39. Lance
39
LANCE
T hat one word has never sounded so sweet, and I rise to my feet so I can cradle Quinn’s face between my palms. And when I kiss her it feels like the heavens themselves have opened up to sing because the woman I’m deeply, madly in love with wants to spend her life with me.
A low, deep throat clearing brings me back down to reality, and I flinch as I realize kissing Quinn as many times as I have in front of Killian might have been counterproductive to avoiding another butt whooping.
I turn, wrapping an arm around Quinn’s waist as I look to see what kind of fury Killian is about to unleash. And I find Natasha tucked beneath his arm, one hand on her chest as she smiles at us warmly.
And to my intense relief, while Killian looks less than comfortable about watching me kiss his sister, who he’s always been massively protective over—understandable—he seems to have calmed down about us being together.
“You’re okay with this?” Quinn asks tentatively, eyeing her brother nervously.
“I think…I was too hasty in judging your intentions,” Killian says, his eyes meeting mine apologetically. “I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions about you taking advantage of Quinn. I just…I don’t know. She’s my kid sister, and I’ve known how crazy about you she’s always been, but you never seemed to have any interest—which I was glad about. Until I realized you were having sex.”
Killian shudders, as if the thought of his sister having sex is the worst thing imaginable, and I do my best not to laugh. I’ll let him remain in that blissful state of ignorance.
“Anyway, after seeing her so freaked out and vulnerable from what those Agosti men did…And knowing that I asked you to watch out for her…It felt like you were swooping in, looking for something physical when I knew she would think it’s more.” Killian gives a one-shoulder shrug, looking uncomfortable as he scratches the back of his neck.
“I get it,” I say. And I do. “You were looking out for her heart. I just thought you knew me better than that.”
Killian shakes his head, regret twisting his lips into a crooked smile. “I do. I’m sorry, Lance. And now that I can see how genuinely you love Quinny, I want to give you my blessing.”
Relief floods me to hear that because, as determined as I was to win Quinn back when I came today, I had feared I might have permanently lost my brother and best friend. “Thanks, Killian. That means a lot.”
My arm tightens around Quinn’s waist, and when I look down at her, the smile she beams up at me melts my heart.
Killian chuckles, and I look back at him, raising my eyebrows.
“You know, I tried damn hard to get Quinn on a different path in life. I’d hoped she might marry someone less involved in our world.”
“You and Daddy both,” Quinn says. “But I had other plans.”
Killian chuckles, shaking his head. “I know you’ll be good to her, Lance. I can’t think of a more loyal person who I know will take care of her, and with you as a husband, Quinn will never be in danger. I think I can be satisfied with that.”
Natasha slaps his chest lightly. “You make it sound like he’s a fine consolation prize or something,” she scolds.
But I know what he means. I said almost exactly the same thing to Quinn. And if she’d wanted that life, I’d like to think I would be strong enough to let her be happy living it without me. But Quinn chose me. And I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life proving her choice was the right one. Because I want to be worthy of Quinn. “I get it,” I say. “Thanks, Killian.” I really am touched by his sentiment. I know it’s a high compliment that he trusts me with his sister’s safety and happiness. In a lot of ways, it’s the highest respect he could give me.
“Alright, come here, you love birds,” Killian says, striding forward with Natasha to pull us both into a hug. “Congratulations. On the engagement and on becoming parents,” he says, slapping my back and giving Quinn a squeeze.
I chuckle. “Yeah. A lot to happen in a day. And it’ll only get better from here.”
Natasha’s next, stepping forward to give us hugs and congratulate us. But I can feel a fragileness in her body that wasn’t there before she went to kill Lucian.
“You okay?” I ask, meeting her eyes.
She nods, her lips curving into a sad smile. “Just worried about my sister.”
“Have you heard from her?”
Natasha nods. “She’s…doing better than I expected. Though I don’t know if she’ll ever be happy, and I know that I’m largely responsible for that.”
Concern colors Killian’s eyes as he looks at his wife, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. It’s no wonder his protectiveness is on overdrive. Natasha looks like she might cry.
“Tatiana’s smart,” I point out gently. “She won’t let Lucian manipulate her. Not for a lifetime.”
Natasha smiles, and this time, the warmth reaches her eyes. “You’re right. Thanks, Lance.”
With the tension about me and Quinn dissipating and Natasha seeming to find a modicum of peace over her situation, things seem to settle back into a more familiar realm of comfort. Only, it’s intensely more gratifying that I can show Quinn affection in front of people.
And I’m acutely aware of the fact that, now people know, I’m inclined to be touching her almost constantly. We head back to the kitchen to finish breakfast, where Quinn admits to a very distressing first week of morning sickness that ended in a doctor’s visit because she couldn’t eat.
But she seems ravenous now that the anti-nausea meds are working. And I love watching her down a full stack of fruit covered pancakes—while she’s sitting on my lap. A thrill races through me the first time I slide my fingers under her shirt and gently press my palm to her stomach.
A beautiful shade of pink colors her cheeks, and she glances shyly back at me over her shoulder, sharing the private moment in silence as our eyes meet. We created a life together. And somehow, it feels incredibly satisfying to know we must have done it on our first night together. That while we ended up in this blissful state of joining our futures, in a way, we were doing that from the very first moment we spent together.
It almost feels like fate.
And while I don’t necessarily believe in something so cosmic, it makes me intensely grateful that all the signs of the universe keep screaming that Quinn’s the one for me. The woman I can’t live without.
As Killian and Natasha seem to settle back into the state of newlywed happiness, it feels good to share that same kind of intimacy with my own person. I find it somewhat amusing that today, during Killian’s considerable defense of why he thought I was using his sister, he also mentioned Quinn having a crush on me for a long time—a fact Quinn mentioned herself early on in our relationship.
How I possibly could have missed that fact, I don’t know. But I love that while I was blinded by tunnel vision and a sense of loyalty to Killian and the King family, Quinn never had doubts. She knew what she wanted, and she got me.
It feels nice that she was as driven about me as she is about becoming a nurse.
And now that I’ve finally seen the light, I get to show her just how loyal I am.
It’s not much compared to all Quinn’s incredible talents, but I’ll give it my best to be enough for her. Snaking my arms around her waist, I press a kiss to the curve of her neck.
“What do you say I take you back to my place tonight?” I suggest.
A soft shiver ripples down her spine, and Quinn’s lips part on a gasp as her cheeks flush. “I’d like that,” she says.
Me too. And more than that, I like that I can take her there without feeling like I’m betraying Killian. We’re not sneaking behind his back.
We head out after dinner, and on the drive home, I savor the feeling of Quinn’s hand wrapped in mine. After not seeing her for a week, I feel intensely attuned to her presence. The silky softness of her skin, the way she and I seem to move seamlessly within each other’s orbits. It’s something we developed over my time as her bodyguard that I hadn’t even realized was happening.
Until suddenly, she wasn’t there constantly.
I’ll miss following her through her everyday routine.
But now that the conflict between the Agostis and the Sokolov-King alliance has come to an end, Quinn won’t need my constant protection. And Killian is in dire need of my skills as his right-hand man again.
Still, I fully intend to savor this night to its fullest.
And as I pull into the parking garage beneath my Brooklyn Heights penthouse, Quinn hums with a giddy anticipation that makes my cock stand at attention.
“I’ve missed you,” she whispers as I open her car door and place my palm on the small of her back to guide her toward the elevator bank.
“You have no idea how much I’ve missed you,” I growl.
“Really?” she asks, turning to me with soft green eyes.
The elevator dings, and the doors slide open, giving me an excuse to grasp her hips and slowly guide her back into the small compartment.
“Really,” I murmur, pressing her back against the wall. I slip my key fob into the slot that will take us to the top floor.
Then I cradle the curve of her jaw with my palm, pressing my thumb against her chin so I can kiss her. I take it slow, brushing my lips lightly across hers. And electrical attraction ignites between us, making my temperature rise.
Quinn’s lips part, her breath feathering across my face, and I lightly trace the seam of her lips with the tip of my tongue. That seems to ignite a fire inside her, and Quinn throws her arms around my neck, bringing our lips together in a blazing kiss.
I groan, leaning into her and pinning her to the wall with my hips.
“You know what I just realized?” I rasp, letting my hands roam freely up the curves of her waist so I can feel the perfect swell of her breasts.
“What?” she murmurs, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
“I get nine whole months of coming inside of you without a condom.”
Quinn gives a sultry moan, her fingers combing into my hair and sending tingles along my scalp. “Lance Knight, you’re not wearing a condom with me ever again in your life,” she promises.
And I snarl at the thought of that. “Then I intend to keep you full of my cum until you’re dripping on the regular.”
“God, you turn me on,” she moans, jumping up to wrap her legs around my hips.
The elevator doors open a moment later, and we’re lucky we made it to the top floor without anyone joining us, because I’m not sure I would have stopped—even if they had. For all the times I’ve been with Quinn, I don’t know that I’ve ever needed her this badly.
One week without her feels like an eternity. And though I dreamed about her every night, my subconscious just can’t stack up to the real deal.