Turning the handle, I walked back into her room. Glancing over to the bed I saw that Quinn had fallen asleep. She was on her side with her hand tucked under her head. Her hair was falling over her forehead partially covering her face. I silently slipped into the seat next to her bed and reached over, brushing her hair off her face. My fingers traced along her jaw and she let out a contented sigh. Leaning back in the chair, my eyes felt heavy and it wasn’t long before I was asleep too.
Opening my eyes, it took me a few seconds to realize I was in the hospital in Quinn’s room. My body was sore from sleeping for too long in the uncomfortable chair, and I stretched in an attempt to soothe my aching muscles. Looking over, I found an empty bed and my stomach dropped.
“Quinn?” I called out, standing and making my way to the bathroom door. “Quinn, are you in there?” I shouted through the door. When I got no reply, I tried the handle. The door wasn’t locked, and I barreled inside, worried she’d fallen and hurt herself. I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw her naked in the shower. She was facing me, but her eyes were closed and her was head tipped back under the spray. Her hands were in her hair while she washed it, and lathered soap ran down her neck and between her breasts. My eyes followed the bubbles, raking over her wet skin. There was a small tattoo on her hip. I was too far away to make out what it was, but it looked sexy as hell. I noticed some bruising on her side and there was more bruising on her legs. Despite this, she looked perfect with curves in all the right places. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I knew I shouldn’t be standing here staring, but I couldn’t pull myself away. As if sensing me she dropped her head, her eyes meeting mine.
“Brody! GET OUT!” she screamed as she tried to cover her body with her hands.
“Shit!” I muttered snapping out of my lustful daze. I quickly turned around and raced through the door, slamming it closed behind me. “Shit, shit, shit!” I exclaimed as I paced up and down the room.
“What the hell was that?” she shouted as the bathroom door flew open. I looked over to see her standing in the doorway, a towel wrapped around her body. Water dripped off her wet hair onto her bare shoulders.
“Quinn, I’m so sorry. I knocked, but you didn’t answer. I was worried.” I tried to ignore the fact that even though she was standing in front of me in nothing but a towel, what was underneath would be etched forever into my mind.
“Well, I’m fine! I didn’t hear you knocking because I was washing my hair.” She shook her head and wrapped her arms around her body. “Jeez, Brody, you’ve seen me naked!” A blush spread over her face and neck. My eyes were drawn to her pink skin, and I wondered just how far under her towel the blush reached.
“Well, maybe you can see me naked and then we’ll be even,” I said trying to break the tension.
“What?” Her eyes went wide and the blush down her neck got pinker.
“Relax, Quinn. I’m joking.” I chuckled and she watched me in silence for a few seconds, her cheeks still flushed pink. I stared back at her, wondering what she was thinking. Shaking her head, she turned around, walking off into the bathroom.
I moved to sit on the edge of the bed and waited for her to finish up. I imagine it was fairly hard to wash, dry, and dress yourself, with broken ribs. After I almost broke the bathroom door down and burst in on her though, I wasn't sure an offer of help would go down well.
When she came out a good ten minutes later, she was dressed in the clothes she was wearing when she was brought in. Her wet hair was hanging around her shoulders, leaving wet patches on her shirt.
“I’m not sure why I bothered having a shower, these clothes stink of smoke,” she said, her nose wrinkling in disgust.
I breathed a silent sigh of relief that things didn’t seem to be awkward between us. “Oh, I’m sure my sister can lend you some; or Libby, my cousin.”
“Your mom's already offered me some of Savannah’s clothes. Do you think she’ll mind?” She looked worried, but she didn’t need to be.
“Are you kidding?” I scoffed. “I helped Savannah move into the cottage behind the house a few months ago. She has enough clothes to open her own store. I doubt she’d even realize if some were missing.”
She laughed. “A girl can never have too many clothes.”
“Apparently not.”
“I only plan on borrowing some until I can get myself sorted.” She paused, giving me a sad smile. “Anyway, the doctor came in while you were asleep. I’m being discharged. I’m just waiting on the paperwork.”
“That’s great, Quinn.”
“Thank you,” she whispered, her eyes dropping to her fingers which were playing with the edge of her shirt. “For everything.”
Getting up, I came to stand in front of her, my finger lifting her chin so that her eyes met mine. Staring into her beautiful blue eyes, my breathing hitched. “You don’t need to thank me, sweetheart.” My eyes dropped to the bruise on her cheek and I brushed my finger across it. “You’ll be safe on the ranch. I promise.”
Quinn
A million butterflies took flight in my stomach as Brody’s fingers traced my bruised cheek. My breathing increased, and he was standing so close to me I’m sure he was able to hear my heart pounding in my chest. When he’d walked in on me in the shower I’d been so embarrassed. No one had ever seen me like that before. His eyes had been all over my body. As shitty as my life was at the moment, I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt toward him. When he’d joked about me seeing him naked, I’d definitely wanted to, and I’m sure he knew it.
Brody’s fingers were still on my face when the door to my room opened and a nurse I’d never seen before came in. She looked surprised when she saw how close Brody and I were but quickly plastered a smile on her face.
“Hi, Quinn. I’m Beth. I just need to take your blood pressure and pulse. If they are both fine, you can go. I have your discharge papers here for you to sign.” She held up some paperwork, and I smiled, relieved to be leaving the hospital.
Motioning for me to lie on the bed, I watched as she set up the blood pressure machine and placed the cuff on my arm. After a few minutes, she turned to me. “Everything looks fine. I’ll leave you to complete the discharge forms. There is also a form to complete for your insurance. I’ll be back in about ten minutes.” Swallowing nervously, I nodded as I began reading through the paperwork. Noticing I hadn’t heard the door open, I lifted my head to see Beth and Brody talking in hushed voices by the door. Beth had her hand on Brody’s arm, and she suddenly laughed at something he’d said. I dropped my eyes and pretended to read through the forms, straining to hear their conversation. Lifting my head, I saw Beth kiss Brody on the cheek before telling him to call her. A pang of jealousy shot through me, and I was annoyed at myself for feeling that way. As Beth left the room, Brody turned to face me, his eyes meeting mine.
“You almost ready to go? It’s been a long couple of days,” he said with a sigh as he made his way over to the bed.
I nodded as I quickly signed the discharge papers. Coming to the insurance form I paused, biting down on my lip.