Shit! She was going to cry. Fuck all! She was going to cry. Who the hell was this guy? Where did he come from?

Being proud of her accomplishments and her strengths was the armor she wore to get her through her days. She didn’t let herself think about the times that she had been sad or lonely. Those were just the trials to get you through to tomorrow. Tomorrow was always her goal, that’s when it would get easier. A steady paycheck and a roof over her head that was hers to do with as she wished. That was going to be worth everything she had worked so hard for.

Rain was tearing her heart out and offering to hold it all at the same time.

She felt her eyes start to well up, her breath catching as she tried to draw in a breath. Fuck, this was not good. It was the most amazing thing she had ever heard in her life. If it was bullshit, it would harden her against any kind soul she came across in the future. If it wasn’t bullshit, well, she wasn’t sure what that would do to her.

A lone tear slipped down her cheek as she stared at the man that so far, had managed to be a gentleman without being condescending.

She was trying to figure out what to say, when he set down his cup, leaned over and managed to scoop her into his arms and sit back into his chair with her in his lap.

Quinn was trying to react to the fact he’d grabbed her, although in a nice gentle way, and then deposited her into his lap like a child, like she weighed nothing in his strong arms.

She tried to push him away, get off his lap.

“Quinn, it’s okay. You don’t need me to hold you but let me. Take my strength even if it’s just for a little while.” He said this softly, his mouth close to her ear.

His arms tucked her close, pulling her legs up so her feet rested on the arm of the chair. He was warm and smelled amazing. She wanted to get up, wanted to find her own seat, but the tears she had been holding back for so many years started to fall.

Quinn pushed her face into his chest and quietly let the tears flow as her shoulders shook with the weight that was lifting off them.

His arms tightened around her and he made a soothing noise. It was something that her mother had never done. She wasn’t a particularly tactile person. There were hugs, but short hugs usually followed by a speech about how she had to be strong.

This wasn’t about a lesson, this was about comfort. She’d hugged friends, but this wasn’t a hug, it was being held. It was something she had never experienced. He was holding her, grounding her, it felt like he was keeping her from floating away.

“I’ve got you, Quinn. This doesn’t make you weak or incapable. This is about recharging to take on the day tomorrow. To fight through all you have to get to the other side. Everybody needs to store up some comfort, some love to be able to make it through each day. We’re humans but we’re still animals. We forget that we used to be like other animals. We lived in communities, packs that gave us everything we needed. There were the ones that hunted and kept us safe and those that fed us, and provided for our needs. And then there were the ones that nurtured us. Gave us the touch we needed. We think we are so evolved that we don’t need it anymore. But the truth is, the animals inside us are starving for our packs.”

Quinn didn’t want to admit it, but she felt more connected to Rain in this moment than she’d ever felt to anyone in her life. A man she’d met hours ago was giving her something she didn’t even know she needed. Gawd, did she need it. Her stomach was twisting the need was so great. Her heart was pounding; the air wasn’t getting into her lungs to fill the void her tears were leaving. Her head was fuzzy and all she could think about was how tired she was.

She never let herself think about that. Never uttered the words. Tired was about motivation. She got plenty of sleep, it wasn’t about that. But she never let herself stop, never took a moment that wasn’t scheduled and somewhere on her goal timeline. But in this moment… she stopped. It felt like the world stopped spinning, that gravity was no longer in play.

Rain Rochon was the only thing holding her down and she clung to his shirt.

“Can I tell you something? I miss this. I miss the long hugs. That contact with my family. Fin isn’t a big hugger, so I don’t get it daily like I used to. Thank you, this is making me feel better,” he said into her hair.

Quinn was getting control of herself. Her crying was now sniffling. She felt utterly exhausted.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered without looking at him.

“Why? Because you were nice enough to let me hold you? That you gave me something I needed? Nothing to be embarrassed about. You know crying is good for you physically. It reduces stress, eases muscle tension.”

Rain had started rubbing her back at some point and it felt so good, she felt her eyes getting droopy.

“In Japan, they have these clubs called rui-katsu. Basically tear-seeking. It’s a club for people to get together and cry it out. It’s very therapeutic. We could start one at school. I bet it would be full of homesick freshman,” he whispered.

Quinn gave a weak giggle. She should be embarrassed, no; horrified that she was sitting in this man’s lap. But she couldn’t, she felt so relaxed and sleepy. Muscles that felt like they had been tight for years were relaxing, and now she was as limp as a noodle.

“We don’t have to talk anymore if you’re sleepy. I’m quite happy sitting here holding you. Close your eyes. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

Strong fingers started massaging the back of her head, tangling in her hair. It was like a switch that turned Quinn off. She fell asleep in the arms of Rain Rochon in the middle of a kegger.

* * *

“Quinn, it’s time to wake up.”

Rain watched as she struggled to open her eyes. She’d been asleep for about forty-five minutes. During that time Fin had come out slightly inebriated and took in the picture of his brother sitting with a girl in his lap.

Fin had frowned but Rain pulled his finger to his lips to tell his brother to keep quiet. Fin didn’t say anything but still kept his eyes on the pair of them, his glance shifting between Quinn and himself. There was confusion and something else in Fin’s eyes. He was sure there was going to be a long conversation about it later.

But, Fin being Fin, and him not being a complete asshole, he found a woodpile and added a few logs to the pit that had died down.

Rain gave him a head nod and watched his brother walk away.

He didn’t blame Fin for the strange looks. Rain had never shown any girl any kind of attention, almost avoiding them as much as he could.

When he told his brother he had a date for the evening, at first Fin hadn’t believed him.

“I met her in class and we agreed to trade events. I’m going with her on Friday; she’s coming with me tonight. It might be fun to have some non-school time with someone other than you.”

Fin tried to call bullshit on him, but Rain stuck to his guns. He was keeping Quinn and who she was to himself for a while. Cash was right, he didn’t need outside distractions. He had some cousins that had found their mates and done a piss poor job in the courting of their partners. It was becoming a family joke that Rochon men clowned their way into their mate’s hearts. Red nose and floppy shoes included.

Rainier wasn’t going to do that. His mate needed support, not a shock. If that meant keeping her a secret for the time being, then that was what he was going to do.

He’d been in the happiest moment of his life, sitting in front of the fire. His mate was in his arms. He finally got to breathe her in as much as he wanted. He could let her sweet chocolate scent play over his tongue.

His bear was rumbling with joy in his head. Her body was relaxed against him. She had rounded hips and her ass was soft in his lap. He had to spend a considerable amount of effort to keep his dick from getting hard. Her waking up to him poking her was not going to help his cause.

It wasn’t that sex wasn’t on his mind. It was just currently overshadowed by the feeling of connection he had to having her in his arms. This wasn’t a sexual moment, this was about trust. Whether or not she knew that, it didn’t change the fact that she had fallen asleep in his arms. She had even felt safe enough to cry in front of him.

Rain felt like he’d made such huge strides in such a short amount of time, he couldn’t ruin it rushing anything physical.

Now, after their quiet interlude, the party was starting to move outside. He needed to wake her up before it got too crowded and she felt embarrassed about sleeping on him.

“Quinn, honey, we need to move.”

He felt her stir and watched her eyelids flutter. He wondered what her hair color was naturally. He loved the black and pink, it suited her. Soft and vibrant at the same time.

“Hmm?” she mumbled.

That made him smile. She was comfortable and he hated waking her.

“Open those pretty eyes for me. We need to move and I’m happy to carry you if you want. Though people might think you are passed out if I do.”

“Passed out?” Her eyes blinked open and she looked up at him in confusion, then recognition. The green of her eyes warm with sleep.

“Oh my gawd! Did I fall asleep on you?” she gasped.

Rain looked into those beautiful eyes framed in long lashes and then glanced down to her soft pink mouth.

Staring at her mouth he said, “Yes, you did. It was the most relaxing almost hour I’ve had in months. Thank you.”

He watched a blush steal over her cheeks. “I’ve never done that. Seriously, I’m not a cat-napper, never have been. This is so weird.”

“You had a time out, it’s good for you. I enjoyed it and you seem relaxed. Nothing to be weird about. But, unless you are up for a game of Jaeger shot cornhole, I think we better find another location.”

“Leave it to frat boys to figure out how to drink while throwing bags in a hole.”

“Hah, they don’t need a game to drink. That’s a sport to them anyway.”

He helped her sit up and she tried to shimmy off his lap. Rain held her hand as she stood to make sure she had her balance.

“Let’s see if there is a quiet corner inside. I saw a bag of unopened chips that might still be there. Or, if you’re done with this happening party, we could find Fin and his date. I could go for a real meal right about now.”

“Sure, I don’t plan on doing any keg stands tonight.” She was glancing away from him as she spoke, pretending to take in the crowd forming out on the lawn.

He could see her trying to pretend that their naptime hadn’t happened. She could try that, but it was still a reality that Rain had every intention of building on. His chance of getting a good night kiss was improving.