I clear my throat as I glance at the screen.
Lucas.
Then someone bellows, “Quinn!”
I spin around, running back to the hideout kitchen and slipping the picture between the pages of the book. Leaving the journal on the counter, I return down the hall. Lucas stands in my shop, his black track pants and white T-shirt soaked and dripping on my floor. He was clearly at the gym and ran here in the rain. Shit, I shouldn’t have called him.
He looks around. “Quinn!”
Turning back and forth, he holds his phone to his ear. Patches of his wet hair look almost brown as he runs a hand through it, droplets of rain glimmering across his face. My cell vibrates in my hand, and I scramble to ignore the call before it rings. Then, I mute it.
He can’t see me.
I ball my fists, feeling nerves fire underneath my skin because he’s six feet away, and…
He can’t see me.
I bite my bottom lip to keep the smile at bay.
Letting my eyes fall down the T-shirt that sticks to his taut stomach, I imagine my hands running over the dips and muscles. What does his waist feel like? His arms?
It’s nice to just look at him.
Without being caught.
“Quinn!” someone else shouts.
I flit my eyes to the left, seeing Madoc push through the kitchen door.
He’s dressed in sweats and a hoodie. They must’ve been working out together.
I turn off the flashlight on my phone.
“She didn’t leave a message?” Madoc asks Lucas.
He shakes his head. “No.” Then he disappears to the left and I hear a knock as he checks the bathroom.
“Well, her phone’s here.” My brother clicks away on his. “Somewhere…”
I tighten my fist around my cell. I forgot we can all track each other.
Lucas appears again, rubbing the back of his neck. I memorize the veins in his hands, the cords in arms, his long, tan neck…
He leaves tomorrow night, and I drink him in one last time.
“Her bike is still outside,” he tells my brother.
It only takes Madoc two seconds to heave a sigh. “Fuck, she went jogging,” he states. “Probably got caught in the rain. And without her goddamn phone.”
Because I make irresponsible decisions all the time, right, Madoc?
My brother starts to leave. “I’m gonna jump in the car and go pick her up.”
“Wait,” Lucas barks. “I’ll stay in case she shows up, but leave me the key in case you don’t come back.”
If Madoc finds me, he’ll just take me straight home. Lucas will have to lock my shop up.
Madoc hands my key to Lucas before heading back through the kitchen. After about fifteen seconds, I see my brother’s silver Audi cruise down High Street.
