Wait. She didn’t have a softer side. Who was he kidding? Of course she had one because he’d witnessed it firsthand whenever she interacted with his mom or Archer.
It was just him she didn’t trot it out for. Although she’d trotted it out today, blowing the hell out of his mind when she’d hugged him for one stuttering heartbeat. Damn, she’d felt good against him. And she’d rewarded him with lively drill play. If only it could be more than hockey drill play …
No, no, no, you perv!
Maybe if he showed her more random acts of kindness, stopped goading her, she’d return the favor by using a little less acid on him. His mom had told him to use his charm. What did that mean, exactly? Use the same worn lines on Sarah that he used on women he picked up?
He practically laughed out loud at this idiotic idea. No doubt she would shred him into pieces so tiny they’d never be able to glue him back together again. No, that girl would need a custom approach if he were ever inclined to make a move, which he wasn’t. No matter how many times he had to remind himself.
The loop in his ADHD-addled mind led him back to thoughts of Wolf and why Sarah thought his name was “strong and sexy” … and why the hell he was wasting so much time on Sarah Sunshine and Wolfman anyway. Frustration over his current train of thought had Quinn lobbing the beanbags across the room. Time to attack the rowing machine.
He definitely needed to get laid.
As he was in the grip of sorting his ping-ponging thoughts, his phone vibrated. “Dude, have you got ESP?”
“No,” Nelson replied. “Why? Have you been dreaming about me again?”
“You’re as funny as a broken skate blade, asshole. No, I was actually thinking about your sister and wondering about the douche she broke up with. They did break up, right?”
“Uh, yeah. Why?” Nelson’s tone hovered between baffled and brotherly I’ll-tear-your-head-from-your-body-if-you-touch-her.
“He called her the other day and seemed to shake her up. I offered her a phone, but she didn’t want it. Your sister is stubborn as shit.”
“You’re just now figuring this out?” Gage paused to chuckle. “I knew about Douchebag calling her. I told her to come back here because Lily, Daisy, and I are clearing out for a while.”
For some unknown reason, the thought of Sarah leaving gave Quinn a gut check. “Where are you guys going?”
“Beckett and Paige offered us their mountain house. Nobody’s using it, it’s bigger and more isolated than our place, and it has a full gym. With Daisy out of school, I took them up on it. We’re about to head up. So Sarah’s welcome to come back here—she’d have the whole place to herself—but she said she wants to stay at your place. I just thought I’d fill you in so you know that option’s open. In case you get to a breaking point and are contemplating murder—or she is.” He laughed as if this was the funniest joke in the world, which it wasn’t.
Knowing that Sarah had told her brother she wanted to stay made Quinn’s chest fill with something warm and gooey. Maybe she didn’t hate him after all. “She like it here that much?” He tried to keep the surprise from his voice.
“Nah, I think she’s more worried about Douchebag showing up at our place. He has no idea where to find her if she stays with you, so all in all, it’s a smart move.”
The warm goo cooled a few degrees, followed by a spike of anger. “Back up a sec. Is this guy coming for her?”
“She doesn’t think so, but I suspect she’s a little worried he might.”
“Well, he’d better not try anything if he doesn’t want to get his ass handed to him. Nobody messes with—uh, your sister.”
“Sarah’s more than capable of taking care of herself, but I appreciate you watching out for her, buddy.”
After dinner, Quinn put his mom to bed, then retreated to his room and flicked on his TV. Bored as shit, he flicked it off, and his mind roamed to the fresh batch of cookies downstairs. A half dozen and a full glass of milk might put him into snooze mode, so he traipsed back to the kitchen.
He was surprised to find Sarah sitting in the mostly dark family room, knees drawn up under a quilt, Archer curled at her feet. A cozy scene. The dog raised his head and gave him a friendly chuff. Sarah turned her head toward him.
“Hey,” she said softly. He liked the tone of her voice. No edge. Inviting.
“Hey. Why are you sitting alone in the dark?” He walked her way and dropped into an armchair perpendicular to the couch.
On her lap she held an illuminated iPad. “Just winding down now that everything’s quiet.”
He peered at her device. “Reading more smutty romance stuff?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m watching Impossible Engineering. Nerdy stuff.”
“Huh. I like that show.”
“So what are you doing? I thought you went to bed.”
“No, it’s not that late. I just wanted to check on you.” Not exactly true, but what the hell?
“Check on me? Why?”
“I talked to Gage, and he said you’re uncomfortable going back to his place.” Entirely true.
Even in the dimness, he could see her eyes widen. “Oh. Do you want me to leave? I know we don’t exactly—”
He put up his hand, palm out. “No, no. I’d rather you stay. My mom’s … Shit, my mom’s improvement is amazing. I can’t believe what you’ve done
