Page 50 of The One for Forever

I’d really like to find out if he’s thinking the same thing.

Lark nods, as if she was eavesdropping inside my brain. “I’ve got you.” Swiftly, she straightens and raises her voice. “What am I thinking? You should be resting. Cliff, we should leave Quinn alone for a while. Don’t you think?”

“Huh? But you just got here.”

Lark grabs his arm and drags him to the door. “Come on. We’ll come back after Quinn has a chance to relax. We can dig into the ice cream stash.” She winks at me as they leave.

“I assume she knows about us,” Rex says with a smirk.

“She does. I called her earlier after you left my office. I needed someone to talk to.”

He nods, but he studies the floor.

“She’s not going to tell anyone,” I assure him. “I’m not even sure what there is to tell.”

He comes over to me and reaches for my hand. “That depends on what you want.”

WhatIwant? That’s never been a question. I want Rex.

But I’ve never imagined saying that to him. I don’t blink at speaking in front of a courtroom full of people. Yet the thought of telling him about my years of desperate yearning makes me want to hide under the covers.

But if there’s ever going to be a right time to tell him, this has to be it.

“I want to be with you. I know it’s complicated because of Cliff and because you’re my bodyguard. But I know how I feel. I’ve known for a while. I just never believed it was possible.”

Please don’t think I’m pathetic, a tiny voice says in my head. This is bad enough, and I haven’t even confessed the most embarrassing parts.

“Quinn,” he murmurs. Rex sits on the bed and brushes his nose against mine. “You don’t know what it does to me to hear you say that.”

I put my hands on his strong shoulders. Then move them down to his chest and feel his heart beating rapidly under my palm. He comes even closer. Bracing on either side of the bed, he brings his lips to mine. He’s being careful with me, which is what I need. But dang it, I want a real kiss like earlier. Full of passion and heat. It’s almost worth the pain so much motion would cause in my head.

He sits back and affectionately adjusts the collar on my hospital gown. “I want to give this a chance. See if we can be more. What do you say?”

“Are you kidding? Yes.”

He smiles. “There’s also the issue of your security. I can’t be objective when it comes to you. The wisest thing would be to step aside as your bodyguard. Assign someone else to protect you.”

“Uh, I disagree. That sounds like the worst idea ever.”

“But my feelings for you distracted me earlier today. If I hadn’t left you in your office, it’s likely I could’ve prevented you from being hurt.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that. Today wasn’t the first time I stayed at the office working late after you went off duty. That’s why you have a team. We all believed my building was secure. Those precautions failed today, but it was never your assignment to be with me twenty-four-seven.”

“Then maybe it should be.” He strokes my chin. “I would put another bodyguard in charge of you if I had to, but honestly, I’d fucking hate it. I’d much prefer to keep you with me. “

“There is no one in the world I trust more than you.”

He exhales. Whether relieved or resigned, I’m not sure. “I’m going to do everything I can to keep you safe. That includes not letting you out of my sight.” He kisses me again and lightly sucks my lower lip. “I don’t want to be apart from you,” he whispers into my ear.

I tremble with the weight and wonder of that sentence. A few simple words, nowhere near poetry. Yet it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever heard.

If this is a dream, please don’t let me wake up.

I don’t want to spoil this. But my lawyer-brain raises her hand with a question. “What about Cliff? Do we tell him?”

This has to be Rex’s decision. He’s probably right that Cliff won’t be okay with us together. I would never want to come between Rex and his son. Of course, I don’t want to lose my best friend either. But Cliff and his father have their own issues, and I’m worried that Cliff will blame his dad rather than me.

Rex is quiet for a bit, thinking. “If you want me to tell him, I will. I don’t intend for you to be my dirty secret.”

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