Maybe it was that first glimpse of the old, dominant Quill. The one I’d been wondering if I’d lost. And now, he’s back to being assertive, to showing me that he’s going to do all the hard work to make us both heal. All I have to do is let him.
“Even when you pee,” he says in answer to my question. “Especiallywhen you pee.”
Apparently he feels the same way I do about that moment, because he squeezes me to him, though his touch remains gentle.
“How about…” I wrinkle my nose, because there’s no part aboutthisthat would turn me on. “How about when I do number two?”
He snorts. “In that case, I won’t have to see you, since I’ll probably hear you anyway.”
“Ew, Quill!” I thought I’d overcome my desire to blush, but I’m back to doing just that. “That’s so gross. I don’t make noise!”
“Doesn’t matter.” He kisses the top of my head. “Just remember that nothing about you can possibly gross me out. You can burp, you can fart—”
“I’ll have you know I don’t doanyof those things!”
“Uh huh.”
True to his word about not letting me out of his sight, he keeps an arm around me, which forces him to make three trips between the kitchen and the dining room to get all the food on the table. Then he hollers, “JOSH!”
His yell is so loud, it makes me jump. A moment later, Josh comes scurrying in. “Yeah?”
“Have lunch with us.”
“Oh.” Josh looks a bit taken aback. “I wasn’t expectingthatwhen I heard you screaming like—uh, anyway.”
“Well, expect it, and get used to it, since Piper is being very annoying about it. I mean,” he interrupts himself hastily, “thoughtful about it.”
I hadn’t even thought about getting upset at his use of the wordannoying, maybe because I’ve already internalized it so much over the years. But realizing he’s correcting himself because he doesn’twantto upset me warms my heart. Just as much as realizing he’s listening to me and including Josh.
“Don’t go around acting like a scared dog with his tail between his legs,” adds Quill, sitting down at the table and pulling me onto his lap, “or I’ll punch you.”
Josh had just taken a bite of his steak, and now he nearly chokes on it. “Right.”
“That’s not entirely conducive to himnotacting like a scared dog, is it?” I lash out at Quill.
“Fine. I won’t punch you, Josh. But just try to find your balls, yeah?”
“Pretty sure he had balls when he shot the guy who was about to—” I don’t finish that painful sentence, instead shovinga forkful of steak in my mouth. I’m suddenly very much not hungry, but I’d much rather force myself to eat than force myself to speak the rest of that unuttered thought.
Quill’s arm tightens around me.
“Also,” I add, doubling down on my effort to push away painful memories, “Iamcapable, you know, of sitting my own ass in a chair. I don’t need to be on your lap all the time.”
“I’m sure your sitting skills leave nothing to be desired,” agrees Quill, though he makes no effort to let me go.
And the truth is, I don’t want him to. After taking a few more forkfuls of steak, I nestle against him, contentedly closing my eyes. I like feeling the up-and-down movement of his Adam’s apple as he chews and swallows each bite. Then his other arm lets go of my back just a second to cut the food on my plate, and I know what he’s planning. I don’t protest when he starts to feed me, no longer embarrassed about Josh seeing and possibly judging our relationship dynamic. I’m exhausted, and it feels nice to let myself sink into Quill while he takes care of me.
“I guess it’s not such a bad thing you’re staying with us after all, Josh,” Quill suddenly and unexpectedly says. “I like seeing Piper get a little worked up. It’s cute.”
I smile into Quill’s chest, then dutifully swallow the rest of the food he feeds me.
Chapter 27
Quill
“Penny for your thoughts.”
“Huh?”
