“No, Quinn. They wouldn’t. Not everyone. It was an incredible thing to do,” I insisted, kissing her again.
“I only wish it had worked.”
“You did everything you could. She just wasn’t strong enough.”
“It’s not fair,” she whispered.
“I know, sweetheart. I know.” I lay back down and pulled her into my chest. Reaching down, I threw the comforter over us and stroked her hair. After a few minutes, her breathing had levelled out, and I realized she had fallen asleep. After listening to what she had told me I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep, but I was more than happy to hold her while she did. I was still reeling from what she’d said. I only hoped Ethan could find some information out about this asshole Evan.
Whatever it took, I would keep her safe.
Quinn
Waking up wrapped in Brody’s arms, I could almost forget the conversation I’d had with him before I fell asleep. I was relieved I’d finally told someone what Evan had done. I hated the idea of Brody feeling sorry for me though. Slowly lifting my head, I saw him smiling down at me.
“Hey. Good sleep?”
I nodded. “Have I been asleep long?”
“About an hour,” he replied with a chuckle.
“Sorry. I bet you have better things to be doing than being my pillow.” The emotion of finally telling someone about Evan had wiped me out. I hadn’t planned on falling asleep, but once I was in his arms, it was hard to stay awake. Hearing Brody burst out laughing had me raising my eyebrows in question.
“Are you kidding me? I havenothingI’d rather be doing than lying in bed with you in my arms. Well…” He trailed off giving me a cocky grin. “Maybe I can think of one or two other things.” He winked at me and I rolled my eyes.
“You mean mucking the stables out?” I teased.
“Yeah, that’s just what I was thinking.” He rolled me onto my back and ran his hand up my thigh, over my stomach and up under my shirt. His fingers tickled my sides and I let out a scream.
“Brody! Stop it,” I yelled, laughing as my legs squirmed on the bed as he continued to tickle me. I was struggling to catch my breath, and I tried unsuccessfully to slap his hands away.
“Seems someone is ticklish.” He smirked at me, knowing there was no way I could get out of his grasp.
“Time out!” I cried, laughing harder than I’d done in forever. When all he did was laugh and ignore me, I knew exactly what would get him to stop. I grinned widely.
“Ow! My ribs,” I shouted. Immediately he stopped tickling me and removed all his weight from on top of me.
“Are you okay?” His voice was full of concern. Smirking back at him I scurried off the bed and ran to the door.
“Ha! Gotcha! I knew that would get you to stop,” I declared triumphantly. Standing by his bedroom door I watched his face as he realized I’d tricked him.
“You little...” he began as he jumped off the bed and crossed the room toward me. Squealing, I opened the door and ran laughing down the hall, taking the stairs two at a time. Brody was quicker than me though, and by the time I’d made it downstairs and into the hall he was right behind me. I felt his arms wrap around me, spinning me so I was facing him. I was out of breath from running downstairs and laughed as he caught me.
“You can’t get away, you know?” he mumbled into my ear, his tongue licking my neck. Picking me up, I wrapped my legs around him and he kissed around my jaw, his lips finding mine. Kissing me like he needed me for his next breath, I tugged on his hair at the base of his neck. My mouth opened to him and I heard him moan as our tongues collided. Never breaking the kiss, he walked with me in his arms until my back was pressed against the wall. The wall scraped my skin, but I was too lost in him to even care. My hands were in his hair and the familiar ache between my legs began to build.
Completely consumed by him, I suddenly froze when I heard someone clearing their throat behind us.
“Brody?” I heard Claire ask, surprise evident in her voice. Feeling my cheeks flush with heat, Brody took a step back, and I dropped my feet to the ground. His arm went around my waist, tucking me into his side. Looking anywhere but at Claire we turned to face her.
“Hi, Mom. Good weekend?” he asked calmly as if his mom hadn’t just caught us making out in the hall. I raised my head and saw the confused expression on her face.
“What’s going on?” she asked looking between us. I looked up to Brody, and he grinned down at me.
“Quinn and I are dating,” he announced. My eyes went wide, and my mouth dropped open.
“We are?”
He nodded. “Yes, baby, we are.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss across my lips.