About Last Night (About Last Night #1)(57)

Quinn cut me off with a barked, “Get to the point, Mia!”

I blurted it out. “I was overweight. I was shy. I was insecure. And I overheard my brother mention you working over Christmas when I slipped into the kitchen for some water. He mentioned DFT. I looked it up online and found out it was an escort site. I put two and two together and realized you must work there.”

Looking down to the ground, he shook his head sadly. “Why me, Mia? It could’ve been anyone. Why me?”

I shrugged and tried to cover my now-quivering lip by forcing a smile. “Because my brother likes you. He talked about you all the time. He said you were a good guy. I had to believe him.”

Quinn raised his head to look at me. He said nothing.

I sat on the sofa, looking down at my hands, playing with my fingers. I uttered a hushed, “You told me I’d bloom into a beautiful butterfly.”

“What?” he asked, clearly confused.

Blinking away tears, I cleared my throat and looked over at him, smiling. “The Christmas before I went to college. I escaped the party Mom was throwing and went up to my room, got into my pajamas, and opened a book. Harry brought you over, but you had too much to drink, so he sent you upstairs to sleep it off, not knowing I was up there, and then all of a sudden, you were in my room.” I laughed quietly. “You were the first guy I let in my room, Matt Quinn.” Shaking away the memory, I straightened my shoulders. “You asked me why I wasn’t at the party. I replied honestly, and that was a big deal, because I’d never spoken to a man the way I’d spoken to you. We spoke for a little while.” I looked up into his stern hazel eyes. “I know you don’t remember any of this.”

His voice soft, he called my name. “Mia.”

Before I lost my composure, I had to tell him why. “You told me I’d bloom into a beautiful butterfly.” My eyes filling with tears, I sniffled. “And the way you looked at me, into me, I believed you, because you believed in me.” Swiping at my eyes, my voice quavered. “You were the first guy to look at me as if I was worth something. And it felt nice. I guess I just…” I dipped my chin, hiding my face. “I guess I just wanted to feel that again.”

Silence.

A sad smile crossed my face as I stood. “I never meant for you to feel like I set you up. And Harry is never going to know about what happened. This is our secret. I’ll take it to the grave, Quinn.” I added softly, “I’d never do anything to hurt you. Not purposely.”

He watched me, his eyes piercing, obviously looking for a glimpse of dishonesty. When he didn’t find it, he stood with a small sigh and walked toward me. He kept walking until we were almost foot-to-foot, then his arms came around me and he held me, resting his chin on top of my head.

Relief coursed through me. I slumped into him, my hands lightly grasping the sides of his tee, my forehead resting on his chest as I closed my eyes, breathing in his woodsy male scent. With my face mashed into his shirt, I muttered, “I’m sorry.”

His rumbling voice vibrated through his chest. “I don’t like you crying.”

“Okay,” I mumbled.

“No more crying,” he ordered.

And my lip twitched. “Okay.”

He kissed the top of my head lightly and I felt it wash over me, warming me like a light fluffy blanket on a cool night. I smiled into him then his arm was around me, holding me by his side. “Take off your shoes.” I slid them off and he led us down the hall to what I assumed was his bedroom. And it was.

The bed was made, the sheets were crisp, and suddenly, I was nervous. But this was Quinn, and somehow my concerns flew out the window at that knowledge, as if he were safe. I felt safe. He was safe, according to my spidey senses.

Quinn lay on the bed, fully clothed, holding his arms open to me. My stomach flip-flopped as I climbed over, lying by him with my head resting on his shoulder. His strong arms went around me, tucking me into his side, and I sighed. I was at peace.

“So, Harry’s sister,” he nudged me, “what do we do now?”

I pursed my lips in thought. “We could always just do what we’ve been doing.” I peeked up at him. “Friends?”

His eyes drifted down to my lips. He didn’t speak for a long while, but when he did, my heart sang. “It’s too late for me. You’re the coolest, funniest girl I’ve met in…well…forever, Mia.” He turned his gaze to the ceiling. “I’m not letting sex come between that. Not no way. Not no how.”

I snuffled a little laugh. “That’s kind of funny in a way, because I’m not friends with a lot of guys. Well, there are the two gym junkies across the hall in my apartment building, but they don’t count. Every guy I’ve ever spoken to that wasn’t related to me turned me into a female Rain Man.” A soft smile graced my lips. “Till you, that is.”

He grunted, but the way he stuck me to his side was all I needed to know the grunt was a positive.

We lay in each other’s arms for a long while. The silence between was comfortable and easy. Neither of us felt the need to talk to fill in the space. It just wasn’t necessary.

Then, his voice rumbled into the open. “You could’ve chosen any one of those men.”

My lips pursed in thought then agreed, “I could have. There was a good five…okay, six minutes, where Marcus was a very likely contender.”