Hunted (Love like Yours Series Book 3)

by Nicole S. Goodin

  I leaned against the wall and waited for him to open it.

  I heard footsteps behind the closed door and my heart pounded faster in my chest. It swung open and the light pooled out onto the porch.

  He looked me slowly up and down, head to toe. “I didn’t think you were coming back.” He stated arrogantly, his voice gruff.

  I shrugged. “I wasn’t.”

  I pushed off the wall and slipped around his frame.

  “By all means, come in.” He gestured to the entry way that I was already standing in.

  I smirked at him and strolled towards the kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools at the island bench.

  “Make yourself at home.” Amusement danced in his eyes, but I could see deeper. He didn’t know what to make of my sudden reappearance.

  “Aren’t you going to offer me a drink?” I challenged.

  He sighed, giving up. “What are you doing here Quinn? You made it pretty clear you wouldn’t be back.” He was wary, tired maybe. Understandably too, I’d been a bitch the last time I stood inside this room. He might have been asking for it, but I knew I’d been the one to go too far.

  I scooted back in my seat and slowly crossed one leg over the other, noting how his gaze ran greedily over my exposed flesh. I held back a shudder.

  “I did say that.” I looked into his eyes. “But I’ve figured out what you are.”

  He snorted. “And what exactly am I?” He asked as he prowled towards me, roughly pulling a stool out next to me and sitting down on it.

  I strummed my fingernails on the marble countertop.

  “You.” I pointed one finger at him. “You are that pair of shoes.”

  He raised an eyebrow at me in question.

  “You know… you’re that pair of heels that you see in the store. The ones that you really want, but you know you don’t need. But… they’re so pretty… so you try them on. Then you deliberate for what feels like forever. But in the end you convince yourself that there is no way you are buying this pair of shoes. You don’t need them and you won’t wear them anyway. So you leave.” I rambled.

  He chuckled. “I’m assuming you have a point somewhere here?”

  I nodded and smiled. “But the problem with that damn pair of shoes, is that for days and days after, they’re all you can think about… how much you need them… how amazing they look, how good they would make you feel… so you go back, and you buy the fucking things.”

  “I’m the shoes.” He smirked.

  I nodded. “You’re the shoes.”

  His eyes darkened and smoldered.

  “I don’t know if I forgive you.” He stated, placing a hand on my leg.

  “I don’t know if I trust you.” I countered, reaching out and running my hand over the buttons on his shirt, unbuttoning them one by one.

  “There’s no other woman Skippy.” He replied quietly, watching me work.

  I took a deep breath and looked up into his eyes. “Okay.” I nodded, believing him.

  He slipped his hands inside my jacket and slid it down my arms, letting it fall to the floor.

  “I won’t bring him up again. Not like that. I’m sorry.”

  “I know.” He reached for the buttons on my skirt. “I said some hurtful shit to you Quinn. Backed you into a corner, got your back up. I’m as much to blame.” He told me as he undid the zip, letting it fall to the floor.

  I left his shirt unbuttoned, showing off his toned chest and began to work on his jeans.

  “You won’t tell me about these.” I stated, running a finger over a scar I didn’t recognize.

  “This is new.” I pointed to a graze on his ribs that I hadn’t seen before.

  He gripped my hand and lifted it to his face, causing my eyes to follow.

  “I just need you to trust me Skippy. It’s nothing. It’s nothing to do with you and me. Nothing changes how I feel about you, not for one second.”

  I swallowed, my words caught in my throat. I took one slow, deliberate step towards him and pressed my body against his. His hand snaked into my hair and fisted it at the base of my neck, tilting my head upwards.

  “Okay.” I replied, looking into his caramel eyes.

  “Okay?” He confirmed, his eyes widening.

  “I just want you.” I told him honestly. “If it’s not affecting us, then I’ll trust you.”

  He sighed in relief.

  “But it’d be a hell of a lot easier if you just didn’t lie.” I added in. “Right now I feel like you’d piss on my leg and try to tell me it’s raining.”

  It was a serious conversation… I was trying to be serious. Apparently my use of an example wasn’t so serious.

  Harrison busted out laughing, his whole body shaking.

  “Jesus Quinn. You don’t beat around the bush do you?”

  I grinned. “Never have before.”

  He smiled and pulled me in close again.

  “How about, I do my best to be honest with you… and you do your best to have a little faith in me?”

  “Pinky swear?” I asked, holding out my little finger.

  He nodded and looped his finger in mine.

  “I want us to get to know each other better too… okay?” I asked timidly. “Sometimes I worry that you don’t really know me.”

  He kissed my neck softly. “I know you Skippy.”

  “Do you?” I breathed.

  His mouth felt so good on my skin. It’d been too long.

  “Yes I do.” He kissed my neck again and I stifled a moan.

  “I know that you’re a terrible singer.”

  Kiss.

  “I know that you only buy black socks so you’ll always have a matching pair.”

  Another kiss.

  “You can’t cook to save your life.”

  He moved his mouth to my ear.

  “You don’t take any shit from anyone… you brush your teeth before and after breakfast… you always sneeze more than once…”

  Holy shit.

  He nipped my ear lobe with his teeth and I shuddered.

  “I know that’s your kryptonite.” He said with a smirk playing on his lips.

  He knows me.

  He hoisted me into his arms and sat me down with my ass on the edge of the kitchen counter. The marble top was freezing under my ass.

  He tugged my top off over my head, leaving me only in my underwear. His heated gaze swept over my body and I knew I’d take this man anyway I could get him.

  God I missed him.

  “The greatest relationships are the ones you never expected to be in. The ones that swept you off your feet and changed your every view.”

  - Author unknown

  40. Harrison

  I stared at her lying naked in my bed, my sheet pulled up loosely over her body – her olive skin a stunning contrast against the stark white.

  I was in so deep.

  I’d completely fallen in love with her. Every minute I’d spent of the past three days, trying to convince myself otherwise, was nothing but a complete waste of my time.

  I’d known from the minute I laid eyes on her that I was making her mine, but I never realized it was possible to fall for a person like this. I’d had girlfriends before, even long term ones, but my feelings for them had never developed into anything close to what I was feeling now. It was always more like a feeling of familiarity and comfort than love – this was not at all like that.

  Quinn had come along and thrown everything I thought I knew out of the window… just tossed it all out there and replaced every single thing with herself. She was everywhere. I couldn’t look at a single chair in my home without picturing her sitting in it. I couldn’t shave without seeing her perched up on the countertop watching me. She was everywhere.

  The realization made me think that maybe it was time to give it all up. For her. I’d gone to the warehouse that Tiger had told me about, but it was empty, they’d been there, but they damn well weren’t there anymore. I was at a dead end.

  Give i
t up Hunt.

  “Do you think you want to have kids one day?” She asked quietly, breaking the silence.

  Her words were not what I was expecting to hear. Hell, a few short hours ago, I thought we were over.

  From that to babies?

  This woman’s brain was a mystery to me.

  It wasn’t a subject I had an answer ready for. I was already keeping secrets from Quinn… I wasn’t sure I could stomach the thought of keeping secrets from a family.

  Can I give it up?

  I reached out and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

  “I don’t know.” I told her honestly. “I want to say yes, but I just don’t know.”

  She wiggled around so she could look at me properly.

  “Okay...?” She said slowly.

  I shrugged, unsure what else I should say.

  “Tell me why you wouldn’t want to have kids.” She prompted, trying to understand my answer.

  I took a deep breath and tried to be truthful. “I’m a mess Skippy. What if my kid turned out to be a mess too?”

  “You’re not –”

  “I am.” I interrupted her. “There’s things I…” I trailed off, not wanting to say anymore.

  She looked into my eyes. Even though she didn’t understand, she knew there was no point in arguing with me about it.

  “Well then.” She reached out to cup my face. “One day they’ll find someone like me who will love them anyway.”

  My jaw fell lax.

  She loves me?

  I wanted to grab her, throw her in the air and tell her I loved her too. But I was frozen.

  “Or…” She carried on, totally oblivious to my moment of elation. “You could just hope they take after their mother.”

  I choked out a laugh and tucked her into my side, still reeling from her revelation and my missed opportunity.

  She fell asleep quickly and I wasn’t surprised, we’d worked hard tonight.

  I swept her hair off her face and kissed her forehead.

  “I love you too Quinn.” I whispered into the darkness.

  ***

  “I’ll get it.” I called to Quinn when my doorbell dinged.

  “I’ll keep an eye on dinner.” She yelled back.

  Sweet Jesus.

  I hoped to god this didn’t take long. Quinn was terrible in the kitchen. She could safely manage coffee and toast, but anything outside of that was just asking for trouble.

  I pulled open the door and my stomach flipped.

  “Detective Rodgers? Can I help you?” I asked nervously. I was genuinely surprised to see him here; I thought for sure he’d given up on me by now.

  “Hunt.” He nodded at me once. “My partner and I…” He pointed to the car in my driveway, and I saw the other officer that visited me at the hospital was sitting inside. “We were in your area and thought we’d pay you a little visit, see if you were up to talking.”

  I frowned in confusion. “But I’ve already told you everything I know…” My words trailed off at the look of bitter disappointment on his face.

  “I wanna help you kid.”

  I stepped out onto the porch. “With what?” I asked, pulling the door so it was nearly shut behind me. The last fucken thing I needed was Quinn coming out to see who was here.

  He stared at me for a long moment, assessing how full of shit I was.

  “You know who beat up on you.” He stated.

  My heart rate spiked and I shook my head.

  “It’s like I told you, wrong place –”

  “Wrong time.” He interrupted me with a wave of his hand. “Yeah, yeah.” He sighed. “Alright then.” He nodded slowly. “You wanna play it like that then. Answer me this… you ever heard of the name Max Barceló?”

  My whole body tensed at the sound of that bastard’s name.

  Play it cool Hunt.

  “Nope.” I ground out. “Who’s he?”

  His hard eyes assessed me again and I had no doubt he could see through my bullshit. “He’s an ex-cop.”

  I needed to cut this conversation off right now. It was getting way too close to home for my liking.

  “Huh. Now that’s all very interesting, but I’ve got to get back inside…see my girlfriend’s in charge of the lamb chops and we’re lucky she hasn’t burned the place down yet.” I rambled as I pushed the door back and stepped inside. “I appreciate you coming by to see me, but I’ve told you what I know, so… so… just leave it.”

  He held out a card for me and I reluctantly reached out and took it.

  “For when you’re ready.” He replied before shaking his head and walking back down to his car.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  I rested my head against the door before pushing it shut.

  41. Quinn

  “What the hell was he talking about?” I blurted out the minute the door was closed.

  “Jesus.” Harrison held his hand over his heart. “How long have you been there?”

  “Long enough.” I stated.

  I was doing my best to stay calm. Yelling at him now would just get his back up, and after what I’d just heard, I needed some answers.

  He shrugged, trying to seem relaxed. “He thinks I’m lying.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “And are you?”

  “It’s nothing Quinn.” His eyes hardened. “Just let it go.”

  “It’s nothing?” I asked him quietly. “Nothing? You got beaten half to death Harrison. You could have died. If you know who did this to you, you need to tell him.”

  He huffed out a breath. “Yeah well I didn’t die. I’m here aren’t I?”

  I shook my head slowly. “You’re here, but you’re not here.”

  “What the hell is that meant to mean?” His voice rose, only a fraction, but enough for me to know he was going on the defensive.

  I reached out for him and held him by the biceps. “You’re here. I can see you, touch you, smell you… but your mind... it’s not here with me half of the time.” I told him quietly.

  His eyes softened. “I’m right here Skippy.” He insisted.

  “Then tell me.” I pleaded.

  He frowned. “Tell you what?”

  “Tell me what really happened Harrison.”

  He hung his head down. “I have told you.” His voice was strained and raw.

  Lies.

  “I’ve learned a lot about you these past months, you know that?”

  He looked up at me in question.

  “I know that when you don’t want to tell me something, you look away, you usually hang your head down like you just did now.”

  “Quinn –”

  I ignored him.

  “And your voice goes all tense and pained. Like it’s hurting you to lie.” I shoved him lightly away from me. “So I know... I know that you’re not being honest with me.”

  His eyes were begging me to stop, but I couldn’t.

  “I need honesty Harrison.” My voice was shaking.

  “Please… just let it go. It doesn’t matter.” He pleaded. “You said you would trust me.”

  I huffed out a breath in disbelief. “It does mat–”

  “I love you Quinn.”

  I gasped. It was the first time he’d actually said the words to me. He’d implied it a few times, but I’d never heard him say those exact words.

  My heart soared.

  He loves me.

  “Then tell me, please.” I begged.

  His eyes hardened.

  He’s not going to.

  “I’m in love with you. That’s the most honest thing there is for me to tell.” He growled. He reached for my hand. “I love you and I need you in my life Quinn. You’re the light.”

  Rage flooded my senses and I exploded at him.

  “Then be the man I need.” I screamed. “You can’t stand there, saying you love me… that you need me, asking me to trust you, while you’re pushing me away at the same time.” I dragged in a breath.

  My hands were sh
aking. I’d never been so wound up in my entire life.

  “Quinn…” He reached for me again, shock written all over his face as I slapped his hand back.

  “Don’t you fucking touch me. I feel like I don’t even know who you are. You lie, you sneak around… you know what I think?”

  I didn’t give him time to come up with an answer.

  “I think you’re a coward. I think you’re too afraid of doing this with me and you’re hiding behind this… this… whatever the fuck this is.” I ran my hands through my hair. “You’re hiding.”

  He huffed out a breath. “You think I’m a coward?” His voice was rising. “Me? I’m a coward?” He yelled.

  I nodded.

  “You know nothing.” He spat, his voice full of venom.

  I blanched. I opened my mouth to scream at him but nothing came out.

  He’s right.

  “You’re right.” I whispered.

  He stood, fists clenched at his sides, his whole body trembling with fury.

  “I do know nothing. Because you refuse to open up to me… because you tell me nothing. Because you don’t trust me.” I turned and reached for my coat from the stand by the door.

  “Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” He growled, a slight hint of desperation coming through his voice.

  “I can’t do this Harrison.” I murmured, slipping my arms into the sleeves.

  “You’re leaving me?”

  I almost turned to look at him, hearing the pain in his words.

  “I have to.” I stood with my back to him. “You won’t let me in.”

  I picked my bag up from the table and walked towards the door.

  “Quinn.”

  I shook my head.

  “Quinn!” He yelled after me.

  I didn’t turn.

  “Skippy!” His voice was broken.

  My step faltered and I felt the tears build in my eyes. I couldn’t look back. If I looked back, I wouldn’t leave. And leaving was the only option there was now.

  “If I tell you, you’ll leave.” His voice was so quiet I nearly didn’t hear him.

  I froze but didn’t turn around, that would still be a mistake.

  “I’m leaving anyway Harrison.” I choked out. “How much worse could it get?”

  I took his silence to mean that he didn’t have an answer for me. I reached for the door handle with a trembling hand.