She found an extra sweater and socks in her smaller suitcase and piled on the extra layers, unable to find the thermostat yet. Sitting cross-legged in front of the window, she watched the city move beneath her. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and when she extracted it, she saw it was a text from her mother inquiring on how she was settling in. She sent her back a quick message, assuring her everything was fine, then began searching online for a good delivery place for dinner.
Her stomach growled at the reminder. Settling on pizza, she called in her order and even convinced them to bring her plates and napkins, since she had none. With nothing else to distract her, she watched the city lights and thought about her new life here.
She couldn’t shake the sadness. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was making a mistake—she shouldn’t be here. She’d dreamed of this fellowship for years, and now she was two days away from starting, but it felt…wrong.
Fifteen minutes later, the doorbell rang. Kiera quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks as she fumbled around in the dark for her wallet to pay the pizza delivery guy.
“Hi, sorry, what’s the total?” she asked him, pulling the front door open at the same time as she counted out a few bills of cash.
“Keeks.”
Kiera’s head snapped up at the familiar nickname. Dark eyes, jet-black hair, and sleeves of tattoos she’d memorized and traced every inch of stared back at her. He’s here?
“Quinn,” she breathed, one long exhale as relief flooded her instantaneously. “What are you doing here?”
His lips twitched into a smile, his eyes roaming her body before meeting her eyes again. “God, I’ve missed looking at you, Kiera.”
That was all he needed to say for her heart to leap from her chest as she threw herself forward, barreling into him and wrapping her arms around his neck. Her mouth found his eagerly, and though he seemed surprised at first, he kissed her back with as much passion. They stumbled out into the hallway, his arms around her back steadying them.
The apartment door slammed shut behind them, echoing throughout the hallway.
“Oh, shoot!” Kiera pulled away just enough to look back at the door. “I don’t have my keys.” She tried the handle, and sure enough, the door was locked. “Great.”
Quinn laughed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a small set of keys. “Here. Let me.”
“It’s not a universal lock, Quinn,” she assured him. Seconds later, his key slid right in, and the door swung back open. “What! How?”
“Come inside and I’ll tell you.” He winked, taking her hand and pulling her inside.
The feeling of his fingers wrapped around hers…she forgot everything for a moment, following him blindly back inside, the door closing behind them. He stood in front of her, lifting his hands to her cheeks, and when he kissed her again it was slow and sensual, and filled with just as much heat as their fervor-filled kiss in the hall.
She moaned against his lips, his tongue slipping between hers as her knees began to tremble. Sagging into his chest, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand for another second.
Quinn must have realized that, because in one quick move, he’d lifted her against his chest and wrapped her legs around his waist. Carrying her to the kitchen only a few steps away from the front door, he sat her on the edge of the bare marble counter. Kiera was unable to think of anything but his skin pressed against hers, the taste of him on her lips, or the way he held her to him with such command.
When the doorbell rang again, she barely heard it.
“Keeks.” He pulled away slightly, and she leaned forward to stay as close to him as possible.
She had no idea what he was doing here, and part of her was frightened to find out. Right here, right now—all she knew was she was happier than she’d been in weeks. A sense of completeness filled her, and she couldn’t think of what it would be like when he left again, or if this was just another goodbye.
“Kiera,” Quinn addressed her a second time.
“What?” she breathed.
The doorbell rang again.
“Oh! Pizza!” She bounced off the counter and fumbled around for where she’d dropped her wallet by the front door. “Damn it, it’s so dark in here, I can’t see a thing!”
Quinn chuckled and clicked on the flashlight on his phone so they could see. “Is the electricity off?”
“Nope, just no lightbulbs.” With some light, she found the cash and swung open the front door. Trading the cash for the pizza, she thanked the delivery guy. “I only got a small, so I hope you’re not too famished.”
“I could eat,” Quinn replied, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I wouldn’t mind some pizza, too.”
Kiera’s eyes flashed to him, a mischievous grin sprouting at his implication. “Don’t distract me right now. I have questions. And pizza.”
“Pizza first,” he said, taking the box from her and opening it up on the counter. His cellphone was facedown on the counter next to it, the flashlight still shining brightly into the air.
He handed her a slice of cheese pizza and she bit the tip, chewing slowly as she savored it. He took a piece for himself, downing half of it in less than three bites. After a few more bites, she placed her piece down on top of the cardboard box it had come in.
“Are you here for a visit?” she asked, keeping her eyes on her hands. She fidgeted with the edge of her thumbnail, worried that if she looked in his eyes, she’d be disappointed with his answer. “Or…to stay?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, swallowing the last of his pizza and wiping his mouth with a napkin. “Which do you want to be the answer, Kiera?”
She slid her tongue across her lower lip, debating her response. She couldn’t even believe she was asking him if he was moving to Seattle to be with her. It seemed absurd—his family, his job, his life—he couldn’t move here. But as crazy as it sounded, the moment she realized there was the tiniest possibility…that he was here…well, she knew immediately which answer she wanted.
“Stay,” she breathed, unabashedly matching his gaze now. “I want you to stay.”
Quinn exhaled in one long rush, like he’d been holding it in forever. “Thank fucking goodness, because everything I own is already in a truck on its way here. And I bought this condo already.”
Kiera’s mouth fell open as she digested his news. “Wait…what?” She looked around the dark but luxurious home and suddenly she realized that it hadn’t been a realtor’s mistake at all. Quinn had set this up on purpose, and that was why he had a key. “This is…this is your condo?”
“Actually, I hope it will be ours,” he clarified, taking her hand and pulling her against his chest. “I know it doesn’t look like much now with no furniture—or lightbulbs—but, we could live here together. Your fellowship program is only a few blocks away and my new studio is right around the corner—”
“You have a new studio?” she interrupted, twisting her fingers in the front of his shirt as she pressed her body against his. “In Seattle?”
“Yep. The art gallery owner in Manhattan introduced me to an artist here, an older man who’s been working with metals since before I was born. I’ll be working with him, learning from him, and I get to use part of his studio for now, as well. Eventually I’ll expand, get my own studio, but I’m excited to start from the basics and learn as much as I can.”
“Wow, Quinn…that’s amazing.” Kiera felt tears prickling the corners of her eyes, threatening to make their appearance. “I don’t even know what to say.”
Quinn ran his fingertips down the side of her face, dipping under her chin and lifting slightly until she was looking at him. One tear slid down her cheek, and then another. “Say you’ll forgive me for walking away. Say you’ll give me another chance to prove I’m not afraid anymore. Let me fight for you and show you that this is real for me…that you are it for me.”
Kiera’s stomach fluttered, and her heart pounded against her rib cage as she saw the sincerity in
his words, the meaning in his eyes. This was real. This was what she thought they had all along.
Her mother had been right—she could have her dream career and her dream man. She could have her happy, and it all started with Quinn. She was in love, and maybe she always had been. “Quinn, I’ve been yours since the first day we met over two decades ago. I never should have walked away. You don’t have to fight for me—you already have me. You always will.”
His lips tilted upward into a smile; his shoulders sagged slightly—maybe in relief—as he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her lips pressed to his, they kissed deeply, slowly, longingly. Kiera’s body felt ready to explode—from both the sensuality of the moment and the overwhelming emotion bursting at the seams of her heart.
A growl left his throat as his mouth moved across her jaw and down her neck, nibbling and kissing her skin, sending shock waves throughout her. He paused for a moment, fingering the necklace she wore. “You’re wearing my heart.”
Kiera leaned back slightly, lifting the half black glass, half empty metal heart that hung from the chain. “I love it, Quinn. I wish I’d been smart enough to accept it all those years ago— maybe then it wouldn’t have been half empty for all this time.”
“Keeks, it was never empty,” he told her, a small smile on his lips as he looked at the heart he’d given her. “It was just waiting to be filled. Waiting for its other half. I’ve been waiting for you, but I’m done waiting, Kiera.”
“Finally!” Kiera said with a laugh, loving the real meaning behind the necklace.
Quinn chuckled, shaking his head. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” he teased.
She shrugged one shoulder, nonchalant as she pretended to take his apology seriously. “That’s okay. I forgive you…this time. And I love you.”
The words had barely left her lips when Quinn dipped down, one arm scooping under her knees as he lifted her into the air and cradled her against his chest.
Kiera shrieked and clutched his neck. “Quinn! Don’t drop me!”
“Not until we get to the bed,” he replied. “Then all bets are off.”
Kiera snorted, holding tighter to him. “We don’t even have lightbulbs yet, so I don’t know where you think I’m hiding a bed.”
“We’ll make it work.” Holding her in his arms, he headed toward the empty living room where she’d made the makeshift bed of blankets earlier.
“Wait!” Kiera reached one arm out for the kitchen counter. “Let’s bring the pizza.”
“For fuck’s sake, Keeks. Are you serious?” Quinn laughed, but stepped close enough to let her grab the box.
“I’ve never joked about pizza before, and I don’t plan to start now.” Kiera wiggled against him for fun as she held the box of pizza up in the air.
“You’re so lucky I love you in a forever kind of way,” he said, stealing her own words as he carried her over to the living room.
“I really am.” Kiera smiled and placed a kiss on his cheek. “And you’re about to be even luckier.”
He growled, his eyes darkening. “I’m serious, Kiera. I’m going to marry you one day.”
“We’ll see,” she teased, knowing full well she’d never go another day without this man in her life.
Pizza. Sex. Maybe fiancé. A modern-day fairytale.
Epilogue
SIX MONTHS LATER
Quinn tucked his chin into Kiera’s neck, gently kissing her jaw and cheek and letting her hair fall over his face. Cuddled against each other in bed, his chest to her back, he had one arm wrapped around her. “Wake up, Keeks,” he said softly.
She groaned, pushing against him as she rolled over. “It’s too early.”
Quinn grinned, looking down at her as he propped his head on one hand, his elbow against the mattress. “It’s almost ten.”
“Saturdays are for sleeping,” she countered, keeping her eyes shut and pulling the blankets up higher over the two of them.
“You’re a doctor,” Quinn reminded her with a laugh. “This is your first Saturday off in like…weeks.”
“Even more reason why you should let me sleep!”
Quinn slid his hand down her stomach and over the top of her pajama bottoms, dipping between her legs for one quick moment before he pulled away. “Fine, I’ll let you sleep.”
Kiera grabbed his arm to hold him to her. “Well, I mean, I don’t have to sleep right now.”
Grinning, Quinn let his hand drop back between her legs, this time sliding beneath the fabric of her clothes. His lips pressed to hers, and she gasped against his mouth when his fingers slid between her folds.
Moaning, Kiera wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer, lifting her hips in rhythm to each press of fingers inside her. His tongue danced with hers, soft noises that made his body respond. When she began to shake and shiver beneath him, he pressed harder and moved his fingers faster until she came apart against his hand.
Her breath was still fast, her chest still heaving as she recovered when, moments later, Quinn gripped the hem of her pants and slid them down her legs. Reaching into the nightstand, he grabbed protection and disrobed, rolling it on before climbing between her legs.
His injuries were entirely healed, except for a few lifelong aches and pains. His strength was almost back to normal, and being on his knees between his woman’s legs was no longer a problem. She’d healed him in many ways, and he’d healed himself just the same.
“Quinn,” she said, curling her arms around his neck and kissing him softly on the lips as he pushed against her entrance. “I love you.”
He smiled, one hand on the back of her neck as he held her to him. “I love you, Keeks.”
“Let’s do it for real then,” she said, as he pressed his length inside her. Kiera moaned, arching her back off the bed as he filled her completely.
“Do what?” he said, barely concentrating on her words because the feeling of being inside her was incredible—something he’d never get enough of. He loved Kiera with every part of himself, and when they were together he felt a sort of bliss he’d never thought possible. Her body wrapped around his…it was all he could do not to beg her to stay in bed with him all day, every day.
“Marry me,” she breathed, just as he slid out and plunged right back in.
Quinn froze, still buried inside her. Did she just propose? “What?”
Kiera was all smiles, a light dancing in her eyes that told him she was completely serious. “We’ve talked about it before, and I know I said I wanted to wait until school is done—and I still don’t want kids until then—but a small wedding? I could do that.”
“Keeks, I love you, but the timing.” He looked down between their bodies, his length still inside her. “It’s a little weird.”
“So? You’re always telling me I’m weird,” she replied, wiggling her hips and eliciting a groan from him at the feeling. “Are you changing your mind or something?”
Quinn chuckled, leaning to the side to reach into the nightstand again. He fumbled around until he found the small box he was looking for and pulled it out. “I’m definitely not changing my mind, but damn it, woman. I was going to do a whole romantic proposal.”
Kiera laughed and clapped her hands together. “Tell me that is not a ring.”
He shrugged and separated their bodies, getting up on one knee on the bed. She sat up, grinning like mad as he opened the box and showed her the diamond engagement ring inside. “I bought this for you when I was still in New York. Just been waiting for you to finish school like you wanted. But if you’re still asking, my answer is yes, Kiera Finley, I’ll marry you.”
She smiled as he slid the ring on her finger. Glancing down at it, her eyes bulged and she pulled her hand closer to her face to examine it. “Holy shit, this is a serious ring, Quinn.”
“You’re a serious girl,” he said with a laugh.
Kiera laughed, then her eyes trailed down his torso. “Is it hard to be on one knee with an erection?”
“Jesus Christ
, Keeks,” Quinn said, growling as he pushed her back down to the mattress, his body over hers. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you.”
“You’re going to marry me,” she replied, grazing her lips against his in slow motion.
“Fuck, yes, I am.” He pushed back inside her, then captured her mouth with his.
She moaned, trembling against him and lifting her hips to meet his. Their kiss deepened with each thrust, taking more, giving more, wanting more. Moving in rhythm together, he gave her every part of himself, and she returned the favor.
Minutes later, she was clenching around him, deliciously quivering with the intensity of her climax, calling out his name. It sent a thrill through him, and soon he was doing the same. Spent and satiated, he collapsed against the bed, taking care not to crush her.
Her chest still heaving with the aftershocks, Kiera curled into his side and threw an arm over his chest. “I love you, Q.”
Quinn smoothed the hair off her face, cuddling her to him. “I love you, Keeks.”
“We should call your mom and tell her we’re engaged,” Kiera mused a little later as he was standing and pulling on a pair of jeans.
“What about your mom?” he asked, watching her get up from the bed, still naked. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her most days, but when she walked around naked, he was glued to her.
“My mom’s a bit more laid back. I think she’d be fine with knowing second,” Kiera said, sliding a sweatshirt on over her bare skin. “Your mom, however, will be pissed if she doesn’t know immediately.”
Quinn laughed. “You have a point. Let’s video-chat her so she can see the ring.”
“Perfect.” Kiera finished getting dressed, and he pulled on a shirt to go with the jeans. They sat on the edge of the bed, Quinn’s phone out in front of them, and dialed Dee for a video call.