Something Like Normal

by Monica James

  “Quinn, stop!” I cry, reaching for him, but he’s deaf to reason as he continues his assault on a non-moving Brad.

  Only when a wailing siren can be heard does he stop. He pulls back, his emerald eyes eaten up by pure black irises, consumed with rage.

  His eyes drop to my bare chest, as my ruined top plummeted to the ground while I was struggling to restrain Quinn.

  Quinn’s lip curls and he snarls before kicking Brad in the ribs one last time.

  He shrugs out of his jacket and slips it around my trembling shoulders.

  “Red, we gotta go,” he says, linking his fingers through mine, his eyes wild.

  I look down the alley and make out red and blue lights flashing against the walls.

  Nodding, I grip his hand and we make a mad dash for the other end of the alley.

  I follow blindly behind the man who just saved my ass.

  Chapter 25

  Sooner or Later

  Quinn cranks on the heater, his eyes never leaving the road as he zips in and out of traffic.

  I am bundled up in his jacket, and being surrounded by his smell and the heat sends some of the chill away, but not all of it.

  I can’t stop thinking about the way Brad’s body felt digging into me, and I feel sick. I cover my mouth with my hand and swallow it down.

  “Are you okay?” Quinn asks, looking at me quickly, his eyes darting between me and the road.

  “I just wanna have a shower,” I whisper, as I can smell Brad and the alleyway all over me.

  Quinn nods, his hair slipping into his intense eyes. “We’re almost there.”

  “Where we going?” I ask, shivering.

  “To Night Cats,” he answers, his brow crinkling, and I know he’s still fuming.

  “Where are Tabitha and Tristan?” I ask bravely, afraid he’s going to yell at me for getting myself into such a stupid situation.

  “Tris took Abi back to our place. I’m sure her mom wouldn’t appreciate seeing her daughter in the state that she’s in.”

  I nod, because he’s right.

  We pull into the parking lot, and the sight actually makes me feel better. I can’t get out of the truck quick enough and practically run to my room, in desperate need of a shower.

  Quinn follows and I turn to look at him over my shoulder.

  “You don’t have to come in. I’m okay,” I lie, as the thought of going into that room on my own sends me into a cold sweat.

  Quinn doesn’t reply and only keeps close behind me as I dig into my bag for my keys. My fingers tremble as I try and unlock the door, but I can’t maneuver the key into the lock.

  Quinn reaches over my shoulder and softly pulls the keys from my hand, unlocking the door with ease.

  I enter, and the familiar space is one I never thought I would be so elated to see. Quinn follows, softly closing the door behind him.

  Turning around, the realization of what almost happened to me hits home, and my legs begin to crumble beneath me. But I won’t show Quinn I’m about to crack.

  Instead, I shrug out of his jacket.

  “Thanks,” I smile, slipping my arm out of the sleeve, but Quinn stops me, placing his hand on my arm.

  “Go shower, I’ll be here when you get out.”

  I don’t bother arguing with him as there is utter conclusiveness in his voice.

  Nodding quickly, I make my way into the bathroom and kick off my ruined clothes. I can’t get into the shower fast enough and the water spray is scorching and burning my skin, but I don’t care. It returns some feeling back into my shivering body.

  Thinking back to everything that happened, I brace my hands on the tiles, my head dropping low, trying to steady myself. How could I have been so stupid? I know better than to be so careless.

  After twenty minutes of cooking, I step out of the shower, combing my wet hair and brushing my teeth—twice.

  Looking down at the small towel barely covering my body, I curse because I’ve forgotten to bring in a change of clothes. I could slip on Quinn’s jacket, but it still wouldn’t cover enough of me to not blush crimson.

  Sucking it up and taking a deep breath, I open the door and see Quinn sitting on the bed, resting up against the headboard with his legs crossed, remote in hand, watching TV.

  His eyes snap up to meet mine as I shyly step out into the room, tugging at the towel.

  “I forgot my clothes,” I say stupidly, explaining why I’m standing in front of him in an indecent towel.

  He gives me a strained smile and I place his jacket on the back of a chair.

  Now that I’ve calmed down and hysteria isn’t clouding my vision, I can see Quinn is covered in speckles of blood on his hands and face.

  “Did you want to use the bathroom?” I ask, trying not to make a big deal out of Quinn’s war paint.

  He nods, and his silence worries me as he has an unreadable look on his face.

  I sidestep him to allow him to pass, and as the bathroom door closes behind him, I dig through my dresser and pull out a pair of sleep shorts and tank.

  Switching off the light as the bright fluorescents are giving me a headache, I slip under the covers, which don’t feel as scratchy as they usually do. I flip on the bedside lamp, not wanting Quinn to think I’m trying to set a romantic feel with the dimmed lighting.

  The bathroom door opens and as Quinn switches off the light, stepping out into the room, I can see that he’s topless. I’m curled in a fetal position facing the bathroom, and as Quinn takes a step toward me, my body responds in a way it shouldn’t.

  The tiny room suddenly got a whole lot smaller with his commanding presence filling up any vacant space.

  I lower my eyes as I am totally checking out his hardened chest, rippled six-pack, and sculptured collarbones. He has a light dusting of darkened hair painting his bellybutton, and it slithers down into his low slung jeans. I blush as images of where it leads flash through my mind.

  The light flickering off the TV draws attention to his nipple ring, which is a silver hoop, a small ball hanging off the end of it. My eyes stop at his tattoo, which I still can’t quite read, but the sight before me is one of pure perfection.

  Quinn can see me totally checking him out, but he doesn’t shift uncomfortably.

  “Sorry about the shirt. It had bl—” He pauses. “It was dirty,” he says instead.

  I nod and bite my lip as suddenly, the air is charged with… something, and all I can think about is him lying next to me.

  “You can come lie down. If you want,” I add when he stands in the middle of the room awkwardly.

  I should be angry at him, incensed even, as images of him and Amber flash through my mind as I invite him into my bed. But after what happened tonight, it all seems so trivial. He saved me, and if it wasn’t for him, I hate to think where I would be.

  So all my anger subsides, because all I want him to do is comfort me, and make me feel safe.

  He tongues his lip ring before he nods and prowls over to the bed. I try not to ogle how his lean body radiates pure dominance with every step he takes.

  He toes off his boots and sits on the bed, kicking his legs so they lay on top of the blanket, but he never slips underneath.

  He shuffles up the bed and rests against the headboard, crossing his arms over his chiseled chest, looking down at me. I raise my eyes to meet his, and a swarm of emotions overwhelm me.

  “Thank you,” I whisper, biting my lip. “For everything.”

  If Quinn didn’t come to save me, I’m petrified to think where I would be now.

  Quinn shakes his head, his hair slipping into his fiery eyes.

  “What were you thinking, going out there after him by yourself?”

  Oh, so that explains the silence. He’s mad at me.

  “I got in a couple of good shots before he got me down,” I reply childishly.

  “I’m sure you did. But what would have happened if I didn’t come find you? You would just be another statistic,” he says, grinding down on
his jaw.

  Suddenly, I feel defensive.

  “I never asked you to,” I retort. “No one asked you to be my knight in shining armor. I can take care of myself,” I snap, glaring at him.

  Quinn exhales, running a hand through his hair. “Why do you do that?”

  “Do what?” I ask heatedly.

  “Pretend that you don’t need anyone in your life. It’s okay to be vulnerable, to need help. It’s not going to make anyone think less of you. Stop acting like you’re God damn invincible!”

  “Oh, you’re one to talk!” I snap, sitting up and meeting him face first. “You’re a walking conundrum, and at the possibility of connecting with someone, you run or hide… or fuck someone’s brains out,” I sneer out the last part between clenched teeth.

  Oops—there goes my forgiveness.

  “What are you talking about?” he asks, his eyes narrowing.

  “I saw you,” I confess, lowering my eyes.

  “Saw what?” he asks, clearly puzzled by my bi-polar.

  “I saw you… with Amber,” I whisper, repulsed at the memory.

  Quinn is clearly stunned by my revelation, which makes me think that maybe him leaving the door open wasn’t intentional.

  He rubs the back of his neck, and I watch the way his hardened stomach ripples with the movement.

  After a moment of silence he confesses, “I’m sorry you saw that.”

  “Why? You didn’t look sorry when you were fucking her!” I snap, suddenly feeling hot and kicking the blankets off my legs.

  Rolling onto my back and placing my hands behind my head, I stare up at the ceiling, deep in thought.

  The bed dips beside me as Quinn lies down near me. I don’t turn to face him because I don’t know what I will do. I’m a ball of emotions, and I don’t know if I want to hit him or kiss him.

  I can hear Quinn sucking on his lip ring before he says, “You’re right. I do shut people out because I’m sick of letting people in and then them leaving. What’s the point?”

  Why do I have a feeling he’s talking about his mom? And maybe… me?

  Turning my head to look at him, his face is mere inches away from mine.

  “I was only with Amber because I saw you and Tristan sleeping together, and you looked so peaceful, so happy, and no matter how much I want you, Red, because I do, I don’t deserve you… but my brother does.”

  My breathing begins increasing, and I try to will my pounding heart to stop. But the more I try, the faster it beats.

  “Quinn… I’m not… a good person. Tristan deserves someone better than me.”

  “Bullshit,” he whispers with a shake of his head.

  “If you knew what I did… you wouldn’t say that,” I declare my fears for the first time to another living soul.

  “What did you do that’s so bad you can’t allow yourself happiness? What are you running from?” he asks softly. “Tell me, Red.”

  I shake my head, wanting to back away from him. “No. I can’t.”

  “Why not?” he pleads, his eyes beseeching me to tell him the truth.

  Here goes nothing. “Because if I tell you…” I pause. “If I tell you what I did… you won’t look at me like the way you do now.”

  Quinn inches forward, licking his bottom lip. “How do I look at you?”

  “Like I’m worth looking at. Like I’m worth something,” I admit, lowering my eyes.

  Quinn reaches forward, tilting my chin to look into his insightful eyes.

  “You don’t realize how much you’re worth,” he whispers.

  “That’s not true,” I murmur, my chin still enclosed in his grip. “If that were true, you wouldn’t have shared your bed with another person other than me.”

  A stunned gasp passes through Quinn’s lips and I lower my eyes, hoping he doesn’t freak out, as there is one thing I need to know.

  “Amber said you and her…” I whisper, thinking back to her mentioning she had been Quinn’s little bed buddy while he was MIA.

  “What did she say?” Quinn questions, his eyes searching mine when I raise them timidly to meet his.

  “She said you guys have been together,” I confess, feeling sick at the admission.

  Quinn curses under his breath, his jaw straining. “Together?” he asks, his eyebrow arching in confusion.

  “Yeah,” I nod. “She implied she’s your go to girl, when you need to… go.”

  “She’s lying. I’ve only been with her twice. And both times had me wishing I was anywhere but there, with her. I’m a fucking idiot,” he says, looking ashamed. “I meant what I said about her,” he softly adds.

  “So why did you sleep with her again if you don’t like her?” I question, afraid that something has changed since the last time we spoke about her.

  Quinn sighs, closing his eyes briefly before reopening them. “You don’t have to like a person to have sex with them. And that’s all it was—mindless, numbing sex.”

  Lowering my eyes once again, I believe him, but it doesn’t make me feel any better.

  “You wanna know why I slept with Amber?”

  Not really, but I nod.

  “Because, Red, I have tried everything to get you out of my head, but nothing has worked. The only thing I hadn’t tried was fucking you out of my system.” I blush at his admission. “But that was a complete mistake. One I wish I could take back. And knowing you saw it, fuck me, I hate myself more than I already do for doing something so fucking stupid. I’m so sorry.”

  “It looked like you enjoyed it,” I sadly confess, thinking back to the memory.

  Quinn looks at me intensely, searching my eyes feverishly.

  “I felt nothing for Amber… and the only time I could come,” he whispers seriously, “is when I imagined it was you I was buried deep inside of. It doesn’t matter how many girls I’m with, they’ll never be you.”

  I open my mouth, stunned, as I really don’t know what to say. But he silences me by inching forward and closing the distance, not only physically, but emotionally between us.

  At first I don’t move, stunned to feel his soft lips on mine. But as he coaxes me to open my mouth with his tongue, my lips part willingly and I explode.

  I can’t describe what I’m feeling, as the sensation of Quinn’s mouth on me, kissing me with a fierce need, is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. He gently rolls on top of me, resting his weight on his hands as he deepens the kiss, his barbell searching out every crevice of my mouth, causing me to shiver in desire. As he angles his mouth over mine, kissing me deeper and harder, his lip ring bites into my lip, the sting of it hitting me straight between my legs.

  I raise my hands apprehensively and glide them up his lean sides, feeling the bump of each rib, and then move up over his biceps, encircling his neck. Knotting my fingers into his hair, the glossy strands feel like silk as they slip between my fingertips.

  I can feel Quinn hardening against my leg, and after tonight, you’d think I would recoil or be afraid, but I’m not. I welcome it as I open my legs for him, and he settles in between them naturally, like he was created to be there.

  My fingers never leave his hair as he breaks our kiss and begins sucking on my neck in long, wet pulls. The noises that are coming out of me are unrefined, as I’ve never experienced this before, and a heavy feeling is building between my legs.

  Quinn kisses leisurely over my throat and continues down to the top of my chest, which is rising and falling in breathless anticipation. As he swirls his tongue in the valley between my breasts, I arch my back, needing to get closer to his skillful tongue.

  My nipples instantly harden when his naked chest presses down onto me, warming every inch of my skin. I tighten my grasp in his hair, my fingers flexing as his hand snakes down my torso and rests on my bare thigh. He is squeezing my leg to match the rhythm of his mouth, which is sucking my lip softly.

  A moan escapes my parted lips, and Quinn slides in his tongue, kissing me until I’m panting.

  I can
’t stop my legs from scissoring, because the ache between them is almost painful.

  “What’s wrong? Am I hurting you?” Quinn asks, pulling away, his untamed eyes searching mine.

  I shake my head with bated breath and whimper when he shifts between my legs, pressing into my core.

  Quinn’s eyes widen in understanding as he sucks on his lip ring smugly.

  “You wanna get off,” he whispers, and it’s more of a statement, not a question.

  I bite down on my lip because that’s exactly what I want.

  “Do you want me to get you off?” he asks huskily, sucking on my bottom lip, dragging it away from my teeth.

  I moan as he glides his barbell along my bottom lip. And images of what that piercing could do to me…down there, plague my mind, and I almost come thinking about it.

  The hand resting at my thigh slowly slithers higher and higher, until it reaches the apex of my thighs. As he presses the heel of his hand against me, I jolt off the bed, ripples of pure need rocking my starving body.

  Quinn hisses in a breath through his clenched teeth.

  “What do you like?” he asks, nipping my chin.

  I don’t know what I like as I’ve never been asked this question before. Yes, I’ve gotten myself off, but never by somebody else.

  Quinn sees my apprehension and kisses the corner of my mouth.

  “You’ve gotten off before, right?”

  I nod, feeling my cheeks burn.

  “So what do you like?” Quinn asks once again, brushing my hair off my brow softly.

  “I… I don’t know,” I reply, feeling like a total idiot.

  “You don’t…oh,” Quinn finishes off, slipping his hand away from my core, thankfully understanding what I mean.

  “Are you sure you want me to?”

  I nod, silencing him.

  “As long as it’s not what I saw you do to Amber,” I admit, as I am so not ready for that.

  Quinn looks as if I’ve slapped him.

  “Not with you, Red. Never with you. I meant what I said. We do this, and I will possess every part of you. Do you want that?”