Testing the Limits

by Kira Sinclair

  He couldn’t let her go. Not now. Not ever.

  God, if he lost her...

  Irrational fear stampeded through his body, leaving him breathless and feeling as though a few vital organs had been crushed along the way. His grip tightened further, turning her flesh angry pink beneath his hold. His eyes registered it. Knew he should ease up.

  But he couldn’t do it.

  As if sensing just how close he was to losing it, Quinn shifted. She folded her body, although somehow managing to keep them joined together.

  “It’s a day, Jace. No more important than yesterday or tomorrow. An opportunity to remember how he touched our lives, but Michael wouldn’t want you using it to dwell and mourn. Or push me away.”

  They were connected in the deepest way two people possibly could be—not just physically, but emotionally.

  She saw too much, understood him better than probably anyone else ever had. Expect maybe his little brother.

  Without meaning to, he’d ripped himself wide open for her, spilling out all the darkness he tried to keep hidden right along with the light.

  Quinn was staring at him, luminous and brilliant, looking as if she could cherish what he’d given instead of running screaming.

  Restless energy buzzed through him. It wasn’t arousal. Or not just arousal. It was gratitude and appreciation. Awe and humility. Devotion and the knowledge that she was going to challenge and push every single one of his buttons. And he was going to love the irritation.

  Laying her head on his shoulder, Quinn snuggled against him, rooting around until their bodies fit perfectly together.

  They were quiet for several moments. Jace listened to the even cadence of her breath. Absorbed the weight and heat of it as it brushed across his naked chest.

  And he was grateful. For the moment. For Quinn.

  For what Michael had given him. Them.

  He’d spent his life looking out for his little brother and didn’t begrudge a single sacrifice he’d ever made. Would have made a thousand more if it meant Michael’s happiness.

  So why was he fighting against accepting the single biggest sacrifice Michael had ever made for him? No, he hadn’t willingly stepped aside for them, but Jace knew if he was standing there beside them today, he would have.

  If he’d known just how much Jace loved her.

  He wasn’t even positive when it had happened. Certainly not in the past few days. Long before that, although there was a new underlying burn to the emotion.

  Quinn rubbed her cheek against him, purring softly in the back of her throat. With a soft chuckle, she brushed her lips against him. The thrill was there, a jagged bolt of need, but overlaid by a soft peace he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

  “Do you remember when he...” Quinn’s words carried on, reliving some moment they’d all shared together. He could hear her laughter, feel the curve of it in her mouth pressed against his skin.

  His own body reacted, adding a chuckle when appropriate even though he couldn’t have remembered the exact words she’d spoken if someone held a gun to his head.

  Michael was there. Jace could feel him. But instead of holding them apart, as his memory had done for the past two years, he was drawing them together.

  Shared memories and experiences.

  It was the first time since Michael had died that Jace thought about his brother and smiled.

  She’d given him that.

  * * *

  QUINN WASN’T SURE what had changed, but something had. The restless energy that drove Jace had...quieted. It wasn’t gone entirely, more like simply banked until he needed it again.

  The guilt that had permanently resided deep in those beautiful blue eyes whenever he looked at her had lost some of its power and hold. Hopefully, one day it would fade completely.

  They woke tangled together in a comfortable, easy way. Sharing a shower had just solidified the rightness of the moment.

  Needing to feel him on her skin even as they tried to move on to mundane things, she’d slipped on one of his long-sleeved plaid shirts. The tails brushed the backs of her thighs and the sleeves were so long she’d had to roll them several times. But the way he’d looked at her when she’d walked into the kitchen had made it worth it. Not to mention that whenever she turned her head she’d get a lungful of his amazing scent.

  He’d only thrown on a pair of worn sweatpants so threadbare she could practically see his tanned skin showing through. He looked amazing and part of her wanted to drag him back to bed. It wasn’t as if they had much planned for the day, anyway.

  But there was a part of her that felt they needed to act like normal adults instead of hormone-laden teenagers. This wasn’t just about lust. It was more. Somehow eating the breakfast he made and sharing a cup of coffee made her feel as if this was real and not just something fleeting and grounded in their forced proximity.

  It made her think this would go on long after he no longer needed to protect her.

  Although that only went so far. Since he’d cooked, Quinn cleaned away the breakfast dishes leaving him to sip on his second cup of coffee while scanning through the news on a tablet.

  She was wandering over to pick up her own cup, intending to refresh it, when his arm snaked out, snagging her waist, and she tumbled into his lap. Until that moment she would have said he wasn’t paying any attention to her.

  Obviously, she was wrong. Jace could definitely multitask.

  His gaze didn’t drift away from the screen of his tablet. Not even when she struggled—half-heartedly—to get up. The band of his arm just tightened, holding her in place.

  Finally shrugging, Quinn leaned across the table and stole his coffee. He growled a playful warning even as the corners of his mouth tipped up into a barely suppressed smile.

  “The price of not letting me up to get my own.”

  He nuzzled her neck for a moment, trailing his mouth up to her ear where he rumbled, “Worth it,” sending a shiver tripping across her skin.

  The whole thing was very domestic. Quinn could see herself doing this with him every Saturday and Sunday for the rest of her life. She wanted it.

  So much it scared her. This was so new. Was she setting herself up for heartache by building a future—even if only in her head—with him so quickly?

  He must have sensed the tension in her body, because he abandoned the tablet, shifting his hold on her until she was facing him.

  “Hey. What’s wrong?”

  Quinn shook her head. It was too early. She couldn’t tell him she was falling for him. Not yet. Apprehension fluttered in her chest, uncomfortable and chilling.

  “Nothing.” And because she knew he wouldn’t believe that, she pulled out a lie. “Just thinking about my place.”

  His arms around her waist tightened. Touching his forehead to hers, he brought them close. “It’s going to be fine. Like you said, they’re just things. They can be replaced.”

  Pulling back, he flashed her a smile that was more than half devil. “Look on the bright side. You get to go shopping. With someone else’s money.”

  That really did make her think about all the things she needed to do today. Like contact her insurance company and start the process of filing a claim. No doubt they’d want the police report....

  Quinn frowned. “Could we just go back to bed and pretend it’s still the middle of the night?”

  Fingers coaxing beneath her chin, Jace brought her face around until he could claim her mouth. It was so easy to sink down into the pull of his kiss. “Absolutely,” he murmured against her lips.

  Unfortunately, the sound of her phone broke into the heat he was building between them. It was her ringtone for work. They knew she wasn’t coming in—probably for the rest of the week. But a couple of her colleagues had called to ask questions about her cas
es they’d taken over.

  Pulling away, Quinn gave him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry. I have to take that.”

  He sighed, the look in his eyes close to how a five-year-old would react to losing his favorite toy. But he loosened his hold on her, giving her room to climb off his lap.

  Rounding the counter, she pulled her phone from her purse where she’d left it near the door last night. Thinking it would be a routine conversation, she dropped onto the sofa, folding her legs beneath her and tucking the edges of Jace’s shirt around her thighs.

  “Hey, Daniel. What’s up?”

  It was obvious from the first words out of his mouth that this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation.

  “I’m sorry, Quinn. You know I wouldn’t be asking you this if there was any other way.”

  “Ask me what?” Quinn said, sitting up straight and dropping her feet back to the floor. For some reason, her body was taut, already in fight-or-flight mode.

  Apparently sensing the change in her demeanor, or maybe hearing it in her voice, Jace appeared in the doorway between the kitchen and living room. Reaching up, he grasped the lintel and stretched his body. She was beginning to realize the move was a nervous habit.

  Although she liked the way it highlighted his muscles, especially when he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

  “It’s Ana Martinez.”

  Oh, hell. Ana was nineteen, technically an adult, but she’d been a runaway when Quinn had first started working with her two years ago. She’d convinced Ana to contact her mother and try to mend whatever was broken.

  Her mother, heartsick when her daughter had disappeared, had been so happy to hear from Ana. Things had been going well, until her mother started seeing a new man. Quinn knew something was wrong, but Ana wouldn’t open up and tell her. Until she did, there was little she could do aside from be there when Ana needed a friend.

  “What about Ana,” she asked cautiously.

  “She was waiting out back when Michelle got here this morning.”

  “Okay.”

  “She’s been beaten. And from the looks of some of the bruises, more than once.”

  Oh, God. Quinn’s stomach clenched. It was a good thing she was here and not there. This kind of reaction wouldn’t help Ana, but she wasn’t sure she could have controlled it. Wrapping an arm around her middle, she tried to keep the helpless rage from spilling out.

  “Who’s taking her case?”

  “That’s just it. She won’t talk to anyone else. I think...” Daniel’s voice trailed off.

  He cleared his throat. It wasn’t often her boss was overwhelmed by emotion. He’d been at this longer than she had, and while he was one of the best men she’d ever met, there was a part of him that had been hardened to some of the struggles they saw over and over again. This wasn’t going to be good.

  “I think she was raped, Quinn. But she won’t answer our questions. We need to find out for sure and get a rape kit.”

  Jesus, what was wrong with humanity?

  Quinn was up off the sofa and headed for the bedroom before she was even conscious she’d made a decision to move. “I’ll be there in fifteen. Just tell her I’m on my way.”

  “Thanks, Quinn,” Daniel said, his voice full of relief.

  Tossing her phone onto the bed, she was scrambling through her bag when a hard voice sounded behind her.

  “You’re not going.”

  Throwing the briefest glance over her shoulder, Quinn said, “I am.”

  This wasn’t up for debate. But apparently, Jace was hell-bent on having one anyway.

  Grasping her shoulders, he pulled her away from her bag, turning her to face him. “It’s too dangerous, Quinn. You can’t go to the office. Warren’s probably watching it.”

  “I don’t care. I have to go. There’s a girl I’ve been working with for two years, Jace. She came in beaten and bloody. Daniel thinks she’s been raped.”

  She watched the skin around his mouth tighten. Fire flashed in his eyes. And she loved him for it. Not even knowing Ana, he was pissed on her behalf. But even as the instinct to protect flared inside him, she could see his resolve hardening.

  “I’m sorry for her, Quinn. But someone else can help her. It doesn’t have to be you. Not right now.”

  “She won’t talk to anyone else, Jace. Don’t you think Daniel thought of that before calling me? Half an hour, maybe a little more. Just enough to calm her down and find out what happened. After that we can leave.”

  She stepped to him, bridging the space between them. Wrapping her arms around his waist, she tipped her face up to his, eyes pleading.

  “You’ll be with me. I’ll be fine because I know you won’t let anything bad happen to me. Besides, it’s the middle of the day. He’s been careful so far and I can’t see him changing that MO now. He won’t make a move that’s so visible.” Rubbing her hands down his arms in a soothing gesture, she pressed her lips to his. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”

  Jace’s mouth stayed stony beneath hers for several seconds before finally softening. It was the moment she knew she had him. Although, that didn’t mean he was happy about it.

  Spinning away, he jerked his hands through his hair, pausing to tug at the ends near his neck. A string of curses accompanied the gesture.

  “Fine,” he growled, pinning her with his dangerous, blue gaze. She had no doubt it was the same expression he used on cocky soldiers who thought they knew better than their seasoned brothers. “But only until she’s settled. Promise me we’ll get in and out quickly.”

  “Absolutely.”

  13

  HE DIDN’T LIKE IT. But then, he’d made that more than obvious to Quinn. And again on the phone to Daniel.

  Although there was a part of him that admired Quinn’s selfless heart and her need to help anyone in trouble, it really bothered him that her generosity could come with a price. One they’d both pay.

  Because if something happened to her, he didn’t know what he’d do.

  Parking as close to the door as he could manage, Jace rushed Quinn into the building, more comfortable once she was safely inside.

  Although not even that could temper the sense of foreboding lodged at the base of his neck. After years in hostile locations, he had a highly honed sense of danger. Sometimes all you had to warn you were your instincts that said something was off. And those instincts were screaming at him, even though not a single thing was out of place.

  Before following Quinn inside, he scanned their lot, as well as the ones on either side and across the road. He watched the windows in the other office buildings. Nothing.

  Maybe he was just on edge because it was Quinn.

  Heading inside, he went in search of her.

  Knocking softly on the closed door one of the other women in the office directed him to, he stopped just inside the doorway when Quinn’s soft voice told him to come in.

  The girl she was sitting next to had obviously been beaten. She had bruises covering her face, one bleeding into another. The corner of her lip was busted and there were shallow cuts, as if from someone’s dirty fingernails, down both of her arms. Not deep enough to need attention, but red enough that they’d obviously bled.

  She barely flicked him a glance, keeping her gaze trained on Quinn’s face.

  It was probably a good thing Jace didn’t know who’d done this to the girl, because if he had he’d have been first in line to kick some ass. And he knew several men—soldiers and fighters both—who’d be more than willing to stand beside him to make sure the lesson took.

  Murmuring that he’d be outside, Jace left the two women alone. He propped his back against the wall opposite the door, crossed his arms over his chest a
nd waited, no longer protecting one but two.

  Through the wide window in the door, he could see them both. He watched Quinn comfort the girl as tears streamed unchecked down Ana’s cheeks.

  He didn’t say a word when Quinn’s half hour came and went. He did insist Daniel send out for some food, though, when they hit four hours and it was well past lunchtime. Quinn would never forgive him if he insisted she leave. And, after seeing Ana, he understood why. The girl was a tiny slip of a thing.

  The warning jangling across his skin didn’t dissipate, but he knew that inside the building Quinn was as safe as he could make her for the moment.

  He was afraid the fallout would come later. Maybe it was time to think about leaving his place. No doubt Warren had discovered who Jace was by now—and his address. When they left here he’d get a hotel for tonight and they could talk about other options tomorrow.

  Through the day, he’d heard the low murmur of Quinn’s voice, punctuated occasionally with Ana’s soft sobs. Two officers walked into the room—a woman and a man. Quinn greeted them by name, which helped to settle Jace’s nerves a little.

  They spent the next hour with Quinn holding Ana’s hand as the officers asked questions, made notes and began the process of apprehending Ana’s assailant.

  When they finally left, Ana, completely drained, lay down on the soft bed on the far side of the room and fell asleep.

  Quinn’s shoulders slumped and her head dropped as if she didn’t have the energy to hold it up anymore.

  Opening the door, Jace quietly crossed to her and smoothed his hands over her shoulders. He dug his thumbs into the top of her spine, rubbing rhythmically.

  She let out a rich hum, the vibration traveling up from her body and into his. “That feels amazing,” she whispered.

  He hated seeing her like this—physically exhausted and mentally drained. He knew why she did it. Understood that the need to help people was so deeply ingrained she couldn’t separate it from any other part of herself.