Chapter Three
“What the fuck did I do?” Quinn wondered aloud as he watched Selena storm back into the library. One moment they were having a nice lunch and he was teasing her, and then she just got all huffy and stomped away. “Women,” he muttered as he slammed his trash into the bin.
A psychologist probably would have said Quinn hated women, with the way he went through them like tissues. But that was far from it. Quinn loved women. He loved all kinds of women. Maybe that was the problem. He wanted to please all of them, a little too much, and that was sometimes what got him in trouble.
But Selena was different. He wanted to see the fire in her eyes, wanted her to react to him needling her and dish it right back. Quinn enjoyed the challenge, but something he said today pushed her over the edge. He should just forget about her. Find some chick, go back to her place … shit. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d gotten his dick wet. Hmmm … that girl he took to Nobu, maybe? She had been fun, but a little too clingy. Wanted him to stay the night. Yeah, right. Anyway, that was the last time he saw some action, other than his hand. He was just too busy. That was it. Too many cases, too much work. It wasn’t because of the way Selena’s tight little skirt hugged her ass or the glasses that made her look like every boy’s sexy librarian wet dream. Nuh-uh. It especially wasn’t her juicy little mouth or her butterscotch scent he found intoxicating and seemed to drive Wolf crazy whenever he had a sniff. Even now, the animal was whining in disappointment and growling at him for making Selena angry.
Yeah, he should just forget about Selena. It was fun while it lasted, but she was obviously too sensitive to take a joke.
Quinn walked back to the office, already planning to head out to Blood Moon that night. Maybe he could find some hot Lycan girl to hook up with. Wolf let out a growl, and he told the thing to take a chill pill. Damn animal. Why was it mad at him?
“Hey, what the hell is wrong with your friend?” Quinn asked Evie as he walked in. The brunette was already putting her coat on and shutting down her computer.
“Selena?” Evie asked with a frown. “What do you mean? What did you hear?”
“I went to take her to lunch and we were talking, then she goes mental on me,” Quinn relayed.
“What?” Evie snapped her head up. “What do you mean you took her to lunch?”
“I went to the library,” Quinn explained. “And then we ate hotdogs, and I asked her what an almost witch was, and she explained.”
Evie narrowed her eyes. “And then what did you say?”
Quinn thought for a moment. “I pointed out she was human, and then she went insane.”
“You said that?” Evie’s voice pitched higher, and she walked around her desk to face him. “You idiot!” She grabbed her purse and slammed it on his shoulder.
“Oh! Jeez, now I know why Connor’s still mad at you—that fucking hurt!”
“Quinn, you’re such a jerk!” Evie raised her purse again, but he blocked it with his arms. “Don’t you know how insulting that is?”
“Well, it’s true, isn’t it?” Quinn shrugged. “Witches are basically humans with powers, so if she doesn’t have magic, then, duh, she’s human.”
“Ugh, you are impossible.” Evie let out an exasperated sigh. “Look, my mother is a Lycan and my dad is human, which means I’m human too. In our world, that doesn’t mean anything, and I don’t mind being labeled a human, but it’s different with witches. Their status is determined by the amount of power they have and Selena, who doesn’t have any powers, is at the bottom rung in the coven. A fact that they never let her forget.”
“Jesus fucking Christ.” Quinn slapped his hand on his forehead. “I am a fucking jerk.” He realized how much he insulted Selena. I basically rubbed it in her face that she was powerless. And Wolf was now scratching at his middle angrily.
“Yeah, you and your big fat mouth.” Evie sighed. “Just leave her alone, okay? And stop trying to provoke her. Why you pick on her, I don’t know.”
Shit. Leave her alone? Would that really be the solution? “Look, I need to tell her I’m sorry.” And I need her to forgive me, he added silently. He had a feeling that ache in his chest wouldn’t be going away until she did. Wolf certainly wasn’t going to leave him in peace, either. “How can I make it up to her?”
Evie crossed her arms over her chest. “You promise not to hurt her anymore?”
“I promise.”
“Or insult her or provoke her?”
“Yeah, yeah, I promise, okay?”
“All right. There is something …”
***
The next day, Quinn found himself at the entrance of the Lower Manhattan Library once again. Get it together, he told himself. She’s just a woman, no big deal. But for some reason, his palms were sweaty and that annoyed the shit out of him.
The familiar scent of paper, leather, and wood hit his nose as he walked inside. It brought back memories of Archie’s library in the Portland mansion and the hours Quinn spent there as a teen. Walking by Selena’s desk, he saw it was empty, but there was a sign on the table that read: Storytime at 4:30 p.m: Children’s Section.
After taking a quick glance at the map, he went to the second floor where he found Selena sitting on a chair in the middle of the carpeted area. A dozen children surrounded her, all looking up in rapt attention as she read from a storybook.
“And so the Big Bad Wolf said, ‘Come out little piggy, or I’ll huff, and I’ll puff and I’ll bloooooow your house down!’” Selena raised a hand and formed it into claws, then puffed her cheeks as she blew out gusts of air. The children around her gasped in fright but kept their attention on her.
Quinn suppressed a laugh at the irony of her reading The Three Little Pigs but stayed silent, leaning back on the bookshelves as he continued to watch Selena. A small pang tugged at his heart, seeing her surrounded by children. There was something so natural about it, and he suddenly had a vision of Selena holding a baby and maybe of her tucking a little girl into bed or kissing a boy’s skinned knee.
The sounds of claps from the children shook him out of his daydream. The parents and the children surrounded Selena, thanking her for the story, and she smiled at them gratefully, chatting with each one. Quinn waited until the small crowd started thinning before approaching her.
He was about to call her name when his throat went dry as his eyes were drawn to Selena’s perfectly-shaped ass. She was bent over, picking up a discarded book on the floor, her heart-shaped backside covered in a pair of tight white slacks. The fact that there were no visible panty lines made him stifle a groan. “Hey,” he managed to croak out.
Selena froze and slowly rose up, then turned around to face him. “What part of ‘stay the hell away from me' don’t you understand?” she asked, her eyes turning stormy.
“Selena, I’m sorry,” he said. “Please, don’t go.” He grabbed her arm when she tried to walk away. The touch of her bare skin sent tingles up his arm, but he didn’t let go. “Evie told me. I’m sorry Selena. I didn’t mean … I wasn’t trying to insult you; you have to believe me.” Shit, he was fucking this up.
Her shoulders sagged. “Fine. You’ve said sorry, you can leave now.”
“I can’t,” he blurted out. “I mean, I have something for you. To say sorry.” He fished an envelope out of his pocket and handed it to her. “Here.” When she looked at him with narrowed eyes, he sighed. “It’s not poison or a trick or whatever evil thing you’re thinking. Just open it.”
Selena took the envelope and opened it gingerly, peering inside. Her eyes widened. “What is this? How did you get this?” She took out the two pieces of paper. “The Lord of the Rings exhibit’s been sold out for weeks, and it’s ending on Sunday! How did you get tickets?”
“A friend owed me a favor.” He shrugged. Actually, he had spent the whole night on various internet forums, trying to buy some tickets. When he couldn’t even get those geeks to talk to him, he changed his screen name to ‘sexyelf4447’ and got flooded with offers. He shuddered at what some of those sick bastards wanted in exchange, but, finally, he got the tickets for a hefty sum.
“Wow, I didn’t know you had real friends.”
“Ha!” The old Selena was back, the one who wasn’t mad at him for hurting her. Wolf finally calmed down, settling inside him. It had been just as anxious as he had been, waiting for her reaction. “So, am I forgiven?”
“Hmmm.” She thought for a moment. “I suppose.”
“Good.” Finally, the tightness in his chest lightened. “Well, I guess I’ll see you.” He pivoted to leave, but her hand on his arm stopped him.
“Wait,” she said.
“Huh?”
“Why don’t you come with me?”
“What?” His voice croaked like he was some damned teen going through puberty. He did get her two tickets but figured she’d want to go with Evie or someone else. “I’ve never seen the movies, but sure. Let’s go.”
“Wait, now?” Selena frowned.
Jeez, now you scared her. “I mean, if you’ve been wanting to see the exhibit and it’s sold out, then it’ll probably be crowded this weekend since it’s closing.”
“True.” She tapped her finger on her chin. “All right, I have to clock out, but I can leave now.”
Quinn followed Selena to her desk, letting her walk a few steps ahead. She was wearing those spiky heels again with her white, high-waisted pants and a frilly blouse that brought out the blue in her eyes. She tucked away her reading glasses, but damn if the outfit didn’t make him think of sexy librarian fantasies again. He swallowed hard as his eyes darted across the rows of books, imagining what he’d do if they were alone. Probably start by pushing her up against the shelves and then…whoa there, cowboy. What the fuck was he thinking? This was Selena, for Christ’s sake.
“So, Three Little Pigs, huh?” he asked, trying to clear his mind.
She picked up her jacket and put it on. “I didn’t choose it on purpose. I didn’t even know you were watching, you creeper. Besides, didn’t I make a convincing wolf?”
“Hmmm … not bad, but you can use some work. You need more growling and bigger teeth, and wolves definitely don’t blow houses down.”
“Well, that’s the point of the story,” she said. “That the blowhard wolf loses in the end,” she added with a twinkle in her eye.
He laughed. “These damn fairy tales. Always making the wolves the bad guys. Don’t they know wolves can be good?”
“You’ll have to take that up with the Brothers Grimm, I’m afraid. I only read them.” She chuckled. “Okay, I’m ready.”
They walked out of the library, and Quinn hailed a cab, despite Selena’s protests that they could take the subway uptown. “My treat,” he said. “For the hot dogs.”
Neither spoke on the ride, but Quinn enjoyed the comfortable silence in the back of the yellow cab. As Selena looked out the window, Quinn watched her, tracing his sight along the milky skin of her cheeks, over the button nose and generous mouth, wondering how…fucking hell, get a hold of yourself. Maybe he did need to get laid if he was starting to think of her that way. A trip to Blood Moon tonight might do the trick.
The cab stopped abruptly, jolting Quinn out of his thoughts. He handed the cabbie some cash and followed Selena out of the vehicle. He couldn’t help but notice how Selena seemed so excited. She was practically bouncing on her feet, and her mouth was forming into a smile as they approached the entrance to the exhibit.
“What kind of exhibit is this, anyway?” he asked.
“They’re showcasing a bunch of stuff from the movies and the books,” she explained. “They’ve got some really cool stuff. Props and costumes from the film and a couple of things from the Tolkien Estate—stuff that’s never left England until now. The organizers received special permission to bring them to New York.”
They gave their tickets to the attendant by the gate and walked into the exhibit.
“Oh! Let’s start here!” Selena said excitedly, tugging his hand as she led him into one of the rooms.
Quinn watched Selena as she oohed and ahhed over the different displays in the various rooms. She was animated as she talked, not really letting Quinn get a word in edgewise, but he didn’t mind as she seemed so happy, just talking about the different costumes and props and various items from the movies and the author himself. And seeing her in good spirits lightened his mood, too. Even Wolf was curled up contentedly inside him.
When they got to the door of the last room, she stopped and turned to him. “Now, we come to the best part. The reason why this exhibit is sold out.” Her eyes sparkled as she drew the curtain aside and they stepped into the final exhibit.
It was dark inside, illuminated only by fairy lights placed all around the room. They seemed to be in a forest at night, surrounded by trees and shrubbery. Giant tree trunks rose around them, giving a feeling of being high up in the canopy of a forest. In the middle was an elaborately carved arch and a set of steps.
“It’s …”
“Lothlorien,” Quinn finished.
“How did you know?” she asked, her jaw dropping. “I thought you said you’ve never seen the movies?”
“I told you I read,” he said smugly. “I’ve read all the books a couple of times. I didn’t want to see the movies because I had this vision in my head and didn’t want to ruin it.” He looked around. “Hmmm … not bad.”
Selena snorted. “They recreated the entire set from the movie in here. I think it deserves more than a ‘not bad.'” She walked up the steps, her gaze transfixed on the delicately carved arches, examining the details.
Quinn thought it really was amazing, and aside from a few details here and there, it was close to what he had imagined all those years ago when he first read the book while huddled in one of Archie’s leather armchairs. However, even the amazing set couldn't stop him from glancing at Selena and he watched her face look up in wonder. The lights were illuminating her beautiful face with an unearthly glow. Her blue-gray eyes glittered and her pink lips parted, and he suddenly found himself right behind her, taking in her yummy butterscotch scent.
“Did you see the—oomph!” Selena turned around, not realizing how close he was, and bumped right into him. To prevent her from falling back, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to his chest.
“Hey now, klutz,” he said. “Watch where you’re going.”
“Me?” she asked in an incredulous voice. “What the hell are you doing, anyway, standing right behind me?”
“I was trying to get a better view.”
“There’s no one else here,” she pointed out. “Now will you please …” She tried to squirm out of his arms, but Quinn tightened his grip around her. “Just let go.”
Quinn wasn’t sure what possessed him, maybe it was Lothlorien or Wolf’s happy groans and sighs, but he leaned his head down and planted his mouth on hers. The touch of their lips sent a shock of electricity and something alien through his system. Selena let out a surprised squeak, but soon melted into his arms. Her soft curves pressed up against his body felt so right, but, at the same time, sent fear straight to his gut.
“Ahem.”
They quickly broke apart as a stern-faced older woman stood in front of them, her hand on her hip and her gaze steely. Behind her, a group of kids was staring at them, wide-eyed. Someone in the back giggled, and, soon, all the children followed suit, much to their teacher’s chagrin.
“Uh, sorry,” Quinn apologized quickly. He took Selena’s hand and dragged her out of the exhibit, into the main hallway.
“What the hell was that about?” she hissed, snatching her hand away.
“Yeah, who brings kids to a Lord of the Rings exhibit, anyway?”
“That’s not what I meant!” she replied, her voice lowering to a whisper as more people passed by them, the exhibit reaching its peak time. “You … we … you can’t just do that!”
The anger in her voice sent a pang of hurt to his chest, but he swallowed it down and did what he always did when he felt like this. He let out a laugh. “Do what, kitten?” he asked, flashing her lopsided smile.
“Kiss me, you idiot!”
“You mean, here?” he asked. “In front of all these people? I don’t know … you should probably take me out to dinner first.”
“You’re such an ass! I mean, you can’t kiss me like that!”
“Sheesh, lighten up, Selena,” he shot back. “It was just a kiss, no big deal.” Wolf, on the other hand, thought it was a very big deal and was urging him to do it again, but he told the thing to shut the hell up. “Besides, it’s not like you were fighting me off.”
“How could I when your steroid-jacked arms were keeping me from moving?”
“I’ll have you know that these guns,” he said, pointing to his arms, “are all natural. No ‘roids needed.”
She let out a sigh. “Never mind. It was a terrible kiss, anyway.”
“What?” he exclaimed. What the fuck was she saying? He was a good kisser, and he had a trail of happy women to prove it. He was about to protest when he saw the glint in her eyes. “You’re fucking with me!”
“Lighten up, Quinn, it was just a kiss, no big deal,” she laughed and then slapped him playfully in the arm. “Let’s just forget it, okay? We got caught up in the magic of Tolkien, that was it.”
“Yeah,” he said weakly. “That’s it.” He squared his shoulders. “This would never work between us anyway.”
“Of course not,” Selena said.
Her agreement came a little too quickly for his taste, but he pressed on. “I’m not looking for a relationship, you know. Too many complications, and women only want one thing.”
“And what is that?” she asked, her brows raised.
“You know, to trap us men into marriage, commitment, kids. The whole shebang.”
“Right. Because you’re such good husband material,” she said dryly. “Well, I don’t need a relationship either and certainly not one with you.”
“We’re in agreement then.” He stuck out his hand. “No relationship for us.”
She shook it. “Yeah, definitely not.”
“So, we should just stay friends.”
“Yes, we should.” She nodded, then frowned. “Wait, were we friends before?”
“We were … whatever we were. Now, even though you’re a nerd and you’re short, I think we can be friends.”
“And even though you’re a jackass, the fact that you read Tolkien has earned you a smidgen of respect in my book, so I guess we can be friends.”
“Good,” he agreed. “Now, let’s go get some dinner because I’m starving.”