Page 76 of Hard Hitter

The following morning, Raelyn was eating breakfast at the table while her dad silently read the paper and drank his coffee. She noticed his frequent curious glances in her direction out of the corner of her eye but would redirect her attention to the back of the Special K box instead of addressing him. There was actually nothing interesting on the back of the box; just different Special K products that were supposed to make you lose weight.

After several silent minutes, Charlie let out a loud and exaggerated sigh as he looked in Raelyn’s direction. She looked up from the cereal box and snapped her head toward her dad.

“Is there something you’d like to share with the class, Father?”

He smirked, feeling successful that his not-so-subtle technique had gotten her attention. "You went to Quinn's last night, didn't you?"

"Yep," Raelyn stated. She shoveled another bite of cereal into her mouth.

Charlie paused, staring and waiting for her to continue. She did not. He prompted, "And...how did that go?"

Raelyn dropped her spoon into her bowl, leaning onto the back of her chair. "That bitch, Alaina, was there."

With animated enthusiasm, Charlie slapped his hand on the table, "No! Not that bitch, Alaina!"

Finally cracking a smile and laughing at her dad's level of support, Raelyn continued, "She pulled her usual crap, of course. Quinn didn't say much, but I did get him to apologize for accusing me of being a bad friend." She gave him a run-down of the scene, from barging in and wanting to projectile vomit at the sight of Alaina lying on Quinn's bed like she belonged there, to telling Quinn that she'd still be there when he was done with whatever this mood was.

"Wait," Charlie held up a hand, "youkissedhim? In front of her?"

"It was just on the cheek, Dad," Raelyn said, "I do that all the time. Or at least Idid."

Charlie scratched the stubble he had yet to shave this morning, "Do you think- and I'm just throwing this out there- but do you think it's possible that you want to be with Quinn? As more than just friends?"

For some reason, Raelyn's mind went to the brief moment after the fight when Quinn had come around the corner toward their lockers and she had caught herself thinking of him differently. That image played in slow motion in her brain, and she couldn't ignore that his raw masculinity had her feeling unusually warm and flustered. A pleasant sensation spread down her belly and between her legs as she imagined Quinn grabbing her and kissing her the way he'd kissed Alaina.

Blinking the picture away, but unfortunately not the hot and bothered sensation that had no business between her thighs, she failed to make eye contact with her father as she replied, "No. Nope. He's just my good buddy, Quinn."

With a skeptical look and a chuckle, Charlie said, "Well, I don't think you could get any more convincing than that."

Raelyn glared back down at her cereal and muttered, "Shut up."

The loud gong-like sound of the front doorbell rang through the house. It was rare that anyone came to the house this early on a Monday morning. Raelyn and her dad looked at each other curiously. Moments later, one of the maids entered the dining room with their surprise guest.

Quinn stood beneath the arch that led into the large formal dining room, head lowered slightly, looking down at the floor. Without moving his head up, he flicked his gaze upward and met Raelyn's surprised stare.

"Look, Rae, it's your good buddy, Quinn!" Charlie announced loudly.

"I see that, Dad, thank you.” Raelyn slid out of her chair and walked around the long dining table to stand somewhat awkwardly in front of her friend.

Quinn was wearing a black leather jacket, which couldn't possibly be warm enough for a Northern Michigan winter, and a pair of faded and ripped jeans. He'd already left his shoes at the front door. Even from this distance she could feel the cold from outside coming off him in gusts.

For what felt like several moments, she and Quinn just looked at each other. Quinn studied her, from her bare feet and sweatpants to her thin t-shirt-hist-shirt, actually. Their eyes met again, and she wondered when he was finally going to speak or if she should first. Before she could figure out exactly what she would say, Quinn took a step closer and pulled her into a tight hug. Raelyn’s arms followed suit and encircled him, too.

His arms were wrapped low around her waist, holding her tight to him and his lips were next to her ear. “I’m sorry, Rae,” he whispered. “I’m so...so sorry.”

There was an unfamiliar desperation in his voice that made Raelyn question if she’d missed something. Had he found out about what Liam had done? Was there part of the story Chris and Jett had left out? His tone made her want to hold onto him tighter, so she pulled him closer and leaned into him, burying her face in his chest. She inhaled his familiar scent and closed her eyes.

Though she tried to ignore her dad’s earlier interrogation about the possibility of wanting more than friendship, she couldn’t help admitting that this felt right. Being held by him. Consumed by his strong arms. She didn’t want to let go.

Chapter 22

The bright white headlights of Jett's F-250 nearly blinded Quinn in the rearview mirror of his Bronco where he sat waiting for his ride to show up. Slowly and miserably, he made his way to Jett's truck and slid into the passenger seat. He felt both sick and annoyed at the sight of Jett's disappointed dad glare as he reclined the seat back and swung his hat around to pull it over his face.

He could still feel Jett's gaze on him. "What the fuck did you do, man?"

"I got drunk and acted like an ass."

"Enough to make her leave you here?" Jett questioned.

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