That’s why he and Liam had been such good friends.Two genuine men who were rare finds.
She slurped some soup off her spoon and relished the saltiness of the soy sauce.“So.You going to tell me how you got those images from Frasier?”
Quin’s lips quirked in that oh-so-sexy way that instantly made her press her thighs together.
Down, girl.
“I might have taken them from his laptop...from inside his house.”
She choked and sputtered, dropping the spoon to the bowl with a clatter.“Quin!”She pressed a napkin to her lips then took a sip of water.“You broke into his house?”
“Not exactly.He’s as crazy as you and leaves his door unlocked.”
She glared at him.“You’re going to end up in jail.”
“Not if I’m right and he killed Liam.”
She pressed her fingers to her forehead and massaged the area that pulsed.“You can’t do things like that.You’re not doing yourself any favors.”
He popped an avocado-and-tempura roll into his mouth, chewed, and swallowed.“No, but I hope I’m doing Liam one.”
She slapped her palm on the table.“Ugh.Would you stop?”
Josie surged from the table, tears stinging her eyes.Quin was on his feet in seconds, leaping in front of her before she could cross the threshold into the living room.
Her nose bumped into his chest.She kept her gaze down as she tried to move around him, but he seized her arms, holding her in place.“Dammit, Jos.What did I say?”
Grief and anger collided inside her body—combined, they were a dangerous cyclone.She shoved her hands against his chest.Her fingers wanted to explore the muscled wall.He didn’t break away.
“It’s just...you.Frick, Quin.”She finally met his stare.Tears blocked her vision, but she’d let her eyes burn out of her skull before she allowed them to fall.
A frown indented his forehead and his eyes scowled.
“It’s you,” she continued.“You left overnight then came back out of nowhere.Now you’ve sucked me into this mess and I—I don’t want it.I don’t want you here, reminding me of...”A sob broke through her lips, and the dam of resolve holding back the emotion shook.She couldn’t finish.Didn’t dare.
Seconds ticked by.Quin didn’t move.His expression didn’t change, but she’d seen the flash of hurt in the hazel eyes that threatened to steal her heart from the man she still loved.
“Reminding you of what?Hmm?”The sharpness to his voice made her want to hurl everything in his face all over again.“You think I’m not hurting too?You think I want to be the bearer of agony for you, over and over a-fucking-gain?I don’t.Because I don’t know if you’ve figured this out, Josie, but all these years, I’ve wanted you.”
Her jaw went slack.Her raging blood slowed to a dull pump as her brain replayed his words on repeat.
“That’s right,” he said, growing bolder.“Liam knew.We both wanted to ask you out years ago, but he just happened to say it to me first.So, I stood back, wanting you every day and hating myself for it.”His voice broke, and he lowered his hands as if her skin had burned him through her sleeves.
His words had punched into her chest, one after another, pummeling her soul.She brought her hand to her temple as the room threatened to pull her to her knees.
She hadn’t misread his lengthy grins, hadn’t misunderstood the chemistry between them.Something had always been hovering below the surface, something that never would have been touched or uncovered while Liam was alive.
But he was gone.And maybe, just maybe, in some screwed-up act of fate, Liam had brought them together.Call it fate, call it destiny, or just the Universe playing out a card, she couldn’t ignore the events her life had taken and that Quin was here with her now.
As Quin tunneled his hand through his hair and started to turn away, Josie rose onto her tiptoes and caught his jaw between her palms.The tears she’d been holding back flowed freely, releasing some of the torture she’d endured and, for a second, allowing light to penetrate the black cloud of anguish that had followed her for so long.
She pressed her lips to Quin’s.The room tilted as his warmth touched her mouth, as his spicy, earthy scent swirled around her and his arms folded at the small of her back, hugging her close.
Blood rushed through her body at the speed of light.She rubbed her palms against his stubble as his mouth moved gently against hers.
Knock,knock,knock
Shock made her tear her mouth from his.She jerked her head to the door.“Shit,” she muttered.
