Fireworks: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance (47 page)

"What you
should be worried about is ridiculous scenes like that dinner. Do you see now
what a mess you're making of everything?"

I strode back into
the kitchen and forced myself to place the dishes lightly on the counter. The
saucers still rattled harshly and Quinn jumped. The look in her eye begged me
not to say anything.

I pointed
downstairs and then turned to Mr. Thomas. "Thank you very much for dinner,
sir. Do you need a hand with drying or should I say goodnight?"

"Goodnight,"
Mr. Thomas said.

I left the kitchen
and went down the hallway past the guest bathroom. The next door led to the
basement and I slipped down it. Mr. Thomas generally retreated to his office
after dinner and would not notice my car still parked out front.

I stopped at the
bottom of the stairs and heard the blood pounding in my ears. I was angry.
Angry that a father could ignore the problems of his family and pretend
everything was perfect. Angry that people really expected life to be perfect
and they fell to pieces when it wasn't. I could not watch Quinn give in to that
way of thinking. It would destroy her and the thought made me see red.

"I think you
should go home," Quinn said. She jogged down the stairs. "It’s been a
pretty rough night. I can't believe you stayed."

"I was going
to tell you the same thing," I said. I caught her hands and held them
tight.

"It’s okay,
really," Quinn said, but she would not meet my eyes.

"Fine, we
won't talk about it," I said. "Maybe we do better when we don't
talk." I kissed her, hard.

When our lips met
again, I realized why I had felt so restless. I felt as if I had been taking on
water, sinking lower and lower. All it took was Quinn's kiss to buoy me back
up. I hoped it did the same for her.

It was impossible
to read her chocolate brown eyes. She pushed against my chest, broke the kiss,
and looked up at me for a long time.

"I'm worried,
Quinn," I said. "I don't think this is you. You are the woman I saw
in Vegas. Confident, inspired, and open."

"You mean
carefree and fun," Quinn said. She turned away. "Sorry, Owen. This is
my real life."

"Why?" I
asked. "Why do you think you have to stay here? I know they are your
parents and I know you love them."

"And I owe
them," she said.

"Not as much
as you owe it to yourself to live your own life."

Quinn stepped back
and crossed her arms. When she turned to face me, her eyes flashed. "And
how am I supposed to do that?" she asked.

"By leaving
here. By telling your parents that you quit the nursing program. Go out and
find what you want to do. I know of a job. You'd be an amazing Beta Tester.
Your win at the tournament and a recommendation from me would get it for you no
problem," I said.

"So, that's
it?" Quinn asked. "I ask how I'm supposed to live my own life and you
have an answer all ready? You even have a job lined up for me. Tell me, Owen,
if I jumped from my parents’ house to your apartment and this whole vision you
have for me, is that really living my own life?"

"That's not
what I'm saying, Quinn." I reached for her, but she stepped back farther.
"I saw what you were like in Vegas at the tournament. That's what I want
for you. That freedom and self-confidence."

"Why does
everyone think they know how to live my life better than I do?" she asked.
"Everyone around the table tonight. Trent, my father, you, and probably
even that poor Nicky. And Sienna sure thought she could live my life better,
but now she's dead."

  
I dropped my hands. "You're right,
Quinn. I'm sorry. It’s up to you. I just hope I get to be part of it."

CHAPTER
TWELVE

Owen

I
left Quinn's parents' house and headed home. It took a long time sitting in my
car in the driveway before I went inside.

"Something
wrong with your car, man?" Jasper asked. "You started it like five
times and then it turned off."

"No, it’s
fine," I said. My roommate was the last person I wanted to talk to about
Quinn. "Did you get the dream job?"

"Yeah, it's
all lined up and it’s going to be sweet," Jasper said. "In fact, I'm
going out to schmooze with a few of my new colleagues now. Wanna come?"

"No thanks."

Jasper breezed by
me and out the door, leaving a strange odor behind him. I glanced at the
kitchen, but the last time Jasper had cooked was over a year ago. Something
smelled burnt, but it was too faint to make it out.

I had just slumped
down on the couch when my phone rang. I strangled it for a moment. It wasn't
Quinn, it was Scottie. I debated and then decided that he might cheer me up. No
one had more problems with relationships than Scottie. He and Alison had been
on and off for eight years. No matter the constant drama, they could not keep
their hands off each other.

"She leave
you again?" I asked.

"Owen, glad
you're home. Alison left me again. Wait, how did you know?" Scottie asked.

"I took a
Premonition Potion."

"Yeah, well
if those worked, I would have known in Vegas that she was only going to mess me
up again," Scottie said.

"So what are
you going to do now?"

Scottie always had
a bold new plan. "I'm starting over. Making a fresh start. Finding a whole
new world, fresh blood, all that. Hey, I hear there's a party over at Winton's.
Wanna go?"

"Winton's a
gamer. We've played with him for the last six years. How is a party at his
place going to be a fresh start?" I asked.

"I dunno, he
invited a bunch of newbies," he said.

The thought of
Quinn made me cringe. "I don't know if I can tonight."

"You have to,
Owen. Come on, I can't go if I don't have a wingman and I have to go. I need
this," he said.

I looked around my
empty apartment. Anything was better than seeing reminders of Quinn everywhere.
She needed her space, and I was determined to give it to her.

A half an hour
later, and we were trapped in the entryway of Winton's condo. Someone had
called in when they saw me get out of the car. The door was packed with
newbies. Some wanted autographs, some wanted gaming tips, and everyone wanted
to snap a picture with me.

Scottie took care
of it all with a broad smile. "Why didn't I think of this sooner? You're a
celebrity. I've got a celebrity wingman. That's right, ladies, Light Slayer is
my wingman."

"Is it true
that your avatar evolved in two days? Is that some kind of record?" a
pretty woman with blue eyes asked.

Her boyfriend
pulled her back inside. "It was three. Besides I heard that new girl
evolved just as fast. Why don't you ask her?"

The comment kicked
me in the chest.
Was Quinn at the party?
It could not be true.
I had left her angry in her parents' basement with a
full night of studying ahead of her. It would not be like her to sneak out and
go to a party where she knew virtually no one.

Then it occurred
to me that they all knew her virtually. Quinn had made quite an entrance at the
tournament. It would not be a surprise if Winton and the whole band of local
gamers found her IP address and invited her along.

"Hey, there's
Quinn," Scottie said. "No, wait, man, you can't leave me yet!"

Quinn spotted me
halfway across the living room and rushed over so fast that I took two steps
backward. "Did you set this up? You invited me on purpose?" she
asked.

I stepped closer
to her and looked down over my chest. "Let me guess, a Thief named
LonesomeTown invited you. That would be Winton. Not me. I'm not in the habit of
stalking newbies."

"Oh, so now
I'm a newbie?" Quinn asked. "No more 'this is how you really lead
your life’?"

"Look, Quinn,
I'm not going to apologize for having an opinion or sharing it with you. If you
don't want to listen to what I have to say, that's fine with me. Your life is
your life. Don't think I want to get in the way," I said. Then I stepped
around her and headed for the kitchen. I was glad to find a bowl of Winton's
legendary blue punch on ice.

Winton himself
poured me a glass. "So, I met your girl Quinn and I gotta say, man, she is
perfect for you."

"Isn't she,
though?" Artemis kissed my cheek and smiled. "You are so happy when
you're around here. I mean the difference is huge. I'm so glad for you."

I had to laugh.
Everywhere I went my friends told me how great Quinn and I were together – on
the one night we had never been farther apart.

Scottie found me.
"Don't worry, wingman, I've been doing just fine without you. Though I had
a nice side chat with your girl Quinn. Man, she is wonderful. It was good
seeing you two together in Vegas. Finally, someone that makes you happy, lets
you be you," he said.

That was it. I put
down my blue punch and turned to find Quinn. We ran into each other in the
narrow back hallway.

"I was
looking for you," Quinn said.

"And I'm
supposed to say that I was not looking for you," I said. She was too close
and I did not know what to do with my hands.

"I'm sorry
for what I said earlier. You were just trying to help," she said.

"No, you're
right. I shouldn't be pushing you towards something that I want. This is your
life, Quinn. I don't want you to feel any pressure from me."

As soon as I said
it, all I could think about was the pressure of her lips against mine. Her firm
body pressed against me. The pressure that built between us when we moved
together.

"Quinn! Hey!
I was hoping you might be here," the young desk clerk from the Wynn Hotel
called down the hallway.

"It’s okay,
go mingle. Have some fun," I said.

She squeezed my
arm and smiled. I wished she had noticed the hoarse longing in my voice. I
cleared my throat and watched her go. Quinn was still free to make her own
decisions. We both were. What had happened in Vegas might have just been a
one-time deal.

#

Watching
Quinn make the rounds of the party with Dave was too much. Her smile was too
bright. I could not look away. He got her a drink, helped her through the
crowd, and listened intensely to everything she said. Quinn enjoyed the easy
flirting and it lit her up like a sparkling firework.

"Oh no, man,
don't do this," Scottie said. He handed me a full cup of blue punch.
"Not tonight. I need my wingman tonight and a wingman cannot have that
look on his face."

I tore my gaze
from Quinn and looked at my friend. "There's no look. See? I'm fine,"
I said. "Let's check out the game on the back patio."

"They went
that way," Scottie said. "How about we head back to the kitchen?
There's a redhead there who's making flaming drinks. I could use one of
those."

I nodded, but headed
towards the back patio. Quinn was sitting on the railing of the deck with Dave
leaning next to her. They were chatting and laughing over something. It made my
skin crawl the way he was too close to her bare knee.

"No, see,
this is the look I'm talking about," Scottie said.

"There is no
look," I said. "I just want to make sure she's safe. We don't know
anything about this guy."

"Or we know
everything about him. He went to our high school, man, he's a year younger than
Quinn. And, it’s pretty obvious that he adores her and would do anything she
said."

"Great. Now I
feel better."

"No, sarcasm
can't chase it away. I still see it there in your eyes," Scottie said. He
jumped in front of me and pretended to flash a penlight in my eyes. "Yup.
You've failed the first test. I better take you down to the station."

"What look
are you talking about?" I batted him away.

"Love, man.
That's how you look at someone when you're in love." He took an ominous
sip of his drink. "I recognize it. And your symptoms are bad."

"Why on earth
would I take love advice from you?"

"Have you
ever known anyone else more hopelessly in love than me?"

"Hopeless is
a good way to describe you," I said.

"Come on. How
many times have you caught me making that same exact face at Alison? You've
warned me of it every time," Scottie said. "We'll be sitting around,
my eyes will drift and I'm telling you, man, they find her like she's magnetic.
Just like you are with Quinn. This could be a crowd of hundreds and you'd still
be staring like that."

I forced myself to
turn around a smile at a knot of adoring fans. "There. I'm not staring.
There's no look."

"Yeah,
whatever. It’s still there. How about you give her five minutes to head back
inside and I'll time how long it takes for you to find her again?" Scottie
said. "'Cause I'm guessing it'll be seconds, not minutes."

"What's
seconds not minutes or should I guess?" a voice surprised us.

"Alison,"
I said, kissing her cheek. "Glad you could make it."

"Did you
invite her?" Scottie asked. He mimicked a knife entering his back and
stumbled dramatically to and fro.

"Of course
you'd forget who introduced you to Winton in the first place," Alison
said. She crossed her arms and looked Scottie up and down. "Why are you
hanging on Owen? No luck finding the girl of your dreams?"

"I did. Turns
out she's a damn harpy. I'm hoping once the moon wanes I'll see her
again," Scottie said.

"How about I
leave you two lovebirds alone?" I asked. Scottie tried to jump in my path,
but I moved around him and made it into the house before he could beg me to
stop.

I told myself I
was looking for Winton, but I stopped when I saw Quinn in the front room. She
was talking to a knot of Winton's race game friends. They were trying to sell
her on the superior skills needed for virtual racing. She laughed but let them
show her some of their favorite moves.

I could not get a
deep breath. I considered the back patio again. Scottie was waving his hands at
Alison as she stood with her hands on her hips. I checked out the front door
instead.

The problem was
that I knew Scottie was right. There were hundreds of ways to cover it up,
dress it up, or ignore it. Still, I knew the truth and I was yelling it over
and over at myself. I loved Quinn. I had probably always loved her. All the
reasons we should not be together dissolved against the wave of relief I felt
when she was near. Without her, I was always seeking.

"You look
like you're ready to embark on a quest," a soft voice said.

I turned and found
a petite redhead smiling up at me. For one moment, it was easier to look away
from Quinn.

"I thought
Light Slayer would be different in person. I mean, I hoped you would not be,
but I'm surprised. You look exactly the same. Same intensity, same sense of
purpose. It's impressive," she said.

I knew the
flattering was only a temporary balm. I knew that indulging in it was cowardly
and would cost me. But I could not turn back and see Quinn having fun with
another man.

"How about we
get a drink?" I asked. I held out my arm. "I hear someone was making
flaming drinks in the kitchen."

The redhead
smiled. "Hmm, I hope you like it hot," she said.

She stood up on
her tip toes and whispered in my ear. I did not hear what she said, but it did
not matter. I let my gaze wander over her slender, lithe body and I licked my
lips.

When we turned to
head towards the kitchen, Quinn was standing in the hallway. "I guess I
was just coming to say goodbye," she said.

"Was that
your girlfriend?" the redhead asked, but it was too late.

I dropped her arm
and chased after Quinn. "Are you okay?"

Quinn yanked her
arm away and did not turn around. "I'm fine. It’s fine. I get it."

"Get what?
Can we talk?" I asked. I reached for her shoulder again.

"Maybe I'll
see you next weekend," she said and took off down the driveway.

I let her go. It
felt wrong to be happy when Quinn was upset, but if she was upset, then she
knew how I felt. Maybe she loved me, too.