So he kept talking. “I always wanted to be a cowboy when I was a kid.”
“And look at you, a cowboy. Will wonders never cease?”
He shot her a look. “Careful there. Your claws are out. What do you know about my family?”
“Other than the fact they use one of the most destructive ‘resources’ to fuel their ambition—and your truck—and they had a spill in the Gulf Coast a few years back that killed off a truly terrifying amount of wildlife? Not much.”
That was what most people knew about his family, and he’d never been particularly interested in getting into the nitty gritty of it. “My great-granddaddy struck it rich back in the day and Baldwyns have been in the oil industry ever since—until me.”
“How does that even happen? An oil industry heir turned cowboy? Aren’t you like filthy rich or something?”
“My family is.” He wondered if that would make her think differently of him, like others did. He’d learned to hate the calculating look that sometimes came into their eyes—those people never lasted much longer with him after that moment. He didn’t want anything to do with the oil industry, and he didn’t want to spend his time with someone who was going to push him toward that end.
He didn’t like the thought that Aubry might number among them.
…
Aubry took a bite of her salad and chewed while she contemplated Quinn. He was tense and looked edgy, like he expected her to whip out a machete and start swinging. She wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say to take that look off his face, but she figured the truth was the best way to go. “Guess we can’t choose our family.” Hadn’t she learned that time and again the hard way? Yeah, her family was a far cry from some several generations of oil-rich craziness, but the same rule applied. “So why a cowboy? I know we’re in Texas and all, but did you watch too many John Wayne movies or something?”
Some of the tension around his eyes disappeared. “Maybe.” He took a bite of his burger. “More likely it was spending so much time on the Rodriguez farm when I was growing up. I saw how happy Rodger and Lori were, and I wanted that.”
She couldn’t blame him for that. Jules’s aunt and uncle were something else. She’d never seen anything like the casual way they loved each other, like a pair of well-broken-in jeans. They just fit.
Aubry kind of doubted Quinn was talking about that, though.
His blue eyes saw too much. “That was a pretty skilled change of subject. We were talking about your game.”
“And now we’re not.” She turned the conversation to things less close to her heart. As nice as it was that he hadn’t told her how crazy her dream of designing video games was, she’d rather not deal with him trying to spare her feelings. She played so many games, and hers was like a child with a crayon compared to a Renaissance master. Laughable. And his false confidence in her just made her feel weird. That wasn’t what they were to each other. She had a cheerleader in Jules—or she would if she ever admitted to her best friend what she wanted—so she didn’t need one in Quinn. Especially when his quiet confidence almost made her think maybe she had a shot.
By the time the waitress brought the check, Aubry was weaving in her seat a little. She yawned and tried to cover it up. He laughed, dropped a stack of cash on the table, and stood. “Let’s get you back to the hotel.”
It was only then she realized she’d sat in a full room of people for who-knew-how-long and hadn’t freaked out. Aubry started to look around, but he was there, a wall between her and the rest of the room. “Come on, peaches.” He held out his hand.
Surely having so many people in this room is against some kind of fire code?
The ever-present band around her chest started to close and she made a grab for Quinn’s hand. The touch of his skin against hers steadied her, just a little. He nodded once and led the way out of the building. She could breathe a little easier on the street. “I’m sorry I’m such a basket case.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.”
She knew that. Really, she did. But this wasn’t like things were with Jules. Her best friend took Aubry as she was, massive list of flaws and all. It would be madness to expect Quinn to do the same.
You’re not keeping him.
Right. Naturally. She hadn’t forgotten that. It was just hard to remember in this moment, with his hand in hers and their walking back to a hotel after what could be termed a date.
She gritted her teeth as a woman on a cell phone bumped into her. Not a date. The only reason he’s here at all is because he needs a fire-breathing dragon for his sister’s wedding and you fit the bill.