After that, it got sketchy.
They had nothing else except an unmatched DNA sample, and a victim. It wasn’t like he never worked on cases with less. In his past, he’d had fewer leads, and they all worked out. For now, he was going to stay positive. With the man’s DNA, there was a jumping off point. They might be able to find him and ask him questions.
Quinn was looking over his notes when he heard Zeke going crazy in the front yard. Hustling to the door, he watched Callie tossing a ball as his dog raced after it. At one point, Zeke decided to charge her. Callie yelped, trying to evade and get out of his dog’s path.
Yeah, that didn't end well.
Zeke won that one, taking her out. He laughed as the big mutt pinned her to the ground, licking her face in abandon. At that moment, he felt the last lock open.
She was the one.
Now, he just needed to convince her of that monumental fact. Quinn didn't want to get caught watching her, so he moved from the door to sit back down.
When Callie raced up the steps, and into the house to escape the dog’s antics, she was laughing outrageously.
“Okay, your dog is crazy,” she said through heavy breaths.
Quinn grinned. “Yeah, probably but we get along great.”
Callie snorted, grabbing a cup of coffee. “I see you got my note and didn’t send out the National Guard to look for me,” she stated. It was hard to concentrate as Quinn sat at the kitchen table, shirtless, barefoot, and with his hair mused. Callie wanted to crawl all over him.
“I almost did when I rolled over and you were gone. It wasn’t exactly how I planned to wake up, but I’ll survive.”
Callie’s laughter filled the room. “I have to shower. I’m covered in sweat and dog drool.”
Quinn waited for her to leave before pouring himself another cup of coffee. While doing it, he realized that right at that moment, there was a gorgeous woman naked in the shower upstairs. Where was he?
A whole floor below.
Had he lost his mind?
Dropping his cup into the sink, he took off for the bathroom like a man on fire. Outside the door, he began peeling off his jeans. As he crept inside, he could hear Callie humming softly to herself as she soaped up. That picture in his head sent off little electric sparks through the rest of his body.
“Room for one more in there?” he asked, opening up the glass door. At first, she jumped, and then found her blood heating up.
“There is always room for you, Quinn,” she drawled. Immediately, she backed up so the water could run down her body in soapy rivulets. “I was thinking about you,” she offered, as he took her hand.
“Were you now?”
“Oh, yeah, darlin’. I was trying to figure out how to make it up to you that I wasn’t there this morning for a proper wake up.”
Quinn was getting wild with need. “Well, did you come up with anything?” he inquired, running a rough hand down the side of her body.
“Well, I did have a few ideas, but I’m not sure which ones will work best.”
“Well, hell, baby! Try ‘em all,” he suggested, feeling himself beginning to throb.
“Okay, big guy, I think I will,” Callie dropped to her knees, bringing his laughter to an immediate stop. When she licked the full length of him, he sucked in a sharp breath.
Quinn was helpless to stop the tremor that ran through his body. As he watched her, he was mesmerized. When Callie slid the length of him deep within her mouth, he was lost.
From his reaction, the visual gave the outcome she wanted. The big tough man simply moaned, tipping back his head as she worked him into a frenzy.
“Callista, baby, you’re killing me,” he hissed between his teeth, as his legs threatened to buckle.
She cut him a break, as she started kissing her way up his body. Her wandering hands followed the trail her mouth was scorching into his skin. When she reached his nipple, she flicked the tip of her tongue over the peak of it and made him shake. Callie ran her hand around his waist, over his taut belly, and down to his ass. When she gave it as squeeze, the giggling took over.
“Baby, there’s nothing funny about vertical, morning shower sex,” he whispered into her ear, as he nipped the lobe. “It’s a serious thing,” he added. To prove it, he slid his hands down her body until he found her wet and ready.
“Mmmmm… Quinn,” she said, seeking out his mouth with her own. The eager desperation had him responding to her.
“I want to spend all day in here,” he muttered, as he stroked her sensitive flesh, sliding his fingers deep into her body. As his thumb continued to flick across the sensitive bundle of nerves between her legs, he knew she was destined to shatter apart in his arms.
“Quinton,” she whispered, as he continued his stroking.
“I want to hear you call my name.” Quinn felt her inner muscles tighten around his fingers, knowing she was close. Just as she let her head fall back, to revel in her orgasm, Quinn lifted her from the floor and replaced his fingers with his full length. Her body was tight and quivering from her release, but he fought his way deep into Callie. There was nothing he wanted more in that moment, than to feel her fitting him perfectly. Leaning her back against the wall, he continued to stroke into her deeply.
“Quinn,” she moaned, as he worked himself in and out of her body.
“Again, Callie! I want you to fall for me,” he whispered into her throat, as beads of perspiration appeared on his forehead. It wasn’t easy to hold on to control. When Callie began trembling again, Quinn increased the depth, driving into her even harder. At her gasp, he covered her mouth with his own before she could scream his name.
As her body pulled at his, he stopped fighting the inevitable. His own release was muffed by her lips as they tumbled together.
Everything exploded. Slowly, the blinding colors diminished and all sound and sight returned.
Callie regained her voice first. “You were right, Quinn. Vertical, morning shower sex is nothing to mock,” she stated solemnly, as he lowered her feet back to the floor.
It wasn’t what he was expecting.
This time, he couldn’t help but laugh.
After dressing in jeans and t-shirts, they started downstairs to the kitchen. When he noticed that Callie was favoring her one foot, Quinn immediately felt the need to comfort and protect her.
“Are you sore?”
“Yeah, I think I pushed it by running,” she said, cautiously putting her weight on it.
“Let me give you a ride,” he offered, turning his back to her so that she could hop on.
Callie accepted his offer to carry her around. Once she was in position, she leaned down to his ear, nipping the lobe. “There’s nothing like two rides in one morning, big guy. Way to keep your girlfriend happy.”
Quinn found her comment funny. As he was about to say something back, he stopped dead in his tracks. Someone was in their space. His body tensed, as his first thought was to protect Callie at any cost.
“It’s only us,” said Nate, glancing up from the files on the table.
Luke waved from his position against the counter. He was already helping himself to a cup of coffee.
“What’s up with this?” Nate asked, motioning to his sister on the sheriff’s back.
“What? Oh, I’m just giving my girlfriend a ride,” Quinn replied, grinning.
The man wasn’t amused at all. “That better be the only ride you’re boasting about in reference to my sister.”
Callie glanced over at Luke and they burst into laughter. Nate still didn’t look happy. “Put me down, big guy, and I’ll make us something to eat.”
Quinn lowered Callie cautiously to her feet, giving her a kiss on the lips. It heated his body when she instinctually wrapped her arms around his waist. This was something he never wanted to end. In fact, he wished he could bottle that exact moment.
Reluctantly, she pulled away.
“Did you two eat?” she finally asked, moving toward her brother to offe
r him a kiss on the cheek.
“Why do you think we’re here at the sheriff’s this early in the morning?” said Luke, grinning at Callie.
“I somehow figured as much. You better get out of my way, so I can feed all of us,” she stated, pulling out the fixings for breakfast.
Quinn filled up his and Callie’s coffee cups before taking a seat beside Nate at the table. The man’s eyes never left him for a single second. Yeah, he’d seen that look before. After all, he had sisters.
It took the man a little while to break the silence. He was too busy trying to regain his composure. “So, tell me about yourself, Quinn,” said Nate, sipping his coffee.
“What? You didn’t check me out already?” he joked.
Nate shrugged as Luke guiltily stared down at the floor.
“Wow, you used the FBI to check out your sister’s boyfriend? Isn’t that some sort of conflict, or flagrant violation to the taxpayer’s trust?” Quinn asked.
Callie was appalled. “Don’t you dare tell me that the two of you took it upon yourselves to do a search on Quinn,” demanded Callie, as she stood there glaring at the two FBI agents.
“We didn’t do a deep search. We just made sure he wasn’t arrested or wanted for anything in the states,” said Nate, his eyes still never leaving Quinn’s.
Quinn found that funny. “Did you find anything interesting?” he asked, winking at Callie as he attempted to get her to relax.
“Nope,” said Luke, sitting down across from him. “There’s nothing at all. You’re squeaky clean. In fact, you retired from the Atlanta PD with nothing but accolades. Apparently, they’ve tried to get you back a few times too.”
“Yep,” he said, entertained that the two FBI agents were trying to stare him down. “I was good at my job. I had the highest arrest record in my department.”
“So, why did you leave the police force?”
Quinn glanced over at Callie who was standing there, amazed that this was all unfolding in front of her. Her brother and Luke had obviously lost their minds.
Pulling back the collar of his shirt, he showed them the scars on his collarbone and shoulder. Then, he explained. “I figured it was time to bail. My hope was to live into my forties. On the streets of Atlanta, that didn't seem likely.”
“I see,” said Nate, leaning forward. He was about to say something else when Callie placed blueberry corn pancakes in front of Quinn.
“They won’t be eating,” she stated.
“Hey, you said you were going to feed us,” protested Luke. “Those are my favorite too!”
“Go to hell, Luke, and take my brother with you!” she snapped angrily.
The men stared at her, surprised by her outburst.
Nate gave her a look as she slipped into her sneakers. “Where are you going?” he demanded.
“If I don’t calm down, Nathaniel, I may do something I’ll regret. I need to get out of here,” she said, slamming the kitchen door behind her.
All three men sat staring at each other.
“I’ll go,” said Luke, standing up. “She doesn’t want to kill me as much as you, Nate,” he added. Before heading out, he gave his partner a warning. “Play nice, or the wrath of Callie will be upon you.”
Quinn poured syrup over his pancakes before cutting off a piece. “Mmmm… She can cook,” he stated, chewing. He really didn't care if the other man sat there fuming. “I will admit that it’s really nice to not be the one she’s pissed at for a change.”
“She’s my sister, and I have to protect her.”
“Uh huh. I understand, since I have siblings myself. Where we part ways is the background check. My sister would have kicked my ass if I ever pulled the stunt that you did today. I get why you felt the need, but your timing was bad. You and I should have had this conversation in private.”
“Yeah, so you can tell her about it anyway?”
Quinn put his fork down. “I wouldn’t have mentioned it, for a few reasons. It would have made me look like a big tattletale, and again because I would have done the same thing to keep my sisters safe.”
“I almost lost her, Quinn. She arrested in our arms as I sat in her blood. I’ve never felt so helpless as that day outside her office. I just kept praying that help would get there,” he said softly. “Then, they finally got her heart started, but she lost so much blood that she almost died again. I just sat there and thought, ‘How am I going to tell my mom I let a stalker put a bullet into my baby sister, while I stood there’?” he admitted.
“She’s tough, Nate,” he said, pushing his plate away. Just the thought of Callie dying ruined his appetite.
“When they got her to the hospital, they called for a priest to deliver last rites. She’s not even catholic. I just watched this stranger standing over my sister, as the doctors fought to save her.”
“Hey, she made it, and I owe you for that. She told me that he would have shot her in the heart if you and Luke didn’t react the way you both did.”
Nate laughed sardonically as he drained his coffee cup. “When my parents got to the hospital, I had to tell them what happened. My poor mom simply sobbed, and my dad just stared at the wall as he prayed.”
“I understand, Nate, but you can back off. I’m not going to hurt her,” said Quinn. “I promise.”
“How do I know you mean it?”
“Well, hell, let’s see. First, I chase her down and make an ass of myself. Then, I have to spend three hundred dollars on plants just so she’ll stop shooting ice daggers when she stares at me. I get a call in the middle of the night after someone tried to scare her, and I drive over there like a madman. Do I get to be the knight in shining armor and get the girl? No, I end up sleeping on her couch, alone. Finally, I manage to somehow drag her back here, so I can sic my dog on her as her royal guard, and he betrays me for the babe,” he laughed, sardonically. “And the worst part, Nate, is that when this is all over, I can’t let her leave here because I’m crazy, out of my mind, in love with her.”
Nate just stared openmouthed.
“Yeah, you heard me right. So, if you need any further proof of how far I’ll go in kissing my dignity goodbye, just hang around until I screw up again. You can watch me crawl on my hands and knees as I grovel.”
Nate finally laughed. “Oh man, you do have it bad.”
“Yeah, tell me about it.”
Luke tracked Callie to some grass across the yard. She was lying there, staring up at the clouds.
“Hey, do you feel like company?” asked Luke, moving to sit beside her.
“No,” she stated in no uncertain terms.
“Okay, well I’m staying anyway.”
Callie didn’t move as Luke positioned himself beside her. She had to get something off her chest, and here was one of her best friends in the entire world. She knew they meant well, and couldn’t hold a grudge. “Can I ask you something personal?”
“Sure thing, gorgeous. What’s up?”
“Do you believe in love at first sight?”
“Nope.”
“Yeah, me either,” she said quietly, not quite sure who the hell she was kidding. She fell for Quinn the minute she saw him.
Luke looked over at her troubled face and felt the need to comfort her. “I do believe in fate though,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“I think that we all have that one person who does it for us, and fate puts us in their path. I don’t doubt that for a second.”
Callie wanted to believe that in the worst way, but she was still holding onto the past and the emotional damage it did. As a psychiatrist, she knew better. As a woman, she was still afraid.
“Everything happens for a reason, like when you were shot, you moving here, and the serial killer pushing you two together.” He assumed that this all had to do with the sheriff sitting in the house.
Callie thought about his words. “I’m scared, Luke. I don’t think I’ve ever been this scared in my entire life.”
“Of what?”
he asked, rolling to his side to play with her hair.
Callie faced him. “That he’s the one, and I’ll screw this up so bad that I’ll lose my one chance at happiness.”
“Do you love him?”
“My heart says yes, but my incredibly rational brain tells me it’s not possible. We’ve only known each other for a short period of time.”
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do. You’re practically my other brother. I don’t trust anyone more than you or Nate. Oh, and Quinn.”
That told him everything he needed to know. “Then, I say go with your heart on this one.”
Callie laughed.
“No, seriously. Remember when we tried to go on our one disastrous date?”
“Oh, yeah. We aren’t good as a couple. We’re too much like siblings.” Callie stared into his eyes and rested her palm on his cheek. “Logically, we have so much in common that we should come together seamlessly.”
“But then we kissed and the truth was right there. You listened to your heart, and it told you that we wouldn’t work. How is this any different?”
Callie pondered it. “I guess it’s the same thing. Thanks, Luke, you’re the best.”
“Well, yeah,” he said, grinning.
Callie leaned over and kissed him on the mouth. When she pulled away, gazing back into his eyes, a grin slid across her face. “Nope, nothing,” she said, standing up. “I love you, Luke. I’d be lost without you,” she offered, running back toward the house. It was time to let go of that irrational fear and jump into the pool of life. Yeah, he may hurt her, but look at how happy she was because of Quinn.
He was worth the risk. All the great things in life were.
Luke couldn’t watch her run away because his heart ached in his chest. Instead, he took a few minutes to just lie on the grass and stare up at the sky. What he just did was probably the noblest gesture he had ever made in his entire life, and he hoped the sheriff would appreciate it.
While Callie never felt anything, that wasn’t true for him.
And now, he would love her like a sister, and take it to his grave.
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