by Jenika Snow
Hearing Quinn say that made me feel like everything would be okay.
It had to be, right?
He shifted slightly, his focus trained on me. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for you, Isabel.” His tone was so sure, so controlled. He cupped my face and leaned down so we were eye-to-eye. “You’re it for me. You’ve always been it for me.”
God, things had to work out. They just had to.
Chapter 8
Isabel
Two weeks later
It was insane how fast those last two weeks went by, but here I was, standing near the moving truck, my heart breaking, but my strength doubling. I wouldn’t cry, not in front of my parents, and especially not in front of Quinn.
The last fourteen days had been hectic as we packed, with movers coming in and out of the house to help load the truck. Everything within these last fourteen days had been a blur.
What I do remember is the time I spent with Quinn. Those stolen moments at school where he’d pull me into a darkened corner and kiss me until I was breathless. It was the memories of the way he’d hold my hand, tracing my fingers with one of his as we lay on the couch, a movie playing in the background that neither of us focused on. It didn’t take long for the school to find out we weren’t just friends any longer, although I’d been surprised at how many of our friends had seen this moment coming.
And then we’d told my parents we loved each other, and that after school there wouldn’t be anything keeping us apart. They hadn’t seemed shocked.
Neither had Quinn’s parents.
“I’ll come with you. I’ll find a way to work it all out.”
I closed my eyes and played the words Quinn said to me last night over and over in my head.
“I’d go with you to the end of the world if it meant we’d always be together.”
God, he was like … not real.
I could have laughed at my thoughts, but it was the truth. I was lucky, that was for sure, because a relationship like we had was timeless.
“Hey,” he said as he came up to stand beside me.
I turned my head and looked up at him. “Hi.” My throat was tight, emotion threatening to make itself known. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me close. Since confessing we loved each other we’d spent every day together.
He’d see me first thing in the morning, all day at school, and he’d spend the evening with me, only leaving when my father forced him to leave because it was late. And then there were those times we’d sneak away and be alone, and I’d give myself to him over and over again, just holding him and wanting those moments to last forever.
“It’ll be okay.”
I nodded, because although it seemed impossible right now, I knew things would work out. But what gutted me was the fact I was moving so far away, and that it wasn’t like either of us, or even our families, had funds to fly either of us out every weekend, especially during the school year.
Believe me, we’d tried to work it out. But in the end, we both knew it couldn’t happen. We needed to finish school if we wanted to have any kind of productive life together. If Quinn left school to move out west with me, where would we be in the end?
Love was everything, but I couldn’t let him ruin his future because I was moping around and he hated to see me upset.
“No crying, okay?” he said and turned me around, cupped my cheek, and leaned down to kiss me. I melted into him, not caring if the movers, neighbors, or even my parent’s saw. Let them gawk at us, let them feel uncomfortable that Quinn held me close, that he kissed me like he was starving, and I was the only person that could sate his appetite.
I heard the moving truck door slide shut; the loud whoosh and click caused reality to set in. I pulled back, not wanting to, but also knowing I couldn’t hold on to this moment forever.
But I want to. I desperately want to.
“It’s time to go, Isabel,” my dad said, but I didn’t look at him.
Quinn smiled down at me, stroked my cheek with his thumb, and I leaned into his touch.
“It’ll work out,” Quinn said again.
I sure hoped so.
Quinn
As soon as I couldn’t see the moving van, I got in my car and headed to the mechanic shop where I worked. For the last couple of weeks, since I found out Isabel was leaving, I’d been putting things in order, trying to work things out in between seeing her. I wanted to spend as much time as I could with her, but I also had a lot of shit to do in a short amount of time.
I’d told Isabel we could make the long distance relationship work, and I would in a heartbeat, but if there was anything I could do to make it work being with her and lessen that year timeframe, I was going to try.
I pulled the car into the shop, cut the engine, got out, and headed to Brae’s office. I knocked three times before hearing the manager shout out. “Unless you have food, fuck off.”
I pushed the door open anyway and saw Brae hunched over his desk, papers strewn everywhere. He snapped his head up, the scowl on his face aimed at me. But when he recognized me, he straightened and leaned back.
“You have food?”
I shook my head. “Does it look like it?”
Brae scowled harder and then chuckled. “Then what the fuck you want, boy?”
“You hear anything new from your friend out west?” I held my breath. This was going to make it a hell of a lot easier for me to go early and be with Isabel.
But there wasn’t anything that would keep me from her, not even shit that didn’t go my way.
I wasn’t waiting a fucking year to be with my girl.
“Yeah, I heard from him.”
I waited, the silence stretching. Finally I lifted my eyebrow, growing impatient. “And? Does he have anything out there for me?”
“You sure you want to do this?”
“Yeah, I’m really fucking sure.” There was no doubt in my mind what I wanted and that was Isabel.
“What about school?” Brae asked. “You leaving without graduating is really fucking stupid, Quinn.”
I shook my head. “I talked with the school, crammed my credits, and can graduate early.” I was pretty good in school, but I hadn’t worried about trying to graduate early because what would be the point? The girl I loved would still be going, and I wanted to be with her.
But, thank fuck, I’d had extra credits and could get out early, but it would take a couple of months for everything to play into motion and fall where it needed to. But a couple of months was a hell of a lot better than a year.
I also didn’t give a shit about graduating with my class.
I meant it when I said Isabel was my life, and I’d do anything to be with her.
Brae didn’t speak for several long seconds. He exhaled finally, reached over, and opened one of his desk drawers. He pulled a slip of paper out and handed it over.
I grabbed it and looked down at the name, address, and number jotted down.
“Mitchell can hook you up with steady work as well as room and board.”
I folded up the paper and looked back up at Brae.
“Don’t fuck this up, though. I vouched for you,” Brae said.
“You know I won’t. Thank you for doing this for me, man.”
“You tell her you put all of this together?”
I shook my head. “I didn’t want to say anything in case shit fell through.”
Brae nodded. “She must be something special for you to jump through hoops like this.”
I didn’t even have to think of a response, because I knew the lengths I’d go for Isabel, to be with her.
“She’s my everything.”
Chapter 9
Isabel
A month later
I spoke with Quinn every day, but that didn’t make this separation any easier. What really sucked was the fact we hadn’t been able to travel to each other since I moved across the country, and it felt like I’d left a little part of myself back home.
Home. That�
�s where Quinn was.
That’s where I was supposed to be, where I was meant to be.
I stared out the window of the library, a place I had started going to shortly after we moved to this new city because I wanted to have a little bit of quiet. But the silence just had me thinking about Quinn.
Who am I kidding? I think of Quinn every second of every day.
I stared down at my textbook. It was a Friday night, and here I was, sitting in the library, studying for a test I didn’t have for another week. But I had no interest in hanging out with the friend I’d made, and I had no desire to hang out at home and watch reruns with my mother either.
I was happy for my parents, though; glad they could finally own that really nice house they’d always wanted. I was happy my dad got the promotion he so deserved, and that all those years of busting his ass had paid off.
But I was depressed, and no amount of talking to Quinn, even if it was several times a day, could help that.
I just needed to be with him.
He was my soul mate, my other half, and not having him by my side was torture. For so long we’d been together, talking, laughing, hell, just staring at the stars in that cornfield as the silence stretched on. If two people were meant to be together, it was he and I.
I lifted my phone and hit the calendar app, staring at the days I’d already marked off before I could see him again. I was about to set my phone down when it started vibrating. Looking around to make sure I wouldn’t disrupt anyone, I saw I was alone and answered my cell.
“Hi,” I said softly, the smile covering my face instantly.
“Hey, baby.” Quinn’s deep voice always sent shivers through me. “What are you doing?”
I looked down at my textbook and pushed it away. “Thinking of you.”
His deep chuckle had my body heating in the best of ways.
“I’m always thinking about you, Isabel.”
God, I loved to hear him say those kinds of things, words that were sweet and endearing, but that also made me wish I could fall into his powerful embrace. “I wish you were here right now,” I found myself saying, even though I’d told myself I wouldn’t do that to him, wouldn’t make this situation any more difficult.
It was hard enough on both of us.
Quinn
For the last month, there wasn’t anything I wanted more than to tell Isabel I wasn’t letting her go without a fight … that I’d be with her soon. A year was far too long to be apart from her, even if we could have found a way to see each other during that time. I needed her by my side, an arm’s length reach from me.
Obsessive.
Possessive.
Territorial.
I was all of those things and more when it came to Isabel.
I’d gone to her house first. Her mother had been surprised, of course, and as much as I would have liked to speak to her more, catch up, I was here because of Isabel.
I’d come to be with my girl.
Here I was behind a bookshelf, staring at the person that meant the world to me, and having to use a lot of self-control not to just go to her. But as I took that first step, I watched her stand and pack up her stuff. I asked her about her day, just wanting to hear her voice.
“And no fuckers going after you?” I asked, tracking her movements through the library. She laughed, but I was being serious. I could admit I was one jealous motherfucker when it came to Isabel.
“No, of course not. I don’t give anyone the time of day.” She stepped out of the library and made her way to her car. I’d parked right next to her, the back of my car crammed with boxes, and a small trailer that held the rest of my meager possessions. Since Brae had gotten me a job here with a guy he worked with, and it included room and board, I would be able to save up for a place for my girl and me when she was finished with school.
“I miss you,” I said and followed her to her car, staying behind enough that she couldn’t hear me talking to her, not just yet anyway. She exhaled, and I could see from her profile that she looked so damn sad.
“Me too.” But then she stopped at the trunk of her car, staring at my vehicle. I could see the realization, the confusion, and finally, the shock filter across her face. I was a few feet behind her now, waiting for her to turn around and see me. Standing still and not pulling her close was hard as fuck.
“Quinn?” she whispered and finally turned around. We locked stares, and the phone fell from her hand, clattering to the ground.
I didn’t think about anything else but shoving my cell in my pocket and heading for her. I pulled her close to me, cupped the back of her head, and whispered in her ear. “I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“I don’t understand,” she whispered, and I could hear her crying. She pulled away, and I smiled down at her. I brushed away a tear with my thumb, then leaned down to kiss the other side of her face, brushing my lips over the salty wetness.
“I told you everything would be okay, that I’d make everything work out.”
“But school, money? And what about your parents? They were okay—”
I kissed her, stopping her from saying anything else. After several seconds, and when I knew she was good and breathless for me, I pulled away. “I had enough credits to graduate early, and I’ve been working toward being able to come out here with a job and place to stay.” I cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes. “And my mom and dad know how much I love you. They know there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to be with you.” I stroked her cheek. “Nothing could keep me from you.”
“You did all of that for me?” she asked with wonder in her voice.
I shook my head. “Isabel, there isn’t anything on this fucking planet I wouldn’t do for you.” I leaned in close, so we were eye to eye. “There isn’t anything I wouldn’t do for us.”
“God, how did I get so lucky?” She was crying again, and I smiled.
“I’m the lucky one.” And I was. God, I was so fucking lucky to have her in my life, to have her as mine.
Epilogue
Isabel
Two years later
The last two years had been hard financially and with both of our schedules. Since Quinn had shown up and surprised me, dropped his life behind to come to me, we’d made it work.
There was nothing else we wanted more.
After I graduated high school, I’d decided to stay. Since Quinn had uprooted his life to be with me, I’d applied at a community college in town. It didn’t matter where I went to school, as long as we were together. Besides, I told myself I could get all of my core classes done anywhere.
But after being here for two years, and now done with all my prerequisite classes, I’d applied to the local collage. Quinn was taking classes as well, slowly, but he was getting his business degree to help manage the construction business Mitchell owned; the guy had given him a job and place to stay when he moved out here.
I closed my book and got up off the couch, hearing the lawnmower cut off. Our house was a one-room rental, and although it was small, it beat the hell out of living with Mitch or with my parents.
Leaning against the window, I pulled the curtain aside and saw Quinn bent over the lawnmower, messing with something on it. He was shirtless, his big body even more muscular since working construction. Sweat gleamed off his body, and as if we hadn’t been a couple for the last two years and had enough sex to last us a lifetime, my body instantly reacted.
I grew wet and needy, my body wanting the thing only Quinn could give me.
He turned then, lifted his arm, and wiped the sweat off his forehead with his forearm. I watched the play of muscles moving along his arm, at the way the sinew flexed under the golden skin, at the way power came off him like another entity.
And then he turned and looked at me, and all I could see was us naked, and his very sweaty body pressed against mine.
He came toward the house, pulled the door open, and went into the kitchen. I heard the water turn on and a second later it kicked o
ff. When he came back to where I stood, he was drying his hands off, the pleasure on his face instant as he looked me up and down.
I knew what was coming. I anticipated it. We were only feet apart now, both of us breathing heavily, the arousal moving between us. It was as if, as the seconds ticked by, the arousal bounced between us, growing, becoming this raging inferno.
“I want you,” he said in a scratchy voice.
I lowered my gaze and saw how hard he was for me. “I can see you do.” He made this low sound in his throat, and God, did that turn me on. I watched beads of sweat trail down his hard, tattooed body, and every erogenous zone in me heightened, came alive, and screamed out to give in.
I could smell him from where I stood, all clean male sweat and need for me. He came closer then, his head lowered, his eyes focused on me. I backed away, knowing he liked the chase, that he liked me to play hard to get. When the wall stopped me, he leaned his face in close to me.
“You feel what you do to me?” He pressed his erection into my belly, and I shamelessly moaned at the feeling. It felt like he was hiding a steel pipe between his legs. Another gush of wetness slipped out of me, and I shifted, trying to get closer.
His mouth was so close to mine that I just wanted to lean in and kiss him. But I liked having him take control.
He kept his eyes trained right at me, but instead of kissing me like I desperately wanted, he dragged his lips along my cheek. Not able to hold my eyes open at the feeling, I let my head fall back against the door.
He ground his dick into me again, over and over, until I found myself reaching up and holding onto his biceps for support. He was rock hard and tense beneath my palms, and I slid my hands over the bulging definition of his arms.