Chapter 18

“This is an absolutely terrible idea,” Quinn told her, staring wide-eyed at the sign on the front of the building reading SIP & STROKE. “Isn’t this illegal? Plus, you’re my girlfriend…this doesn’t bother you?”

Kiera furrowed her brows and turned to stare at him, pausing as they crossed the parking lot after parking her car. “What? What are you talking about? Why would it bother me?”

“A happy ending from a hooker.” Quinn pointed at the sign again. “It’s not my style, Keeks. I’m sorry, it’s just…no.”

Kiera tilted her head back, letting out a long laugh as she realized his confusion. Belly laughs consumed her and she clutched her sides at the very idea that Sip & Stroke could be anything but a painting studio where you simultaneously drink wine.

“What?” His cheeks were reddening by the second. “It’s not that funny.”

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Q,” she teased, still trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. “It’s an art studio. Stroke, like paint strokes?”

The light came on behind his dark eyes. “Oh, that makes more sense.”

“You think?” Kiera wrapped her arm around his free hand, leading him toward the entrance. She didn’t move too fast, since he was still using a cane, but his progress was remarkable. He was healing quickly, gaining strength and endurance, and would be back to some version of himself soon. What that version would be, however, was still a point of contention between them, which was exactly why she hoped having an art-themed date would open up his creative side.

“At least we’re a bit of a distance from Woodlawn so no one I know will see me here,” he mumbled as they stepped up onto the sidewalk, and she reached for the front door. “Isn’t this something girls do together?”

“Anyone can do it,” Kiera assured him, pulling the door open for the both of them since his hands were occupied.

The smell of paint hit her nose immediately, and she wrinkled it in displeasure. Turning to mention the strong odor to Quinn, she paused. He looked completely different—his face relaxed, his chest expanding as he breathed in the familiar scent, with a smile on his face that almost looked dreamy. Deciding not to complain, she just wrapped her arm tighter around his and kissed his shoulder.

“This place doesn’t look half bad,” Quinn admitted after a moment, walking them toward the first table where they both sat on stools beside each other.

Large, blank canvases sat in front of them at an angle, a tray of brushes and colors before them, empty wineglasses to the side. Kiera noticed a young woman walking around filling up everyone’s glasses and chatting, as well as a painted canvas at the front of the room, a nighttime landscape with twinkling stars and a bright moon over a dazzling lake. She’d been to something like this only once before when she was younger and they’d painted a cartoon giraffe, which she’d still managed to make look like a really ugly dog. Plus, she hadn’t been old enough for wine at the time, which was the real tragedy from that day.

“Is that what we’re painting?” Quinn pointed at the landscape she’d been eyeing.

She cringed. “I hope not, because I could not pull that off.”

“The instructor will be showing the class each step carefully,” the young woman with wine said, apparently overhearing her as she appeared by her side. “Believe me, everyone can do it! You guys will be great!” She lingered a bit long pouring Quinn’s glass, looking up at him between her lashes and nearly overpouring the glass. “Oops, sorry about that.” She blushed and scurried away.

“Wow.” Kiera raised one brow at Quinn. “Women just throw themselves at you, huh?”

Grinning, he picked up a dry brush and swiped it down her nose. “What woman? I didn’t even notice.”

The twinkle in his eyes said he was lying, but she let it slide, giggling from the tickle of his brush. Grabbing her own, she dabbed the edge of her brush in water and slicked the cool liquid across his nose.

“Hey!” he warned, also laughing. “Don’t get us kicked out of class before it even starts, Keeks. I’m having flashbacks to grade school all over again.”

“We were never in the same class. You’re three years older than me.”

Quinn shrugged, taking a sip from his glass. “Maybe, but how many times did I catch you trying to play hooky and have to drag you back to class?”

“Narc,” she teased, trying her wine, as well. It was spicy, tingling over her tongue as it slid down her throat. The rich berries and flavors made her instantly warm as she took a longer sip this time. “You could have just cut school with me.”

He was quiet for a moment, a small smile on his lips when she looked sideways at him. “We did one time,” he said, nearly whispering now. “Remember?”

Kiera thought for a moment, then it hit her. “Panic! At The Disco. They were playing on the morning show and I wanted to get their autograph outside the studio doors.”

“And it was thirty degrees, and your eyeliner was thicker than your eyebrows.”

“Hey, that was cool back then,” Kiera reminded him.

Quinn laughed. “That was never cool, Keeks.”

“Well, you didn’t have to come if I was soooo uncool,” she teased, running her palm against the blank canvas as if plotting out her piece.

Quinn didn’t respond, so she turned to look at him. His eyes were smoldering, darker than usual, and fixed on her in a way that made her body heat. Parting his lips, his tongue slid across then retreated into his mouth.

“Of course I had to go, Keeks.” His voice was low and gravelly, making her shiver. “If you were there, I needed to be next to you. I still do. I always will.”

Kiera’s lungs emptied, and she clutched the edge of the table so as not to fall off her stool. The way he spoke, the sincerity in his tone, the meaning in his promises…he took her breath away.

“Welcome to Sip & Stroke!” the instructor shouted from the front of the room, her entire body bouncing with excitement and pep, a way-too-wide grin on her face. Kiera instantly felt comfortable with her, and was glad for the distraction from her conversation with Quinn. “I’m your instructor, Ma— Oh. My. Gosh. Is that you, Quinn Kavanagh?”

The instructor pointed in their direction and Quinn’s face lit up. “Guilty. Hey, Mandy.”

“I’m going to catch up with you in a minute,” she promised, then went on to introduce herself to the class and discuss the evening’s plan.

“That’s Trudy’s wife,” Quinn whispered, leaning into her, his lips inches from her ear. “From the ‘dingy’ tattoo parlor?”

Kiera’s lips twitched at his silly jab at her earlier remark. “I remember. So much for no one knowing you here.”

He shrugged. “If it had to be anyone, I’m glad it’s her. They’ve been a vault for all my secrets.”

“Sure, but is painting a fun canvas really one for the vault?” Kiera asked, still unsure why he was so hesitant to express his creative side. “It’s just a fun date night.”

“You’re right. Let’s just have fun,” Quinn agreed, following the first of Mandy’s instructions and painting the top half of his canvas black.

Kiera did the same, but her strokes seemed more labored than his. His hands naturally glided across the piece like he already knew where he was going, whereas she was judging every move. They continued painting along with the rest of the class, but Kiera found herself spending more time watching Quinn than working on her own. He was beautiful when he painted, not just handsome and chiseled physically, but calm and peaceful. There was an ease to him she rarely saw in his usual tightly wound attitude.

With every stroke, she was more and more determined to get him into that art gallery exhibit. He not only deserved it based on talent alone, but he needed it. She could see he needed it, even if he didn’t, and she wanted to give it to him.

“What are you doing?” Quinn glanced sideways at her.

“Watching you.”

His cheeks reddened, his paintbrush smoothing a white moon on the horizon in his landscape. “You’ve barely even finished your water yet, Keeks.”

She glanced back at her own, a few haphazard waves under a dark night sky. Rubbing her finger through the black paint, she made a white circle. Kiera turned to Quinn, holding up her blackened finger and waggling it back and forth.

“Don’t you dare,” he warned, holding a paintbrush up between them like a shield. “Kiera…”

She wasn’t listening, her plan already in motion. With two quick swipes, she ran her finger across his upper lip. He jolted his head back, but it was too late.

“Did you just give me a mustache?” he bellowed, laughing and flicking his brush at her, spraying white paint across her chest.

She grabbed for her brush, spraying him with blue paint across his arm. “Maybe!”

“Well, I never thought I’d see the day.” Mandy sidled up to them, leaning on one hand on the table and surveying the damage. Her bright blue hair matched the paint Kiera had sprayed on Quinn’s arm. “Quinn Kavanagh. On a date. With wine. And a paint mustache.”

Quinn rubbed at his mouth, but it only made it worse. “One of my finer moments,” he teased. “This is Kiera. Kiera, this is Trudy’s wife, Mandy.”

“Nice to meet you.” Kiera stuck out a paint-covered hand and Mandy shook it without hesitation. “I’ve heard lovely things, and Trudy is a doll.”

“She is the light of my life,” Mandy said, almost in a singsong voice. “Good to meet you, too. Actually, great to meet anyone who can make him smile like that.” She nodded at Quinn. “Bathroom’s in the back if you want to clean up in front of a mirror.”

“Probably a good idea.” He stood and excused himself, but left a paint-covered kiss on Kiera’s hand first.

Kiera turned back to her painting, angling her brush the way Mandy had instructed and swiping it over the canvas.

Mandy stayed a step behind her, watching her, nodding her approval. “Is this your first time? You’re doing pretty good.”

Kiera nodded. “Thanks. It is.” She dipped her brush in the water next to her, trying to think of something to say. Small talk had never really been her strong suit—she went from medical jargon to nervous ramblings, leaving little middle ground in between. “So, how long have you and Quinn known each other?”

“A couple of years. He’s known Trudy longer—she’s done all his ink—and when I met her, I eventually met him, too.” Mandy leaned her elbows on the table, softening slightly. “He’s a good friend to her, to me, and to our daughter. A wonderful guy.”

Kiera’s heart warmed at the idea of Quinn with a child. She’d seen him with his nephew and it almost made her heart burst. “He’s one of the best.”

“So, don’t break his heart, okay?” Mandy’s casual tone suddenly intensified. “Quinn’s been through a lot in his life. He’s always felt a little lost, a little left out. Be good to his soul.”

Kiera surveyed the blue-haired beauty, looking for any signs of hostility, but there were none. She just truly cared about Quinn, and as his friend, she wanted the best for him. Being that Kiera had started off as Quinn’s friend, she understood the impulse and she was so happy to see he’d still had people like that in his life even after she’d left.

“I wasn’t before, but I will be now,” Kiera promised. “He’s everything to me. He always has been. It just took me a while to see it.”

“I love that.” Mandy smiled, then invited her and Quinn to dinner anytime they wanted to double-date.

Kiera spilled the beans about Quinn’s upcoming audition since Mandy knew about his artistic side, and Mandy made her promise to tell if he got the spot. By the time Quinn returned from the bathroom—sans mustache—the two women were giggling and fast friends.

“I feel like I missed something.” Quinn dropped down onto his stool, perching his cane against the table.

Kiera leaned over and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “You didn’t miss anything.”

“That’s our story and we’re sticking to it,” Mandy added, laughing as she headed back to the front of the room to continue her instructions.

“Thanks for bringing me here, Kiera,” Quinn said, intertwining his fingers with hers and kissing her knuckles. “I like everything about it.”

“That’s the wine talking,” she teased.

He shook his head. “It’s not. I like who I am when I’m with you, Keeks. I like who you push me to be. Don’t stop, promise?”

Kiera’s heart felt as if it was bursting in her chest, and she swallowed hard to keep from throwing her arms around him and kissing him senseless in front of the entire class. “Promise.”