Quin stood behind the sectional, his shirt thrown over his shoulder and sweat slicking his chest and arms. She thought about chiding him about the tattoo she’d just finished up on his arm a few weeks ago finally, but the words never made it out of her mouth.
“What do you think?” he asked, a grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
“I don’t know what to think.” She crept into the room, turning a slow circle and taking in the changes. “How did you—?” She hiccupped and dashed tears from her cheeks.
“Doll, don’t cry.” Quin vaulted the sofa and grabbed her elbows.
She didn’t care if he was gross and sticky. She wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him, resting her chin on his shoulder.
He’d gotten her family heirlooms back from whatever hellhole they’d disappeared into. If she hadn’t already been in love with him, this would have tipped her over the edge.
“How did you do this?” Her voice cracked as she spoke.
Quin pulled back, his face creased with worry. “Do what?”
She punched his shoulder. “The stuff. Where did it come from?”
“Oh.” He rubbed her arms. “After you crashed here I went back to get more of your stuff, but your mom had already given it all away to your neighbors. I just went and asked them for it. It’s not all of it. I never saw everything, but there’s stuff missing. I’m sorry—”
“How long have you been doing this?” She was scraping her jaw off the floor here. Sure Quin was thoughtful as far as a guy went, but this was out of this world.
His brows drew down into a line. “Since you crashed here.”
“What? Do you mean since Mom kicked me out?”
“That’s what I just said.”
She blinked at him. He’d been squirreling her stuff away for six months? “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Quin took a step back and studied her. “I wanted to surprise you, but it didn’t really seem like the right time. And then I talked some other people out of the stuff and found out that I might be able to get more of it back, so I just sat on it for a while. I wanted to get it all back, but this is it.”
She loved him. Head over heels. This was the death blow.
“Why don’t you sit down?” He spun to face the couch.
She knew this piece of furniture. She’d sat on it with Pandora when they went shopping for Brian’s condo. She’d liked it a lot. Hadn’t she told Pandora that she could see it in this house? She kept a stranglehold on the hope bubbling up inside her, but between the butterflies about to suffocate her and everything else, hope was all that kept her from falling flat on her face.
“Come sit on it. It’s microfiber and waterproof.”
All details she knew, thanks to the pushy salesperson she’d had to threaten with bodily harm to be left alone. She ran her hand over the fabric as she sank into it. The cushions were every bit as soft as she’d remembered.
“It’s nice,” she said, not knowing what to say or what buying a sectional even meant. He’d rescued her damn stuff and decorated with it. Seeing the space made up like a home was killing her.
“You don’t like it.” The smile left his face.
She splayed her hands on the cushion and studied him. “I do, but I don’t know what any of it means.”
“It’s what you wanted. Isn’t it?” Quin took her hand in both of his, his expression serious. “I’ve been doing some serious thinking since our trip to the Hill Country. I don’t want to sell the house. It’s grown on me. I want to live here. With you. What’s wrong?”
She cupped her free hand over her mouth. Hope, joy and love sucker-punched her in the gut. God, she was going to turn into a crier with all the tears she was shedding.
His face creased and his frown deepened. “Doll, what’s wrong? Do you not like it?”
Kellie swiped at her cheeks. “No, that’s not it. I do—”
“We can take it back—”
“I don’t want to—”
“It’s not a big deal—”
She launched herself at him, pinning his body under hers. Her bag smacked on the floor, but that didn’t matter. She dug her hands into his short hair and twisted them between her fingers. He met her open-mouthed kiss, pulling her tight against him.
One of the things she really liked about the sectional was its oversized proportions. Quin rolled them to their sides, and while it was a snug fit, it was comfortable. The perfect spot for snuggling. Among other things.
Quin wrapped a leg around hers and thrust his tongue into her mouth. They could have gone further, but Kellie pulled back. She needed more than groping and sex, she needed words and affirmation.
“You like it,” he said as he pushed her hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear.
“Yeah. Thank you for rescuing Grandma’s things.”
He passed his knuckles over her temple, a gesture he’d adopted since the incident at the gym. Quin didn’t speak immediately. They lay there for several moments just staring at each other. “I guess what I’ve been trying to say and failing is—I love you. I want you to be part of my life. I know I’m not ready to get married, but I want you to know that ultimately, I do want to be with you.”
Joy spiraled out of control. She grinned and fanned her fingers over his mouth. “That was a lot to dump on the table, but let’s stick with ‘I love you’ for a minute. I love you too. And right now, that’s all that matters.”
“Oh good.” His body relaxed and his smile became sensual. He slid his hand from her hip around to cup her ass. “When did you fall for me?”
She chuckled and rested her forehead against his. “When you put me through that cheap-ass painting and didn’t apologize.”
About Sidney Bristol
It can never be said that Sidney Bristol has had a “normal” life. She is a recovering roller derby queen, former missionary, and tattoo addict. She grew up in a motor home on the U.S. highways (with an occasional jaunt into Canada and Mexico), traveling the rodeo circuit with her parents. Sidney has lived abroad in both Russia and Thailand, working with children and teenagers. She now lives in Texas, where she divides her time between a job she loves, writing, reading and belly dancing.
Sidney welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
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Also by Sidney Bristol
Bound With Pearls
Collar Me in Paris
Flirting with Rescue
Personal Adventures
So Inked 1: Under His Skin
Print books by Sidney Bristol
Bound With Pearls
So Inked 1: Under His Skin
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
The Harder He Falls
ISBN 9781419945755
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The Harder He Falls Copyright © 2013 Sidney Bristol
Edited by Jillian Bell
Cover design and photography by Syneca
Additional photography by Chaoss/Shutterstock.com
Model: David
Electronic book publication July 2013
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The Harder He Falls: 2 (So Inked) Page 35