LOGINQuinnQuinn saw the color drain from Cade’s face, leaving it ashen. He tensed, ready to catch Cade if he fainted.“You’re firing me as your client?” Cade demanded.“Yes.”“You can’t do that.”Quinn crossed his arms over his chest. “I think you’ll find I can. CDR contracts give me the right to walk away from non-cooperative clients.”“Quinn—”He shook his head. “No. I take my job seriously, Mr. Connolly. And I expect my clients to do the same. You obviously can’t do that. You need to find someone else. CDR will be in touch. I’ll collect my things and Mogs.”It hurt Quinn to call him Mr. Connolly. He saw how Cade blossomed being called ‘Boy,’ but Cade flinched at the formal address.“You can’t.” Cade’s voice was barely above a whisper.“Can’t what?”“Can’t leave me. Can’t take Mogs. You’re my bodyguard.”Quinn ignored the comment about the cat. Much as he felt sorry for Cade, he wouldn’t give up his Mogs to anyone.“I’ve explained my reasons for leaving. I’m sure you’ll find someone els
CadeMeeting Eric had been a stupid idea, but Cade had been desperate to get out of the house, and Quinn saying no to him riding his bike and then just walking off made him seethe. He just wanted an hour away from the house.Was that too frigging much to ask for? And then Quinn walked away. Like he was nothing.Yeah, it had been stupid, especially after last night. He knew Eric couldn’t accept they were over. He’d gotten Eric’s call at the exact moment he wondered how he could piss off Quinn. Cade knew Eric still had things of his at his house. He’d written them off. But now Eric offered to bring them to the garden. A chance for them to talk in one of Eric’s favorite places, and for him to get his belongings. He’d blown past security, guilty and ecstatic. Even if Padraig or Jace was there, they wouldn’t be able to catch up with him.But the moment he saw the look in Eric’s eyes, he knew he’d been foolish. Eric didn’t want to talk, and he didn’t have Cade’s possessions.What he wanted
Quinn“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” he said out loud to the empty house. Then he sprinted around to the garage, not surprised to see Doug waiting for him.“Padraig has him in sight. He’s changed destination. Head for the Japanese Garden,” Doug said, handing him an earpiece.“Padraig?”“I’m here.” The soft Irish-American accent was barely audible above the engine and road noise.“The tracker is working well,” Doug said.Quinn and the CDR team weren’t born yesterday. They knew Cade was likely to bolt at some point. The tracker had been installed on the bike before it was returned to Cade.“Okay. I’m gone,” Quinn said, as he gunned the engine. His Hog was built more for reliability than speed, but she’d get him there.The gates opened as he approached, and one of Doug’s team waved at him while he concentrated on a phone call. Quinn knew Dominic would have already been informed.Cold anger coursed through him as he negotiated the busy streets.Defying him was a stupid, stupid
QuinnQuinn took a grim satisfaction in walking away from Cade. It was that or spank him. At some point Cade was going to have to realize that, when it came to his personal protection, Quinn was top dog, alpha boss etc. Of course, Quinn insisted on being alpha boss in any situation, which was why he generally worked with small teams, and on his own where he could. He was lucky that most of the time CDR gave him his head.He retreated to the den to catch up on conversations with the team who would be handling security at the live event. Big gigs were always a nightmare, with so much potential to go wrong.“You know I’m managing the bike event, don’t you?” Griff Larson groused as Quinn ran through his list of questions… okay, orders.“Yes.”“You could sound more convincing.”“My client is challenging.”“I’d heard,” Griff said dryly. Griff understood this was code for Cade would be a pain in the ass if he got the opportunity.“If he can find a way to buck the system, he will.”“It’s all
CadeCade listened to Quinn go down the stairs and smirked into the sheet.Sucker!He grabbed Quinn’s pillow to hug, and closed his eyes with a happy sigh. He had no intention of getting out of bed. Adult here. Cade didn’t need to be tied to Quinn’s schedule. He’d go back to sleep and wake up at a normal hour like four.He heard Quinn in the kitchen and his stomach rumbled loudly.“You can shut up too.”Another loud rumble.Cade flopped onto his back. Maybe the universe was telling him he needed to get off his butt and go find coffee. That was all he needed.Coffee, and then he’d come back to bed. Cade pushed back the covers and looked down at himself. He was naked. He hadn’t even realized he’d gone to bed without wearing pajama bottoms or sleep shorts. Quinn had dried him and put him to bed as if he were a small child. Cade felt his cheeks heat. He’d felt wanted and cared for and protected. Would it be too much to ask for that?His belly growled again.“Okay, okay, I get the picture.
QuinnQuinn woke up feeling as if he were being slowly crushed. He cracked open one eye to find Cade almost on top of him, still holding him tight.Quinn would bet Cade hadn’t let go of him all night. For a little guy, Cade was heavy. Quinn rolled them both onto their sides and took a deep breath, much to the relief of his lungs.Last night had been hard work all around for them. Quinn hadn’t wanted to go to the club, and seeing Strada there had added to his misgivings. He was just grateful Strada hadn’t caused too much of a scene.Quinn didn’t want to say, “I told you so,” to Cade, but maybe now Cade would listen to him. Strada wasn’t going to give up without a fight. At least now Strada had seen them together, and Quinn had made his claim. Would that make Strada escalate or would he back down? Quinn had a feeling Strada wasn’t the type to back the fuck off.He raised his head to take a look at the clock and blinked. Eleven. He never slept that late, although it had been nearly five







