Chapter Sixteen
Quinn thought the best way to show Selena that they should be together was to stick with her as much as possible. For the next couple days, he picked her up at the library as soon as she was done at work and then went home with her. It was a good thing Evie decided to extend her visit to Kansas because—hooray—that meant more blow jobs. But he was getting tired of squeezing into the twin bed with Selena. He didn’t dare suggest they go back to his place because whenever they were out in public together, she seemed nervous and wouldn’t even hold his hand. They seemed like purely platonic friends whenever they were out.
“Burgers or Japanese?” Quinn asked as he strolled up to her desk.
“Burgers,” she said without looking up from her computer. “But I want ice cream afterward, too.”
“Whatever you want, kitten.”
Selena closed up her computer and followed him out of the library. They went to a burger place around the corner where the food was good and reasonably priced (at least for New York). Afterward, Selena insisted they take the subway uptown to an ice cream shop.
“You already paid for dinner,” Selena said. “You need to stop spending money on me and do something more useful with your cash. Your rent alone must be a fortune. I don’t even want to think about how much you’ve spent on Uber with your credit cards.”
Quinn bit back a retort. None of the other girls he went out with cared if he were spending too much money on them. In fact, many of them demanded it. Yet, here was Selena, worried about his credit score. He chuckled to himself and wondered if he should tell her how rich he was. Not billionaire rich, of course, but he was certainly flush enough to take her on all the Uber rides she wanted.
“Fine, whatever you want.” The traffic in the city would be horrible anyway, and the subway made more sense. They took the train to the Upper West Side and walked to the ice cream shop. There was a long line outside, and, although Quinn rolled his eyes, he followed Selena to the end of the queue. She seemed excited about having ice cream, so he couldn’t disappoint her.
“What is this place?” he asked.
“They just opened a week ago. They specialize in alcoholic ice cream,” Selena said with a sparkle in her eye.
“Oh, is that so?” he asked. “Are you trying to get me drunk on ice cream? So you can take advantage of me?”
She let out a laugh. “There’s not enough liquor in the ice cream to get anyone drunk, much less a Lycan.”
“All right, lady,” he chuckled. “But I’m watching you. You better keep your hands to yourself.”
They waited in line patiently, and it went by faster than he anticipated. As they stood there, Selena’s phone rang a few times, but she ignored it. After a few more rings, she finally turned it off with an annoyed huff. Who the hell could be calling her over and over again? A weird feeling settled over him, but he ignored it as they reached the front of the line.
Selena got an Irish cream flavored ice cream with sprinkles, while Quinn opted for one made with chocolate stout and pretzel bits. They stood outside the shop, leaning against the wall as they enjoyed their ice cream, Quinn finishing his in three bites.
“Want a taste?” Selena asked, offering him her cone.
“Sure,” he said. As she pushed her cone at him, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him instead. He was taking a risk and it might scare her away, but, why not? He caught her lips with his, savoring the cold and sweet taste of her mouth as she opened to him. The ice cream cone dropped to the ground, but when he tried to pull away, she snaked her arms around his neck instead and pulled him closer. Pushing her up against the wall, he buried his hands in her hair and angled her head so he could slant his mouth over hers and slide his tongue into her mouth.
“Quinn,” she whispered as he pulled away.
He leaned his forehead against her and opened his eyes. “Sorry about the ice cream. I’ll get you another one.”
“No,” she said. “Take me home? To your place, I mean.”
His heart thudded in his chest. “Are you sure?” Maybe she was coming around and getting used to this together thing.
She nodded. “Evie’s back home. And … Aunt Flo is gone.”
“Who?” He paused, then realized what she was saying. “Oh. Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
“Would you have taken me for ice cream?” she asked cheekily, which earned her a nip on the ear. “Quinn,” she moaned when his tongue snaked out to lick the shell of her ear.
“I would have taken you for ice cream … eventually. I can’t wait to be inside you,” he said, pressing his lower body to hers. He was already half hard, thinking about sliding into her.
“Then what are we waiting for?” she asked.
Quinn took her hand and dragged her down to the corner. “Dammit,” he cursed when two cabs went past them. He took out his phone. No Ubers anywhere near them, either.
“It’s rush hour. We’ll never get a cab,” she said. “Let’s take the subway; it’ll be faster anyway.”
“Fine,” he growled. Besides, he wasn’t sure if he could control himself if they were in the back of a car. He wanted her now.
They walked two blocks to the nearest subway station that would take them downtown to Quinn’s loft. After getting Quinn a MetroCard, they walked through the turnstiles to the main train platform.
As they stood on the platform, Quinn suddenly felt uneasy. The desire and impatience he was feeling had ebbed away, but not because he didn’t want Selena. No, the hairs on the back of his neck were raised, and he felt like he was being watched. He glanced around, but there were so many people, he couldn’t be sure.
The train arrived, and they moved inside one of the cramped cars, but, still, the feeling wouldn’t go away. He put an arm protectively around Selena, and when she looked up at him with her brows knitted, he gave her a tight smile. No need to worry her, especially if he was just being paranoid.
They had to switch at Times Square, which was probably a mistake. The platform was hot and crowded and filled with annoyed New Yorkers coming home from work and confused tourists looking at paper maps or gawking all around.
Quinn tuned out the din of the crowd and concentrated on the sounds from the rail. Using his enhanced senses, he heard the incoming train, even before there was an announcement over the speakers. Knowing that the train would be pulling in any time, he moved them closer to the edge, so they would be the first ones in.
“Quinn, you’re so impatient,” she joked.
He didn’t answer her because the hairs on the back of his neck were bristling now and Wolf stood at attention. A low, rumbling growl ripped from his chest, which took Selena aback.
“Quinn? What's wrong?” Her eyes were wide, searching his face for an answer. “Are you—”
It all went by fast. Too fast. He saw a figure in a gray hoodie rush behind Selena as they fell backward. The man’s face was obscured by his hoodie, and Quinn scented the air, trying to identify something because there was no way a human could move that fast. The other Lycan smelled of dirt and something pungent, like mildew.
The air knocked out of him as he landed on the subway rails, Selena on top of him. Someone screamed, and lights were coming in fast to their right. Wolf growled and snarled in warning.
“Shit!” he cursed, then sprang into action. Quinn lifted Selena into his arms, jumped to his feet and leaped to the platform. The train missed them by inches, and the force from the rushing air knocked them forward.
“Jesus Christ!” someone screamed.
“Ow! Get off me!”
“What the fuck?”
Quinn and Selena barreled into a group of tourists, landing on top of them. He quickly got up, pulling Selena with him. “Where the fuck is he?” he roared, looking around for the Lycan in the hoodie. But there was no sign of him. “Shit!” He sniffed the air, finding a small trace of the scent. Wolf perked up, urging him to go after him.
He dragged Selena by the hand, across the platform, and up the stairs. By the time they reached the outside of the station, the scent was gone.
“Fuck!” He slammed a fist against a wall. He had gotten away.
“Quinn,” Selena said, taking deep breaths. “What the fuck is going on?”
“Shit,” he said, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll explain later.” He looked around the street and spotted a cab coming toward them. “Let’s go to Killian’s place. He’ll need to hear about this.”
***
The cab took them across town to the East side, in the Kips Bay area of Midtown. Quinn had fired off messages on his phone the whole ride over as Selena sat silently beside him. She wasn’t sure if her heart was ever going to stop racing like a horse at the Kentucky Derby, but as she curled up against Quinn’s side, she felt a sense of calm, especially when she breathed in his aftershave. Quinn cuddled her closer but said nothing, his body rigid and stiff.
Something was very wrong, but if they were going to his brother’s place, she would find out what soon enough. When they arrived at the condo, it looked like Killian was already expecting them. He opened the door and led them inside. Luna was sitting on the leather couch, while Connor stood by the window across the living room, his face drawn into a scowl.
“Quinn! Selena!” Luna exclaimed as she struggled to get up. “What happened? Are you guys okay?”
Selena quickly strode over to her and gently stopped her. “We’re fine. Please, don’t get up.” She sat next to her, and Luna put an arm around her.
“Are you all right? Killian said you guys fell off the subway platform?” Luna asked.
“More like pushed off,” Quinn said, his expression tight with barely controlled anger.
It had happened so fast, Selena could barely remember. She closed her eyes. “I think … there was someone who pushed my back and sent us tumbling into the rails.”
“It was a Lycan.”
“Are you sure?” Killian asked.
“Yeah,” Quinn confirmed. “I smelled him. Like mildew and dirt.”
“Did you see his face?” Connor asked.
Quinn shook his head. “No, he had a hoodie pulled over his face and there were too many people.” His fists tightened at his sides. “I swear, if I see or smell the sonofabitch again, I’m going to kill him.”
Selena felt a chill creep up her arms at the deadliness in Quinn’s voice.
“We’ll ask for the clan’s help in identifying the Lycan,” Killian said. “Maybe if someone recognizes the scent, then we can find this guy.”
“I don’t think the wreck the other night was an accident,” Quinn said.
Selena gasped. “What do you mean?”
“One incident I could ignore, but two?” Quinn shook his head. “Someone’s out to get me.”
“Or Selena,” Killian pointed out. “You were together both times.” Killian’s turquoise gaze zeroed in on her. “Would you know anyone who’s trying to hurt you?”
She shook her head. “Certainly not. I mean, not a Lycan.”
“Your coven doesn’t have enemies?”
“None that I know of,” Selena began. “Most covens get along with each other. Marriages and alliances tend to strengthen the bond in the magical community.” Thoughts of her possible engagement popped into her head, but she ignored it. “And, as for Lycans, we keep tabs on where they are and who their Alpha is, but we try to stay out of their way.”
“Still, it might be good to look into your background.”
“Excuse me?” she said, raising her voice. “You will do no such thing.” No one was going to paw through her private life, especially not Quinn and his brothers. She looked at Quinn, wondering what his reaction would be.
“She’s right,” Quinn said. When Killian tried to speak, he raised a hand. “No, Killian. Selena has a right to her privacy.”
“Thank you,” Selena whispered in a relieved tone.
“I’m going to keep digging into the accident and maybe find some footage on the platform to see if we can spot this guy.”
“But what about Selena? What if someone is after her?” Luna asked in a worried voice.
“I’ll keep her safe,” Quinn said. “She’ll stay with me from now on.”
“What?” Selena shot to her feet. “I’m not going to live with you!”
“Well, if you won’t let us dig into your background to see if someone is trying to hurt you, then you need to be protected at all times. Besides, if someone has been following me, they know where you live by now since I’ve been going home with you for the past couple of days.”
Luna tilted her head and narrowed her eyes at Selena. “Oh, is he?”
Selena ignored her. “Maybe I should stay away from you, then,” she challenged. “They don’t want me.”
“Or they could use you to get to Quinn,” Luna pointed out.
“It’s settled then,” Quinn announced. “You’re going to stay with me until we find whoever is out to get us.”
Selena’s jaw dropped, and she looked at Luna, Killian, even Connor, begging with her eyes for them to protest on her behalf. When no one spoke, she let out a heavy sigh. “Fine. But that means my house isn’t safe, either. Evie just got home today, so she’s all alone.” She put on a smug smile. “Maybe she can stay with Quinn, too.”
“Connor will look out for her,” Quinn countered.
“What?” Connor growled. “Evie can’t stay with me.”
“Jeez, don’t get your panties in a twist. I just mean, make sure she’s safe while she’s out and about. The security in their building is pretty solid, and I can even install an alarm system or a camera to monitor the front door. Evie should probably have a panic button of some sort, anyway, since she’s working for us.”
Connor looked at Killian, who nodded. He let out a curse under his breath. “Fine.”
“Good, it’s settled then. Quinn, you take Selena home and Connor, go and see if Evie’s okay.” As Connor turned to leave, Killian called out. “Don’t scare her, okay? Knock on the door and make sure she’s inside. Tell her what happened.”
“She might be worried if I don’t come home,” Selena added. “Please tell her I’m fine.”
Connor grunted in agreement and then left.
“What do we need to do to find out who’s after you?” Killian asked, his voice grave.
“I’ll take care of it,” Quinn replied. “And when I need you guys …”
“We’ll be there.”
***
Selena still couldn’t believe she had somehow been conned into staying with Quinn. “Are you kidding me?” she hissed at him as they left Killian’s place.
“What?” he said with a shrug. “Now we don’t have to sneak around. You have a legit, life-or-death reason to stay over at my place.”
“That’s not the point!”
“Then what is?” He grabbed her by the shoulders. “Selena, you could have been killed.” His voice was deadly serious.
“And you could’ve, too,” she countered.
“I’m a Lycan,” he pointed out. “Look, I can’t just stand by and wait for someone to hurt you. Luna’s right. Whoever’s trying to get to me has seen you two times now.”
She let out a sigh. “All right. When do you think you’ll find this guy?”
“I’m doing my best to finish this quickly.”
“Fine,” she said. “Let’s go to your place then. I can ask Evie to bring me a change of clothes when she comes in tomorrow.”
He breathed a sigh of relief. “Great, let’s go home.”
She followed him as he hailed a cab, and then they were on their way. Selena didn’t know why, but the way he said the word ‘home’ made her heart ache. A home with Quinn? That concept seemed alien somehow, but also … She shook her head. No, she wouldn’t go down that path. Whatever they were, it wasn’t going to last. They were having fun now, and when he got tired of her, he would leave her. When the next pretty face came along, he would drop her, just like all those other boys did. Quinn was a nice person, and he wanted to protect her from danger. That was all. Once it was over, they wouldn’t even have a reason to hang out.
The cab arrived in record time, and Quinn helped her out. Then they took the elevator up to his loft. As soon as they entered, he pushed her up against the door. “Now, kitten,” he said, his generous mouth spreading into a lascivious smile. “Where were we?”