“Anna—”
“And for the record, I haven’t been blowing you off, Quinn. Sheesh. Has it ever occurred to you that I have a life and I have better things to do than wait on you?”
“You’ve been there for every move and every store opening I’ve done in the tri-state area. It’s a whole new phase for me starting now and you’ve hardly come by. And the one time you do come by, you spend the entire time flirting with Jake. And look how that worked out for you.”
“You bastard,” she hissed, ready to smack him again. “You’re seriously going to stand here and lecture me? Now? Do you have any idea how scared I was tonight?”
He immediately apologized. “I…I am so sorry. You’re right. That was a low blow. I don’t know what I was thinking.” They stood in silence, facing one another. “You’re just never around anymore.”
A million retorts were on the tip of her tongue—most were childish—so she went for the basics. “I have a new job, a new career. I don’t have time to play cheerleader for you and bake cookies. Besides, you have more than enough people around you helping out.” Turning her back to him, she put her purse on the kitchen table and then walked in the direction of her bedroom. “Be sure to lock up on your way out.”
Closing her bedroom door, she silently prayed she’d ticked him off enough to make him leave. Maybe something would go her way tonight. With a sigh, Anna kicked off her shoes, walked over to her dresser, and pulled out her pajamas. Without a thought to keeping her room neat, she stripped right there on the spot and walked to the en-suite shower, turned the hot water on full blast, and stepped in. It wasn’t about relaxing or luxuriating; it was simply about washing the night off of her.
It would have been easy to just stand there and cry, but she didn’t even have the energy for that. With swift efficiency, she shampooed her hair and soaped her body from head to toe. She stood under the spray until the water cooled.
Stepping out, she dried off and pulled on her flannel pajama pants and slipped the cami over her head. A quick glance in the mirror showed a very tired, very defeated woman. After taking a minute to towel-dry her hair and brush her teeth, she sighed.
“It figures the only kind of guy I’d attract with any ease is a psychopath,” she muttered. Kicking her discarded towel aside, she shuffled back into the bedroom, and when she had nothing left to do, she contemplated going back out to the living room.
She no longer had a headache.
And she wasn’t tired.
She could only hope Quinn was gone.
Off in the distance, she heard the ding of the microwave and sighed with defeat. Not only had the jerk not left, but he was clearly making himself at home. She pulled the door open and spotted Quinn walking across the room with a large bowl in his hands. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I made us some popcorn. I haven’t had any time to just chill in a while, so I thought we’d watch a movie.”
“Didn’t you hear me? I’m tired. I want to be alone.” She said the words, but there was little force behind them.
“I’m not going anywhere,” he said defiantly. If it were anyone else, she would have thrown him out on the spot. But this was Quinn, the one guy she could talk to about anything.
“Quinn,” she whined. “I think I’ve earned the right to be alone after the night I’ve had. Can’t you just for once deal with not getting your own way?”
“This isn’t about getting my own way,” he said quietly, his voice thick. “This is about making sure you’re okay.”
“Well, I’m not, okay?” she cried. “I went out on a date I really didn’t want to go on and the guy was a freak! Even if it weren’t for the fact that he slipped something into my drink, he was a complete ass! He only talked about himself!”
“Then why’d you go out with him?”
“Why not?” she said, self-loathing lacing her tone. “He was a good-looking, successful man and he wanted to go out with me. He called me every day for a week. I figured what harm could one date do?” She gave a mirthless laugh. “Well, now I know, don’t I?”
“Anna—”
“No, it’s the truth. Clearly, the only guys who want to go out with me are freaks. Banner day for Anna Hannigan!”
“That’s not true and you know it.” His expression softened. “I’m so sorry. I really don’t even know what to say. It’s not like Jake and I are really good friends. We’re just doing business together. It wasn’t until you called Zoe that I even remembered the incident when he…you know…years ago. Please tell me you forgive me, Anna. Please.”
She was completely torn. It would have been so easy to just say yes and forgive him, but she also knew that if she did, it would just take her back to where she had been before.
It was a no-win situation no matter what she did.
“Come on, Anna. Just come and sit on the couch. You can have the sectional and relax.” He put the bowl down on the coffee table and turned back toward the kitchen to grab some drinks. “And besides, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is on.”
Dammit. That movie was one of her weaknesses and judging by the smirk on Quinn’s face, he knew it.
Jerk.
“Fine. Whatever,” she muttered and walked over and flopped down on the couch.
With a full-blown grin, Quinn sat down and picked up the bowl of popcorn and put it between them before reaching for the remote and turning to the movie.
As much as she wanted to be pissed, the scene was oddly comforting—probably because it was something they’d done since they were kids. It just sucked that she wanted more—wanted Quinn to see her as a woman instead of a buddy. A lover instead of a friend.
It didn’t take long for them to settle into the movie and soon they were laughing and quoting lines right along with the actors. Anna snuggled with her favorite throw and found that the more comfortable she got, the heavier her eyelids felt. She thought she could hold out until the end of the movie, but the reality was she was practically asleep.
Quinn looked over at Anna and smiled. He didn’t know what had been going on with her lately, but he missed her. There were a ton of questions he’d wanted to ask her tonight, but he had decided to just let them go and do what he could to get her to relax around him and to try and erase the thought of what could have happened to her.
Beside him, Anna sighed and began to lean toward him. If he didn’t do something, she was going to fall face-first into the popcorn bowl. He quickly scooped it up and put it on the coffee table—and froze with shock when Anna shifted and lay down with her head in his lap. It took a moment for the shock to wear off, and then he slowly let himself relax. The last time they had been like this had been the night before Aidan and Zoe’s wedding and at least he had had a pillow acting as a buffer then.
“Not a big deal,” he muttered and shifted to get them both a little more comfortable. The movie was almost over, and it didn’t take long for him to get pulled back into the plot while he mindlessly played with Anna’s hair. When the movie ended and he realized what he’d been doing—again—he pulled back like he’d been burned. He cursed. “I have got to stop doing that!”
“Anna?” he whispered, but she didn’t move. He muttered under his breath and tried to think of what he should do. He knew he needed to leave—it was late and he had a lot to do at the new shop early in the morning—but he didn’t want to disturb her.
The scene was eerily familiar and was seemingly becoming a habit for them.
While he continued to study her face, he finally let the guilt wash over him. He’d heard Jake ask her out and it had pissed him the hell off. He knew Jake was a player, but when Anna had turned him down, he’d thought that was the end of it. Quinn had been so wrapped up in—hell, just call it what it is—jealousy that he hadn’t really thought about all the reasons why Anna shouldn’t go out with Jake.
Because she’s
mine.
Yeah, that was becoming more and more apparent, but for the life of him, he didn’t know what to do about it. And now, because of his own stupid pride and childish behavior, Anna could have been seriously hurt.
It wasn’t something he was likely to forget anytime soon—or be able to forgive himself for.
Carefully, he slid out from under her head. Standing, he walked into her bedroom and pulled the comforter and sheet back and then looked around and chuckled. The room was a bit of a mess, but then again, he knew Anna wasn’t the prissy type who obsessed about everything needing to be in its place. If anything, it comforted him to see her room in slight disarray.
He walked around and really looked at the space. The light-colored furniture and the pastel-blue walls gave the room a beachy vibe he knew Anna tended to favor. On her shelves were books and knickknacks and pictures. He chuckled at how many different types of frames she had—another quirk of hers. But as he took a minute to look at the actual pictures, he noticed one thing—he was in most of them.
Pictures from her childhood, holidays, parties, and just…life. And he was there for all of them. They were laughing and smiling, and in some of them, Quinn could actually remember what it was they were joking about. A soft chuckle slipped out as he found a picture from Anna’s sixteenth birthday. Her parents had gotten her a car. It was a used Mustang, and they had parked it in the driveway with a big red bow on it. In the picture, she was smiling so brightly, and he was standing right beside her.
Quinn ran a finger over the picture. It was her special day, and she had begged him to be in the picture with her. She did that a lot. Hell, he didn’t think his own father had as many pictures of him as the Hannigans did.
He put the picture back down on the shelf and moved over toward the lone framed picture on her nightstand. For some reason, his heart began to race as he reached for it. It was a fancy silver-and-crystal frame. In it was a picture taken about a year ago of the two of them. It wasn’t a special occasion; it was just a family day at the beach. They were sitting side by side in the sand, and he remembered Darcy coming over and snapping the picture. Anna’s head was on his shoulder and they were smiling and looking so happy and relaxed and… He swallowed a lump in his throat. Being with Anna was normally the only time he felt happy and relaxed.
At least until recently.
Or maybe some time after this picture was taken.
Could he have known even then that things were changing? Was he subconsciously already noticing Anna wasn’t just his pal but a woman?
Carefully, he put the picture back down and sighed. Tonight wasn’t the night to figure it all out. Too much had happened, and his mind was spinning with it all. It was late, and he needed to help Anna get to bed and then go home himself. He was suddenly very tired—exhausted, really—and knew it would be better for both of them if he just gave her a little space.
Once back in the living room, he stood over her and studied her for a minute. She was out cold. They were going to have to talk. Really talk. Soon. They’d been friends for too long to just…stop. He needed Anna in his life—couldn’t imagine a life without her in it. Eventually he’d wear her down and get her to tell him how he’d screwed up and then they could move on. He was just impatient, and wished she’d tell him now.
“Problem for another day,” he whispered. “Anna? Anna, come on. You need to go to bed.”
“Too tired,” she murmured as she shifted on the couch.
Quinn sighed and reached down to gently scoop her up into his arms. He straightened and stiffened when Anna snuggled closer and seemed to hum her approval. He took a step but instantly stopped when he felt her breath on his neck. And then her tongue. And then her lips. What the…?
“What are you doing?” she whispered sleepily.
“Taking you to bed,” he said gruffly.
“Mmm…finally,” she purred.
This was Anna. Anna, for crying out loud! He chanted to himself to just keep walking, and almost made it to the bed when once again her breath was replaced by her lips. Quinn froze as Anna slowly kissed and licked her way up the column of his throat and then nipped at the line of his jaw. He jerked back and looked down at her face as he continued to hold her in his arms. Her eyes were closed, but there was a very sexy smile on her face. “Anna,” he whispered.
In a flash, her hands raked up into his hair and pulled his face closer to hers, and then Quinn was lost. He closed the distance between them and tentatively touched his lips to hers.
And then all rational thought left him.
Her lips were softer than he’d ever let himself imagine, and when she purred into his mouth and opened for him, he felt a sense of completion he’d never felt before. Slowly, he lowered Anna to the bed as her arms wound around him, holding him close. Quinn stretched out on top of her and smiled at Anna’s whispered yes.
It was instantaneous, the surge of arousal and excitement he felt. He kissed her, as ravenous as a starving man at a feast, as her legs came up and lazily wrapped around his waist. He wanted to touch her, taste her everywhere, while at the same time he was questioning his own actions and sanity.
This was Anna. His best friend.
And clearly she didn’t know what she was doing.
Cursing, he forced himself to move away from her and rose from the bed. She moaned her disapproval and whispered his name again before her head rested to the side and she sighed.
“Don’t go,” she said softly, but her words sort of trailed off, and then she rolled over and didn’t say another word.
Shit. She was dreaming.
And he felt like a complete jerk for giving in to the temptation. He knew she was tired—clearly more tired than he’d realized—and he should have just put her down and left.
If she didn’t hate him before, she’d certainly hate him now. Forcing himself to look away, he slowly backed out of her room and shut the door before making a hasty retreat from her house.
Cursing himself and his lack of control the entire time.
Chapter 5
The next morning, Anna felt marginally better. Not great, but better. Other than being angry at Jake and what he had tried to do, she was embarrassed that she was so stupid and had so many witnesses to her rotten luck. After a cup of strong coffee, she reached for her phone and called Zoe.
“How are you feeling? Any better?”
“You mean other than like a giant idiot?” Anna asked, sitting on her sofa and putting her feet up on the coffee table.
“You’re not an idiot, Anna. God, when I think about what could have happened to you, I’m so glad you had the good sense to get away from the table and call me!”
“I don’t know how much of it was good sense. I never should have gone on the stupid date to begin with. I should have listened to you in the first place.”
“Look, no one knew Jake was going to be such a freak.”
“Quinn knew.”
Zoe sighed. “Yeah, but…I don’t know. I don’t think he really expected something like that to happen. When he heard me on the phone with you, he really freaked out. I thought he was going to kill Jake.”
“Right.”
“No, I’m serious, Anna. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Quinn so angry. The whole time we were driving over there and Aidan was trying to keep up, even he was saying how out of character it was for Quinn. We were seriously worried things were going to get a whole lot worse.”
“Well, I do appreciate the fact that you all came down there to help me. I wasn’t at the time—mainly because I was so out of it—but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how blessed I am to have such good friends. So…thank you.”
“You never have to thank me. I’m just glad we were able to get there and help you.”
“I guess it’s a good thing Jake didn’t press charges against Quinn.”
Zoe snorted with disbelief. “Are you kidding? If he had tried to do it, the cops would have arrested him too for slipping something into your drink.”
“We don’t know that for sure—”
“Anna, stop!” Zoe cried. “Stop defending people! Stop always making excuses for them! Bobby’s going down to talk to the bartender—”
“What? How does Bobby know what happened?”
Zoe hesitated. “Well, you know…small town and all.”
“Zoe…”
“All right, all right. Aidan called him. But don’t be mad! He was seriously just looking out for you!”
“Great, now on top of everything else, I’ll—”
As if on cue, her front door opened and her brother walked in.
“And here he is,” Anna said. “I have to go. I’ll call you later.”
“Don’t be mad at him, Anna. He’s just doing his job.”
Anna wasn’t so sure, but she didn’t mention it. Once she hung up the phone, she faced her brother. “What brings you here today, Officer Hannigan?”
Bobby was dressed in his full police uniform and had a murderous look on his face. “I had to find out from Aidan Shaughnessy that some guy slipped you a roofie? Are you kidding me, Anna? Why the hell didn’t you call me?”
“I did!” she cried, jumping to her feet. “You were the first person I called, but it went right to voice mail!”
“So call the station! They would have found me!”
“Bobby, I barely knew my own name at the time. After I couldn’t get through to you, it was pure luck I managed to hit Zoe’s number!”
He began to pace. “I’m going to the tavern as soon as it opens and looking at security footage and talking to the staff. I want you to press charges against this guy.”
Always My Girl (The Shaughnessy Brothers) Page 9