by Lee Kilraine
“I’ve got a few friends at Walter Reed.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I checked up on you. You were their rock-star patient—until you checked out. I came here figuring I’d kick your butt back in line.”
“A month ago, I needed a kick in the behind, Doc.” Her lips tilted up the slightest bit at the corners. “But Greer and Quinn here did it for you.”
“Well, good.” Doc Gary nodded. “Am I too late to place a bid in the auction?”
“Oh, whoa, the auction.” Delaney looked around seeing the last stragglers in the audience heading for the exits. She grimaced, glancing over at Barbara. “I’m sorry, Barbara. I didn’t mean to mess up your auction.”
“And yet, you did. I swear, Delaney, if your story wasn’t so sad, I’d be darn upset with you for upstaging me. Again.” She sighed and strolled over between Quinn and Doc Gary, locking elbows with them. “But I think I can forgive you this time, especially since I couldn’t help but notice Quinn didn’t bid on you.”
Something she’d noticed too, before the light exploded. Delaney’s gaze landed on Quinn. “Did you spend all your money on whiskey and loose women this week? Why didn’t you put a single bid in for me? I mean, not that you had to.”
Quinn rubbed one hand along the back of his neck. “Well, about that—I didn’t think you wanted me to bid on you. You told me last week you weren’t good enough for me. That I needed to move on and find someone who could offer me a better future.”
“Oh. That would explain the hot blonde.” Delaney had to remind herself to breathe. And breathe again. “Okay, so you’re moving on. Good for you.”
“Good for me?” Quinn’s gaze held Delaney’s hostage. There was restless movement from Quinn’s brothers.
“I’m . . . I’m happy for you.” Delaney looked around as groans erupted from the brothers. Quinn, of course, just kept staring at her as if he was trying to read her mind.
“You’re happy for me?” Quinn clenched his jaw tight. “Well, that’s nice.”
Mama Cates swooped in with an arm around Delaney. “Cake and coffee at our place, everyone. Greer, boys. Doc Gary, that goes for you too.”
Exhaustion hit like a sudden downpour, and Delaney was too tired to puzzle out what Quinn was angry about. Greer wrapped an arm around her other side, and she let them lead her out. Seamus escorted Barbara out with them.
Quinn stood, his gaze tracking Delaney’s exit, his mood growing darker. Each step she took widened the chasm between them. When the doors swung shut behind them, he turned to find his brothers and Doc Gary lined up, ready to share their unwanted opinions.
“Dumb plan trying to make Delaney jealous, little bro.” Sijan shook his head. “That sure backfired, huh?”
“He got the dreaded ‘I’m happy for you.’ Pretty hard to come back from that,” Tynan said. “Stupid plan.”
“It wasn’t a plan.” Quinn shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from strangling his brothers.
“No kidding,” Kaz said.
“Oh, bite me.” Quinn knew he’d made a thousand missteps with Delaney. He didn’t need them to point it out.
“So, who was the hot blonde you used to make Delaney jealous?” Sijan asked. “Don’t leave us hanging.”
“I did not try to make Delaney jealous, and I have no idea who the blonde is. She was looking for you, Si. Some groupie, I guess.”
Doc Gary did a double take when he realized who Sijan was. “Oh, hey, we just watched one of your movies in camp. Private Eyes. It was good. It’s funny, Delaney never mentioned knowing you.”
“She does not impress easy, our Delaney. Private Eyes, huh? Hell, that movie is ancient,” Sijan said. “Ancient, but damn good.”
“We’re stationed in Afghanistan. All we get is ancient movies, but we still appreciate them.”
“Doc Gary, how would you like it if I sent you back with my newest movie? It doesn’t even open in theaters for two months.” Sijan wrapped his arms around both Kaz and Doc Gary’s shoulders and headed for the exit.
Paxton walked over to stand in front of Quinn.
“I’m not sure what else to do, Pax. I mean, she’s dealing with some heavy stuff, but I can’t get her to trust me enough to lean on me.”
“You know how great Ma and Pop were raising us? How lucky we were?” Paxton looked directly into Quinn’s eyes. “Delaney had none of that. Can you imagine?”
Quinn’s gut clenched at the thought. “One day, I went by their house to ask Greer to play. I was maybe six or seven. The front door sat open behind the broken screen door. I saw him yelling at Delaney. And then he hit her. So hard. She didn’t shed a tear. He knocked her down and she jumped up, putting herself between him and Greer. I was scared. I rang the doorbell and kept on ringing it. I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I’ve seen the same thing as a public defender. The only way you live through cruelty like that is to build a big, strong wall for defense. It’s slow going breaking through a wall that big.”
“Tell me about it.” Quinn headed up the aisle with Paxton.
“You know we all used to think you were crazy, the crush you had on Delaney, right?”
“Yeah, I know.”
“Crazy like a nuclear physicist, apparently. You saw something there when none of the rest of us bothered to look. Now that we’ve gotten to know Delaney, we’re a little jealous. Why didn’t we see a girl that great sitting right under our noses?”
“Uh-uh. I did not work this hard to let you steal my girl. You go find your own girl. Or, go find that blonde looking for Sijan. I don’t know what that’s all about, but there’s something about her worth looking into.”
“Honest?” Paxton looked interested. “Don’t tell Si that until I have a chance to meet her, otherwise I’m toast. But how about we secure Delaney in the family first?”
“That’s my plan.”
“I saw those big brown eyes of hers when you said you were moving on. Do not fall for those, you hear me? Stay strong. Lose the battle. Win the war.”
Chapter Thirty
An hour later, Delaney sat in the Cateses’ living room, her mood growing darker by the minute. Where was that optimistic outlook on life she had been marveling at a few days ago? God, she felt so much like when Quinn had first brought her back to Climax, only it had nothing to do with her foot. Holy heck, was she crying now? She raised a hand to her cheek, shocked when it came away wet. Well, bite me. She escaped down the hall to her temporary bedroom, throwing herself back on the bed and angrily brushing away her tears.
The tangled emotions grew, like an over-inflated balloon inside her chest. She felt as if she might explode in every direction, like a star gone supernova. A big, fat, messy deal. Time to triage. Okay, up first, the unearthed memories and fresh pain they brought were already boxed up and set aside to deal with later. She needed to unwrap those when she had time to grieve and say good-bye.
Barbara was shoved to the side too, and not gently either. She and Barbara were destined to stay oil and vinegar, and not in a salad dressing kind of way.
And that left Quinn. What the hell was she going to do about Quinn?
Her pity party was interrupted by a tap on the door before it swung open. She popped her back up from the mattress, trying to look unaffected since normal had probably never been in her cards. She relaxed a little, seeing it was Greer, until Mama Cates followed in behind her.
Delaney threw herself back again, staring at the ceiling. “I’ve made a mess of everything.”
“Hey, no one knows how they’ll react to trauma.” Greer sat next to her, patting her knee in comfort. “It feels crazy, but every one of your reactions has been normal. Totally nor—”
“I meant with Quinn,” Delaney said.
“Oh, thank God.” Greer patted her knee again. “Yes, you messed up with Quinn, but it’s salvageable.”
“Of course it is.” Mama Cates perched on the chair angled near the bed. “First off, dear, what do you want? Look to your heart, not ju
st your head.”
She sat up and took in a deep breath. “I want Quinn. But I think he’s changed his mind about me. I mean, why didn’t he place a single bid?”
Greer looked at her. “He already pushed his chips into the pot weeks ago. All in. He’s got nothing left.”
“It’s your move, Delaney.” Mama Cates was soft yet firm. “He’s waiting for a move from you.”
“He is. I blew it, didn’t I?” She jerked up off the bed to pace, remembering the way he had looked at her, waiting for something. . . . “Oh, God, I said I was happy for him.”
“Yeah, that was dumb.” Greer shook her head.
Delaney recalled the clipped tone of his voice when he’d said, “That’s nice.” She groaned. “I don’t think ‘sorry’ is what he’s looking for either.”
Her sister snorted. “You might as well ask him to turn over his man card if you think an apology will do it.”
“Quinn needs to know he means something to you.” Mama Cates walked over and cupped Delaney’s cheeks with her hands. “He needs to hear it from you. You’ve been it for him for so long, long before you even noticed him. And everyone told him he was crazy. Everyone. For years. Do you have something to say to him? Because he needs to hear it, dear.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “Yes. I have something to say to him.” She took a quick breath, straightened her clothes, and marched with determination out of the bedroom and back to the living room.
Delaney walked right over to Quinn and tapped him on the shoulder, then backed up a few feet. She needed a buffer between her brain and the wild attraction to Quinn that threatened her ability to think straight. Everyone had their breaking point, and she wouldn’t blame Quinn if he’d reached his. How much rejection could a guy take? She’d been a coward for too long. What would happen if you let go and trusted me? She was about to find out. “Excuse me, Quinlan Cates, I’ve got something I’d like to say to you.”
Quinn and his brothers stopped talking. With his face scrubbed of emotion, Quinn leaned his back in the leather arm chair, his arms crossed over his chest, patiently waiting.
“Wait a minute now, Delaney. We have a few things to say to you first.” Tynan moved to stand next to Quinn’s chair. “I think I’d like to know your intentions toward my brother. I mean, it’s a little demeaning for such an upstanding officer of the law to be someone’s wild monkey sex on the side, you know?”
“I’m pretty sure my ego can take that—” Quinn tried to say.
Sijan stepped forward, too. “I think it’s a fair question. Unless you’re just going to tell him how happy you are for him again and then step aside for the hot blonde to pick him up. I think he’d rather have Tynan shoot him than hear that again.”
“Okay, well they’re right about th—” Quinn tried to agree.
“Damn right, I’d put him out of his misery. No guy should have to live through that twice,” Tynan said.
Paxton stepped up next to Sijan. “Last I heard, you didn’t think you had much of a future. Have you put any thought into that? Cops don’t make a lot of money. I’d like to know how you’re going to help support him.”
Quinn rolled his eyes. “My salary is just f—”
“Quinn, do you mind? I’d like to know if you’re planning to stay in the Army. We’re pretty attached to Quinn, and we’d all like to know if he’ll be moving away.” Kaz filled out the line of Cates brothers.
“Kaz, would you stop?” Quinn stood, pushing his way through the line of his brothers.
“No, they shouldn’t stop,” Delaney said. “They’re all fair questions being asked by people who love you. I love that about your family. You don’t know how much.” She looked over at Mama and Pop Cates standing nearby, then along the gorgeous, protective line of Cates brothers, until her eyes finally met Quinn’s.
“Your brothers want to see my hand, to know what I’m willing to wager. They’re tired of seeing you take all the risk. It’s only fair.” Delaney took a deep breath, preparing herself.
“Delaney, you don’t have to do this now, in front of everyone.”
“Well, I think I do. Quinn, you believed in me when I couldn’t believe in myself. You and Greer. I was in a dark place, and couldn’t find my way out. The two of you saved me just enough so I could save myself. Quinn, you came along and kidnapped me back to Climax and Greer made me agree to live again and get serious about my rehab and, oh yeah, be ‘nice’ while I’m at it.”
“You’re two for three.” Quinn’s lips quirked at one corner. “Not bad for a beginner.”
Delaney laughed. “Well, so all of that is going on, and then the best-looking Cates brother makes a move on me. . . .”
“I did not,” Tynan, Kaz, Paxton, and Sijan said together.
Delaney grinned. “But I thought, how can I pay him back by saddling him with me, just because he’s having a weak moment? I mean, Quinn, who else would sign up for the hot mess that was my life? What if you just felt sorry for me and then you were stuck?”
“You know better than that,” Quinn said, using those blue eyes like weapons again.
“When I heard about the hot blonde you were spending time with this week, I first thought, well, good, he’s moving on.” Delaney gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook her head. “No, wait, that’s a lie. First, it hurt like hell and then I was pissed, and then, after that, I thought it was good you were moving on. Good for you, but not good for me.
“So, when I said I was happy for you, earlier tonight—that was a lie. And I got to thinking, what does the hot blonde have that I don’t? So I’m missing a foot. And I have a few scars. And I might have forgotten to mention I still have some shrapnel in me so I’ll be setting off metal detectors at the airport, but other than that, oh, and my temper, I’m thinking I’m not such a bad bet after all.” Delaney held her breath.
Quinn’s light blue eyes locked on to Delaney like hot lasers. “Like I’ve been saying all along, those are odds I’m willing to take.”
Tynan said, “God, you’re easy, Quinn. I’d like to hear the answers to our questions first.”
“Fair enough.” Delaney nodded. “I’ve loved the Army, but I’ve decided to get out. I’ve got a part-time coaching offer at the high school waiting for me. Plus, as soon as my doctor gives me the okay, I thought I’d go to Memorial to see if they have any openings for a nurse. And the only woman I’ll step aside for is Mama Cates.”
Greer grinned. “Barbara will be pissed, but I think she’ll get over it when she realizes there are still four more Cates brothers to go.”
“Hey, whose side are you on?” Sijan frowned over at Greer.
“My intentions toward Quinn?” Delaney said. “I intend to make Quinn the happiest man in the world.”
Tynan grinned. “Oh, that would be the monkey sex.”
“I feel so dirty. I think you should make an honest man out of me.” Quinn’s lopsided dimpled grin made Delaney laugh.
“Mama and Pop Cates?” Delaney turned to find them. “I’d like to ask permission to officially court your son.”
“Thank God. We thought you’d never ask and put poor Quinlan out of his misery.” Pop Cates wrapped his arm around a happy Mama Cates.
Quinn reached out for Delaney’s hand, wrapping hers up in his strong grip as if he would never let go. He started leading her purposely to the front door. “Delaney and I need to finish negotiations in private. Now.”
As soon as Quinn had her outside, he backed her up against the brick and kissed her. Hard. Wild. Touching her everywhere. Face. Neck. Shoulders. Back. Waist. Frantically, almost checking to see if she was real. If the moment was real.
“Don’t pinch me,” Delaney said against his lips.
Chapter Thirty-one
It was possible Quinn broke the speed limit getting to his house. Delaney didn’t know since she was too busy unbuttoning Quinn’s shirt and kissing his jaw and running one hand through his hair and the other over his thigh. Which was when the truck swerved a little and
Quinn said, “Christ. Hold on.” So she did. To his chest and his biceps and his six-pack. It was possible she tore his shirt.
Quinn pulled into his driveway, stopping abruptly just short of hitting his garage. He shut off the engine and unclicked his seat belt. Grabbing her, he tilted her head so he could kiss his way up the side of her neck.
“Come on.” He hurried her out of the truck.
“Well, I thought we could try some foreplay first.” She pushed him to go faster.
Quinn dipped his shoulder down and draped her up over it, whisking her to the house. “You were too slow.” He rubbed his hand over her ass, then fumbled with his keys and the front door.
“Who’s slow now? Come on, Quinn!” Not one to waste time, Delaney was trying to untuck his shirt from his jeans while she hung there upside-down.
Quinn finally wrestled the door open, dumping them into the foyer, where he slung Delaney down and up against another wall. He kicked the door closed and then started removing any clothing that was in his way. Which was all of it. It wasn’t fast enough for Delaney so she started helping in between hot kisses and stroking hands.
“Uh, Quinn?” Delaney’s attention was caught by the whining at their feet. She whispered, “Your dog is staring at us like he knows what I’m thinking of doing to you.”
“It’s okay. He’s watched way more than Sesame Street.” Quinn came up for air, looked at his dog, and then did a double take. “Wait, what? What you’re thinking of doing to me? Let’s go. Bedroom. Now.”
Quinn hustled Delaney down the hall, only this time into his room, where he tossed her onto the king-sized bed. She watched him shed the few items of clothing she couldn’t get to.