by Sara Summers
“You’re a good man, James Cody Burgandeau. You’d better still be planning on loving me forever, because I’m not going to let you go.”
She covered the distance between us and lifted herself up on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to my cheek. The movement was a lot for her strained back, so she winced as she fell back to her feet.
“If I wasn’t injured, I would be ripping your clothes off of you right now.” She said, matter-of-factly.
The way she wanted me was a turn on.
“Right now I wouldn’t stop you if you tried.” I kissed her forehead, reminding myself that I really hadn’t been waiting that long as she stepped into the shower.
After she was clean, I helped her into our room and she put on a pair of my clothes—without asking, of course.
It was ridiculously sexy, the way she hadn’t bothered to ask. It was like she knew that my clothes were hers to steal, and that… well, I wanted her to want to steal my clothes, and I wanted it in a way that wouldn’t classify as PG-13.
When she was dressed, I helped her settle under the blankets on the bed and got her tablet out so she could watch TV while she relaxed.
Another forehead-kiss later, I took a shower and then ordered some food for us. We spent the rest of the day cuddled up on the bed, watching a TV show and just enjoying being together. Quinn’s scent mixed with mine, our legs tangled together, sharing body heat and a blanket…
Well, I felt confident that it was the closest to heaven I could get.
Quinn
I woke up cuddled up with Cody the next morning, wide-eyed with one thought running through my mind.
Why did my dad need the Childers to get him into the senate?
Shifters were the hottest topic in the country, and had been since the walls that kept them contained in half of Washington went down two years earlier. Why did he need the Childers when he had something so much better?
He had me and Cody.
If he campaigned with shifter acceptance and inclusion as his emphasis, using his daughter and son-in-law as proof, he would win by a landslide. There were plenty of people who still didn’t approve of shifters being a part of human society, but the vast majority did.
I just needed to prove that to my dad.
My phone was plugged in about a foot away from my head, so I barely had to reach at all to grab it. Half of me was already sprawled across Cody’s bare, muscley chest so taking a cute picture was simple.
With his neck turned the right way, showing off his cotie, along with his fantastic shoulders and pecs, he looked perfect. I fixed my hair a little and opened my eyes, curling my lips up into a slight smile before I snapped the picture.
Propping myself up on a little on his chest, I typed out a quick caption and post that said:
Feeling so lucky to have this sexy man as my SOULMATE. Did you know that being soulmates with a shifter turns you into one?
After I added a few hashtags, I posted it across all of my social media pages on every platform.
Cody’s phone had been plugged in next to mine, and before I was even finished posting on all of my sites, a text dinged and lit up his screen. I didn’t snoop at first, but when three more followed it after I finished posting, I couldn’t help it.
I took a guess at the passcode, and when I got it wrong, squinted to try to figure out what picture Emma had sent.
“It’s 1232.” Cody murmured. A quick glance showed a small smile pulling up the corners of his mouth.
I typed in the code and then clicked on the messages app, where I opened what looked like a family group chat. When I saw the picture Emma sent, I smiled.
“What does it say?” He opened his sleepy eyes. It’s so cheesy to say, but my heart actually warmed when he looked at me with those tired, happy eyes. He was perfect.
I glanced at the dancing, celebration, and thumbs-up gifs before I handed him the phone.
He pulled his arm off of my waist to take it, and I almost put his arm right back.
But instead I let him look at the photo.
“Did you post this?” he looked from the phone to me and back.
“No, I guess some other Quinn Longhorn was in the bedroom with us.” I put a serious expression on my face and rolled off of him so I was lying on my back.
Cody tossed the phone to the bed and rolled on top of me. The quick movement made my back hurt a little, but it wasn’t hard to ignore it.
I swallowed, staring up into those sexy brown eyes. The pressure of his body against mine warmed me all over.
“You’re really done trying to get rid of me?” he demanded, searching my eyes with that intense gaze.
“Well I mean…” I bit my lip to hide a smile. I was enjoying bothering him far too much to just admit that he was right.
“If this is just another part of your plan, I swear,” he growled, and I watched the way his muscles bulged as he considered that I was using social media against him. Suddenly, I didn’t want him to be angry. I wanted him to kiss me. “I’ll—”
“I don’t want to get rid of you.” I interrupted him. My heartbeat picked up as I realized that was it—I was making my decision. For better or worse, in that moment I was choosing Cody over my family.
I swallowed again.
“I want to be with you.”
His lips met mine and his body pressed into mine harder.
The best kind of fire burned through me while our mouths moved as one, and I lifted my hand to the cotie on his neck. One of his hands tangled in my hair while the other slipped under my t-shirt and gripped my hip.
Cody groaned and pulled my hand off, moving it to rest on his bare chest. I could feel his heart pounding under my palm, and I loved the way I affected him.
“I can’t resist you.” His hand on my hip moved up to my waist, and he met my eyes with a fiery-hot smolder.
“Why would you want to?”
I pulled his mouth back down to mine. That was the last thing either of us said for a long, long while.
Quinn
“What are you thinking?” Cody murmured. We were cuddled up under the blankets on his bed, our clothes and lives outside each other long forgotten.
I lifted my hand to the marking on his neck, and his arms tightened around me.
“I love you too.”
His words made me feel something I’d never felt before I met him. It was the same feeling I’d felt the first time he touched my cotie and let me feel what he felt, that overwhelming sense of connection. Cody and I were bound by something stronger than promises or desires.
We were connected by our souls, and it was a connection that I knew could never change even if I had convinced him to sign some legal document to give me permission to marry someone else.
Thinking about the legal document pulled me out of my haze of bliss.
I lifted my head off of Cody’s chest and met his eyes. He was smiling just a little, his face completely relaxed for the first time since I’d met him.
“I need to call my dad.”
His smile disappeared.
“I have to tell him that I’m not marrying Travis Childers, and that neither of us is signing the paper. I think I know how he can become a senator without the Childers.” I explained.
Cody didn’t look convinced.
“If he makes his campaign about shifter acceptance and uses us to support his argument, he could win.” I tried to explain, but Cody didn’t seem sold. I really couldn’t blame him for that.
“What if he doesn’t agree?”
“Then I guess he’s going to go ahead and publicly disown me like he threatened after I kissed you at the gala.” I shrugged like it was nothing, though my spirits fell a little.
“Are you okay with that?” Cody studied me, and he did look slightly more relaxed than he had when I started talking.
“Not really.” I admitted. His fingers trailed up and down my arm, giving me the best kind of goosebumps. “But my dad has never approved of me. I can’t spend my w
hole life giving up what I want for what might make him love me. He’s made it clear that it’s you or him, and it’s an easy choice. You love me, don’t you?”
Cody’s fingers paused on my arm.
“With everything I am.” His words rekindled the fire inside me that had cooled with the thoughts about my dad’s chance at the senate. “But I don’t want you to have to make that choice.”
I gave him a sad smile.
“I don’t either, but there’s nothing we can do about it. I’m not walking away from you, and I hope you aren’t walking away from me either.”
“You know you don’t have to worry about that.” The corner of his mouth lifted a little.
Gosh, he was sexy.
“I know.” I leaned closer to give him a kiss.
It turned into a lot more than the quick, soft kiss I planned.
Cody
“Are you sure you want me to leave?” I asked for at least the tenth time. We were parked in the driveway to her house—which was our house, since we’d figured things out.
“I’m positive.” Quinn smiled, for at least the tenth time too. I could tell that her smile was forced, and I knew exactly why. “I’m not going to go to the bar or try to run away or anything, I swear. I just want a little privacy.”
“Okay.” I nodded, getting out of the truck and walking around to open her door.
She rolled her eyes but accepted my hand, letting me help her out.
I pulled her into my arms and held her tight, and she let out a little sigh against my neck.
“Are you sure?” I checked again.
She laughed.
“I swear, I’ll be fine.”
She lifted those gorgeous blue eyes to meet mine.
“I love you, Cody. Thanks for not letting me scare you away.”
“There’s nothing scary about you.” I took her face in my hands and pressed my lips to hers. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
I stepped back, letting her go.
“I won’t need anything.” Quinn promised, pressing a kiss to her fingers and waving at me as she started toward the door. “I’ll see you at your parents’ in a few hours.”
When she was safely in the house, I got in the car and drove off toward the house of a certain friend who happened to be a tattoo artist.
Quinn
I had to climb over some furniture to get to the bathroom. That was tough with my back injury, but I made it in one piece.
The last of the companies I’d hired to fix the house had finished up late the night before, which was Saturday, and the furniture had been delivered early Sunday morning. It’s amazing how quickly things can get done when you throw enough money at them.
When I finally made it to the bathroom, I splashed some water on my face and took a few deep breaths in and out. The whole house smelled like paint and cleaning supplies, but it looked fantastic. I’d buy a few candles and a bunch of wall plug-ins, and my house would be smelling as good as it looked in no time.
After a long, drawn-out tour of my new house and some more time avoiding it, I picked up my phone and clicked on the missed calls button—where I’d missed six calls. Four from my dad, one from my mom, and one from Beth.
Just as I was about to click on my dad’s latest call, the screen was replaced with a picture of him.
With a shaky hand, I pressed the button to answer and lifted the phone to my ear.
“Quintessa.”
“Hi, dad.” I decided I’d be civil. No matter what he said, I would take the higher ground. He would undoubtedly guilt-trip me with an ‘I’m disappointed’ or two, but I wouldn’t let that stop me. I was done trying to win over his love.
“I’m disappointed in you.”
There it was.
“You can be disappointed if you want, but I have a plan to get you into the Senate without Travis Childers or his dad.”
He didn’t respond. I took that to mean he was listening, though he didn’t want to admit it because he was trying to guilt-trip me.
“I’m not signing that paper, and neither is Cody, and you can say whatever you want because I’m not going to change my mind about it. But, if you campaign with a perspective supporting full shifter integration and equality, you have a real shot at winning.
“With a daughter and son-in-law who are shifters, no one would question the validity of your stance. We would do a few speeches with you and show up to a few events, and people would have no doubt that you believe shifters deserve a place in society just as much as any humans. You know as well as I do that nearly all of the current politicians want to lock shifters up again, and that the majority of voters are against it. Cody could be an even better asset to you than Travis, because Cody grew up like all the other shifters.”
I finished my proposal and waited for his response.
“You know how I feel about shifters.” He finally said.
I did know. He hated shifters; he always had, though he had never had a reason for it. I’d always had an open mind about them, not that I’d ever told him that.
“And you know that the world is changing. Even if you could campaign with the Childers, everyone would ask you about the shifter daughter you disowned. You’d never get elected after hating your own daughter and son-in-law for being different.”
“Our family has a long history of being against shifters, Quintessa. If I suddenly change my mind, do you know what your grandfather would say?”
“Something along the lines of what you’ve been saying to me since I broke my back four years ago, probably.” I shot back, and then forced myself to calm down. “If you don’t want me to be a Longhorn, that’s fine. According to the laws I’m a Burgandeau now anyway, and I know how you feel about laws.”
“That’s not fair.” His voice was cold.
“Life’s not fair, dad. You taught me that.” I grimaced. It wasn’t going as well as I’d hoped, though I hadn’t expected it to. “I didn’t mean that, I’m sorry. You’re allowed not to like it, but I’m a shifter now. I turn into an animal the same way all the other shifters do. I have a soulmate, and he’s the best man I’ve ever met, and I hope you can be proud of that or at least happy for me.”
Once again, he didn’t respond.
“Alright, I’m going to go. I’m sorry that I’m not the daughter you always hoped I’d be. Bye, dad.”
I hung up the phone, and something about the action felt final. It wouldn’t be the last time I ever talked to my dad on the phone, but the conversation would change my relationship with him for good.
My dad wasn’t okay with who and what I was, but I didn’t feel sad about that anymore. Mostly I just felt proud of myself. I felt like I was on the brink of becoming someone more, someone better than I’d been in long time, if ever.
I was done with the one night stands and drinking away my feelings of worthlessness, because I wasn’t worthless. I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do with my life, but whatever I decided on, I didn’t have to do it to make my dad happy. The only person I needed to love me was me.
Cody couldn’t hurt either.
I stood up and looked around my new house. It wasn’t as modern as my apartment, it was more comfortable, more homey. That was thanks to Cody.
Something inside me sort of blossomed when I thought about him.
My soulmate. The man that I loved. He was everything I hadn’t realized I wanted or needed in a man, and suddenly, I couldn’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.
That was when I realized I didn’t want to be alone anymore.
I clicked the button to call Cody and then lifted the phone to my ear.
Cody
I was shaking Callum’s hand, thanking him, when my phone began to vibrate. I stepped outside and lifted the phone to my ear.
“Hello?”
“Hey, mountain man.” Quinn’s voice was soft and sweet. I was still trying to get used to the absence of her frustration since she wasn’t trying to get rid of me at that point.
“Do you want to come check out our new place?”
My feet were moving before I even responded.
“Our new place?”
“Yeah. You like the sound of that, don’t you?” She teased.
“More than you know.”
I got in my truck and headed down the road, traveling the short distance between our new house and Callum’s.
When I pushed the front door open, I raised my eyebrows at the wall of furniture separating me from the rest of the house.
“You have to climb!” Quinn called out from behind all of the furniture.
I could see her face and shoulders, along with the devious smile she was wearing.
“I’m a wolf, not a monkey.” I called out.
“Who said you can’t be both?”
I took that as a challenge. A smile tugged at my face, and I lifted myself up on top of the dresser closest to the doorway.
My soulmate grinned as I made my way over the rest of the furniture, and she laughed when I pulled her into my arms and kissed her.
“Are you ready for the tour?” She looked up into my eyes, and the excitement in her baby blues was enough to show me exactly why the Creator had made us soulmates.
Quinn was full of fire, passion, and drive. When she made a decision, she went at it with everything she had. Whether it was gymnastics or getting rid of me, she didn’t do anything half-heartedly. It was no wonder she’d buried herself in alcohol and sex—she was the kind of girl who needed a goal or a cause.
She’d only just started loving me with that fierce determination of hers, but already it made me feel like I’d won the lottery. I didn’t want a quiet, sweet soulmate who sat back and let things happened. I wanted to love a woman who set her mind on something and made it happen. A life with her was exactly what I wanted, and I couldn’t wait to get it started.
“What do you think?” I met her excitement with some of my own, and Quinn grabbed my hand.