Her gut tightened at the thought of another woman getting close to him. She didn’t want him to find any pleasure in another woman. The only person she wanted him to get to know was her.
Whoa, hold on. You don’t want to get close to him.
She was confused by her own thoughts. None of them were making sense.
“I’ve got all the company I need.”
“I’m Dorothy’s best friend.”
“I know.”
Biting her lip, she looked at him to see he was staring straight ahead. Before she could ask further questions, they entered the park where the burger place was. They stood in a long line, waiting for their food. Quinn ordered for both of them. She was shocked that he knew exactly what she liked. The more she thought about it, the more she became aware of his attention.
At night, Quinn moved closer to her on the sofa so she didn’t have a choice but to hug against him when the movies scared her. He kept them supplied with ice cream, cooked her favorite meals. When she woke up in the morning, he was the first person she saw.
No, she couldn’t believe what Martha was trying to say. There was no way he was looking at her with anything other than friendship.
They took a seat at one of the smaller tables away from the crowd. Quinn placed her burger and fries in front of her. After taking a fry, she took a bite, moaning at the salty taste. “Delicious.”
“I’m not going to lie to you, Kaley. I’ve got all the company I need.”
She picked up her burger and tried that as well. “You’re hanging out with your sister and her friend. Aren’t we cramping your style?”
“No.”
Kaley wanted to ask more but she was afraid to find out the answer. His gaze was on her intently.
“When you open your eyes, you’ll see exactly why I’m here.”
She dropped her glasses down to cover her eyes. Most of the time, she didn’t need them, but they helped her to think clearly when they were on.
“Eat your burger,” he said. She would have argued but he pointed at his watch. Kaley saw they’d been waiting a good twenty minutes to be served.
She’d talk to Dorothy later. There was no way Quinn had come for her. He’d never shown any interest in her before. What could have changed?
Chapter Four
Quinn entered the empty apartment after dropping Kaley back at the library. He’d be there to pick her up in the afternoon. In the last week, he hadn’t made any headway in getting to know her. She kept him at arm’s length, apart from when she was too afraid of the movies they were watching. Dorothy wasn’t helping either. His sister was using every opportunity to be out of the house.
Without thinking about what he was doing, he entered Kaley’s bedroom, closing the door behind him. He opened her laptop, waiting for it to load. When it asked for a password, he sat back, thinking about her. He tried typing in her birthday, Dorothy’s birthday, their names, then he wrote his name and birthday. The computer opened up to him.
He was thrilled that she used his name and birthday to lock her computer. Quinn saw three files open. Opening the first document, he saw it was labeled story one. Frowning, he scrolled to the top of the fifty-page document and began reading.
This computer was access to the woman he wanted. He hated doing this, and had promised himself he wouldn’t, but he needed a clue to Kaley’s wants and desires. The story was about a shy, quiet woman—like Kaley. She was alone in the world and looking for that one man to awaken her. Quinn read through the story, seeing the signs Kaley was begging for. She didn’t need to wait for him to make his intentions known. Kaley needed a man who took charge. He’d been playing this all wrong.
When he read the next two stories, he closed the computer, making sure she wouldn’t know he’d invaded her privacy. He wanted Kaley to trust him even though he’d invaded her room.
Opening her notebook, he saw more notes scrawled across the lines. Kaley hid from the world because her own desires scared her.
As he left the bedroom, he paused when Dorothy walked out of the kitchen. “I told you to stop going into her bedroom.”
“I needed to.”
“She texted me to ask about you and why you’re here.”
“Shouldn’t she have asked that already?” He took a seat at the table as Dorothy handed him a cup of coffee.
“You’d think so. Kaley isn’t much of a talker. She won’t question why you’re here until you make her aware there’s something she’s missing.” Dorothy took a sip of her coffee. “Do you know why you’re here?”
“You know why I’m here and I’m not backing down. I need you to leave for a few weeks.”