Page 35 of Home Coming

She dropped her gaze to the floor as she said, “No, I don’t. It’s fine—”

“It’s notfine. You still don’t believe me.” He sighed as he dropped his hands from the doorframe and took a step forward.

Standing right in front of her, he reached out and lifted her chin with two fingers, forcing her to look at him.

“I need to focus to protect you. In my world, lack of concentration costs lives. Between the intruder and the paparazzi, there’s clearly a threat here. I can’t—I won’t—let anything happen to you because I’m distracted by something going on between us.”

His intensity, protectiveness, sheer power and control and determination had her wishing for so many things. Quinn to change his mind. Some privacy so she could savor the memory of this moment alone with her battery operated boyfriend. Thirty or forty pounds or so to miraculously drop away in the next thirty seconds in spite of his claims to like curvy women…

All she could do was nod.

He returned her nod and began to turn toward the door, but paused, glancing back. “And Bailey. Never tell me things are fine when they’re not. I need you to be honest with me at all times. You hear me?”

“Yes,” she managed, though in a rough voice.

“Good. Now come finish eating. We’ll make a game plan for packing up and storing all your stuff, then you can go to bed. Tomorrow’s going to be a long day.”

She didn’t doubt it.

CHAPTERTHIRTEEN

An incoming text had Quinn glancing down at his phone.

Josie

What’s happening there!? Bailey isn’t answering my texts!

Not giving in to his sister’s love of texting and hatred of speaking on the phone, he hit to connect the call.

“Quinn, why is nobody answering me?” she asked without saying hello.

Apparently Josie was so desperate for news she didn’t even complain he’d called instead of texted. “I don’t know who else you’re talking about but I did get back to you, just now, and Bailey is sleeping.”

Sleeping peacefully in spite of his sister’s text because Quinn had silenced Bailey’s phone when she wasn’t looking. The damn thing pinged constantly with what he suspected were alerts for all the apps she was on. And Bailey would jump and check every single alert.

It wasn’t healthy. If he’d had more time, he’d have gone into settings and turned off all her notifications.

“Well, wake her up!” Josie demanded.

“No.” He wasn’t going to change his mind but he was curious so he added, “And why?”

“Olivia Rodrigo commented on her song!”

“Who’s that?” he asked.

“Wha—do you live in a hole? She’s a singer. She wroteDriver’s LicenseandVampire. I know you’ve heard her.”

“Don’t be so sure about that. What did this comment say?”

“It said, and I quote,Sing it, girlwith two exclamation points!”

“Oh. That’s nice, I guess.”

“Nice? It’s freaking amazing.”

“Okay.”

Josie sighed into the phone. “When are you going to be home?”

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