Page 20 of The Commander

Reality crashed down on me like a skyscraper. I was sober, and Quinn was drunk. I was her commanding officer; she was my charge.

“We need to forget it happened,” I rasped and watched flickers of hurt appear in her globes.

“God.” She scrambled off my knee and dropped to the ground. “Fuck, shit. I’m sorry. Jesus. Captain, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Running a hand through my hair, I let out a curse. “Quinn, get back on. It’s fine. We both let that happen, and we won’t do it again.”

It took her a whole fucking minute to grab the helmet and get behind me.

By the time I walked her to her room and she closed the door, she was exhausted. I leaned against it as I always did, waiting until I heard her crash into bed, but that night all I heard was silence. Until...

“Go home, Noah.”

She knew.

She knew I always stood there.

Something about that dug into my heart and stayed there. This unspoken thing between us that meant so much but was so little.

What the hell was this thing between us? It was far more than sexual attraction. I was protective of her in a way I never was with other women and lived for our Friday nights together.

The following Friday we rode home in silence, but then she and Tyrell had an altercation. In my office, after he left, Quinn said those fateful words that forced me to face reality. I was tempting fate.

You touch me more when I’m on the back of your bike.

I stopped going to the bar.

She was right. I was beginning to believe she belonged to me. Feeling her against my body was becoming addictive.

The kiss.

If I hadn’t stopped, it would have escalated.

So, I did.

But it didn’t change anything.

Quinn’s little slip told me a lot more than she was letting on: that she desired me just as much. I knew how important her career and reputation were, but she’d risked it all on that public highway.

From that point on, our lives continued to intertwine, and I fell in love.

The question is, does Quinn love me?

Or rather, does she love me enough to risk everything else?

CHAPTER SEVEN

QUINN

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After Liam and Josh took us on a tour of the facility, Marlene and I got changed, then wandered over to one of the restaurants for dinner with the crew. Those of us who have arrived have been invited to dine with them.

We sit down at one of the tables and start chatting about what we saw this afternoon while perusing the menu. When a server pours white wine into my glass, I hold up a hand and ask for half a pour. Alcohol is the last thing I need before launching into intense training...and lowering my guard around Noah.

I haven’t seen him since earlier today, and I’m grateful to catch my breath. I expected him to be here tonight, but glancing around, I don’t see him and hate how disappointed I feel.

Ugh.