Page 60 of Fixer for the Billionaire

Eddie nods and quickly retrieves a small blanket, tossing it to Quentin, who catches it easily. We start walking towards the hillside, the sound of the Bay waves growing louder with each step.

We finally reach a grassy patch along the hill, and Quentin spreads out the blanket on the sand. "Ladies first," he says, gesturing for me to sit.

I sit, my knees drawn up to my chest as I stare out at the dark water. Quentin sits next to me, his shoulder brushing against mine. We're both silent for a few minutes, lost in our thoughts, listening to the waves crashing against the rocky shore.

Finally, I speak up. "You know, I used to come here all the time as a kid. Whenever I needed to escape from my parents or school or just life in general."

Quentin nods. "I can see why. This place is beautiful and peaceful."

"Yeah," I say with a small smile. "It really is. I’m sorry I dragged you into this mess with me."

He turns to face me, his expression soft. "Hey, don't apologize. I wanted to be there."

"I didn't. And I shouldn't have done it. I wanted you to see, to know what I was up against. Who I am. What my family’s like. What we’ve been through.” I blow out a long breath, a chill running down my arms. “If only my mom admitted that the reason she was always trying to find a husband was because she thought she needed help. Raising the girls. Keeping the house. It’s one of the reasons she’s so mad at me. For not being her. For doing it alone.”

Quentin's hand finds mine, his thumb rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. "You're not alone, you know. And you did the right thing.”

"Tell that to my mom. There's no glory, apparently, in being a woman without a man. Alone. Defective."

He glares at me in the moonlit dark. "Is that what you think of yourself as? Defective?"

"Well, yeah. It's hard not to when that's the message your own mother constantly feeds you."

Quentin's grip tightens on my hand, his fingers lacing with mine. "You listen to me, Carmina Elena Sanchez. And you listen good." I look up as his jaw ticks, his green gaze fixed on me. His hand squeezes mine. "There isn't a bone in your body, an inch of your skin, or a hair on your head that is defective. You understand? Not one part."

"But I just?—"

He cuts me off with a gentle tug on my hand until our hands brush against his chest over his heart. His other hand comes up to run through my hair, his fingers tangling in the dark waves.

"You are smart and strong and beautiful. And you have a heart of gold that shines brighter than any star in the goddamned cosmos. And to be clear: You don’t need a man, just to have one. The man who is worthy of you, who deserves you, who loves you, will stand beside you, not in front of or behind you....He'll be your partner, not your savior." He wipes the tears pooling at the corners of my eyes, his touch sure. "And I'm not going to lie by telling you, Carmina, that I hope to God that man is me."

It's a confession that leaves me breathless and aching, my heart pounding in my chest. I turn into him, pressing myself against his warmth as he wraps his arms around me.

For the first time in my life, I feel seen. Truly seen for who I am, not what others have told me I am.

Usually, by now, my brain sends the signal to stop, but this time it lets me feel. It lets me sink into Quentin's touch as he holds me close.

Our bodies fit together like puzzle pieces, and my brain begins to wonder if maybe this was meant to be all along.

If every heartbreak and disappointment led me to this moment.

To him.

His pine-green eyes search mine for any hint of doubt or hesitation, but all he sees is fierce determination reflected back at him. A determination I feel when I grab his face and stroke along his stubbled jaw.

"That man is you, Quentin. He's always been you." My gaze falls to his mouth. "And I would like that man to please make love to me now."

Quentin's lips touch mine in a gentle, lingering kiss before he pulls back and smiles. “Sweetheart, it would be my honor. More than you know.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

QUENTIN

I've never done this before. Been nervous to make love to someone. But with Carmina, it's different.

I've dated before. Danced, drank, and fooled around in Seattle and other cities like it. But nothing like this.

Nothing where every part of me feels so deeply connected to someone else. Where every touch, every kiss, every embrace feels like coming home.

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