Always My Girl (The Shaughnessy Brothers)

by Samantha Chase

  “Come on,” she said, pulling away and rising to her feet. “I think I saw that The Fast and the Furious is on. We can watch it together if you want.”

  Quinn jumped to his feet. He towered over Anna by a good six to eight inches and he gave her a lopsided grin. “You’d stay up and watch a racing movie with me?”

  God, what his grin did to her insides. Her stomach was doing little flips and her pulse kicked up. She willed them both to calm down. “I’m not tired,” she said. “And if I get tired, I’ll go to bed.”

  “Yeah, but…you don’t really like the whole franchise. You say it all the time,” he reminded her.

  “I’m figuring it will put me to sleep.”

  Quinn laughed out loud and pulled her into his arms and gave her a quick hug. “Oh, the sacrifices you’re willing to make for a friend,” he teased.

  Anna held in the sigh that longed to get out. If only he knew the sacrifices she was genuinely making on a daily basis where he was concerned. “And don’t you forget it,” she said and moved out of his embrace. Stepping around him, she straightened her nightshirt and made sure it was covering her completely before she made her way back toward the house.

  “Jesus, Anna…”

  She stopped and turned around and noticed Quinn hadn’t moved. “What? What’s the matter?”

  He swallowed hard, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

  Anna waited a full minute, and when Quinn didn’t answer, she turned and walked into the house, suddenly unsure if staying up and watching a movie with him was really the smartest thing to do.

  * * *

  It normally took a lot to throw Quinn, but today he had hit his limit. As much as he wanted to keep blaming it on his father and Martha, the fact was that Anna and her curves were wreaking far more havoc on him than anything else.

  Just thinking about it made him feel like a colossal jerk. If he’d caught other guys ogling her, he would have kicked their asses. But if he was being honest, he had ogled her a time or two himself. Great, now he was going to have to kick his own ass.

  “Quinn? You coming?” Anna called from the doorway.

  Shit. With the light from the house shining behind her, he could practically see through the white T-shirt she was wearing. Was she trying to kill him? She probably would if she knew he was checking her out.

  It didn’t matter what Riley had said earlier. She couldn’t think of him as anything more. And really, he couldn’t think of her as more either.

  Or could he?

  Anna called his name again and snapped him out of his wayward thoughts, and Quinn knew he’d have to keep his eyes above her shoulders if he was going to survive watching a movie with her. Like a man walking to his execution, he made his way into the house, locking the sliding doors behind him and shutting off the outside lights.

  “Oh no,” Anna muttered from the living room.

  “What’s up?”

  “This has got to be the smallest television in the house, and you were right about the bed.”

  He almost swallowed his own tongue. “Bed?” he croaked.

  “Well, yeah. You’ve got it opened up, so I just figured we were going to sit on it to watch TV, but it really is uncomfortable.” She stopped and chewed on her full bottom lip for a minute. “Maybe I can find an extra blanket or two to pad it with.” And before he could stop her and say maybe they should just skip the movie, she was on the move and out of sight.

  “Damn it,” he mumbled. He had completely forgotten about the open bed. It was one thing to sit on the couch and watch a movie; it was another to be on the bed. Looking around, Quinn made a snap decision and quickly folded up the bed and put the sofa back together.

  “Hey,” Anna said, confusion written all over her face, an extra blanket in her hands as she looked at the now-closed sofa. “Why’d you close it up? I just went to get stuff to make it more comfortable.”

  Heat crept up his cheeks. “Oh, um…well, I don’t think there’s enough extra blankets to make this thing even remotely comfortable. At least this way we can sit with the cushions and have real padding.”

  “Oh. Okay.” She looked at the sofa and then at the blanket in her hands. “I’ll just leave this out here for you to use later, I guess.”

  “Yeah. Thanks.” Damn. When were things ever this awkward? Oh, that’s right. A lot. Especially lately.

  They’d missed the first thirty minutes of the movie but it didn’t matter; they’d seen it several times already. Quinn did his best to focus on the film, but out of the corner of his eye, he saw Anna slowly slouching down. Her legs—those gloriously bare, silky looking legs—were curled on the couch, her feet almost touching his thighs. He had to fight the urge to reach out and touch her.

  “You don’t have to stay up, Anna,” he said softly.

  With her head resting on the armrest, she kept her eyes on the TV. “It’s okay. I’m good.”

  But Quinn knew her. Anna liked to have her head on a pillow. She was a bit fanatical about feeling comfortable, really. Reaching over to the chair beside him, he grabbed a throw pillow and put it on his lap before reaching for her hand.

  “What? What’s the matter?” she asked, raising her head.

  “Come on. I know you’re not comfortable.” With a little tug, he had her sitting up. Why he didn’t just give her the pillow, he couldn’t say for certain. It would have been easier—on him at least—if she kept her distance, but right now it was the last thing he wanted.

  “It’s not a big deal,” she protested and then yawned. “I can just—”

  He didn’t let her finish. He tugged again until she was leaning against him. “Just, you know, get comfortable. We’re missing the movie,” he added lamely.

  Anna’s look was hesitant, but she finally shifted and lay down—stretching out beside him with her head on the pillow in his lap. One hand rested on his knee. It felt…right, Quinn thought. Forcing himself to go back to watching the movie, it wasn’t until sometime later that he realized Anna was asleep and he was gently playing with her hair.

  “I’m totally losing it,” he muttered but didn’t pull his hand away. The movie was almost over, and once it ended, he’d wake her up. But for now he was going to enjoy how soft her hair was. She was growing it longer—something she hadn’t done in a long time. He wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but for right now he liked it.

  Fifteen minutes later, the movie was over. It was after two in the morning, and he finally felt like he could sleep. His hand drifted from Anna’s hair to her shoulder. It felt small under his palm. He gave her a gentle shake. “Anna?” he whispered.

  “Mmm,” she hummed.

  “The movie’s over,” he said softly. “Come on. You need to go up to bed.”

  She snuggled up closer, her hand on his knee gently squeezing. “Too comfortable.”

  He couldn’t help but chuckle. It never occurred to him how by making her comfortable, he wouldn’t be able to wake her up. Shifting slightly, he maneuvered himself until he could stand up. Anna didn’t stir. The first order of business was to stretch. He had been sitting for so long he felt a little stiff and achy. Gazing down at Anna, Quinn forced himself to really look at her.

  Her dark blond hair was getting longer and he realized now he preferred it short. The sun had given her skin a golden glow today, and she had a band of freckles across her nose. He knew her face as well as his own. He couldn’t remember a time when she hadn’t been there with him, for him. Just the thought of her not being his friend caused a tightening in his chest he’d never felt. He’d never had to consider it before.

  She was the one constant in his life. Sure, he had his brothers and Darcy, but it was different with Anna. They had simply clicked as kids, and she was the only person he felt truly comfortable around. She didn’t judge him—at least not that he was aware of. If she did, she kept it to her
self.

  Unlike his siblings.

  In all honesty, she was his safe spot. His home.

  And it killed him how even looking at her now had him thinking about sex rather than getting the comfort he normally did.

  “Okay, that’s enough,” he mumbled and leaned forward to gently shake Anna again. She still didn’t stir, so Quinn cursed and then reached for her to pick her up.

  Bad idea, he immediately thought. Now he could feel the silky skin of her legs, and as the T-shirt rode up her body, he saw her plain white cotton panties. And damn if they didn’t look sexy as hell too. Images of Anna in her bikini immediately came to mind, and Quinn knew he was going to have to practically sprint to the bedroom and drop her on her bed and run if he was going to survive.

  And that’s pretty much what he did. Walking quickly up the stairs to Anna’s bedroom, he simply deposited her on the bed and pulled the blankets over her before he walked from the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

  And then breathed a sigh of relief.

  It was going to be a long weekend.

  * * *

  Anna woke up slowly and for a moment forgot where she was or how she’d gotten there. The last thing she remembered was Quinn getting a pillow for her and then tugging her down beside him. They’d never done that before—the whole closeness on the couch thing. So many changes in the last twenty-four hours. It made her head hurt and made her want to pull the blankets over her head and go back to sleep.

  The knock on her door was the only thing stopping her.

  “Are you awake?” Zoe asked, peeking her head in the doorway.

  “Barely.”

  Stepping inside, Zoe closed the door behind her and sat down on the corner of the bed. “Well, you need to work on it because we have a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it in.”

  Anna looked at the clock and then back at Zoe. “You realize it’s only seven a.m., right?”

  Zoe nodded. “Exactly. We should have been up an hour ago. We have the hair and makeup girls coming soon.” Then she paused and grinned broadly. “It’s my wedding day! Can you believe it?”

  Forcing herself to sit up, Anna couldn’t help but smile back. “I can totally believe it. What I can’t believe is how bad you are at math.”

  Zoe frowned at her.

  “The girls aren’t coming until eleven. That’s four hours from now. We have plenty of time. What you need is to relax.”

  “Oh, I’m relaxed. Completely and utterly relaxed,” she said, still grinning.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You had sex this morning and you’re all glowy. Good for you,” Anna said as she slumped back against her pillows. “There’s no need to brag about it and make the rest of us jealous.”

  “Rest of you?”

  “Okay, fine. Me. No need to make me jealous. There. Happy?”

  “You’re awful grumpy this morning. Didn’t you sleep well?”

  Anna wanted to argue that she had slept fine—and it was probably because she had fallen asleep against Quinn—but she decided to keep quiet. “It’s seven in the morning, Zoe. No one’s cheery at this hour.”

  “I am.”

  “Yeah, well, it’s because you’re getting married today. You should be cheery.”

  And then Zoe’s smile fell a little.

  “What? What’s the matter?” Sitting back up, she reached up and placed a hand on Zoe’s arm.

  “I just… I wish…”

  “Your mom was here,” Anna finished for her, and Zoe nodded. “I know, sweetie. And I’m sorry. You know we’re all here and we’re all your family, but I know it’s not quite the same.”

  “I know I’m so lucky,” Zoe began, “and so blessed to have gained such a big family between you and the Shaughnessys, but I can’t help but feel a little outnumbered here today.”

  “You know she’s watching over you and smiling down on you today, right?”

  Zoe nodded again. “I think she would have loved everyone. I know she would have loved Aidan.”

  Anna squeezed her arm reassuringly. “Of course she would. He’s an easy man to love. You’re very lucky.”

  And then her smile was back. “I am, aren’t I?”

  It was Anna’s turn to nod. “And you’re going to make a beautiful bride.”

  Zoe leaned over and hugged her. “And you’re going to make a beautiful maid of honor. Thank you for being here for me.”

  “I wouldn’t have missed it for the world.”

  They slowly moved apart and got comfortable again. “So,” Zoe began, “last night was interesting, don’t you think?”

  “You mean the whole Ian and Martha thing? Yeah, it was kind of funny watching everyone’s reaction.”

  “Um, no, clueless one,” Zoe teased. “I’m talking about Quinn.”

  “Oh no,” Anna mumbled under her breath.

  “Come on. You know what I’m talking about. He was trying so hard to stay away from you and make it seem like he was interested in my friends, but he didn’t take his eyes off you all night. Hugh had to keep Bobby from going over and punching him!”

  “Not again…”

  “We were starting to take bets on how long it would take before Bobby snapped, but Hugh put a stop to it. He said it wasn’t the time or place for a fight.”

  “Thank God someone was thinking clearly. I know my brother can be a bit of a hothead where Quinn is concerned.”

  “Again, clueless.” Zoe sighed. “Anna, your brother isn’t a hothead simply where Quinn is concerned. He’s a hothead where Quinn and you are concerned. He doesn’t like the way Quinn treats you.”

  This wasn’t new information. Anna just didn’t like to think about it. “Well, it really doesn’t matter. I’m just glad someone had the good sense to keep things from getting out of hand.”

  “I know it was a good thing, but still, it’s going to happen eventually. You know that, right?”

  Unfortunately, she did. No matter how much she tried to pretend it wouldn’t, Anna knew her brother too well. He’d always been protective of her—particularly where guys were concerned—but his feelings toward Quinn were completely different. There was rage there, and it really was only a matter of time before he let loose.

  With a nod, Anna sighed. “As long as it’s not today, I’ll be happy.”

  “You and me both, girl. You and me both.”

  Chapter 3

  “You know this is a happy occasion, right?”

  Anna’s reaction was a simple look of annoyance.

  Quinn and Anna were dancing together along with the rest of the family at the reception, and Quinn noticed the teary look on Anna’s face. “Look around,” he said cheerfully. “Nothing but smiles and happy people. What gives?”

  “It was all just so beautiful, and I know Zoe was feeling a bit overwhelmed earlier—missing her mom and all—but watching her now, you’d never know it. She’s positively glowing.”

  “So then why do you look like…?”

  “Like what?” she asked defensively.

  He shrugged. “I don’t know—like you’re ready to cry.” And then he silently prayed she wasn’t going to.

  “People cry at weddings all the time.”

  “Um…yeah. And they also cry at funerals.”

  Anna rolled her eyes. “Oh, shut up,” she sniffed.

  This was another new layer—Anna acting all…feminine. She used to laugh and make fun of the kind of girls who cried at movies or just in general. She was tough. She was edgy. The woman in his arms was softer, and it was freaking him out. It was suddenly too much. He had to say something or the dialogue in his head was going to make him crazy.

  “You’re acting weird lately. What’s going on?”

  Her gaze immediately snapped to his. “Weird? What are you talking about?”

  Great. Why c
ouldn’t she just agree with him and read his mind like she normally did? “I don’t know…the job, the wardrobe, and now you’re all crying and acting like, all girlish.”

  “In case you haven’t noticed, Einstein, I am a girl.”

  Yeah, he’d noticed. “I get it, Anna, but all these changes, it isn’t you. So again, what’s going on?”

  She sighed, and he knew the sound well. Her posture relaxed slightly as she looked away. “It was just time for a change. I didn’t want to work at the pub for the rest of my life, and believe it or not, this is how most women dress and look. I can’t sell houses wearing jeans and sneakers, you know,” she said.

  “Okay, okay, no need to get all snippy. It’s just…you’re making a lot of changes and I’m not used to it.”

  “Yeah, well…get used to it,” she said, but there was little strength behind it.

  “Hey,” he said softly and waited until she looked at him. “If this is what you want to do with your life, then I’m right there with you. I’ll get used to the changes and whatnot. And I’ll support whatever it is you want to take on next. You’ve always been there for me. It’s what friends do, right?”

  Maybe he was testing her. Maybe he wanted to see if she would react in some way to his reminding her of their status as friends.

  Anna smiled. “Yes. It’s what friends do.”

  And dammit, he couldn’t read anything in her reaction. It was all just…Anna.

  “I’m serious, Anna. I mean, I don’t understand why you feel the need to make all these changes. There wasn’t anything wrong with you. But if quitting the pub and selling real estate makes you happy, then…I’m happy.”

  Was it his imagination, or did she just blush? Or maybe it was wishful thinking.

  The music ended, then they were getting corralled for pictures and the moment was gone. And Quinn was left possibly more confused than he already was.

  They posed for pictures and everyone ate and danced and celebrated. When the time came for Quinn to give his best man toast, he found, for the first time, he was possibly at a loss for words. He had a basic outline written down for what he wanted to say, but when it was his turn to stand, suddenly none of it seemed right.