“Babe, are you okay?” I ask, cupping her face in my hands as I drop kisses to her wet cheeks.
Quinn shakes her head, her hands gripping my T-shirt as she says, “No.” She’s crying again, her body shaking as her knuckles turn white with the grip they have on me.
“He’s gone,” I whisper, kissing her forehead. “I’ve got you, babe. I promise I?—”
“No,” she says again, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I have. I’ve?—”
“No, Kai,” she says, her words firmer now. “You don’t, you can’t. You should just go.”
“What?” I ask, surprised. “Why would I go?”
She blinks, chewing on her bottom lip as she stares up at me. “How could you want to be involved in this?” she whispers. “He’s going to make my life hell. He’ll make your life hell too if you stick around. You’re better off leaving, Kai. Just forget you ever met me.”
My heart is pounding in my chest at her words, at what she’s asking me to do. “No,” I say, repeating the word back to her. “I’m not going anywhere, and I don’t care if he thinks he can ruin my life. I’ve got news for that asshole, he can’t.”
“He can,” she pleads. “He has money and connections and...” she trails off, a sob falling from her throat.
“Babe,” I say, pressing a soft kiss to her lips as my thumbs swipe away her tears. “He can’t hurt me, and even if he could, it wouldn’t change anything. This, here, is exactly what I want. There’s no way I could ever forget you. Don’t want to even try.”
Quinn sniffs, shaking her head a little as her grip on my T-shirt loosens and she flattens her palms against my chest. “Why?” she asks. “My life is a mess. I have so much baggage.”
Chuckling, I say, “Yeah, so? Baggage is nothing, babe. And baggage can always get lost too, you know.”
“Sean won’t ever get lost,” she says, her words laced with anger now. “He will never let this go until I give him what he wants.”
I close the distance between us, kissing her again as we lean back against the front door, this whole thing very different from the plans I originally had for her and this door when I came over here. I don’t mind though, because taking care of Quinn is something I am quickly discovering I really like doing. I want to be there for her, for any and every reason, because even though the sex between us is amazing, this is so much more than just sex.
This is us. Together-together, like Miles said.
“Babe,” I whisper, pulling back a little as I rest my forehead against hers. “We can get rid of him, you know. He will leave you alone.”
“But how?” she asks.
Grinning, I lift my head, my eyes meeting hers as I say, “Because we have a secret weapon.”
“We do?”
“Yep,” I confirm with a nod.
“What?” she asks, confused.
Chuckling, I reply, “Clearly, you’ve forgotten my brother and his band toured with them. You think they don’t have a shit ton of dirt you can use against him?” Quinn’s eyes widen, her mouth opening and then closing as though she doesn’t know what to say. Laughing, I kiss her once more before I take her hand in mine. “Come on, let’s take a quick shower, and then we’ll go speak to my brother.”
Thirty minutes later, Quinn and I are freshly showered and in the car on the way to Miles and Daisy’s place. I’d texted him before we left, just to give him a quick heads-up and he was cool about it. I think he was more surprised than anything, especially given I’ve never told him who Quinn’s ex is.
“God, I can’t believe this shit has followed me to Hawaii,” she says as we pull into the drive.
“I mean, not gonna lie, babe, he does seem like a piece of shit. But don’t worry, we’ll get some dirt on him.”
“It’s not just Sean,” she says as we get out of the car.
“What do you mean?” I ask, taking her hand as we make our way up to the front door. I knock once before letting myself in.
“A reporter showed up at work this morning,” she replies, closing the door behind her. “Sally took care of it, but it means they’ve found me, and this isn’t going to stop, and it’s only?—”
“Quinn,” I say, pulling her into my arms. I can hear Daze and Miles in the kitchen waiting for us. “We’re going to fix this,” I say, kissing the top of her head. “We’ll get rid of all the baggage, and you can go back to living in your hideous green and pink rental while I make good on my promise to make you come all night.”
