With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men, #4)(140)

Her eyes fluttered open before she looked up at me. “You don’t have anything to be sorry for.”

“Yes, I do. I walked away tonight when I shouldn’t have. I walked away without realizing something awful had happened to you.”

“Did you beat up Belcher?” she asked.

I brushed my fingers delicately over the bruise on her cheek. “Yeah. Does that bother you?”

She shook her head. “No. I…I’m glad. Thank you. I don’t…I don’t like that guy.”

I grinned and pressed my forehead to hers. “Neither do I.”

“Is he going to be in a lot of pain for a while?”

“Yeah,” I repeated. “He is.”

She lifted her hand to my cheek. “Thank you.”

I closed my eyes and breathed in her amazing smell. “Does this mean you’ll take me back?”

“If you still want me.”

I touched my lips to hers softly. “I’ve always wanted you, and I always will.”





I woke alone in Quinn’s bed. The scent of him wafted up from his pillows and sheets and made me smile.

I’d almost been asleep in his arms on Caroline’s bed last night when from somewhere Ten’s voice said, “Well, pick her up and bring her with us, already. I’m tired as shit. Let’s go home.”

Quinn had sounded amused when his answer rumbled through his chest and into my ear. “You’re not going to balk about her staying at our apartment?”

In return, Ten had sounded confused and a little insulted. “Why would I balk? She’s your first real girlfriend. That’d be a pretty shitty, * move on my part to bar your woman from our place.”

Quinn had merely laughed before he scooped me up. I closed my eyes, wrapped my arms around his neck, and burrowed in.

And now, here I was, where he’d deposited me on his mattress before he’d crawled under the covers with me and held me all night long.

I stretched and glanced around, not really wanting to move, but wanting to find Quinn more than I wanted to stay still. I sat up and pushed the covers off my lap before patting Quinn’s shirt I wore to sleep in down enough to cover the tops of my thighs. As soon as I went to stand, the bedroom door cracked open. Quinn peeked inside.

“Hi,” I said, glowing from the inside out.

He stepped into the room, carrying a glass of juice. “Hey. You’re awake.”

When I nodded, he brought the cup to me. “Here. I brought you something to drink. Ten said he’d take care of breakfast.”

I paused halfway through my first gulp to look up in surprise. “Ten cooks?”

Quinn’s dimple appeared as he grinned at me. “No. But he buys. He’ll be back with donuts.”

“Oh.” I drained the rest of my glass before setting it on the nightstand. “Donuts sound good.” My hands went to my lap as I eyed him. Knowing how much we had to discuss, I was suddenly uncertain of where to start. “So…”

He sat beside me and set his hand on my bare knee. “How’re you doing?” His voice moved through me, a prayer and thanksgiving.

I looked up at him. The concern in his eyes made me ache.

I shook my head. “I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

His lips twitched with amusement. “Yeah. I think I’m about the same.”

He was driving me crazy, being so polite. I needed to know just how much he must still be mad about.

“Are you upset that I never told you?” I burst out, only to bite the corner of my lip. “About Cora, I mean.”

He blew out a shaky breath and grazed his hand over my knee before he ran his fingers up my thigh, where he grasped my hands from my lap and gripped them snuggly.

His voice was soft, without a hint of malice when he murmured, “What was it you once said to me: It wasn’t your secret to tell?”

I frowned and shook my head. “But this...this affected us. You and me. You wouldn’t have ever dumped her that night if you’d just known she was sick, would you?”

His amazing blue eyes held apology when they met mine. “I don’t know. Probably not. Then again, my feelings for you were pretty strong. I honestly don’t know how long I could have kept denying them and stayed with her. Stayed away from you.”

With a nod, I bolstered my shoulders wider. It felt good to hear him say that, but... “You would’ve denied them forever,” I said with complete assurance. “Because you’re just that kind of guy. Being a good, honorable man is worth more to you than your own happiness.” I sent him a smile to help him know I respected that about him. “We never would’ve gotten together if I’d have just told you the truth a long time ago.”

He didn’t return my smile. Instead, he seemed to deflate. “Are you asking if I regret us?”

“No.” I immediately shook my head, but then I squeezed my eyes shut and lowered my face. “I don’t know. I don’t think I could handle your answer if I asked that.”

He moved closer. I felt the heat from his body soak into me, and the warmth of his breath as he lowered his face to talk into my ear. Then I heard him loud and clear when he whispered, “I don’t. I don’t regret being with you at all.” He kissed my forehead gently.