With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men #4)(34)

Ten snickered. “Aren’t brave and heroic the same thing?”

“Shut up,” Reese said pleasantly, without taking her gaze off me. “Eva, my cousin, told me all about it. This sick, sadistic, evil witch of a woman pulled a gun on her—”

“The same woman who—” Ten tried to cut in to add, but Reese punched him in the arm, silencing him.

Keeping eye contact with me the entire time, she continued her story, “...and pulled the trigger. She probably would’ve hit Eva right in the heart and killed her.”

“Pfft,” Ten muttered, rolling his eyes. “As if she could aim that good.” This time, everyone ignored him.

“But Quinn was there, and instead of ducking for cover, he tackled Eva and took her to the ground right when the witch pulled the trigger.”

She went back to patting Quinn’s scar lovingly before Ten muttered, “Jesus, why don’t you back up off the poor guy already? Are you not seeing the look on his face? I swear I’m about to get hives for him.”

Reese looked up at Quinn’s face and suddenly seemed to realize how uncomfortable she was making him. She jerked back. “Oh my God. I’m so sorry, Quinn. I keep forgetting how shy you are.”

My heart thumped hard in my chest, but that word...shy. It resonated through me, making my ears buzz.

But Quinn Hamilton was shy?

I have no idea why I hadn’t realize that before. All the signs had been right there in front of my face. I’d just been so focused on what I thought he’d be like from all the letters Cora had sent me. I’d never once imagined he’d be shy. I saw it as clear as day now, though, as I watched the way his face flushed and his gaze darted my way before he ducked his chin and mumbled, “It’s okay.”

That’s when another enlightening fact hit me. I had a major crush on my best friend’s boyfriend. For some reason—probably complete denial—I hadn’t understood before why my body reacted every time he was around...or even whenever his name was mentioned. But learning he was just as introverted as I was...it was suddenly so clear why I’d felt such a connection with him.

How mortifying. Feeling my own face heat up, I lowered my attention to the books on my desk just as an arm swept them away.

“Wha...?” I looked up to realize Ten had grabbed everything that had been on my desktop as well as Caroline’s and Reese’s and was now holding them hostage under his arm.

“So now that we’ve established Hamilton’s perfect, and gorgeous, and heroic, and all that awesome shit, can we please find our real seats?”

“This is my real seat,” Caroline argued, scowling up at him. “Now give me by book back.”

Ten snorted. “I don’t think so, sweetheart. We are not sitting in loser lane.” When the guy who’d been sitting next to Caroline lifted his face from the book he was reading, Ten tossed him a chin bob. “No offence.”

“Yeah, I think he’s still offended,” Caroline reported dryly.

“Then maybe he shouldn’t be such a loser sitting in loser lane,” Ten tossed back before he took the stairs two at a time only to shoo off a pair of guys to get five desks in a row at the very back of the room.

When we all turned to watch him set our books back on the desks up there but didn’t move to join him, he sent us a brief frown and waved us up. “Well, come on already.”

“I think he wants us to sit with him,” Reese whispered in a conspiratorial manner.

“I don’t want to sit with him,” Caroline huffed, scowling as she jerked to her feet. Hooking her thumb over her shoulder, she motioned to the guy still gaping at us after Ten had yanked his attention out of his book. “He called this poor loser a loser. That’s just wrong.”

She didn’t seem to realize she’d just done the same thing as she angrily spun away and was the first to march up the aisle so she could sit at the desk next to Ten, where he was already slumped back in his chair with his feet kicked up onto the back of the empty seat in front of him.

The three of us still remaining on the ground floor shared an amused glance.

Then Quinn swept out a gallant arm. “Ladies first.”

Reese grinned at him and patted his arm. “Such a gentleman.” Then she found her shoes under the desk, slipped them on, and started up the steps toward Ten and Caroline.

Which left just Quinn and me.

Realizing we were alone, and he wasn’t going to move until I did, I sprang to my feet. “Oh! Uh, thank you.”

He fell into step just behind me. “I didn’t realize you were talking this class.” When he leaned in so I could hear him, I immediately smelled his spicy scent. “We’ll have to share our schedule to see if we have anything else in common. I know Cora’s taking Early American History with me next hour.”

I glanced back as I reached the last row. “I have biology next hour.”

He brightened. “I love biology. It’s one of my favorite subjects.”

I hated biology. And I think he read that answer clearly from the expression on my face because he only grinned wider. “I took it last year from Professor Gilcrest. I still have all my notes if you want them to help you study.”

I stopped in my tracks and spun around. “Oh my God, really? That’s amazing. I have biology with Gilcrest.” I began to bounce on my toes, which made him chuckle and in turn made me realize how dorkily giddy I was behaving. “I mean...thank you.” I cleared my throat and smoothed back my hair. “I’d appreciate that.” Beyond mortified, I spun away and hurried the last few feet to the seat next to Reese.