by Moxie North
“Dude, fifty years? I can’t plan past my work schedule. You see years ahead.”
“I’m lucky that way. But now I’m also thinking that my surprise for you might be badly timed…”
He knew it would be tricky, but now his mate was distressed and he didn’t want to make that worse.
“What surprise? Like you’re really married kinda surprise?”
“Quinn, there is no way I’m married since you are my one true mate. No, I wanted to get you something that would help you with your job and your internship. Something that would make it easier for you and hopefully give you some extra time for studying, or more importantly, hanging out with me.”
“What… like an unlimited bus pass? Because that would be cool.”
“Not exactly.” He moved her to the side and looked over at the car on the curb.
Quinn followed his gaze and looked around confused, her eyebrows drawing together. “What?”
“That,” he said, pointing to the car.
“That Mini? What about it?”
“I bought it for you today. I already have insurance on it and you don’t have to worry about anything.”
Quinn looked back and forth between him and the car a half dozen times. “I’m sorry, I must have heard you wrong. Did you say you bought me a car?”
“Yeah. That’s okay, right?”
“Rain, that isn’t even a thing! You don’t buy people cars. That is a major life purchase that you agonize over. It’s not a five dollar foot long you spring for on a whim!”
Rain was trying to feel out if she was mad, confused, or just shocked. He was really hoping for just shocked, he could work with that.
“Think of it as a cold-cut trio and accept it with as much thanks as me buying you lunch.”
“No, wait, you’re just pulling my leg aren’t you? Dick! You almost had me going there for a minute,” she said, shaking her head at him. She had a small smile on her face as she chuckled.
Rain pointed the keys at the car and beeped the locks. The lights flashed and the doors unlocked.
He kept his eyes on her and watched her mouth drop open. Her head slowly moved back to look at him. Rain dangled the keys in front of her with a small smile. “All yours, baby.”
She took the keys robotically and looked down at them in her hand.
“Before you refuse, it’s not new, it’s used. It’s safe and not too big. Gets great gas mileage. And not bad to look at. The color is something about coffee. I thought you’d like it.”
“Rain, it’s a fucking car! You don’t give someone you’ve known a week a car!” Her voice was getting louder and little more hysterical.
“Babe, it’s just a car. It will get you from A to B without you having to wait in the dark for a bus. It will keep drunks from falling asleep on you while you’re riding through Seattle. You need your own car for work. You need something safe to transport kids for your internship. This will do all those things.”
“But, it’s a car. How much did it cost?”
“Oh, we aren’t going there. Let me just say that it is paid for in full and until you’re ready I’ll leave it in my name since we aren’t married.”
“Married! Geezus, Rain, are you trying to give me a stroke?”
“No, I’m just saying there is some legality involved when you buy a car. I’m keeping it easy on you and thought you’d be more inclined to drive it if you knew it was still in my name. Of course, if you agree to be my mate, I’ll happily add your name to the car, my bank account, and my trust fund anytime you want.”
Quinn covered her face with her hands. “I can’t really wrap my brain around this right now. I thought my mom broke my brain earlier, but this was really the kicker. Tell the neurologist that the headache started behind my left eye. Start looking there for the tumor.”
“Come on, just sit in her. I promise she’ll make you feel better.” Rain tugged at her hand and pulled her over to the car and opened the driver’s door. “Sit down, see how she feels.”
“She?”
“All cars are female. You’ll need to name her too.”
“Yup, I’ll get right on that after the hospital visit.” She took a seat and put her hands on the steering wheel. Making sure all her appendages were clear he closed the door and ran around to the passenger side.
Getting in, he looked over to gauge how she was feeling. She still looked a little shocked and confused.
“Babe, don’t think of this as a car. Just think of it as a slightly larger ORCA card. It will be something to help you. Don’t worry about anything else.”
“It’s a car, honey,” she said quietly.
“You need a car. You need a home that is safe and nice. I’m pretty sure you won’t agree to move in with me, so I’m doing what little I can to ease my bear and my own anxiety and not being around you all the time. I’ll be honest with you like I promised. What I want to do is wrap you in velvet and lock you away in the highest tower I can find and feed you chocolate and make love to you all day long. All things I realize aren’t practical in any way. I also am well aware it makes me sound like a macho asshole. I’m holding that back from you, believe me. I’m more animal than man when it comes to you. All my bear wants is cubs, he’s rather focused on that topic.”
Quinn’s head whipped toward him. “Babies!?”
“It’s a constant thought. Filling your belly with our baby. It gets me hard every time I think about it.”
Quinn’s mouth dropped open and she started sputtering.
“Like I said, I’m keeping that part back. But this is part of you believing me that I’m more than just a man and helping me out by letting me do something that will ease some of my worry about you. Can you give me that?”
Rain watched her chew on her lip. He could tell she liked the car, but her very nature would be telling her to never accept such a gesture from a man. Especially one she had only known for a week. There would be no way to convince her that he didn’t believe in strings unless they were unseen, and between mates.
“I’m going to say yes and thank you because I don’t think I have it in me to fight you on this with my mother here.”
It wasn’t exactly the way he wanted her to accept his gift, but he’d take it.
“So, it’s just mine? Where am I going to park it?”
“Yes, it’s yours and I’ll figure out parking. I think I can do monthly at one of the lots. That way you always have a spot. Leave it to me, okay? I will make this easy for you.”
“Gawd, I have to go to dinner with my mom tonight. I don’t know if I’m going to make it.” Quinn dropped her head to the steering wheel and moaned.
“I’m happy to go with you. I can explain to her that I’m a good guy and I can take care of you.”
“Oh, that would go over great. Tell her you’re going to “take care of me” might just set her to nuclear mode. She’s done nothing but preach to me my entire life that I need to take care of myself.”
“I’m not going to say anything bad about your mom, but by the sounds of it, you’ve taken care of yourself for more years than she has. Let me be there for you now. I love you, Quinn. I will do anything I can to ease your burden. I’m not even going to apologize for it because you deserve the fucking moon. I’m going to make sure you never want for anything whether it’s clothes or coffee. Then I’m going to convince you to move in with me, if that doesn’t work I’ll make sure your home is safe. I’m going to be there after work, take you to dinner and make damn sure you never run low on orgasms. You’re mine and I take care of you now.”
“Fuck me, Rain, I get so confused because I never knew how tired I was until I met you. Is that bad?”
“No, baby, it’s not bad.”
“I am tired. I expect so much of myself and I never even give myself a break. Whenever I felt weak or like I was failing, my response would be to take on more. Forcing myself to accept more responsibility and spend even more of my time working so I don’t have a minute to whine
about being tired.”
“I think you are fucking warrior, Quinn Sutton. You are an amazing, strong woman that can take over the world if you want. Never doubt that about yourself.”
Quinn turned her face to him, still leaning on the steering wheel. There were tears in her eyes that hadn’t fallen. “You think I’m strong even when I tell you I’m tired?”
“Quinn, we all get tired. The rest of us just accept it and give ourselves a damn break. I’m pretty sure you’ve never had a break in your life. It’s time.”
Rain watched her close her eyes as she took in a deep breath, then opened them again. “Thank you.”
He wasn’t sure if she was thanking him for the car, for what he said, or something else. But he’d happily take it.
“You are most welcome. Want to take her for a drive? I’m thinking she needs a name like Sabrina or Maxine.”
“Dude, I’m not naming my car like that. Her name is obviously Hazel because she is the same color as a hazelnut cappuccino.”
“Hazel it is. Start her up and let’s cruise her around.”
Chapter 33
He had bought her a car. It was a car, not a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates... it was a car. Then again, in the grand scheme of things, for someone like Rain it might not be a big gesture. She was still trying to figure out the Love/Bear thing and him giving her a car when her mom was in town had short circuited her brain.
Deciding for her own sanity she was going to have to not worry about the car if she wanted to keep functioning, she thanked him after their drive. He kissed her hard enough that she swore her toes curled in her shoes.
He was a great kisser. The second his lips touched hers, she felt consumed. It was scary and comforting. Quinn was going to hold on to that feeling for as long as she could. Her dinner with her mother was still on. She had to decide whether or not to continue her line that Rain was just her boyfriend or did she try to convince her mother that he was something more.
Was he more? There were moments when she was in his arms that she could feel the words bubbling up in her throat. I love you. It was something she’d never said to a man. Honestly, she had never planned on saying it at all. But with him it was like a part of her soul was reaching out to speak to him.
She still resisted. It was obvious that if she said those words that her link to Rain would be one forged in steel. The glow in his eyes when he looked at her was almost always there now. At least when they were alone. There was no denying that there was more to the man than the surface of a handsome, smart, rich and funny guy.
She felt happy, light, and horny around him. Being horny wasn’t a bad thing. But being horny all the time was new. When he was around her, she was revved and ready to go. When he wasn’t around, she thought about the next time she could be with him. It had been days since they had made love, and she was jonesing badly.
If her mother wasn’t in town she knew where she’d want to be tonight. Hell, she’d had a car now; she wouldn’t be against trying out the backseat. Although having sex in the back of a Mini Cooper was sure to be fraught with problems.
First things first, her mother. Quinn left Rain at the door to her building. She promised to text him when she was done with her mom. She had a feeling that she was going to need to see him after dinner. Sure, she could tough it out like she always had and deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Mona alone.
But tonight, she didn’t need to. All she had to do was text or call and there would be someone there to ease her suffering, and an evening with her mom guaranteed suffering.
Forging ahead, she took a quick shower and made sure to dry and style her hair, hoping to avoid any comments from her mom. She picked out clean clothes and did her best to look nice. It was funny to think that she wasn’t worried about what Rain thought of her clothes, but her mother would certainly have an opinion.
Quinn looked in the mirror and gave her hair another scrunch with her fingertips. She’d put on some eyeliner and mascara and even added a swipe of gloss to her lips. Hoping to keep her mom from running into Harmony or that idiot Lars, she grabbed her purse and left her room, locking the door behind her.
She headed outside and pulled her hoodie tighter around her. Either it was really cold, or she was shivering with nervous anticipation.
“Well, at least you’re on time!”
Mona was coming around the corner. She’d changed clothes too. Not that this outfit was any more subdued. She had put on a pair of jeans that were so tight they looked painted on. She was sporting a sequined top that was sliding off her shoulders. The bright pink sequins glinted in the streetlights as she walked in her strappy silver heels.
“Mom, you know it’s cold out, right?”
“Like I’m going to wear a coat if we’re going out. I taught you better than that. Never bring anything you have to leave at a table if you use the bathroom. Plus, you wouldn’t be able to see my top.”
“Everyone can see your top, Mom. And I thought we were just having dinner. Not going clubbing.”
“Who knows where the night will take us. We walking or springing for a cab?”
“I have a car we can use.” She wasn’t going to offer up information if she didn’t have to.
“Cool, where is it?”
“Just over there,” she said, pointing towards the street. They walked toward the car, Quinn slowing her pace so her mom could take baby steps in her heels. Beeping the locks, she hoped that her mom wouldn’t make a big deal out of it. She wasn’t so lucky.
They got into the car and her mom looked around, checking the back seat. “Is this a friend’s car? It’s nice, fancy.”
“Sort of,” she hedged, starting the car.
“It’s sort of a friend’s car? How does that work.”
“It’s owned by a friend that is letting me use it. What’s the big deal?” Quinn pulled out and headed down the road even though she had no idea where they were going.
“It’s a big deal because you’re being sketchy. In my line of work I know when someone is bullshitting me.”
“Listen, for the near future I will be driving this car. For all intents and purposes, it’s mine. Okay?”
“No, that’s not okay. It’s not owned by you, but it’s yours to use? You’d better fill in the details, Quinnlynn Sutter.”
Quinn felt the knot of tension in her stomach that had eased when she was around Rain start to tighten. “Rain bought me this car today so I wouldn’t have to take the bus anymore. Happy?” she snapped. Fuck, she didn’t want to tell her mom, but she always had a way of making her talk. It was some evil parent trick that she’d never learned to resist.
“He. Bought. You. A. Car?” Her words were sharp and each one was a little louder than the last.
“So what if he did?”
“He bought you a fucking car. Geezus, Quinnlynn, have you lost your fucking mind? I thought the hotel room was bad. A car, what next? New boobs?”
“Mother! He’s not like that. He was worried about me standing on dark streets at night. It was a nice thing to do, a kind thing. People can be kind without wanting something.”
Quinn knew that wasn’t true in this case. Rain didn’t buy her a car to get her to agree to be his mate, but he was certainly lobbying for her future. He wanted her love, her body, and all of her tomorrows. It was a lot and she knew that he wasn’t going to back down.
Quinn was starting to feel like she was living on borrowed time. Her heart was telling her that Rain was more than a boyfriend. He was inching his way inside her, down to the deepest recesses of her being.
Quinn glanced over at her mother to see her staring out the window looking straight ahead.
“Mom, he’s nice. He’s not a jerk. He cares about me.”
“Quinnlynn, what if he does. How long do you really think that is going to last? What are you going to do when the day comes that he takes away this fancy car and kicks you to the curb? You think you’ll be able to jump back to the way things were? Noth
ing makes you softer than letting someone else take care of you.”
Quinn didn’t want to tell her mother how terribly sad that sounded. Letting someone in wasn’t the same thing as giving up who you were. Quinn had some of those same fears, but she never thought that she wouldn’t be allowed to be herself. Nobody could change you that much. Sure, you could get used to some things, but she had to believe that she’d be just as capable post Rain Rochon as she was before he showed up.
Trusting Rain with her heart wasn’t nearly as scary as trusting him with her future. Her heart would heal. It would have scars and she’d never forget the pain that those wounds would cause, but her future, that could be destroyed with no hope of recovery.
That was what she had worked so hard for all her life. Rain wanted her to keep her career choices but still alter them all at the same time. She knew that he would never ask her to be something else. But he was also asking her to let him be in the center of her career. The real question was whether she was willing to share.
“Mom, I know you’ve been hurt. I was there remember? I saw what happened when Rick, Terry, and that guy with the Santa beard left.”
“Merle,” her mother retorted.
“Gawd, that was a terrible name. I was there when you got angry and threw things and burned pictures and got drunk. I know how hard it was. But I still need to live. I can’t hide away from life because of the pain you suffered. What if Rain is the one that can make me happy for the rest of my life?”
“Why can’t you make yourself happy?” Her mother had her arms crossed now. She was pouting like a child. It wasn’t a good look for her.
“I don’t know that I would ever be fully happy alone. I’ve felt so different being around Rain. I’ve felt loved and protected. Have you ever felt protected by any of your boyfriends?”
“Protected, no. Protective of my shit, yes.”
“Exactly. Rain makes me feel safe. The stress of my classes, my work, it all fades when I’m around him. He’s there if I fall. And it’s not just because he says he will be. It’s because I can feel it from him. Mom, he’s good. I need to see where this goes. I need to try this and if it doesn’t work out, then I know how to throw a tantrum and burn shit.”