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COLT
THE CLOTHES WERE DELIVERED at ten in the morning while Quin and I were cuddled on the couch watching a movie. When I’d suggested for us to Netflix and Chill, he’d thought I meant more, of course, but I didn’t. Not this time. We were halfway through a gay romantic comedy about a prince falling in love with a law student when the doorbell buzzed.
I kissed Quin on the temple and paused the movie. “Stay here, Princess. I’ll get it.”
I left him there while I strode to the front door and answered it, and I wasn’t surprised to find that it wasn’t Allard standing on the other side, but a young woman with a bright smile, dark hair pulled up with some kind of scarf around it, and shiny eyes. She was dressed in a beige suit that fit her shape perfectly, and while I might have looked a little longer a few days ago, I wasn’t interested in more than a once-over to determine who I was staring at.
“Hello, sir. My name is Morgan. My boss, Mr. Allard, asked me to drop these off to Mr. Quin Kiskadden.”
There was a thump from the living room, and footsteps echoed down the hallway as Quin made an appearance at my side, his smile dazzling. “Hi, Morgan. Did you get your commission for these?”
Morgan’s entire posture relaxed and her mouth curled even higher. “Quin, hi! I did. He wasn’t very happy about it, though. How did you convince him to give you the clothes? He said he had to give them to you for free and he wasn’t going to give me the commission, but I threatened to walk and take the rest of the staff with me because we’re all sick of his crap, and he changed his mind.” She scrunched her nose in distaste, and I couldn’t blame her. Allard didn’t seem like the best man to work for.
“My husband.” Quin laid a hand on my upper arm and his soft gaze turned to me. “He made sure Mr. Allard understood his obligations as a storeowner.”
Morgan giggled and slapped her hand over her mouth. She leaned in closer. “He was wearing makeup this morning. Everywhere, all over his face. He was lumpy and his nose was swollen, like maybe he’d had a bad trip to his plastic surgeon’s office. I’ve never seen him wear makeup before. He seemed....” She raised her eyebrows at me. “Scared.”
I smirked. “I am not a man to mess with and he insulted my wife.”
Quin’s cheeks flushed a bright red, and Morgan’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I’m the wife,” Quin said, as though it needed explaining.
“Ah.” The corners of Morgan’s eyes crinkled, and she held out a large quantity of bags toward us, rocking on her toes with obvious elation. I didn’t know her, but I imagined she might be excited about the prospect of the commission she’d received for the haul, which I would admit was bigger than I’d expected. “I have your purchases.”
I took the bags from her, testing the weight by the handles in the palms of my hands. “You got a lot.”
“There’s more in the car!” Morgan said brightly. “I put them into bags because it was easier for me to move them alone. I hope you weren’t hoping and praying for a mountain of boxes to recycle.”
Quin chuckled and nudged me with his shoulder. “You told me to get dresses to make you happy, and I did.”
“You got the lingerie, too,” Morgan pointed out with a wink.
I grinned at Quin. “Oh, did you? Mm. I can’t wait to see you in them, baby girl.”
I wasn’t sure who blushed more fiercely, Quin or Morgan, but they both laughed, sharing a private look I would’ve been jealous about if I didn’t know how very gay Quin was. I eyed Morgan carefully. I could see her potentially being a friend Quin needed. He didn’t seem to have too many people he could connect with, and he never mentioned anyone, which made me wonder how lonely he was. As his husband, it was my job to make his life better.
“Morgan, would you happen to be interested in a coffee date with my wife?” I asked, ignoring the shocked look Quin gave me. “He’s a shy little thing, and I think you two would get along really well.”
Quin patted me on the arm. “Colt, she doesn’t want to do that.”
“Are you kidding?” Morgan stared at him incredulously. “Of course! I would love to. If I’m completely honest, I just moved here four months ago, and I don’t have many friends in New Gothenburg.” She rocked excitedly on her heels, and I decided I liked her. “I’ve been looking for hobbies so I can socialize outside of work.”
“Really?” Quin straightened, and the grin that worked its way across his face was huge.
A warmth spread through me at seeing how happy he was, and a strange sensation swelled in my chest. I wanted to make him feel good. It was stupid, because I never cared about Bethany in that way, yet there was something innocent and beautiful about Quin that I’d never quite seen in anyone else.
“Actually, I’m not sure if you’re interested, but I’m going to cooking classes starting this week. I want to learn how to cook for Colt.” Quin paused to glance at me with his big adoring hazel eyes, and a sharp, wonderful ache went through my heart. He’d actually joined a cooking class for me? Then, he turned back to Morgan. “Would you like to come along?”
“Oh, absolutely! My husband usually does the cooking in our home.” She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Apparently, I’m terrible at it. I would burn water according to him.”
Quin’s entire face glowed and he gripped my arm tighter, clear excitement glittering in his eyes. “Sounds great. If you give me your phone number, I can text you the details.”
I leaned over and kissed Quin’s cheek, and instinctively, he angled his face toward me without even looking. “I’ll leave you two alone to figure it out. I’ll be in the living room, Princess.”
He nodded, and I left them to it.
I headed to the living room with the bags of clothes and set them down on the floor before I fell back onto the couch. I grabbed my phone from the pocket of my sweats and sent some texts to Derek and a few of the other guys, including Royal. Then, I checked my work emails on my phone and sent some replies. By the time I was done, Quin came through the door with a skip in his step and more bags that he added to the collection on the floor, and then he collapsed on the couch beside me.
