LITMIR.BIZ

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Both were silent, the tension between them hanging thicker than early morning fog off the gulf. He hung a left onto South Gulfview Boulevard and zipped into the parking lot at Mossie’s Island Grill.

      “You’re favorite place. Have you eaten, pea…Cassie?” He undid his seatbelt and shifted in his seat.

      “Not hungry.”

      “Well, I am. Come on. Let’s get something. You know you love Mossie’s food.”

       I’ll never be able to come here again. How often have we come here together?

      After placing an order to go, the two of them removed their shoes, locking them in the wheel hub along with her purse. Spending time with him alone on a darkened, deserted beach would have been a dream come true a day or so ago. Now, it was merely another nail hammered into the coffin of her dreams. How many ways could he tell her goodbye?

      He removed a blanket from the back of the Jeep and passed it to her before he shrugged into a jean jacket he discovered jammed under some tools. She followed him toward the beach while he carried the bag of food and a six-pack. Gone was their usual jovial rapport. An uncomfortable silence settled over them, and she wished she were home where she could fall apart in solitude.

      “How’s your soft crab sandwich?” Quinn shoved a curly fry into his mouth.

      Is that what she was eating? Her taste buds were suffering from a broken heart, too, if such a pitiful thing were possible. “It’s okay.” She drained her second beer and reached for a third.

      His warm hand covered hers. “Go easy on that stuff.”

      She popped the top and guzzled, not because she was thirsty, but because she was through taking orders from anyone.

      Quinn crumpled the empty French fry bag and shoved it into their take-out tote. His arms angled over his raised knees. “Look, I know you’re pissed, but you need someone to teach you a few things.”

      The can of Coors stilled near her lips. “Oh, really? I suppose you are the fountain of feminine knowledge.” She finished off the beer. Between the greasy fries and three beers, her stomach had expanded to the size of Eagle Lake.

      “I know enough not to take a drink of anything I’ve walked away from to use the restroom or dance. Someone could easily slip in a date rape drug. Remember that.”

      She nodded and belched. “Got it. Quinn is afraid of being raped.”

      He grabbed her shoulders and pressed her down on the blanket. “You think this is funny?” His breath skimmed her face. “If you’re not more aware of your surroundings, one day you’re going to wake up in a strange place, naked, sore and bleeding from the rectum. You won’t know who or how many men have had you…or in what ways.”

      How dare he? “I’m not that kind of person.” Her stomach rolled in time with the waves.

      He tossed his hat aside and his eyes widened in the moonlight. “Are you that naïve? The drug will render you powerless. Read up on it. You dress in scanty I’m-yours-for-the-taking clothes and sashay into a bar? No wonder guys come flocking over. Hell, you’re a damn attractive woman, Cassie.”

      “Just not attractive enough for you.”

      “Don’t you get it? Our problem isn’t with you. It’s with me.”

      She pushed him aside and sat. The shoreline seemed to tilt for a few seconds. She glanced at Quinn over her shoulder. “Are you gay?”

      “Hell no, I’m not gay.”

      “Oh yeah? Show me.”

      He laughed and shook his head. “Oh no, little one. I’m not falling for that challenge.”

      “And I’m not begging anymore. I’m through.” Her pride could only take so much trampling. She stood and bent to gather their trash. It took three tries to grab an empty beer can. Damn thing kept moving. “Take me home, Quinn. My ego can’t survive another beating.”

      He stood and reached for her. “Peanut.”

      “I’m finished. I love you, but I have to love myself more.” She hurried to one of the nearby beach trash receptacles and tossed everything away, including her hopes and dreams. Quinn wasn’t far behind as she trudged through the sand toward his Wrangler. She’d lost everything.

      First her parents. Then, not long ago, her beauty shop had burned to the ground a mere ten days after the grand opening. Until renovations were complete in the little strip mall where her business once stood, she was working part-time at a national chain of salons in a larger, more modern shopping mall. Now, Quinn had made it all too clear they could never have a romantic relationship. She’d made such a fool of herself, mooning over him at the station, she couldn’t step foot in there again.

      The world spun for a few seconds, and she wrapped her arms around the trunk of a palm tree to keep from sliding off the planet. Cold sweat beaded on her forehead and neck. She swallowed convulsively.

      “Cassie?” Quinn’s hands were at her waist. “What’s wrong?”

      She leaned over and vomited until everything she’d eaten and drank in the last day, or maybe the past week, was purged from her stomach. Quinn scooped her into his arms and ran with her to his Wrangler.

       CHAPTER FOUR

      Quinn thumbed Wolf’s number on his cell. “Did I wake you?”

      “No. Watching a flick with the guys. Did you find my sister?”

      “I’ve got her in the Jeep with me. She got sick and passed out. You want to call Becca and tell her I’m on my way with Cassie?”

      “What did you do? Get her drunk?”

      Quinn snorted. “Hell, she did that her damn self.” He ended the call before Wolf could fire off more questions.

      The lights were on at Becca’s townhouse and the front door hung open. Einstein, her German shepherd, barked from the yard where she walked him. Quinn crouched, bracing himself. “Hey, buddy!” Einstein barreled toward him, his large paws making contact with Quinn’s shoulders and pushing him against the front tire of his vehicle. A wet tongue slurped across his face. “Yeah, I like you, too.” He stood and the dog sat at his feet, panting.

      “Is she still asleep?” Becca leaned to capture Einstein’s leash.

      “I think it’s more a matter of being passed out than asleep. She was doing shots. Then we ate some greasy food at Mossie’s and she guzzled a few beers.”

      Becca’s lips pursed and she forked her fingers in her red hair. “Wolf’s going to give her such a lecture. You know how protective he is where his family’s concerned.”

      Boy, did he ever. His neck still throbbed at times. “I’ll run interference on that as best I can.” He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping form slumped in the passenger seat. The street light in front of his vehicle created a yellow glare over Cassie’s pretty face. “I said a lot of things to hurt her.”

      Wolf’s fiancée stepped toward him. “Why? Why do you hold her at arm’s length when it’s obvious you care for her?”

      He shook his head. “No. I don’t.” Maybe if he told this damn lie enough he’d start to believe it himself. “Hell, Becca, she’s just a friend. We hang out. Nothing more.”

      Einstein whined and Becca bent to scratch his neck. “Who was she?” The redhead straightened and stared him straight in the eyes. “Who was the woman in your past who hurt you so badly you’re afraid to care again, to love again?” Her head tilted to the side as if waiting for a name, an explanation. “Because I’m not buying the load of bull you’re trying to shovel on everyone.”

      Quinn

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