Quinn
I tripped over a twelve-year-old.
I’m not proud of it, and I wish it wasn’t true, but it happened. I was trying to escape from my soulmate after he just went and assumed I was going to charge out of his sister’s house, and I tripped.
On a twelve-year-old.
Oh, my social media was going to blow up when I posted about that.
It would’ve just been an embarrassing situation had I not tweaked my back when I fell. But I did, and holy crap did it hurt.
As silly as it was, the fall mixed with the back pain had brought back memories that I didn’t want to remember. Memories of lying on the mat in that gym, unable to feel my toes. The cold and numb but somehow still-burning pain that radiated through my spine.
I’d shoved Cody away in the heat of the moment, not wanting him to see me cry or to watch me relive the scariest moment of my life.
But as I’d expected, I heard his feet pounding on the dirt before I heard his voice.
“Quinn!” Cody called out. “Just slow down a second.”
I wasn’t moving quickly, thanks to the pain in my lower back, so he caught up to me quickly.
His hand brushed my back and I elbowed him in the arm.
“Hey!” he protested, grabbing the elbow that I’d jabbed him with. “Easy.”
“I told you to back off.” I glared at him with all the fire I had in me. I’d always been fiery, but the look I gave him was hotter and more furious than I knew I could manage.
“And you knew that I wouldn’t.” he stepped closer, not releasing my elbow. “What happened?”
“That’s none of your business, okay? Just leave me alone.” My voice was low, and felt nearly animalistic. Even after spending so much time as a wolf, I still didn’t completely feel like I was half animal.
Despite my decision that I wanted to be with him, I was still way too prideful to let him in just like that. I’d gotten hurt, and though I was all in to the relationship, being vulnerable wasn’t a part of my personality.
“It is my business because you’re my business. Stop growling at me and just tell me what’s wrong.”
I tried to shake him off, to get rid of his hand, but his grip didn’t budge and my back was still hurting too badly to put more muscle into it.
“Just leave me alone.” I sighed and stopped fighting, taking a step away from him.
He walked around me and stopped in front of me, taking my face between his hands.
“Don’t you get it, Quinn? I am never going to leave you alone. You’re mine. Mine to love, mine to take care of, mine to protect. If you’re hurt, that’s on me.” He met my eyes with a look of unyielding determination. “So tell me what happened to you before I rip off your clothes to find whatever has you in so much pain.”
That man—wow. Had he been any less determined or sure of himself, he and I never would’ve worked out.
I felt like he shouldn’t have been able to care about me the way that he did, but I was grateful anyway. In an effort to show that gratitude, I forced myself to calm down and tried to let him in a little.
“I just fell.”
He took his hands off my face, and I reluctantly reached around to lift the back of my shirt. Or Emma’s or Hallie’s shirt, I guess, that they’d let me borrow. It was flowy and gray, and I thought it was adorable despite the way I’d only ever worn tight clothing.
“I broke my back a few years ago in a gymnastics competition. It healed completely but has never been the same, so when I fell today and landed wrong, it tweaked my back. Now it hurts like the devil, but there’s nothing wrong. I’m fine.”
I turned around and showed him my back, which was bruise and wound free. When his fingers touched my skin, I jumped a little, and then winced because the movement hurt.
“Where does it hurt?” he checked, moving his fingers up and then down, waiting for me to respond.
When he pressed the tender spot, I winced again.
“There.”
He stopped.
And then he bent over and pressed a soft kiss to the place that hurt.
It should’ve been weird, I knew it should’ve been weird, but instead it was so sweet it almost made me cry.
His hand slid to my hip, which was bare since I was holding up my shirt. When I shivered, he stepped closer and put his other hand on my other side so he was standing directly behind me, his front pressed against my back.
“Let’s stop pretending that you don’t have feelings for me, okay?” Cody’s voice tickled my skin before he pressed a kiss to my neck. “We both know that you don’t think I’m a marshmallow, and that you don’t have any questions about my manhood.” He kissed my neck again, a little lower.
My head tilted just a little to the side, giving him more room.
“We both know that you’re attracted to me,” he kissed me again, “that you want me,” and again, “That you feel the same way about me that I feel about you.”
His lips met my collarbone, and I barely managed to hold back a moan.
“They can hear us.” I whispered, using the same words he’d used against me.
“So what?” he smiled against my skin.
I was such a goner.
“So come on.” I stepped out of his grip and undressed quickly, shifting into my wolf form before Cody could protest.
I ignored the way the pain in my back increased as I shifted forms.
“Wait, if you—“
The pain was more intense as a wolf, but I ignored it and ran off before Cody could finish what he was saying.