Page 110 of Delayed Penalty

I don’t fucking stop. I can’t. I want to hit this fucker way too much to stop.

“Adam!”

My feet halt of their own accord, and I turn to Quinn, who is halfway down the stairs, her eyes filled with fear. I remember how Hutch and Auden were able to have a whole conversation with just a single glance, and that’s what Quinn and I are doing right now.

Don’t do this, hers begs.

Fuck that guy, mine says back.

I look back at Matthew, who is standing there smirking at me, so close Icouldreach out and punch him and I wouldn’t lose a wink of sleep over it. But then I look to Flora, who is watching with wide eyes, then to Quinn, who is still staring after me.

Please, her hazel eyes implore.

As much as I don’t want to, I cave. I won’t hit her brother. Not here. Not now. But that doesn’t mean I’m leaving without saying something. I turn to him, closing the distance between us until my nose is damn near pressed up against his. At least the prick is smart enough to look scared.

“If you’re going to insist on talking to her like that, this is the only warning I’m giving you—do it again, and you’ll be bleeding all over your pretty Prada loafers,Matty.”

Matthew’s eyes widen likehe’sthe one being put out here. Me? All I can do is remember the look inQuinn’s eyes to keep me from making it happen anyway.

I look at the rest of her siblings. “That goes for every last one of you pricks too. One more bad word about her and we’re going to have problems.”

“What’s going on here?”

I turn to find Bess and Chuck coming down the stairs, their eyes bouncing from me to Matthew to Quinn.

“Everything okay, Hayes?” Bess asks.

“It’s fine, Mom. I?—”

“No, Bess.” I cut her off because Iknowshe was about to apologize, and that’s bullshit. She has nothing to apologize for. “Everything isn’t okay. It’s not okay for this to continue. For your other children to rag on Quinn because she’s trying to find something she loves to do instead of taking the first soul-sucking job that comes her way. You know I like you, so please forgive me for causing a scene with your children, but we’re leaving.”

“We are?” Flora asks as I grab her hand, tugging her up the stairs. “But dessert!”

“We’ll eat it in the car,” I say, holding my other hand out to Quinn.

She looks down at it, then back up at me.

“Quinnicorn?” Chuck eyes his daughter. “Dear?”

Then she grins and slides her hand into mine.

“Mom, Dad, thank you for dinner. It was delicious as always, and I’m sorry we can’t stay any longer.” She turns to her brothers and sisters. “As for all of you…” She flips her middle finger up at them, and I laugh, holding her hand the whole way to the car.

I sit on the edge of my bed, watching the minutes tick by. Every ounce of me isscreamingto run to Quinn, to check and make sure she’s okay, but she just put Flora down not even ten minutes ago, and the last thing I want is for her to get up and wander out looking for one of us and find us together.

Especiallynot after Flora’s confession. She loves Quinn.

I’m not stupid. I know they’ve grown very close, and I knew the likelihood of Flora getting attached to her nanny was extremely high. But to actually hear hersayit? That was something else entirely.

It’s not even because I’m jealous of their love. I know deep down Flora loves me in her own way. It just made me feel absolutely racked with guilt over what Quinn and I have been hiding. I’ve been so wrapped up in Quinn and how good she feels that I’ve stopped thinking of how this could impact Flora heavily ifthings were to go south. She should have been my first thought this entire time, not my second.

Yet…I watch the clock, counting down the minutes until I can go to Quinn. It’s funny. My parents were addicted to alcohol, and my brother was addicted to drugs. Me? I’m addicted to Quinn Benson, and it’s one habit I don’t want to kick.

Tap, tap, tap.

I jerk my head up.

Was that…?

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