Selena didn’t want to die alone, surrounded by the cats she would surely have hoarded by the time she went senile, and have her body discovered by a neighbor when her corpse began to stink up the hallway. And she didn’t want to die a virgin, either. Alexis and Katrina stole every single boy in high school who even showed a margin of interest in her, so she never had a boyfriend or even a friend-with-benefits. And, with Alexis following her to the same college she didn’t even bother. Instead, she focused all her time and energy on graduating with honors so she could get the hell out of Philadelphia.
The door unlocking and opening caught her attention, and she sat up straight, trying to look casual.
“Hey Evie-girl,” she said as the brunette entered the apartment.
“Hey Sel,” Evie replied. She dropped her things in the small foyer and walked over to the couch, plopping down beside her.
“How was your day?”
“Ugh.” Evie slumped back and put an arm over her eyes. “I swear, I’m never going to get a callback.”
“Don’t worry. It’ll happen.” Selena had been to many of Evie’s open mic nights, and she knew her best friend was incredibly talented. Evie just needed one break, and once people saw her on stage, she’d finally reach her dream of becoming a famous Broadway actress.
“Yeah, well, I’m just glad I have a paying job now, and I can stay here,” she said. “How about you? Anything interesting happen?”
Yeah, a hot Lycan kissed me, and my father threatened to banish me if I didn’t get into an arranged marriage. “You know, same old, same old.” Pushing thoughts of the day aside, she linked her arm through Evie’s. “C’mon, let’s go spend time with our best boyfriends.”
Evie giggled. “You mean Ben and Jerry?”
“I have that emergency carton stashed in the back,” Selena said. “I have a feeling tonight’s as good a time as any to break it out.”
Chapter Five
Quinn shut down his computer after he sent the last email to Sebastian, then proceeded to lock up the office. With Killian gone on his honeymoon, a lot of the extra work had fallen on his shoulders, but he didn’t mind. Most of the work he did for Lone Wolf was background stuff, and if he could pitch in so his brother could have some quality time with his bride, he was happy to help. Besides, once the baby arrived, Killian and Luna could say goodbye to alone time. Suckers. Sure, the couple was ecstatic about the baby, and he liked his new sister-in-law enough, but Quinn still couldn’t wrap his head around why anyone would have kids. For Lycans, the answer was easy though. Shifters had difficulty producing, and any Lycan who had a kid with a non-Lycan always produced a human child, with the exception of True Mates, which Killian and Luna were. Still, there was no way Quinn was going to knock anyone up accidentally, and even though it was unlikely he’d ever impregnate any girl and Lycans didn’t get diseases, he always made sure to wear protection.
A pain slashed at him, and Wolf was once again antsy because it knew he would be thinking of the past. No, he would never knock up some girl and leave her high and dry. Growing up with a single mom, he knew what that meant, and he swore to himself that he would never be like the father he never knew.
For some reason, his thoughts strayed to Selena, and that seemed to calm Wolf down. He wondered what she was up to after their dinner last night. As soon as he dropped Selena off at home, Quinn went straight to Blood Moon, hoping some alcohol or a pretty face could help him forget about that afternoon. Selena’s lips, smell, and the memory of her curves against his body seemed to be all he could think about, and he just wanted to get her out of his mind. He tried flirting with this blond Lycan by the bar, but she wasn’t having it. She could probably sense Wolf, how agitated it was, and she stayed as far away from him as possible. He thought about walking up to a group of college girls, humans for sure, but that left a bad taste in his mouth. After another beer, he went home, alone and frustrated, with nothing to sate him except his damn hand.
After closing up the office, Quinn had meant to walk back to his loft in Soho, but somehow, for the third day in a row, he found himself entering the doors of the Lower Manhattan Library.
Selena was at her desk, as usual, face scrunched up in concentration. Her wild red hair was piled up in a bun, held together by a pencil. She was wearing her reading glasses and chewing on the end of a pen. The way her lips wrapped around the shaft made him stifle a groan. He never wanted to be a pen so badly in his life.
“Selena,” he called, making her jump in surprise.
“Jesus H. Christ,” she yelped, holding her hand to her chest, the pen dropping from her lips. “You damned Lycans and your super stealth.” She took a deep breath, her eyes darting around. “What are you doing here?”
“Well, I was hungry …”
“This is a library, not a restaurant,” she retorted, turning back to her computer. “Go get some pizza or something.”
“Great idea,” he replied. “Get your coat, and we can grab a slice at this great place—”
She whipped her head back to him. “Excuse me?”
He pointed at the clock with his chin. “It’s past five. You should clock out so you can go and have dinner with me.”
She raised a brow at him. “Dinner with you?”
“Yeah, you know, me. Your friend. Just a quick slice.” He emphasized the friend part, hoping that would convince her. Selena seemed skittish today, like she would bolt at any moment, and he didn’t know why.
“Right.” She sat there, staring at the screen.
“Well?” he asked impatiently.
She shrugged. “Fine. Let me close up, and we can go.”
“Great,” he said. “Hurry up. I’m starving.”
Selena rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. When she finished closing up her station, she followed him out the door. They walked a few blocks uptown until they reached the edge of Little Italy and a red brick building on a quiet corner of the neighborhood.
“I heard this place has the best pizza in the city,” Quinn said as he opened the door for her. “They’re originally from Brooklyn, but they just opened this branch.”
“Mama Jean’s?” Selena looked up at the sign over the door. “I’ve heard of them. The lines there are insane.”
“Yeah, good thing they’re still doing a soft opening here and the word hasn’t spread yet.” He walked up to the counter. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll get us a pie.”
“I thought you said we were going for a quick slice?”
“I’ll get you a soda, too,” he said, ignoring her protest. “What do you want on your half?”
“Fine,” Selena said. “Hawaiian.”
Quinn gave her a thumbs up and then ordered at the counter. He grabbed their drinks and sat down across from her at the table she reserved.
“You know, they say there are two kinds of people in the world,” Quinn said as he set the tray on the table. “Those who don’t eat pineapple on their pizza and monsters.”
“Oh, ha ha,” she mocked. “Not like I’ve never heard that one before.”
“So, how was your day?” Quinn asked.
She sighed. “Just the usual …”
As Selena told Quinn about her day, he watched, engrossed in what she had to say. He listened intently, thankful for his ability to multi-task because he couldn’t help but notice the way her eyes lit up and her hands moved around when she was excited. A tendril of hair had escaped from her makeshift bun, brushing her cheek, and he itched to touch it and put it behind her ear.
“So, what about you?” she asked. “What sorts of things have you been up to? Anything you can talk about?”
“Just been working on a few cases here and there,” he said.
“Like what?”
“You really want to know?
“Yeah, sure,” she said.
“Well, right now we’ve been concentrating on reuniting some Lone Wolves with their families.” Quinn recounted the story of how the mages had
created an army of Lone Wolves to help them with their plan to destroy the clans. When the battle was over, and they won, Grant Anderson, the Alpha of New York, took the Lone Wolves in to try and rehabilitate them and possibly find out if they still had living relatives. “It’s taking a while because few of them can remember what happened before they became Lone Wolves. Most of them were kids when they lost their clans.”
“What about you?”
“Huh?”
Selena looked up at him curiously with her blue-gray eyes. “I mean, do you remember what life was like before you became a Lone Wolf?”
“No,” he lied. “All I remember is Archie, my adoptive father. He took me, Killian, Connor, and Meredith in when he suspected that the mages were trying to build their army.”
“You must remember something,” Selena pressed. “Aren’t you curious?”
“Not at all.” Underneath the table, his fingers curled tightly. He took a breath, willing the memories not to come to the surface. His mother’s face, so faint now in his mind’s eye, swam back to his conscious mind. Anna, he thought. That was her name. She worked as a waitress to support her and Quinn. He remembered the small apartment they lived in, the Murphy bed they shared, and how tired she looked after a long day at work. How his clothes were threadbare because they could only shop at the thrift stores. The other kids at school laughed at him, and when he came home crying, asking why they were so poor and why he didn’t have a dad, Anna was on the verge of tears as she told him the truth. He was eight years old.
“Quinn?” Selena asked, concern marring her face. “Are you all right?” She slid her hand over to his. Her palm was warm and sent a soothing calm over him. Before he could answer, the waiter arrived with their pizza, and he gave a silent sigh of relief.
As soon as the food was on their plates, they dug in. Selena was definitely not one of those women who was afraid to eat in front of a man; in fact, she polished off two huge slices without even batting an eye. Normally, if he were taking some chick out, she’d order a salad and end up pushing most of it around her plate. God, had he been dating the same types of girls all this time?
He looked down at the pie, realizing the empty plates meant that their meal was almost done. “So, I was thinking, if what I saw at the exhibit last night was the set from the movie, I'm ready to watch the films.”
“Really?” she asked. “That’s great! You’ll be in for a treat! You have to tell me what you think.”
“Well, why don’t you watch it with me?”
“Huh?”
“Yeah,” he continued. “You’re the reason I went to that exhibit in the first place, so you should pop my movie cherry.”
Unfortunately, at that exact moment, Selena had been taking a drink out of her glass, and she began to choke, spitting soda all over the table.
“I … ugh … Oh God …”
Quinn smirked, shook his head and handed her a napkin. “Sheesh, I can’t take you anywhere, can I?”
Selena coughed and wiped her face with the napkin. “Sorry, I was just … uh …” She gave a nervous laugh. “Seriously, though? It’s a movie, not a life changing event. You don’t need me to be there to hold your hand, you know.”
“Yeah, well I bet you have all the movies on DVD.”
She grew quiet. “Blu-Ray. Extended edition.”
“Ha! I knew it, nerd. Now,” he said, pushing his chair back. “I know this is going to be a four-hour affair, so maybe if we leave for your place now, we can finish before midnight.”
***
Selena didn’t protest when he suggested they watch the movie at her place. In fact, she was insistent they watch it on Blu-Ray instead of streaming, so he could get the full effect since he didn’t get a chance to watch it in the theater.
They took a cab to her apartment, which took a while since she lived all the way up in Washington Heights. The neighborhood itself was lively, but she lived on a quiet street facing the East River. It was an older building, but it seemed secure enough. His instinct was to check for dangers and security weaknesses, after all, and he was satisfied with what he saw. Of course, with two girls living on their own, he told himself it was only natural for him to worry.
He followed her into the building and up the stairs to the second floor. Selena opened the door to the apartment and let him in.
“Nice place,” he observed. By New York standards, it was spacious. There was a small foyer that led into a kitchen, and, to his right, he could see the living room from behind a sheer curtain. It was bright, airy, and feminine; precisely the type of place he imagined Selena would have.
“Yeah, the rent’s pretty decent for Manhattan, but the commute to downtown sucks,” she said as she hung her jacket on the coat rack. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. Want some snacks or drinks?”
“Sure,” he replied and walked into the spacious living room. The couch was quite large and comfortable, and there was a 40-inch TV on a media console on the other end of the living room. The space was decorated tastefully and there were books everywhere, lining the shelves, on stacks in the corners, and even on the coffee table. “You live here with Evie?”
“Yeah,” she said as she set a tray with drinks down on the coffee table. “That’s the bedroom; we have twin beds in there.” She nodded at the door down a small hallway.
“You don’t mind sharing?”
She laughed. “Nah, it’s like having a sister I actually like. And it helps with the rent and expenses. Anyway, the popcorn’s in the microwave, and I’ll set the movie up.” Selena walked to the media shelf and picked up a case, took out a disc, and then slid it into the player. She walked to the kitchen and, minutes later, came out with a huge bowl of popcorn.
Selena grabbed the remote and pressed play. “Okay, let’s start,” she said, plopping down beside him and placing the bowl between them.
The credits began to play, and then the prologue began. Quinn was enjoying himself, despite his initial misgivings about watching the movie. Of course, he would also glance at Selena every now and then, from the corner of his eye. She'd probably seen the movies millions of times, but she remained transfixed, reacting to every scene as if she were seeing it for the first time.
About halfway through the movie, Quinn heard a key slip into the lock and turn, followed by the opening of the door.
“I’m home!” Evie greeted. “What are you—Quinn?”
“Hey, Evie,” he said.
“What are you doing here?”
“We’re watching a movie,” he answered. “Duh.”
“I can see that.” The brunette eyed him suspiciously and crossed her arms over her chest. “I mean, what are you doing watching it here? In my apartment.”
“Yours and Selena’s,” he reminded her. “She invited me.”
“Wait, you invited Quinn to watch a movie here?” Evie asked.
“Yeah,” Selena mumbled, her eyes never leaving the screen.
“But—”
“Shhh, this is my favorite part!” she cried. “The Mines of Moria!”
Evie rolled her eyes. “You watch this movie once a month.”
Selena ignored her friend and shoved a handful of popcorn into her mouth.
Evie let out a long-suffering sigh. “I’m heading to bed. I’m exhausted.” She waved to Quinn and disappeared into the bedroom.
They continued to watch the movie, though he could tell she was getting sleepy by her droopy eyelids. She continued to fight it though, forcing her eyes open, trying to stay awake. Near the end of the movie, Selena had lost. Her eyes completely shut and she slumped forward. He moved to catch her, his arms going around her and hauling her back, which only resulted in her falling on top of him.
Quinn took in a full whiff of her sweet scent as his nose buried in her hair. Her soft, pliant body pressed against him, and her full, large breasts flattened on his chest. She pushed her face into the crook of his neck, murmuring softly, but she seemed to remain asleep. He stifled a groan, feel
ing all the blood from his brain go straight to his cock.
He was only glad she was asleep because Quinn wasn’t sure what he’d do if she were awake and on top of him. Her wild mane had long escaped the bun and fell in unruly waves down her back, tickling the skin on his arms. He lifted a hand and touched her cheek, observing the light dusting of freckles on the bridge of her nose. Selena was gorgeous; he had always thought so, from the first moment he laid eyes on her. Even if she did call him a “rude fuck,” he couldn’t help but be drawn to her.
Wolf was going crazy, urging him on. To do what, he didn’t know. Maybe taste her lips again or lie down on the couch and roll over on top of her, just to see how the curves of her body fit against his.
God, he was going insane. That was the only explanation. Sure, Selena was attractive, but she wasn’t his usual type. Well, the big boobs were exactly his type. But the things he felt when she was around scared him shitless. Besides, Evie was her best friend. If things went badly (and knowing his track record, they probably would) and their admin assistant quit, Killian would murder him, and God knows what Connor would do.
With a resigned sigh, he disentangled Selena’s arms and laid her back on the couch. She stirred and moaned, but didn’t wake up. He found a throw blanket on the loveseat and put it over her, tucking it under her chin. What was it about Selena that made it hard for him to turn away and leave her alone? He would have to do it. Avoid her and forget about her.
He let himself out the door, closing it behind him and making sure the lock clicked before he left.
Chapter Six
Selena smoothed down her skirt and checked her lipstick for what seemed like the millionth time that day on the glass of Lone Wolf Security’s door. Evie was scheduled to work at the office today, which was why Selena came around. Yup, that was totally the reason why. And it was also a nice, sunny day, which was why she wore her favorite blue-gray dress that matched her eyes and showed off her legs. Plus, she woke up feeling refreshed and had time to fix her hair, taming it into glossy curls down her back. Yes, that was the reason she was standing outside Quinn’s office, not feeling nervous at all. Straightening her spine, Selena knocked on the door and waited for it to open.
Loving Quinn: The Lone Wolf Defenders Book 2 Page 4