“We’re different!” It echoed loudly as we stared at each other.
I half expected her to storm out of the room and find him just to prove a point. The incessant need to be right would be her undoing. But if she so much as thought of seeking him out, I’d lock her in a room and throw away the key.
“He said you were going to marry Elva,” Quen said so quietly that I almost missed it.
I laughed. “You’re as bad as the rest of them if you believe that.”
A whole century I’d been dealing with people asking about Elva, trying to set us up and push us together. It aggravated me and it washed over her. And then a decade ago, Elva and Ig started to date, and I waited for the day they’d tell the heavens, so I’d be set free.
“Well, you don’t exactly talk to me about your life,” she pointed out. “And I don’t want to be the other woman.”
I looked at her for a second before closing the gap between us. “We started this because neither of us were exclusively with others.”
Truth be told, I hadn’t slept with anyone aside from Quen since we’d started. It wasn’t worth it. No one would satisfy me the way she did. I knew she went on dates with Holden, but I also knew their sex life was lacking, and she often made an excuse to keep their physical relationship to a minimum, so it didn’t bother me.
I wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her flush against my body. Where she usually resisted, this time she moved with ease, resting her hands on my chest.
“Were you jealous, Scott?”
“No.” Her answer was too sharp and too quick.
The smirk pulled at my lips. “I was jealous,” I admitted.
She looked up at me with surprise.
“When I saw you with Archer,” I continued.
“Gray.”
“I don’t want him near you, Quen.”
The reason was two-fold. I didn’t want Archer to find out, and I hated him touching her. I’d always dealt with anger and chaos, but what I felt in the throne room when Archer kissed her cheek was beyond anything I’d experienced before.
“Promise me you’ll stay away from him. I don’t trust him.”
She hesitated.
“Ask any of the others and I swear they’ll give you the same sort of answer.”
It took a few moments before she spoke, “I’ll stay away from Archer.”
“Good.”
I knew it wouldn’t be that simple. I knew that when Archer joined the project, he’d try to get to her. He appreciated her physical appearance. But there was so much more to Quen that Archer didn’t see, and I wasn’t willing to let him see.
When I looked at her again, I smiled. “You wore the dress.”
“You have decent taste.”
“I have impeccable taste.”
She rolled her eyes at me, and I held her close. Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she reached up to kiss me, fingers sliding into my hair. Her touch set my blood on fire, and I needed her close. Always.
I needed to make sure Erik didn’t find out that I had no intention of keeping away from her.
“Hello, Gray,” Sloan greeted me when I walked into their home.
“What do we do with Quentin now that we know?” Erik asked, cutting straight to the chase.
