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“I’d rather chew off my own arm.”
He gave her a significant look. “No, you wouldn’t. You two are the most prideful people I’ve ever met, but if one of you doesn’t bend, you’re going to lose this thing before you even had a chance to enjoy it.”
That thought scared her. It scared her a lot.
What scared her even more was the idea of putting herself out there and having him grind what was left of her heart to dust. “I don’t know if I can.”
“Think about it.” He stood. “Now, why don’t you go take a nap or something? You look like shit.”
“Flatterer.”
“Only when the situation calls for it.” He hesitated. “If you need anything before Jules gets back into town…you can call me.”
It couldn’t have been easy for him to offer—no easier than it was for her to open up to him in the first place. She managed a smile. “Daniel Rodriguez, you are a nice guy.”
“Don’t go spreading that shit around.” He ruffled her hair and then he was gone, striding out the back door and leaving her alone once again, with only her misery for company.
She looked down. “Well, my misery and Ninja Kitteh.” Aubry pushed to her feet, picking up the cat with one hand as she did. Once she was settled in upstairs, she picked up her Xbox controller, fully intending to lose herself in Deathmatch. But once she turned the console on, she just stared at the home screen. “Oh my God, I don’t even want to shoot people. I’m so damn broken.” She slouched down on the couch, cuddling the cat close.
Daniel’s words kept rolling through her head. Fight for it. Fight for him.
Love.
Surely he was wrong. A person couldn’t fall in love in five days. It was impossible. Yeah, Aubry had known Quinn for over a year now, but she hadn’t even liked him until after they’d started having sex… Had she?
Sure, she kind of admired how hard he worked on the Rodriguez ranch, and even when she was snarly at him, sometimes he’d say something particularly witty and she’d be almost in awe of it, but those weren’t exactly elements of a long-lasting relationship.
How about the fact that he took every single verbal punch you threw at him and came back for more? Or maybe that he actually listens, which is more than you can say for most of the people you’ve encountered in your life. Or that he went out of his way to draw you out of your shell and make you comfortable while pressing up against your boundaries?
Then there was the sex. She’d had sex before, but she’d never known it could be like that—soft and hard and dirty and full of laughter.
Kind of like Quinn himself.
“Oh fuck. I’m in love with Quinn Baldwyn.”
…
The entire drive back to Devil’s Falls, Quinn was determined to let that crazy woman have her way and do his damnedest never to see her again. It would be hard to stay away from her with them living in the same town, but he was more than up to the challenge. She flew away from him. He’d said some shitty things, but she had, too. And the first chance she had, she rabbited back to Devil’s Falls, where she was probably already holed up in her apartment with her gaming system and online worshippers.
He should just let her stew.
He would just let her stew.
Damn it, he would.
That righteous indignation got him through the first day back on the ranch, but after the sun went down and he retreated to his house, doubts started to creep in. He popped open a beer and dropped onto his couch, wondering what she was up to. Probably playing that damn game of hers.
Maybe she’s even playing with Kurt right now.
He forced himself to unclench his fist from the longneck. It wasn’t his business if she was talking to some other guy—or if she was doing more than talking. She left him. She hadn’t even given him a chance to find her and make things right. Not that he was in a big rush to do that. He wasn’t. He hadn’t done anything wrong. Much.
A knock sounded on his front door and he was pathetically grateful for the distraction. Quinn pushed to his feet and trudged over to open the door. He frowned at Daniel. “What are you doing here?”
“Saving you from yourself apparently.” He shouldered past Quinn and stalked through the living room and into the kitchen.
Mildly amused, Quinn followed. “I wasn’t aware I needed saving.”
“Of course you do. Normally I’d leave this meddling shit to my cousin, but since she’s out of town until the end of the week, I’m stepping in.”
He leaned against the counter. “It might help if you explained what the hell you’re talking about.”
