Page 124 of Hard Hitter

Quinn:Rae? You didn’t fall asleep on me, did you?

Quinn:I’m so sorry I took so long, baby. I didn’t mean to make you wait around on me all night.

Quinn:I just tried calling but your phone must be dead. Please call me when you get it back on. Let me know you’re ok.

Quinn:Ok, baby, I called your dad and he said you took his car and haven’t come home yet. Call me when you get my messages. Please.

Quinn:I’ve been up all night worried about you...I hope you’re ok, baby. I love you.

There were also messages from her dad, and several missed calls from both her dad and Quinn. She checked a few of the voicemails: five from Quinn and two from her dad. Of course they both sounded panicked, and hearing Quinn’s voice filled with worry made the tears pool at the corners of her eyes again. She blinked them back and deleted the messages. As a courtesy to her dad, she sent him a quick text:Dad- sorry I freaked you out last night. I’m ok. I’ll explain later. Love you.

She wondered if Charlie would immediately call and bombard her with questions, or if he would text Quinn and let him know he’d finally heard from her. At that last thought, she was tempted to turn her phone back off, but simply flipped it to silent. Grabbing her overnight bag from the end of the bed, she pulled out a pair of blue jean shorts and a t-shirt, along with her change of underwear and got dressed.

She thought of the espresso machine in Amira’s kitchen and the magnificent iced coffee it brewed and thought maybe she just needed a fix to get her brain working again. Raelyn shoved her phone in her back pocket and padded quietly, barefoot down the stairs, stretching and ruffling her hair. She rounded the corner into the kitchen where she stopped short with a gasp.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Raelyn snapped, a hand to her chest, startled.

“Jesus!”Broad and bare-chested, her ex-fiancé jumped as he turned around, spilling coffee down his front.“Fuckin’ hell!”Emerson winced at the hot coffee now running down his stomach.

“Why are you here?” Raelyn asked, completely unremorseful about the scalding coffee burning his skin.

“What the fuck? When did you come in?” Emerson grabbed a couple squares of paper towel and mopped up the dripping coffee from his chest and abs.

“Last night,” Raelyn replied. “I slept here.”

“You slept here?” Emerson quirked an eyebrow as he looked up at her. “I slept here. How did I not notice?”

“Your car wasn’t here,” said Raelyn, confused.

“It’s in the garage,” he replied. “I’ve been staying here while the newlyweds are on their honeymoon. My apartment’s having work done.”

“Are you staying downstairs?” Raelyn asked, continuing into the kitchen and taking a seat at a bar stool around the island. The basement layout was essentially a full-sized apartment. Brody had joked about renting it to his younger brother while he saved up for a house. While Amira enjoyed Ethan’s company, she hadn’t been particularly enthusiastic at the idea of a house guest for an indefinite period of time.

Emerson nodded and took a sip of what was left of his coffee. She set her phone face down on the counter. “I got here around midnight. You sleep like a rock, so I’m not surprised you didn’t hear me come in.”

Emerson was peering at her curiously, brow furrowed, and she hadn’t even thought about how she was giving away information. Now he was bound to ask…

“Why would you stay here?” He leaned cockily back against the counter. He wore only black sweatpants, slung dangerously low on his hips. There was a tattoo that looked like a knight’s armor extending from his right pec, over his shoulder and down to his elbow. His shoulders were large and stacked, his chest broad and imposing, his stomach rippled and hard, all with a matching confident air that stated he knew exactly how he looked. “Not hiding from All-Star, are we?”

Raelyn nearly laughed at the irony that the first person she had the opportunity to tell about the previous night was only someone who could empathize with Quinn in this situation. She hedged, sweeping a brief look down his body, her eyes catching on the blackletter script ofhis tattoo before looking back at her hands. “Will you please put some clothes on? Or at least pull your pants up?”

Even his laugh was smug. “Why? Am I too distracting?” She ignored this, still not looking at him. He grinned. “It’s okay, Rae. I don’t mind you sexualizing me.”

Turning back to him, she fumed, “I’mnot-”He cut her off with a pointed stare and she blinked away, attention back to her fingers drumming on the quartz countertop, “I’m not talking about any of this with you.”

Emerson shrugged. “Okay.” He turned back around and refilled the espresso machine.

Shit, that’s what I came down here for.

“You know, I might be able to help,” Emerson offered. “I mean, I know what it’s like to date you. I might be able to give some insight. Maybe give you an idea of what you’re doing wrong.”

Raelyn scoffed, “WhatI’mdoing wrong?”

“Yes,” Emerson replied, straight-faced, leaning against the counter again. “Believe it or not, Princess, you’re not perfect. Close. But not entirely.”

“Yeah, I’m aware, thank you.” She rolled her eyes. “If my boobs were a cup size bigger, I’m sure that would be a good start.”

“Just one cup size?” Emerson said, the corner of his lips twitching in a near smirk.

---