I turned the corner, and she was waiting outside the supply store. Dressed in her apple-green coat, wool hat pulled tight over her ears, she stomped her feet for warmth and caught sight of me.
The joyous smile that curved her lips stilled my damn heart. And just like that, I wasn't mad anymore. Her lips were cold and her cheeks rosy red as she lifted her head up for a kiss. "Baby why didn't you wait inside?" I asked.
"I like to watch you walk."
I shook my head, laughing, and pushed her inside the store. "You know just how to butter me up. Add a deep-dish pizza for lunch, and I'll do anything you want."
She bit her lip, eyes full of apology. "James, I'm so sorry. I only have fifteen minutes before I need to get back."
And then I was mad again. "Are you kidding me? I haven't seen you since Monday. You don't even have time to eat?"
"Brian brought in a special consultant for a presentation. We're grabbing lunch while we work."
Brian. Again. Seemed his name was brought up a lot lately, and though I hated being a fucking whiner, I suddenly felt like an annoying demand in her busy schedule. I reached for patience and tried to control myself. "How about tonight, then?"
"I have a paper, but I'll be done early. Come over after you're done at the studio."
I let out a sigh. I wanted to see her, but her schoolwork was vital. "No. If you need to do your paper, that's more important."
She blinked and reached up, grabbing my face and kissing me hard. "I love you, James Hunt," she whispered. "Come over. I swear my paper is practically done, and you'll give me a great incentive."
Her clean scent teased my senses, and suddenly I was hard and ready to go. I gritted my teeth and tried to get myself under control. Finally, I'd have her naked, laid out in my bed, ready to give herself up to every bad, dirty, lewd thing I wanted to do to her body. "Oh, I'll give you an incentive, all right." I bit her plump lower lip in warning, and she gave a tiny squeal. "You're gonna beg me to get off. Maybe I'll give it to you, maybe I won't."
Her pupils dilated, her breath came out choppy, and I knew she was wet and aching for me. I was about to say to hell with it, back her into the corner, and push my fingers into her pussy.
"Can I help you with something?" a voice interrupted. A guy wearing a store uniform looked at us with pure disapproval.
Quinn blushed and jumped away. "No, thank you."
"Actually, I need some supplies. I have a list here." I took it out of my pocket and handed it to the guy.
He looked happy he'd get a sale rather than a peep show. "I'll get this right away, sir." He disappeared down the deep aisles, and I laughed at Quinn's face.
She hit me in the shoulder. "You're so bad. Do they have any of those artistic greeting cards here?"
"In the back."
"I'll be right back. It's Jessica's birthday, and I forgot to pick one up."
"Meet me over here. I have to look at some different brushes." She nodded, and I watched her gorgeous rear swing back and forth before she disappeared. Grinning, I headed over to the brushes, and began picking them up and discarding different ones.
"You want to make sure they're extra stiff."
The husky voice rolled close to my ear. I jerked, turning around, and came face-to-face with Ava. She was dressed in her usual black ensemble. Her hair fell loose today, a dramatic red that matched her painted lips. Those green eyes were filled with amusement and a touch of something else. Hunger? No.
I kept my tone formal. "Hello, Ms. Goodridge."
Her brow rose. "We're not in class, James. Ava will be fine."
I didn't answer. Shifting my feet, I tried casually to bring some distance between us since she seemed super close, her head bent toward mine as if we were holding an intimate conversation. Her lips curved in a half-smile. "Stocking up?"
"Yeah. My brushes are kind of shot."
She reached past me. Her arm grazed my chest, and she clasped her fingers around the brush I held. The breath got stuck in my lungs at the deliberate touch. "As I said, the stiffer the brush, the more it holds its shape and gets the job done. Of course, I can work with any brush. It's just a matter of coaxing the right pleasure from it."
Holy. Shit. Was I freaking out, or was she actually giving me a sexual innuendo? I kept silent, afraid to open my mouth, and her low laugh rumbled in my ear. Very slowly, she guided her hand back and rubbed my shoulder. "I've never known you to be so quiet, James. Cat got your tongue?"
I hated her manipulations. She hated my guts, and now she wanted to play head games? WTF? "I've never known you to be so...nice."
"I can be very nice. Maybe we should discuss it sometime."
"Okay, I'm done. Isn't this card pretty-- Oh, I'm sorry." Quinn's voice interrupted the psycho conversation, and I immediately jumped to the right so Ava's hand was off me. Quinn looked back and forth between us with curiosity. "Hi, I'm Quinn."
"My girlfriend," I added quickly.
Ava reached over and shook her hand. "Ava Goodrich. James's art teacher at the Brush Institute."
Uh-oh. Quinn's eyes widened, and suddenly she looked like a wet cat, all pissy and ready to spit. Her voice cooled. "Yes, James has mentioned you."
Ava looked almost delighted. "I'm sure he has. James is an excellent artist. Sometimes it's hard as a teacher to push my students in the proper direction, but I think he has raw talent that's quite extraordinary."
Quinn's mouth dropped open. So did mine. "That's what I'm constantly telling him," Quinn said, her voice warming.
"It's a difficult business. But I'm sure he has the passion needed to succeed."
Quinn looked delighted at Ava's compliments. I stared at my teacher hard, knowing there was something else going on. Ava beamed out a bright, fake smile. "It was lovely to meet you, Quinn. James, I will see you in class."
She turned on her high black boot and left the store. Quinn gave a squeal and hugged me. "She said you have raw talent! Maybe that's why she's being so hard on you! She wants to push you because you're the best."
I wanted to tell her about the way she touched me and the things she said, but Quinn looked so happy and proud, I shut my mouth. Maybe tonight, I'd give her the full story, and we could talk. Quinn chattered nonstop as we paid for our stuff. "So, I'll come over tonight, right?" I asked. "We'll have a quiet night."
"I can't wait," she whispered, pressing a hard kiss to my lips. "Gotta go."
I watched her until she vanished around the corner. I don't know why I had a funny feeling in my gut that something bad was gonna happen. But I brushed it off, figuring we'd talk and reconnect later tonight.
If only I'd listened to my initial instincts.
Chapter Nine
QUINN
I GATHERED UP MY NOTEBOOK, exhausted but buzzing from the amazing session. I'd learned more about getting patients to open up and using guided meditation techniques to ease them through the process. The research numbers were impressive, and Brian was really focused on retaining this extra program at New Beginnings.
Rolling my neck around to ease my sore muscles, I thought of a long, relaxing evening with James and grabbed my jacket. Maybe I'd get him to give me a massage. First food. Maybe sex, then food, then massage. At this point, I just needed to get myself home quick.
I popped my head into Brian's office. He was always the last one to leave and the first one here in the morning. I admired his dedication and the way he stood side-by-side with his staff. "Night," I called out.
"Quinn? Got a sec?"
I stood in the doorway. "Sure. What's up?"
He rubbed his forehead. His ginger hair was all messy, and his face looked tired. "Any of the rest of the crew here?"
I shook my head. "No, I'm the last one. Did you need something?"
"I know you've been working nonstop, but I've got a new intake coming in. I could use a hand, and it would be great training. But if you're tired or have schoolwork, I understand."
I bit my lip. Damn. I was torn. I craved seeing Jam
es, and I had the paper to finish. Of course, the paper should only take an hour. "Do you know how long it will take?"
"About an hour, start to finish. I'll order some food in." He studied my expression for a moment, then waved his hand in the air. "No, forget it, Quinn. You're pushing too much. Go home. Take a night off."
I wanted this full-time job bad. If I demonstrated willingness to take on extra work and be a team player, I would have a step up on the competition. I took off my jacket and smiled. "I'm staying. I can work on my paper when I get home. It only needs editing."
"You sure?"
"Yes."
He smiled back at me, relieved. "Thanks, Quinn, I appreciate it. You like Chinese?"
"Sounds great. Let me just send out a quick text, and I'll be ready."
I grabbed my phone and walked into the hallway. I knew James wanted to spend some quality time, but I could still get home at a decent hour. I quickly texted him I needed to skip dinner, but to wait for me at home. I told him I'd be there by eight.