Rain: The Quinn Brothers Story Series Book 4 (A Quinn Brothers Story)

by Casey Clipper

  “What are you doing here?” She stood stock still, as if she were prey being eyed up. “I don’t have any more money for you.”

  He opened his mouth and then closed it. Shit, she thought he was here to collect on the car. He’d never considered that his showing up at her home might take on that appearance. He rose from his seat and she took a step back, grabbing Jack.

  “Jenna,” Justin said quietly. “I only came to bring you and your son food. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since you left my garage. I’ve been worried. I have a niece that I couldn’t imagine not having a full belly and your predicament bothered me. That’s all.”

  She squared her shoulders. “I don’t need your help. I can feed my son.”

  His eyes narrowed. Pride would only get a person so far. “Clearly you do or else you wouldn’t have needed me to come down in the price of the car repairs.”

  She flushed, as if forgetting that she had pleaded for his help. “I can figure out how to get my son food. There are food banks.”

  He blanched, not knowing what to say to that. He came from a middle-class family that struggled at times having to feed five boys. But never had they visited a food pantry to put a meal on the table. He couldn’t imagine. What could he say that didn’t insult her?

  “I realize that.” He shrugged, playing nonchalant. “But I wanted to help.”

  She brushed Jack’s thin, shaggy black hair off his forehead, avoiding eye contact. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Thank you for cleaning.”

  He’d been bored and cleaned the apartment from top to bottom. Jack had followed him around the entire time, chatting his ear off. Justin had never had a conversation with a… “How old is he?”

  “Four.”

  ...with a four-year-old before. It had been enlightening. He’d learned about something called a honkasaurus. He was positive that was a type of dinosaur but he didn’t quite believe that a species existed named after a car horn.

  “I should get going. My sister-in-law doesn’t feel well and we’re taking turns watching my niece.” Justin reluctantly went for the door. He wanted to stay. He wanted to get to know Jenna and her son. He wanted to find what drove her to the extent of exhaustion, choosing to better herself by going to college while working and raising a son. He wanted to know that she’d be all right this evening.

  “Thank you, again,” she said, still unmoving from her spot.

  “You’re welcome.” He turned away but stopped. He spun back around. “Will you have dinner with me?”

  Her mouth dropped open. Her amazing eyes darted across the now clean room. Shit, she probably thought he was trying to cash in on what he’d done for her. He was fucking this all up.

  “Don’t feel obligated.”

  “Why?” she asked, as if the concept was foreign to her.

  He blinked surprised. Why wouldn’t a man ask her out. She was stunning and soft spoken and clearly had determination in spades. “I’m not sure how to answer that.”

  She chuckled. “You don’t have a filter, do you?”

  His face went hot. “No.”

  She sighed. “I just don’t have time to date, Justin. I’m sorry. I work full time at a restaurant in the evenings and some days. I go to school four days out of the week. And I have Jack.”

  “It doesn’t have to be any grand affair. Hell, I can bring takeout here,” Justin said.

  “Hell, hell, hell.” Jack bounded around the living room. “Hell, hell, hell.”

  Jenna’s eyes flared with anger, her lips pursing, her jaw clenching. She pegged him. “You watch your mouth around him. You have a niece. You should know better.”

  “Shit, shit, shit.” He cringed, watching the chubby cheek toddler beam with a wide-tooth grin. He did know better.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” the little four-year-old parrot repeated.

  Jenna pointed to the door. “Out!”

  He opened his mouth but she held up a finger and stalked right up to him. “Think before you speak right now.”

  He clamped his mouth shut, leaned down and took her mouth in a blazing kiss. He was so damn turned on by her change from embarrassed woman to fiery mother. His hand snaked into the back of her hair, holding her in place, while his other hand wrapped around her small waist. His tongue dove into her mouth, taking advantage of her shock for a quick swipe.

  Justin pulled back before she came to her senses.

  Jenna stood, stunned.

  He kissed her forehead. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening at seven.”

  With that, he left before she could deny him. That little display of anger had done him in.

  5

  Justin gave himself one last glance in the mirror before leaving his apartment, running his hands through his thick brown hair. He was a decent looking guy, attracting his fair share of appreciative glances or women wanting to climb into his bed. Yet, for the first time in years, he was nervous about taking out a woman. He didn’t date much, not having the time with owning a business that required so much of himself. But he wasn’t exactly a monk, either.

  He went to the elevator and pushed the call button. The doors slid open to find Shane and Leila going at it in the enclosed space. Justin cleared his throat and diverted his eyes. His future sister-in-law’s skirt was hiked above her waist, Shane rocking into her.

  “Seriously, the two of you couldn’t have waited until you got to your apartment?” he grumbled. “I’ll take the stairs.”

  He jogged down the steps, trying to rid himself of the image of his brother having sex with his fiancée in the elevator. One of the few downsides of him and his brothers owning the entire floor of the apartment building. There were some things in this world he just did not need to witness. Especially if having to make eye contact with Leila again.

  It took him twenty minutes to get to Jenna’s apartment complex, the outside dimly lit, several lights burned out. Justin didn’t like it. If she worked evenings, she’d come home to a dark parking lot and building where any thug, crook, criminal, or punk could attack her.

  He took the stairs two at a time, an anxiousness he hadn’t experienced in a very long time settling in. He knocked on her apartment door and frowned when she answered dressed in black yoga pants and a tattered Pittsburgh Penguins T-shirt.

  “You’re bailing.” He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this disappointed.

  “I couldn’t find a sitter for Jack,” she said. “I’m so sorry. It’s difficult finding anyone who’ll be willing to watch a rambunctious four-year-old for a few hours and I don’t have money to pay a babysitter.”

  Though he was disappointed, he understood her dilemma. “I can order take-out for the three of us. Rent a movie for when he goes to sleep. How’s that?”

  Did he sound as desperate as he thought he did?

  Jenna smiled shyly. “You don’t mind?”

  He shook his head, shoving his hands into his pockets.

  “Okay,” she said, inviting him inside.

  Jack bolted out of a bedroom, his arms loaded with dinosaurs. Jenna padded to the dining room table, the surface covered in open text books.

  “I have a final tomorrow.”

  And she’d agreed to have a date with him? “Do you need help studying?”

  Her head snapped up. “You would help me try to pass my test?”

  “Of course.” Why would it be a surprise? He was sure that any one of her friends would help her if they’d been there. “How about we order dinner. I pick it up. I help you study while we eat and Jack plots his takeover of the world via dinosaurs. Afterward, we can watch the movie.”

  She stared at him like he’d grown a second head. “You’re too good to be true.”

  He smiled. “No, I just have four brothers who’ve all had to study for tests at some point. We’ve chipped in to help each other out.”

  “Dear lord. There’s five of you?”

  “Nope, only one of me. The four
other idiots don’t come close.” He winked.

  She laughed and shook her head. “My fault. I asked. I deserved the answer.”

  Forty-five minutes later Justin quizzed Jenna on the business topics she said would be covered in the final and the format she needed to answer. She was brilliant. She answered each and every question correctly, she went into great detail with explanation. Some day she would do well running the business end of a company.

  She put Jack to bed around eight-thirty but they continued to study for another hour. Justin took a vested interest in helping her pass the test. He found her breathtaking. The way she chewed on her pencil, her full lips wrapped around the writing device, taunting him. The way her brows slanted in when she tried to concentrate on an answer. The way her eyes lit up when she knew an answer to a question. She was mature beyond her years, probably from having to raise a toddler on her own.

  “Can I ask you a question?” Justin said.

  “Sure.” She stacked her books for the next day.

  “Where’s Jack’s father?”

  Jenna stiffened, freezing in place. She slid him a side glance. “Why?”

  “I’m curious.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t imagine being a father and not wanting to be in my son’s life daily. That kid is awesome. He named a dinosaur after me.”

  The corners of his mouth turned up. He picked up one of the dinosaur figurines on the table and mouthed, “Justinsaurus.”

  Jenna sunk into a chair. “I don’t want you to think less of me.”

  Justin balked. “For what? Raising a son on your own?”

  “For stupidly getting pregnant from a one-night stand.” She refused to make eye contact. “Don’t get me wrong. I love Jack. He’s my little guy. But it would have been nice to have a child with someone who had been interested in raising him. When I told the guy about my pregnancy, he literally moved out of state. I’ve been on my own since.”

  “Where’s your family?” His brothers would never turn their backs on him for making a life-changing choice from a one-night-stand. They’d have punched him in the face and told him to man up.

  “My parents are deeply religious,” she said softly, her eyes going down the hallway where her son slept. “My getting pregnant at twenty-one and then keeping the baby out of wedlock was a sin against God in their eyes. They threw me out of the house, shunning me from their lives as a heathen.”

  Justin grew furious. “Well, that’s not very godly, is it?”

  Jenna smiled mirthlessly and turned to him. “Yeah, I shot those same words at them as they tossed my clothes onto the front lawn.”

  “I’m so sorry, Jenna. You should never have gone through that on your own.”

  She shrugged half-hearted, but he could tell she didn’t believe the negligent motion. “It made me grow up fast. I just wish I was able to offer Jack more. A better home. A better neighborhood, clothes, food. Pre-school. He should be registered for pre-school but the state funded one I can’t get him into because of the time of the classes and his daycare won’t transport him to and from.”

  She really was in a bind while trying to better herself for an improved life for her son. He didn’t just admire Jenna, he envied her will and drive. Jenna Monroe was an amazing woman and, yep, he was stupidly falling in love with her.

  6

  The rain pounded off Justin’s car roof. He could barely see out the windshield into the night, the inclement weather creating zero visibility. His phone rang but he ignored it. It wasn’t a good idea to answer the phone while driving in the current conditions.

  He crept along the highway, trying to get home safely. His phone rang again. He glanced at the screen, Jenna’s name popping up.

  It had been a week since their first date and he’d seen her every night since. Studying, watching movies, takeout dinners. He found himself enthralled by her. The way she lovingly played dinosaurs with Jack. The way she concentrated on her school work and how she whispered through answers to questions. The humorous plights she experienced as a waitress, dealing with public. Her ability to laugh at herself when she did something she considered “air-headed” (her words) was adorable. Her laughter itself, contagious, able to make him feel lighter. Though their meetings had always taken place at her apartment. He didn’t mind, but he would like to actually take her out once to show her a good time. Get her to enjoy a night out. Her mind off school, work, and motherhood for a brief reprieve. Something she hadn’t done in four years.

  “Jenna?”

  “Justin, my car broke down on my way home from work. I’m on the side of Route 30.” Panic and tears laced her voice.

  “I’m on my way, where are you?”

  A very long half hour later, the torrential rain pelted him while he swept his flashlight under the hood of her car. Her alternator was dead. And naturally the damn thing decided to peter out during a downpour. He slammed the lid closed and climbed into the passenger’s seat of her car. “The alternator went bad. I’ll call my tow driver to pick up the car and take it to the shop. I’ll replace the part tomorrow.”

  “I can’t afford that and I need my car tomorrow to get to school and work.” Her voice trembled as she desperately tied to hold back her despair. God, if this girl had any luck, it would seem it was all bad.

  “Honey, I’ll take care of the car, don’t worry about it.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it. “But I can’t get it done tonight. How about if I pick you up in the morning and you can use my car for the day?”

  She blinked. “I can’t drive this Jaguar. It’s too much car for me to handle.”

  He laughed. “You’ll be fine. It has power, that’s all. Just keep your foot off the gas and you’ll be fine.”

  “I don’t know. That’s asking a lot of you,” she said, sounding doubtful.

  “It’s not. I’ll be at work all day tomorrow. It’s Wednesday, a long day, and the car will just sit there unused. I can fix your car and you can pick up yours between school and work.”

  She bit her lip and sighed, closing her eyes. “Justin, you’re unbelievable. You’re so kind to me and I can’t help but to wonder what’s in it for you? I have nothing to offer you. I have no money, I’m a full time mother and student, so I have no time. The only thing I can see is that you think I’m a sure thing. That you’ll get your rocks off and I’ll be left in the lurch, along with Jack.”

  What the fuck? He just offered her his beloved car. He didn’t spend his hard earned money on a lot. He didn’t take vacations or buy expensive clothing or furniture or the latest, greatest in technology. He wasn’t frivolous with his cash. The one item he did invest in was his car. The vehicle was his girl. The only female he’d been committed to, ever, and Jenna was sitting here spewing crap. He went to reply but she held up her hand.

  “I can’t get involved with you Justin. I won’t be played. I have to think of Jack and myself. I’ve done the whole going out with a playboy and look where I landed.” Her tone leant no argument.

  She’d lumped him in with the asshole who impregnated her and then disappeared. After showing her what a man in her life should look like, of counting down the minutes until he saw her, of enjoying every second with her and she placed him in the same category as her parents. A complete asshole who would turn his back on her. She never gave him a chance. He’d never stood a chance, no matter how much he’d shown that he wasn’t going to use and abuse her.

  Justin’s heart sank into his stomach, his buoyant emotions washing away like the rainwater outside, racing down the drainage. Maybe she wasn’t the one that was meant for him. Maybe she wasn’t the one that could give him what his brothers had. He hadn’t really searched or longed for a relationship until Jenna stood in the lobby of his garage, desperately pleading for a break, capturing his attention. Maybe he would never find love like his siblings. Maybe his love was that of his garage, where he’d put so much time and energy.

  “I’m sorry, Justin,” she said matter-of-fact, watching the rain bounce off the
window, not making eye contact, fiddling with her jacket zipper. She’d shut down right in front of him.

  So much for getting penetrating her heart, Justin hadn’t even been able to break through the surface.

  He nodded. “I’ll take you home.”

  They didn’t say another word to each other as he drove her back to her apartment. She kept giving him quick side glances, as if waiting for him to speak, but he had nothing to say. She voiced her opinion, destroying any hope he had.

  7

  Justin drank the rest of his beer, watching sports on Liam’s television. He heard his brothers behind him discussing something, paying no more attention to them than he did the baseball game. He glanced over to the swing that Riley was sleeping in, the device slowing. He reached over and hit the button to continue its steady pace.

  “What the hell is the matter with you?” Shane said, appearing in front of him. “We’ve been talking to you for the past five minutes.”

  “What?”

  “Told you he wasn’t listening,” Aaron said. His brother was dressed for flight, about to head out of town for the next couple weeks. Apparently a Hollywood actress needed a private pilot for a stretch.

  Liam leaned over the sofa and got into his personal space. His older brother tended to do that. A lot. And it was never welcomed. “I think thou is in knots over a female. He’s been conveniently gone every night for the past couple weeks.”

  “He was dressed up, leaving one night,” Shane noted.

  Justin pegged him. “How would you have even noticed? You were balls deep in Leila in the elevator.”

  “Dude!” Liam held up his hand for a high five. “I’ve christened that elevator with Candace more times than I can count.”

  Aaron rolled his eyes. “Seriously, Liam. You’re like a college frat boy. You don’t high five your brother for fucking your wife in elevators. You do that when you’ve joined the mile-high club. That’s more adult.”

  Liam barked out laughing. Shane scoured at all of them. “You don’t need to tell everyone you caught me with Leila. And don’t you dare say a word to her. She’ll be mortified.” He turned to Liam. “And I’m informing Candace that you find it perfectly acceptable giving us details into your private bedroom escapades.”