“Let. It. Go.” He enunciated every word, going for intimidation.
But she wasn’t affected. Quite the opposite, actually. She stood a little taller and squared her shoulders. “I’ll stop this conversation, but you can’t stop me from praying for you.”
Now, he was the one intimidated. He licked his lips. She was standing so close he could feel the warmth of her breath as she exhaled. He let himself relax as he studied her face. Here was this beautiful woman in the fight of her life, and she was going to pray for him. Behind the fire, sincerity filled her eyes, like she was fiercely determined to protect him.
His gaze traveled to her lips. Pursed at first, they relaxed when she took a deep breath. She lifted her head a little. His body reacted without asking his brain for permission.
He leaned down and grazed her lips with his. It was just a whisper of a kiss. He wanted more but knew it was a mistake. He pulled away. “I’m sorry.” He took a couple of steps back.
She didn’t say anything, just nodded.
“I’m going to go check the mail.” He didn’t wait for her to respond, just spun and walked straight outside. The night air was cool, and stars sparkled in the sky. He needed to clear his head. He’d kissed Quinn. It would be a lie if he said he hadn’t enjoyed it, but he shouldn’t have done it.
There was a whole list of reasons. The top one being that his past haunted him day and night. Drugs, parties, promiscuous lifestyle. That wasn’t even the worse part. He was a murderer. He’d killed a man. The police and the courts had deemed it justified. But that didn’t make it any better. He wasn’t worthy of love.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Quinn stood in the hallway inshock. Reid had kissed her and then practically run from the house. Why had he kissed her? Was it just to shut her up? It was unexpected and the opposite of what she would have expected from him. She assumed it’d be fierce and commanding like him. Definitely not tender and enticing. Not that she’d thought about kissing him. While she enjoyed the kiss, she didn’t need a man in her life. JJ was her life. She needed to remember that.
The shock wore off, and she continued to the kitchen. She needed a drink, and then, she’d turn in. They’d decided to leave as soon as possible and spend the night at his house instead of waiting until morning.
The front door clicked shut, and Reid joined her in the kitchen, throwing his mail on the table.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’m thirsty.” She opened a cabinet, hoping it was the right one.
“No problem. The cups are in the other cabinet.” He pointed to the correct one. He didn’t look her in the eyes. His neck was a slight shade of pink.
He shouldn’t be embarrassed. The kiss was sweet.No, don’t go there. JJ is the only person you need.She grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and drank half of it.
“I thought we’d go to Joe’s office first thing in the morning. I also want to find out where his funeral is.”
The funeral. She hadn’t thought about Joe being Reid’s friend and him wanting to say his final goodbyes. As much as she had loved Joe, she didn’t want to attend his funeral. No one may know about their relationship, but she didn’t feel right attending. Plus, she wasn’t ready to take JJ to a funeral. Even if it was his father’s. He didn’t know the truth, and she wasn’t going to share it now.
“You don’t have to go to the funeral.” He must have sensed her unease. “You and JJ can stay here.”
“Okay.” She finished her water and put the cup in the sink. “I’m going to go to bed now.”
He nodded. She walked past him and caught a whiff of that cologne she liked so much.
“Quinn?”
She turned to him, and he just stared at her.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Good night.”
****
Quinn woke and glanced at the clock next to the bed. It was 6:30. She slipped from the bed as quietly as she could and changed out of her pajamas. Her muscles weren’t as sore this morning as they had been, but certain movements caused sharp pains. She gritted her teeth and finished.
The front room and kitchen were empty. Reid couldn’t be in the bathroom because the door was open and the light off. A kitchen chair was missing. The only other place he could be was outside. The front door was unlocked, confirming what she thought. She opened it and found Reid sitting on the missing chair at the edge of the porch.
“Mornin’.” He nodded.
“Good morning. How’s your hand?” She closed the door behind her and leaned on the jamb, placing her hands between herself and the wood.
“Fine. You?”
“I’m better than I was yesterday.” She shrugged.
