Chapter 6
FORD
I was an easygoing guy. Generally let shit roll right off my back and left the scowling to my brothers. Life was too short to get bogged down in all that. But all bets were off when you came at someone in my circle.
And, apparently, that circle now included the smart-mouthed, insufferable woman my dick was obsessed with.
Don sputtered before pressing his lips into a flat line, his mouth pinched in a way that said he was biting his tongue. Good. The fucker’s mouth could stand to bleed a bit since I was sure he didn’t make it a habit of doing so around these women. That was exactly why I’d stepped in when I had.
I didn’t have a doubt in my mind that Quinn could’ve handed Don his ass—as I’d been strolling up, I’d watched her steel herself, rolling her shoulders back and readying for battle—but with guys like him, the only thing that shut them up was having another man question them, and I was all too willing to do so.
Was it bullshit? Absolutely. But that didn’t make it any less true.
Alicia broke the awkward silence, a huge grin splitting her face as she regarded me over Quinn’s shoulder. “ Well ,” she said, drawing out the word. “I think that’s our cue, Dr. Dinsmore. Unless you have anything else to add?”
Don’s gaze darted between Quinn and me, and I cocked an eyebrow, daring him to keep digging himself into a hole. I could knock him down all day and do it with a smile.
Instead, he shook his head without saying a word and turned to leave, Alicia following him as they strolled toward their cars.
When they were several yards away, Alicia turned around and gave Quinn a huge grin and a not-so-subtle thumbs-up. “Can’t wait to hear all about this tomorrow!”
“Oh my God,” Quinn mumbled, head bowed as she brought her hands up to her face.
I couldn’t keep in the chuckle even if I wanted to, and I shot Alicia a wink as she slid into her car.
Quinn took a deep breath before she turned around to face me.
The woman was knock-you-on-your-ass gorgeous, and instead of getting used to it like I should’ve been after more than fifteen goddamn years, I got hit harder with it every time I saw her.
With that ass and those lips and the thick thighs I wanted to wear as earmuffs…
She ruined me, and the devil woman took pleasure in it.
It could’ve also been that this was the closest we’d been since the night of the auction. Though I’d seen her around town every day, she’d avoided me like it was an Olympic sport and she was going for gold.
From what I’d seen from afar—and from what Mabel had told me—Quinn’s ankle had recovered quickly, so she’d probably just twisted it. Wanting to confirm it for myself, I glanced down to the soft, smooth expanse of her shapely legs.
Her skirt wasn’t even close to indecent, molding to her thighs and falling below her knees, but just the glimpse of her bare calves was enough to have me sporting a semi right there in the fucking parking lot like I was fifteen all over again.
Yeah, my dick and I were still on the outs.
The fucker didn’t care. Not when Quinn was now my fodder every single time I jacked off. Prior to the auction, I’d been careful, working my hardest to avoid picturing her in my fantasies. It didn’t usually last, but at least I tried.
But that night, I’d fucked up. Being so close to her had put a crack in my defenses, and I’d slipped immediately.
I’d gotten home, dropping my jeans and fisting my cock as soon as I’d slammed my door shut behind me. With her scent still on my shirt and the memory of those mouthwatering curves under my hands, I’d never come so fast in my life.
The worst part of it was, I hadn’t even fantasized about anything good. Hadn’t pictured her on her knees, that smart mouth full of my dick, or my face between those soft, luscious thighs as I licked up the one place I knew she’d be sweet for me.
Nope.
All it had taken was remembering the feel of all those plush curves against me, her disgruntled breaths on my neck, and the way her evil little fingers had pinched my side to show her frustration.
I fucking loved that fight in her.
But that was something I abso-fucking-lutely did not need to be thinking about right now. Not when she was in front of me and I wasn’t so sure my dick wouldn’t stage a breakout from my jeans just to get closer to her.
“What’s that all about?” I asked, lifting my chin to where Alicia was backing out of her parking spot.
Quinn shook her head, waving a hand through the air. “Ignore her. She’s too new to Starlight Cove to realize how bad we are together and is very interested in our date.”
Exactly the reason I was here… “Well, that makes two of us.”
She rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to make you actually go through with it.”
Her words, said so casually, should’ve made me happy. After all, that meant I was off the hook and could go about my business. Find someone to attend my ex’s wedding with me and take a step toward getting Quinn out of my head once and for all.
But I was all fucked up inside, unable to make up my mind if I wanted to run as fast and far away as I could or crowd her up against her car, drop my face to the crook of her neck, and inhale.
“Why not?” I asked, my voice rough.
“What do you mean, why not? You do realize the date would be with me, right?”
“Kind of why I’m here, yeah. Gotta make you pay up on your end of the bargain.”
“That’s…not how this works. I paid for you , and if I don’t want to go out, we don’t go out.”
I never thought I was a sadist. I didn’t make a habit of chasing women who obviously did not want to be chased, especially by me. And yet here I was, doing just that for a woman who would rather stumble around on a twisted ankle than accept my help.
For years, it’d always been the same with us—every interaction overflowing with tension. Friction. Distrust.
And I fell right back into that familiar pattern as easily as ever.
I stepped back, bracing myself on the trunk of her car, ankles crossed and brow raised. “Oh, I see what’s happening here.”
I could tell by the set of her mouth that she knew exactly what I was doing—namely, goading her to the point where she couldn’t help but snap back at me.
And I was betting on the fact that though she didn’t want to play along, she wouldn’t be able to help herself. We were far too alike in that regard.
“What exactly do you think is happening here?” she finally asked, her tone sharp.
My lips kicked up at the corner because I had her. Was it toxic to crave sparring with her like this? Probably. Didn’t mean I didn’t love every second of it.
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? You’re too scared to go out on this date with me, afraid it’ll end up in one of our beds. I get it. I’m irresistible.”
She huffed out a disbelieving laugh, eyes wide, those full lips parted in shock. “You’re delusional . I wouldn’t jump into bed with you if it was the only respite from ten thousand cockroaches crawling all over the floor.”
She was a beautiful little liar, her cheeks flushed as she squared off with me, her gaze darting down to my lips, my chest…lower still.
“If that’s actually true, then this date shouldn’t be a problem,” I said.
She snapped her gaze back up to mine, her eyes hardening. “I didn’t say it was a problem.”
“No? Then I’m not sure why we’re not going out. Especially when it’s clear you could use a little release.”
I might not have been up close and personal with her these past two weeks, but even from a distance, I’d been able to see the incremental stiffening of her shoulders, the tight lines around her mouth, the pinch of her brow.
With the ocean steps away, I’d have thought that would’ve eased some tension in her, but instead, it only seemed to increase the longer she was in town.
And I wanted to know why.
“I already told you,” she said. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
A slow smile crept across my mouth, and I pushed away from her car, stepping directly into her space. Her eyes flared with…something…a second before she tamped it down.
“Believe me, kitten, there’d be no sleeping involved. And I never said anything about serving up orgasms, but it’s good to know where your mind’s going.”
“My mind’s not—” She groaned and pressed her fingers to her temples. “It’s been a shitty day, Ford, and I really don’t want to do this with you right now.”
I glanced over to where Don’s car had been parked and scowled.
I knew enough from Mabel’s incessant gossiping that Quinn was going head-to-head with that dickhead day after day, so no wonder she was a little tense.
If I had to be around him for that long, I’d probably want to jump out a window.
And I ran into burning buildings for a living, so that said a lot.
“Look,” I said, softening my voice before she could throw another obstacle in my way.
“It doesn’t have to be a big deal. One of the volunteer firefighters is opening a new place just outside of town.
He’s doing a soft launch tonight, and I told him I’d stop by, see what it’s all about.
We’d be doing him a favor.” I left out the part about me plying her with alcohol so she could loosen up a bit and relax. Fuck knew she needed it.
She narrowed her eyes, her tone laced with suspicion. “What kind of place?”
“Ever been axe throwing?”
“No…” she said, but I could tell by her expression that the thought of being in proximity to a weapon while around me was appealing.
“I see that gleam in your eye. You’re thinking about murdering me, aren’t you?”
“I’m a doctor who pledged her life to help others. Of course I’m not thinking about murdering you.”
“Just maiming, then.”
She didn’t deny it, instead crossing her arms and lifting a single shoulder in a shrug. God damn , why did my dick get hard every time she was feisty?
“Come on,” I said. “It’ll be, like, thirty minutes, we’ll get you a drink, you can throw some shit, and I’ve helped out a friend.”
“And that’s it?”
I scratched my jaw, not quite sure how to play this.
If I didn’t get in actual date-like activities, my sister was going to kill me.
Addison was a little dictator on a good day, but after Quinn had bid on me at the auction, my sister had made it her mission to make sure I knew I couldn’t fuck this up.
Not when she was finally close to getting a permanent female doctor in town when she’d had to suffer through years of Don blaming every ailment on her period.
But I could cross that bridge when I got to it. Right now, I just needed Quinn to agree to this. So, I lied.
“Yep.”
“Fine,” she said on a sigh. “But if you think I’m driving anywhere with you, you’re more delusional than I thought.
I’ll drive myself— after I’ve stopped by home to change.
” She opened the rear door of her car and tossed in her bag, glancing at me over her shoulder.
“How’d you know where to find me anyway? ”
Because it was 5:17 on a Friday night, and, as previously established, Quinn did not deviate from her schedule. This night out was no doubt going to throw off her whole weekend.
“Anyone with a working set of eyeballs and half a brain cell knows where you are at a specific time on any given day, because you do the same thing week after week, without fail,” I said, unable to keep the frustration out of my tone.
“What’s with the shitty attitude?” She shut the rear door and turned around, crossing her arms over her chest as she regarded me with a raised brow. “And why does my schedule concern you whatsoever?”
“I don’t have a shitty attitude,” I lied.
There was no fucking way I was admitting that I hated the thought of anyone but me knowing where she was at any given point on any given day.
I could barely admit it to myself. “I just think it would be a good idea to shake things up once in a while, so any potential stalkers won’t know exactly where to find you at 6:02 on a Monday night—at the dry cleaners, by the way.
And relax, we can swing by and grab your emergency late-night emotional support coffee on the way.
Although this’ll be your third this week.
Do you really think you need another one? ”
“I paid two grand to go out on a date with my sworn rival. What do you think? And you realize it’s creepy as hell that you know my schedule enough to be aware when I’ve had two extra coffees, right?”
I reached around her, opening the driver’s side door for her. “Don’t flatter yourself. I know that stuff about everyone.”
She scoffed. “No, you don’t.”
“Yes, I do. Beck is at the farmers market every Saturday morning by ten, Brady does a drive-through of the resort every morning at six, Aiden—”
“Those are all your siblings,” she said as she lowered herself into her car and looked up at me with narrowed eyes.
“And?”
“ And …you know those details about them and your…nemesis? Make it make sense.”
If only I fucking could. I didn’t understand it, so I sure as hell couldn’t explain it to her.
Instead, I braced myself on the frame of the car and the open door. I didn’t miss the way her gaze darted to my arms, the muscles bunching as I leaned toward her. Or how she licked her lips when I got close, like she just couldn’t help herself.
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Her gaze snapped up to mine before she turned away and yanked her seat belt, latching it with more force than necessary. “Whatever, creeper.”
“Yeah, well, let this be a lesson for you.”
“If this is an attempted kidnapping, it’s a poor choice of venue, so don’t get any wild ideas.”
Under my breath, I mumbled, “I’ve got all kinds of ideas, and you’d hate every single one .”
“What?”
Louder, I said, “Might want to sharpen those claws, kitten. You’re going to need them. Follow me. If you can keep up.”
“Mabel’s house first so I can change!” she called after me as I strolled toward my Jeep, tossing my keys in the air as I went and whistling along the way.
At her answering growl, I couldn’t stop the smile from sweeping over my mouth. Tonight was going to be fun.