Quinn drops the back of her head against the seat and blows out a long breath. “You can still see the lights from the cities. Open up the window if you want.” Quinn keeps her head and eyes forward. She’s freaked out but doing everything she can not to let Jacob know. “It’ll be over before you know it,” she mutters to herself as the engine whirs to life.
As the plane lifts, she shows no outward signs she’s even uncomfortable. But she can’t mask her scent or the rapid thud of her heartbeat. I let out a soft whine that comes entirely from my bear and clear my throat to cover the sound.
I’ve purposefully kept my eyes off Griff, but I seek him out now to see if he noticed the slip. He’s sitting at the table, his eyes trained on the side of Quinn’s face, and he isn’t even breathing. His entire body is frozen, completely focused on the woman across the aisle from him.
When I stand up, Quinn’s gaze darts to me, but she aims her eyes back on the seat in front of her immediately.
“Whoa.” Jacob lays his hand on his stomach as a grin curls his lips. We haven’t leveled out yet, so the weightless effect is making it hard to walk, but I still make my way back to the table, touching the seats I pass to keep my balance as I do.
Quinn’s knuckles are white as she grips the ends of the armrests, and her breathing is shallow. I have to bite my lip to keep myself from reminding her to even out her breathing.
“This is amazing! Can you see this from over there? Look!” Jacob points at the oval window next to him, not realizing how uncomfortable Quinn is. It shows just how underdeveloped he is as a shifter. At his age, I would have been able to read her scent, but he can’t. It makes me want to watch Thomas be ripped apart again.
“Come over here, kid. There are more windows.” My voice is just above a growl, but Jacob scrambles to get his seatbelt off. Quinn’s eyes close slowly before they pop back open. Her head doesn’t move as Jacob nearly climbs over her lap to get to the other side of the plane.
“Careful,” Griff barks, just as I open my mouth to say the same.
“Sorry,” the boy mumbles, stepping into the aisle. He ducks his head and climbs on the chair with his knees so he doesn’t have to look away. “We’re so high.” His voice is filled with awe.
Quinn’s nostrils flare as she drags in a breath. I stop near the side of her seat, ready to grab her up and put her in my lap. If she was a shifter, I would do just that. In my moment of indecision, she tosses her bag into the seat Jacob just vacated and turns her face to the side. I know she doesn’t want me to sit down, but I’m just as stubborn as she is. The seats back here are smaller to accommodate the table and captain chairs, so I end up stepping over her legs to get into the other seat. Her bag is surprisingly heavy when I scoop it off the seat and place it gently on the floor.
I give her a few seconds to adjust to my presence before I lean over and sigh into her ear. “Deep breaths,solnyshko.” I make sure to drag in a long, slow breath, and exhale in the same way so she can follow me. Within seconds her inhales are matched to mine. I don’t speak anymore, just make sure she keeps her breathing matched with mine. After five minutes, her shoulders are a little lower and her heart is a steady thrum, not the panicked gallop it was before.
I drop my head back and lower my eyes to slits. I can still watch her, but at least it’s not so obvious. I fight the urge to lay my hand on Quinn’s for the next ten minutes, but give up when the plane bounces a bit with a small patch of turbulence.
“What’s that?” Jacob’s voice is high-pitched, edged with a little fear.
“Bumpy air.” Quinn turns so she’s looking at the boy, then adds, “Nothing to worry about.”
I watch Griff lower his head into his hands. The action pretty much sums up how I’m feeling too. Humbled. Here she is, dealing with her own fear, but she takes the time to comfort the wolf. Yeah, I don’t think either one of us deserves her.
Chapter 14
Quinn
“I’ll see you tomorrow,”I promise Jacob, as he watches me over his shoulder. It’s clear his sister has had a big influence on him. I can’t imagine any other reason he would have softened to me so quickly. It must be because I’m a woman, and he doesn’t seem to hold the fact that I’m human against me.
Evan jerks his head to get Jacob moving. I can’t hear his words, they’re too far away now, but I wait until they turn the corner before lumbering over to the elevator. A quick glance down at my watch shows me it’s damn near the time I usually wake up. While I’m waiting for the doors to open, I pull out my phone and edit my alarm so I can sleep a few extra hours.
I don’t bother looking up as I step into the car, and it’s not until I go to push the button for the third floor when I realize I’m not alone. Letty is leaning against the back wall, her arms spread wide behind her, holding onto the railing. I inwardly roll my eyes. I really don’t want to deal with her tonight, I’m too tired. But there’s something about her appearance that has me taking a second glance. I’m used to seeing her in her security uniform—black cargo pants and a button up shirt. They don’t distract from her allure, but the skintight pants and sheer shirt she’s donning now ramps up the sex appeal.
I do look away when I realize her nipples are on full display. If I liked her, I’d tell her she looks smokin’ and whoever she’s going to see or coming from was lucky, but I don’t, so I keep my mouth shut.
The button for the third floor is already highlighted, so I lean my shoulder against the wall and continue to mess with my phone. I idly wonder if her room is on the third floor, I don’t think I’ve ran into her up there before.
The slight bounce of the car arriving reminds me of the feeling on the plane. It makes me anxious to get out of the elevator. I pocket my phone and stick my hand in my bag to retrieve my keys as I exit. Without looking, I know Letty got off after me. Even though she didn’t even speak to me, I still don’t like the feeling of having her at my back, so I slow my steps, pretending I need to search my bag.
She passes by me, sauntering to the door at the end of the hall. Her knuckles barely brush the wood when the door is pulled open, and there’s a damp, shirtless Griffin standing on the other side. His brows furrow when he sees her, but then his gaze is drawn to me. I lower my head and pull my keys from my bag.
I shouldn’t be surprised, he did say he had coffee right next door. Makes sense that’s where his room is. Not to mention I saw him and Letty leaving his office the other day, or was that today? Doesn’t matter. I drop my bag on the floor then flip the lock behind me the moment the door shuts.
Not bothering with the lights, I take a step forward and end up on my ass. “Motherfucker!” the curse leaves my lips without thought. Cool liquid seeps into my jeans and I can feel wetness coating my fingers.
The door behind me bangs once. “What happened?” Griffin’s voice is short and harsh.
“Supernatural hearing!” I scowl and put my hand back out behind me to pick myself up off the ground.
“Eww.” The liquid is thick. “What the hell?”
