“Those are all your siblings,” she said as she lowered herself into her car and looked up at me with narrowed eyes.
“And?”
“And…you know those details about them and your…nemesis? Make it make sense.”
If only I fucking could.Ididn’t understand it, so I sure as hell couldn’t explain it to her.
Instead, I braced myself on the frame of the car and the open door. I didn’t miss the way her gaze darted to my arms, the muscles bunching as I leaned toward her. Or how she licked her lips when I got close, like she just couldn’t help herself.
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Her gaze snapped up to mine before she turned away and yanked her seat belt, latching it with more force than necessary. “Whatever, creeper.”
“Yeah, well, let this be a lesson for you.”
“If this is an attempted kidnapping, it’s a poor choice of venue, so don’t get any wild ideas.”
Under my breath, I mumbled, “I’ve got all kinds of ideas, and you’d hate every single one.”
“What?”
Louder, I said, “Might want to sharpen those claws, kitten. You’re going to need them. Follow me. If you can keep up.”
“Mabel’s house first so I can change!” she called after me as I strolled toward my Jeep, tossing my keys in the air as I went and whistling along the way.
At her answering growl, I couldn’t stop the smile from sweeping over my mouth. Tonight was going to be fun.
CHAPTERSEVEN
QUINN
I hadno idea how the hell I’d allowed myself to be talked into this. Though, that wasn’t exactly a surprise. Ford could talk a nun out of her clothes, and I had fallen right into his trap.
Admittedly, his response to Dr. Dicknose’s asinine remarks had softened me toward him slightly, which was what I was blaming my lapse of judgment on and certainly not on the fact that I’d been recalling, in explicit detail, what it’d felt like to be pressed up against him when he’d carried me to my car.
Ford had followed me to Mabel’s and waited for me outside while I’d changed, thankfully avoiding any interaction with anyone. Mabel and her husband, George, were out somewhere, and I’d never been more grateful for their hopping social calendar than I was then.
When I’d come out after spending way too much time deciding what to wear, I might not have been able to see his eyes on me, but I could’ve sworn Ifeltthem. The barest caress down the curved neckline of my shirt, plunging into the ample swells of my breasts. A hungry perusal over the outline of my hips and thighs in these jeans…
My nipples were hard before I’d even slid into my car, and that heightened awareness had barely abated in the time it had taken to drive to the location. That was why I’d painted on red lipstick before I’d stepped out, needing every ounce of armor I could get.
Ford’s gaze had landed on my mouth as if it had been drawn like a moth to a flame, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, with a hand on the small of my back, he guided us into the building without a word.
Kick Some Axe was housed in a refurbished barn painted in a deep red about a mile out of town. With slatted wood walls, corrugated metal accents, and buffalo plaid pillows tossed on worn brown leather couches, the front room was a lumberjack’s paradise.
“Hey, man.” Eli, an Asian man in his late thirties with soft laugh lines around his eyes and closely cropped black hair, walked toward us. He clasped Ford’s hand before pulling him into a one-armed hug. “Glad you could make it. We had a few people flake out, so I appreciate this.”
“No worries. I’m happy to help. Eli, this is—”
“Dr. Cartwright. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Hi, Eli. And you know it’s just Quinn when we’re not at the clinic,” I said with a smile.
Ford split a glance between us, his gaze assessing. “You two know each other?”
Eli nodded. “Had to get a couple stitches after that structure fire on Walker Street. She’s a magician—the whole thing was painless. Don’t think I ever thanked you properly for that.”
“Oh, it’s really no—” Before I could get the words out, Eli’s arms were around me, squeezing me to him. I wasn’t a hugger by nature, so I stiffened, awkwardly patting him on the back.
