He saw Dorothy was laughing at him.
"I'm going to head to bed," Kaley said, coming back into the room. She stretched out, thrusting her tits into the air.
Torture, pure torture.
"Night."
His patience wasn't going to last long if she behaved like that.
For the rest of the week, Kaley was surprised by how much fun she had with Quinn. Dorothy always had a good excuse to be out of the apartment. They spent a great deal of time cooking or watching movies. When she'd brought him the ingredients to make a stir-fry, a dish she'd never tried before, Quinn took the lead, creating a delicious meal that was fit for a restaurant. The movies varied from romance to horror. Her favorite were action movies with lots of guns. She noticed many of the romance and horror movies had a lot of sex. The moment the lights went down and the clothes came off, she got more nervous as she became more aware of Quinn.
He never moved, and she always wondered what he was thinking about.
She looked down at the books on the trolley that had been returned that day at the library. Martha was training someone new back at the front counter. Kaley liked working at the library. It was usually quiet. They rarely had rowdy children or problems.
Walking through the history section, she placed the books about the Second World War onto a shelf. She tucked some hair behind her ear as she looked down to see what was next on her trolley.
"So this is where you work," Quinn said.
Kaley looked up to find him leaning against the door toward the main reception. He was looking at her while she stared down.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"You work here."
His gaze wandered down her body. She wore a pair of jeans and a pink shirt. Martha didn't demand formal attire. Her boss preferred her staff to be comfortable in whatever clothes they desired. Jeans always made her feel comfortable, no matter the time of year.
"It's lunchtime. Dorothy's working. I was bored and wanted to come and see you."
It would be the only explanation she got.
"Also, Martha said it was time for a real man to be calling for you."
"You spoke to Martha?"
"She let me know where to find you." He didn't move from his space by the door. "I like her."
"You want to have lunch?"
"Yep. When was the last time you ate?"
"Breakfast."
"Good. I'll wait for you while you do this trolley, and then we'll head out. My treat."
He stood watching her as she made her way around the library putting all the books back in their proper places. When she got back to the reception desk, Martha was smiling at her.
"He's a handsome man, Kaley. Where have you been keeping him locked up?"
"I've not. He's Dorothy's brother."
"I'm telling you, that man wants more." Martha was staring over Kaley's shoulder.
She looked behind her to see Quinn still gazing back at her, not moving.
"He hasn't taken his eyes off you since he walked in. You're the only one he's interested in."
"Quinn's not interested in me like that." He was too good-looking to go for someone like her.
"Whatever you say, honey. He's interested."
She picked up her purse, trying to ignore Martha's words. "I'll be back in an hour."
A customer came in, stopping Martha from saying anything more.
"I saw a great burger place outside of the park." Quinn held the door open for her. She walked beside him, folding her arms underneath her breasts.
She refused to believe Martha's words. There was no way Quinn wanted her. He could have any woman, probably had already had any woman.
"Are you dating anyone?" she asked, blurting the question out.
"No."
"Why not? You've been working a hell of a lot. Surely you're looking for female company."
Her gut tightened at the thought of another woman getting close to him. She didn't want him to find any pleasure in another woman. The only person she wanted him to get to know was her.
Whoa, hold on. You don't want to get close to him.
She was confused by her own thoughts. None of them were making sense.
"I've got all the company I need."
"I'm Dorothy's best friend."
"I know."
Biting her lip, she looked at him to see he was staring straight ahead. Before she could ask further questions, they entered the park where the burger place was. They stood in a long line, waiting for their food. Quinn ordered for both of them. She was shocked that he knew exactly what she liked. The more she thought about it, the more she became aware of his attention.
At night, Quinn moved closer to her on the sofa so she didn't have a choice but to hug against him when the movies scared her. He kept them supplied in ice cream, cooked her favorite meals. When she woke up in the morning, he was the first person she saw.
No, she couldn't believe what Martha was trying to say. There was no way he was looking at her with anything other than friendship.
They took a seat at one of the smaller tables away from the crowd. Quinn placed her burger and fries in front of her. Taking a fry, she took a bite, moaning at the salty taste.
"Delicious."
"I'm not going to lie to you, Kaley. I've got all the company I need."
She picked up her burger, taking a large bite. "You're hanging out with your sister and her friend. Aren't we cramping your style?"
"No."
Kaley wanted to ask more, but she was afraid to find out the answer. His gaze was on her intently.
"When you open your eyes, you'll see exactly why I'm here."
She dropped her glasses down to cover her eyes. Most of the time she didn't need them, but they helped her to think clearly when they were on.
"Eat your burger," he said. She would have argued, but he pointed at his watch. Kaley saw they'd been waiting a good twenty minutes to be served. She'd talk to Dorothy.
There was no way Quinn had come for her. He'd never shown any interest in her before. What could have changed?
Chapter Four
Quinn entered the empty apartment after dropping Kaley back at the library. He'd be there to pick her up in the afternoon. The last week he'd not made any headway in getting to know her. She kept him at arm's length, apart from when she was too afraid of the movies they were watching. Dorothy wasn't helping either. His sister was using every opportunity to be out of the house.
Without thinking about what he was doing, he entered Kaley's bedroom, closing the door behind him. He opened her laptop, waiting for it to load. When it asked for a password he sat back, thinking about her. He tried typing in her birthday, Dorothy's birthday, password, their names, but then he wrote his name and birthday. The computer opened up to him.
He was thrilled that she used his name and birthday to lock her computer. Quinn saw three files open. Opening the first document, he saw it was labeled "Story One". Frowning, he scrolled to the top of the fifty-page document and began reading.
This computer was the access to the woman he wanted. He hated doing this, and had promised himself he wouldn't, but he needed a clue to Kaley's wants and desires. The story was about a shy, quiet woman-like Kaley. She was alone in the world and looking for that one man to awaken her. Quinn read through the story, seeing the signs that Kaley was begging for. She didn't need to wait for him to make his intentions known. Kaley needed a man who took charge. He'd been playing this all wrong.
When he read the next three stories, he closed the computer, making sure she wouldn't know he'd invaded her privacy. He wanted Kaley to trust him even though he'd invaded her room.
Opening her notebook, he saw more notes scrawled across the lines. Kaley hid from the world as her own desires scared her.
Leaving the bedroom, he paused as Dorothy walked out of the kitchen. "I told you to stop going into her bedroom."
"I needed to."
"She texted me to ask about you and why you're here."
"Shouldn't she have asked that already?" He took a seat at the table as Dorothy handed him a cup of coffee.
"You'd think so. Kaley isn't much of a talker. She won't question why you're here until you make her aware there's something she's missing." Dorothy took a sip of her coffee. "Do you know why you're here?"
"You know why I'm here, and I'm not backing down. I need you to leave for a few weeks."
"You're kicking me out of my own apartment?"
"Kaley's going to be mine. The only way to make her mine is to get rid of you. You're like an added layer of protection she can hide behind. I don't want her hiding or running to you."
"She'll be pissed at me, Quinn. Can't you think of something else?"
He sat back, running a finger over his lip. "No. You've got to go. Make an excuse."
"Well, Scott turned out to be gay. I could use being heartbroken as an excuse." Dorothy drank her coffee, frowning. "I hope you know what you're doing. If Kaley starts to hate me, I won't speak to you ever again."