawer.
I had one more surprise for her. It wouldn’t be today or tomorrow… but one day soon, I would make damn sure this woman wore my ring on her finger.
Thank you!
Thank you for reading Hunted! I hope you enjoyed it.
If you did enjoy it, please consider leaving a review, they give authors valuable feedback and help other readers find new books and I’d really appreciate it!
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Thanks again!
Other books by Nicole S. Goodin:
Love like Yours Series
Rushed – Book 1
Pierced – Book 2
Hunted – Book 3
Acknowledgements
I want to say a big thank you to Amanda, for reading every last bit of nonsense I send, giving me opinions and suggestions, and trying to decipherer what exactly the New Zealand sayings I’m using are meant to mean.
Thank you, and I apologize for you having to have the ‘cut your lunch’ conversation with your husband!
To Bianca, for the support, the laughs, the banter and for just getting it! Thank you so much for being a sounding board for me and for tolerating my phone’s many autocorrect fails.
Thank you both so much for being there for me and my books, I appreciate it more than you know.
Book #4 – Love like Yours Series
Colt and Lexie’s story – Due out 2017
Love could suck my dick. It was bullshit.
I’d had it all.
Don’t get me wrong, I still had most of it. The bar was doing fucking great. My mates were top guys. My life was just missing the girl.
The damn girl…
I had the girl. She was mine – only she wasn’t. I think I knew all along she wasn’t really mine. She didn’t see me the way that El sees Lawson. And if I’m honest, my whole world didn’t change when she walked into it.
I’d known the minute I’d seen them in the same room. The space between them crackled with electricity and we were all screwed. No way in hell did I want to be the loser cling-on that couldn’t face was what so damn obvious, but I couldn’t seem to walk away. I’d begged even when she told me it was over – you could practically see the claw marks down her back from where I’d try to hold on so tightly.
Now I’ll have to endure every family dinner, wedding, Christmas, blah, blah, blah looking at that beautiful woman, knowing that I had her, but now I don’t.
My brother does.
I don’t resent him, I mean, he’s my brother. I love him, like… well, a brother. But that doesn’t mean that I know how to deal with the fact that I know exactly how perfect his girlfriend looks with her head thrown back in pleasure… or how she looks as she falls asleep, or the way she shakes her fine ass as she dances around attempting to make breakfast.
Fuck this…
I’m going to find the first willing candidate and fuck Quinn Pierce out of my mind.
And who could possibly be a better choice than the hot little brunette that just swayed past?
Lexie Chase.
That ought to grind Quinn’s gears.
That girl is hotter than hot. Tight body, long silky hair, ‘don’t mess with me’ smirk. Oh yeah... she’s got the goods alright.
She’s getting chased.
Playlist
Love me or Leave me – Little Mix
Who You Are – Jessie J
i hate you, I love u – gnash (feat. Olivia O’Brien)
Rock Bottom – Hailee Steinfeld
Just Can’t Get Enough – The Black Eyed Peas
Find Your Love – Drake
Wild Ones – Flo Rida (feat Sia)
Stay – Rihanna & Mikky Ekko
Not Giving In – Rudimental (feat. John Newman & Alex Clare)
Secret Love Song – Little Mix & Jason Derulo
So High – Six60
For the First Time – The Script
LIKE I WOULD – ZAYN
PILLOWTALK – ZAYN
Wild Things – Alessia Cara
Out Of The Woods – Taylor Swift
Red – Taylor Swift
Give Me Love – Ed Sheeran
Close – Nick Jonas & Tove Lo
This Is What You Came For – Calvin Harris & Rihanna
Too Good – Drake & Rihanna
Be The One – Dua Lipa
Last Dance – Dua Lipa
Waiting Game – Banks
Treat You Better – Shawn Mendes
Into You – Ariana Grande
Am I Wrong – Nico & Vinz
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room – John Mayer
Say Something – A Great Big World, Christina Aguilera
Not Over You – Gavin DeGraw
Let Her Go – Passanger
Love The Way You Lie – Eminem & Rihanna
Bed Of Lies – Nicki Minaj & Skylar Grey
It Will Rain – Bruno Mars
You Don’t Own Me – Grace & G-Eazy
She Will Be Loved – Maroon 5
Best of You – Foo Fighters
Make You Miss Me – Sam Hunt
Starving – Hailee Steinfeld, Grey & Zedd
Fresh Eyes – Andy Grammer
Still Falling For You – Ellie Goulding
Mercy – Shawn Mendes
Say You Won’t Let Go – James Arthur
Love Me Now – John Legend
My Girl – Jupiter Project & Daniel Richard
Therapy – Brooke Fraser
Do You Remember – Jarryd James
Fast Car – Taio Cruz
Shed A Light – Robin Schulz & David Guetta (feat. Cheat Codes)
Gravity – Alex & Sierra
I’m A Mess – Ed Sheeran
Safe Inside – James Arthur
About the Author
NICOLE S. GOODIN is a twenty-eight-year-old mother of two from Taranaki in the North Island of New Zealand.
Mid 2015, she started to write about a group of characters who wouldn’t get out of her head. Her first book, Rushed, was published in mid 2016, Pierced late 2016 and Hunted early 2017.
Nicole enjoys long walks on the beach, pillow fights and braiding her friends hair. She dislikes clichés, talking about herself in the third person, and people who don’t understand her sense of humor.
Please feel free to contact her either via email, Instagram, Twitter or on her Facebook page, she would love to hear your feedback. If you’re feeling really game, you can even sign up for her newsletter HERE.
Upcoming titles by Nicole S. Goodin
Upcoming titles in the Love like Yours Series
Chased – Due out 2017
Granted
Jaded
Hunted (Love like Yours Series Book 3) Page 22
