With Every Heartbeat (Forbidden Men 4)

She’d always had the nice family, a mother who annoyed her by how much she wanted to be involved in Cora’s life and a father who was one of the gentlest men I’d ever met. And I’d had a widowed father who’d hit me for things like overcooking his fried eggs.

It didn’t seem fair that Cora had gotten the perfect, dedicated boyfriend too. Which only made me choke on my guilt because here I was feeling jealous of the only person who’d ever befriended me while I was perfectly healthy and she was...not.

Oh, man. I was the worst friend in the world.

Quinn was the first to break away from the kiss. His breathing was accelerated, which made his voice sound huskier and in turn made me feel tinglier.

“I should get back,” he said. “The guys are waiting for their soapy water.”

“The guys can just keep waiting,” Cora argued as she kissed her way down his neck. “You need to satisfy your woman.”

He made a groaning sound, letting me know just how tempted he was, even as he set a hand on her hip to nudge her away. “I’ll make it up to you tonight. How about that?”

Cora pulled back and stuck out a fake sulky bottom lip. “Promise?”

He kissed her forehead. “We’d better get going before we’re caught in here together like this.”

“Don’t be such a prude, baby. We’re not doing anything wrong. We still have all our clothes on.”

Quinn just shook his head as he bent to pick up his bucket.

“Okay, fine.” Still in pout mode, Cora set her hands on her hips and spun away to flounce toward the door. “Be a fuddy duddy then. You better make it up to me twice tonight.”

Quinn began to follow her, but glanced over for some reason. I wasn’t expecting him to look my way, but when his gaze latched onto mine, I was caught.

I hunched back deeper into my hiding spot, but he froze and his mouth fell open, letting me know good and well he saw me.

I expected a hailstorm of questions and cringed even more under his gaze, already trying to think up an excuse for why I was here…and why I hadn’t made my presence known.

But he shocked me when his eyes filled with sympathy. Glancing after Cora as if to check if she was paying attention or not, he turned back. Then he pointed at me and mouthed the question, “You okay?”

I blinked.

He wasn’t going to expose me or demand answers? Why wasn’t he going to expose me?

Heart thumping hard, I nodded.

So he pointed after his departing girlfriend and mouthed, “Do you need Cora?”

I smiled a little, charmed that he was so concerned and yet grateful he was keeping my presence private.

When I shook my head, he smiled. After sending me a thumbs-up sign, he followed Cora from the warehouse.

I stayed there another minute, trying to rein in my scattered emotions. I was still mortified about being caught, even though Quinn had been so cool about it. It made me feel like an idiot for hiding in the first place. But most of all, I was ashamed.

Cora was my one and only friend. She’d been the only person to talk to me and introduce herself on my first day of public school after my father finally agreed I could stop using the tutors he paid to homeschool me. She’d been my rock and support every time after he’d punished me. I worshiped the ground she walked on. And now she was hurting, suffering from a debilitating disease. She deserved all the happiness she could get. What the heck was I doing, feeling jealous?

I was still pretty mad at myself by the time I returned to Caroline. But she looked worried out of her mind until she spotted me. Rushing forward, she asked, “Are you okay? I was about to send search and rescue in for you.”

“Oh, I…I…I’m sorry.” I glanced across the parking lot, only to find Quinn watching us.

When he caught sight of me looking back, he turned away. I wondered what was going through his head, what kind of freak he must think I was. I turned to Caroline, slightly sick to my stomach.

“I kind of got stuck in there when Quinn and Cora slipped inside to make out. I guess I should’ve cleared my throat or something to let them know I was there, but—”

Caroline held up a hand and rolled her eyes. “Say no more. I totally get it. I’d hide out for a while too. My brother catches his girlfriend Aspen around the house, all the time, thinking they’re ‘alone,’ and I never know if I should tell them I’m right there or what?”

I let out a silent breath of relief, glad I wasn’t the only person who’d ever gone through that kind of dilemma. “What do you usually do?”