Love like Yours Series (Box Set #1-4)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  I saw a tear forming in her eye and I reached for her.

  “Quinn...”

  She stormed from the room without so much as a backwards glance.

  Shit.

  ***

  I tapped lightly on the door to my spare room. I hadn’t slept a wink without her last night.

  I wanted so badly to tell her what was going on with me, and I very nearly had. I even made it as far as this door, but when I’d heard her light snores I’d convinced myself not to wake her.

  “Quinn... you up?”

  I pushed on the door gently and it swung inwards with a groan.

  “That depends,” she replied quietly as I stepped into the room.

  I locked my eyes on hers, she looked exhausted.

  “You didn’t sleep much did you?” I scolded.

  She looked back at me. “And you did?” she challenged.

  “Not a wink,” I admitted with a shake of my head.

  She didn’t say a word, just stared at me with her green eyes wide.

  I sat down on the end of the bed. She was still wearing my shirt and the sight knocked the breath out of me. Even pissed off as hell, sleep deprived and hungover, she was still a knockout.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Cut the shit, Harrison,” she snapped. “What the hell is going on?”

  “It’s not what you think.”

  “It’s not what I think?” she spat the words at me. “Not what I think...” She threw the covers off and jumped out of bed. “And what would that be?” She strode back and forth across the room.

  “Calm down, Skippy.”

  She stopped in her tracks and swung around to face me.

  “Calm down?” she yelled. “Don’t tell me to calm down, Harrison,” she sneered. “You’re lying to me.”

  “I’m—”

  “I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me you aren’t keeping something from me,” she cut me off.

  I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t look into her eyes and tell her a blatant lie like that. I dropped my head down.

  “It’s not what you think,” I repeated.

  “Jesus Christ! I can’t do this anymore, Harrison. I can’t sit back and be lied to.”

  “I’m asking you to trust me,” I pleaded.

  “Trust has to be earned,” she retorted.

  “Have I given you any reason not to trust me?” I demanded, looking her in the eye again.

  She groaned and rubbed her temples in frustration. “You want me to make a list?”

  I sat there, like a pathetic little puppy, begging her with my eyes to let this go and come back to me.

  She sat down next to me and grabbed my hands in hers. “Just tell me. Please... tell me. I just need to know what I’m dealing with. Gambling? Drugs? Are you in trouble? Is it a woman? Or—”

  “A woman?” I interrupted, my heart racing. “You think I’m cheating on you?”

  Her eyes filled with hurt. “Well if it looks like a duck and quacks like duck...”

  “What if it does?” I challenged.

  “Then it’s probably a fucking duck!” she yelled, climbing to her feet again.

  Jesus Christ. This is way out of hand.

  “You’re a nutcase,” I mumbled.

  “I’m a what?” she hissed.

  Fuck it.

  She had my blood boiling in a way only she could.

  “You’re crazy,” I replied, getting to my feet too.

  “I’ll leave then.” She stormed out of the room and back into my room, throwing her clothes together in a pile on the bed, before stripping off my t-shirt and dressing herself.

  I knew I was being a dick, I knew my anger had gotten the better of me, but I was too stubborn to back down now. We were both too stubborn for our own good.

  I stood back at the door and watched her dress, a cocky expression firmly on my face.

  “Ugh,” she spat when she realized I was staring. “You’re such an asshole.”

  “You bet that sweet little ass I am.”

  God. I am an asshole.

  “I’m done.”

  “So what if you are?”

  “Fuck you, Harrison.”

  “You already did, sweetheart.”

  Hurt flashed in her eyes as she pushed past me and headed down the stairs.

  Shit.

  “Baby I'm thinking it over, what if the way we started made it something cursed from the start, what if it only gets colder. Would you still wrap me up and tell me that you think this was smart.”

  - Banks, Waiting Game.

  37. Quinn

  “You already did, sweetheart.”

  Fucking bastard.

  I was fuming. I’d never experienced all-consuming hurt and rage like this before.

  He followed me down the stairs and I swung back around, our faces only inches apart.

  “Leave me alone,” I hissed.

  He raised an eyebrow in a cocky way that screamed ‘make me’.

  “I should have just stuck it out with your brother,” I snarled, regretting the words the instant they left my mouth.

  “My brother?” he bellowed. “You want to go back to my fucking brother?” His eyes were dark and empty looking. He wasn’t my Harrison in that moment.

  I shrank back. This was one time I definitely should have kept my mouth shut.

  He growled, deep and menacing. “By all means... go back to him. Because you sure as fuck aren’t welcome here right now.”

  “I’m sorry,” I whispered. I was suddenly afraid. I knew he’d never physically hurt me, that wasn’t what I was afraid of. I was afraid that this time I might have pushed him too far.

  “You’re what?” he yelled.

  “I’m fucking sorry, okay?” I yelled, finding my voice. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “Don’t hold back on me now, Skippy, I’ve already heard what you really think.”

  He was furious.

  That was the problem with the two of us together. We were fire and fire. When one of us was burning, all the other did was light another match.

  “Don’t hold back?” I spat defiantly. “When do I ever hold back?”

  “Never.” He threw his hands in the air in frustration. “That’s the fucking problem, isn’t it? You say whatever the fuck you want, and to hell with the consequences.”

  “You’re a hypocrite!” I yelled back. “I’m leaving.” I stormed towards the front door. Half of me wanted him to call me back; the other half wanted him to fuck off forever.

  “Fucking perfect!” he called after me.

  I stopped in my tracks “If I leave now, I’m not coming back, Harrison,” I told him calmly.

  “Suits me,” he retorted, still full of rage.

  I swung open the door and slammed it behind me. I’d only taken one step before I heard him growl and the sound of smashing glass.

  What the fuck have we done...?

  Fire and fire didn’t cover it. We were fire and gasoline.

  ***

  “You’re kidding me? You two are fighting again?”

  “We’re not fighting, we broke up.”

  El rolled her eyes, and I had to admit, Harrison and I and our drama was becoming a reoccurring feature.

  “Riiiight,” she drawled. “Sure you did.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “I told him it was over when I walked out.”

  She pulled her hair up into a loose ponytail and secured it with a hair tie.

  “So, you haven’t thought about going back?” She gave me a look that screamed ‘go on, just try and lie to me’.

  I skirted around the question. “It was only two days ago.”

  “And?” she prompted. “I bet you wanted to turn around the minute that door shut behind you.”

  Bitch.

  “Nope,” I lied through my teeth.

  I hated it when Ellerslie was right.

  I’d had to stop myself from going over there at least half a dozen times already.

  “Just
give it up already, Q, we all know it’s not over.”

  There’s no way it’s over.

  38. Harrison

  I fucking miss her.

  I managed thirty years just fine before she came along, and now I couldn’t even seem to survive three days.

  39. Quinn

  I took a deep breath and knocked on the door – three short raps.

  I leaned against the wall and waited for him to open it.

  I heard footsteps behind the closed door, and my heart pounded faster in my chest. It swung open and the light pooled out onto the porch.

  He looked me slowly up and down, head to toe. “I didn’t think you were coming back,” he stated arrogantly, his voice gruff.

  I shrugged. “I wasn’t.”

  I pushed off the wall and slipped around his frame.

  “By all means, come in.” He gestured to the entryway that I was already standing in.

  I smirked at him and strolled towards the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools at the island bench.

  “Make yourself at home.” Amusement danced in his eyes, but I could see deeper. He didn’t know what to make of my sudden reappearance.

  “Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?” I challenged.

  He sighed, giving up. “What are you doing here, Quinn? You made it pretty clear you wouldn’t be back.” He was wary, tired maybe. Understandably too, I’d been a bitch the last time I stood inside this room. He might have been asking for it, but I knew I’d been the one to go too far.

  I scooted back in my seat and crossed one leg over the other, noting how his gaze ran greedily over my exposed flesh. I held back a shudder.

  “I did say that.” I looked into his eyes. “But I’ve figured out what you are.”

  He snorted. “And what exactly am I?” he asked as he prowled towards me, roughly pulling a stool out next to me and sitting down on it.

  I strummed my fingernails on the marble countertop.

  “You.” I pointed one finger at him. “You are that pair of shoes.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me in question.

  “You know... you’re that pair of heels that you see in the store. The ones that you really want, but you know you don’t need. But... they’re so pretty... so you try them on. Then you deliberate for what feels like forever. But in the end, you convince yourself that there is no way you are buying this pair of shoes. You don’t need them, and you won’t wear them anyway. So you leave,” I rambled.

  He chuckled. “I’m assuming you have a point somewhere here?”

  I nodded and smiled. “But the problem with that damn pair of shoes, is for days and days after, they’re all you can think about... how much you need them... how amazing they look, how good they would make you feel... so you go back, and you buy the fucking things.”

  “I’m the shoes.” He smirked.

  I nodded. “You’re the shoes.”

  His eyes darkened and smoldered.

  “I don’t know if I forgive you,” he stated, placing a hand on my leg.

  “I don’t know if I trust you,” I countered, reaching out and running my hand over the buttons on his shirt, unbuttoning them one by one.

  “There’s no other woman, Skippy,” he replied quietly, watching me work.

  I took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes. “Okay.” I nodded, believing him.

  He slipped his hands inside my jacket and slid it down my arms, letting it fall to the floor.

  “I won’t bring him up again. Not like that. I’m sorry.”

  “I know.” He reached for the buttons on my skirt. “I said some hurtful shit to you, Quinn. Backed you into a corner, got your back up. I’m as much to blame,” he told me as he undid the zip, letting it fall to the floor.

  I left his shirt unbuttoned, showing off his toned chest, and began to work on his jeans.

  “You won’t tell me about these,” I stated, running a finger over one of his scars. “This is new.” I pointed to a graze on his ribs that I hadn’t seen before.

  He gripped my hand and lifted it to his face, causing my eyes to follow.

  “I just need you to trust me, Skippy. It’s nothing. It’s nothing to do with you and me. Nothing changes how I feel about you, not for one second.”

  I swallowed, my words caught in my throat. I took one slow, deliberate step towards him and pressed my body against his. His hand snaked into my hair and fisted it at the base of my neck, tilting my head upwards.

  “Okay,” I replied, looking into his caramel eyes.

  “Okay?” he confirmed, his eyes widening.

  “I just want you,” I told him honestly. “If it’s not affecting us, then I’ll trust you.”

  He sighed in relief.

  “But it’d be a hell of a lot easier if you just didn’t lie,” I added. “Right now, I feel like you’d piss on my leg and try to tell me it’s raining.”

  It was a serious conversation... I was trying to be serious. Apparently, my use of an example wasn’t so serious.

  Harrison busted out laughing, his whole body shaking.

  “Jesus, Quinn. You don’t beat around the bush, do you?”

  I grinned. “Never have before.”

  He smiled and pulled me in close again.

  “How about, I do my best to be honest with you... and you do your best to have a little faith in me?”

  “Pinky swear?” I asked, holding out my little finger.

  He nodded and looped his finger in mine.

  “I want us to get to know each other better too... okay?” I asked timidly. “Sometimes I worry that you don’t really know me.”

  He kissed my neck softly. “I know you, Skippy.”

  “Do you?” I breathed.

  His mouth felt so good on my skin. It’d been too long.

  “Yes, I do.” He kissed my neck again and I stifled a moan. “I know that you’re a terrible singer.”

  Kiss.

  “I know that you only buy black socks so you’ll always have a matching pair.”

  Another kiss.

  “You can’t cook to save your life.”

  He moved his mouth to my ear.

  “You don’t take any shit from anyone... you brush your teeth before and after breakfast... you always sneeze more than once...”

  Holy shit.

  He nipped my earlobe with his teeth and I shuddered.

  “I know that’s your kryptonite,” he said with a smirk playing on his lips.

  He knows me.

  He hoisted me into his arms and sat me down with my ass on the edge of the kitchen counter. The marble top was freezing.

  He tugged my top off over my head, leaving me only in my underwear. His heated gaze swept over my body and I knew I’d take this man anyway I could get him.

  God, I’ve missed him.

  “The greatest relationships are the ones you never expected to be in. The ones that swept you off your feet and changed your every view.”

  - Author unknown

  40. Harrison

  I stared at her lying naked in my bed, my sheet pulled up loosely over her body – her olive skin a stunning contrast against the stark white.

  I was in so deep.

  I’d completely fallen in love with her. Every minute I’d spent of the past three days, trying to convince myself otherwise, was nothing but a complete waste of my time.

  I’d known from the second I laid eyes on her that I was making her mine, but I never realized it was possible to fall for a person like this. I’d had girlfriends before, even long-term ones, but my feelings for them had never developed into anything close to what I was feeling now. It was always more like a feeling of familiarity and comfort than love – this was not at all like that.

  Quinn had come along and thrown everything I thought I knew out of the window... just tossed it all out there and replaced every single thing with herself. She was everywhere. I couldn’t look at a single chair in my home without picturing her sitting in it. I couldn’t shave without s
eeing her perched up on the countertop watching me. She was everywhere.

  The realization made me think that maybe it was time to give it all up. For her. I’d gone to the warehouse that Tiger had told me about, but it was empty, they’d been there, but they damn well weren’t there anymore. I was at a dead end.

  Give it up, Hunt.

  “Do you think you want to have kids one day?” she asked quietly, breaking the silence.

  Her words were not what I was expecting to hear. Hell, a few short hours ago, I thought we were over.

  From that to babies?

  This woman’s brain was a mystery to me.

  It wasn’t a subject I was ready for. I was already keeping secrets from Quinn... I wasn’t sure I could stomach the thought of keeping secrets from a family.

  Can I give it up?

  I reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

  “I don’t know,” I told her honestly. “I want to say yes, but I just don’t know.”

  She wiggled around so she could look at me properly.

  “Okay...?” she said, drawing the word out.

  I shrugged, unsure what else I should say.

  “Tell me why you wouldn’t want to have kids,” she prompted, trying to understand my answer.

  I took a deep breath and tried to be truthful. “I’m a mess, Skippy. What if my kid turned out to be a mess too?”

  “You’re not—”

  “I am,” I interrupted her. “There’s things I...” I trailed off, not wanting to say anymore.

  She looked into my eyes. Even though she didn’t understand, she knew there was no point in arguing with me about it.

  “Well then.” She reached out to cup my face. “One day they’ll find someone like me who will love them anyway.”

  My jaw fell lax.

  She loves me?

  I wanted to grab her, throw her in the air and tell her I loved her too. But I was frozen.

  “Or...” she carried on, totally oblivious to my moment of elation. “You could just hope they take after their mother.”

  I choked out a laugh and tucked her into my side, still reeling from her revelation and my missed opportunity.