LOGINTalia had feelings for Quentin. To him, knowing that felt better than anything.But even though every single word she'd said was true, Quentin still couldn't stand having her out in front of him like that. He stepped forward and slowly eased her behind him again.He was about to say something when Garrett cut him off. "We'll talk inside."Paige and Maeve both let out a visible breath of relief.Garrett turned and walked into the house without saying another word. Paige immediately waved the two of them forward. "Talia, Mr. Henderson, come on. Get in here."Maeve bounded down the steps and appeared at Talia's side and hooked a small finger around hers. She tipped her face up to look at her. "Aunt Talia, Dad really does love you. He's just…"Talia smiled softly. "I know, sweetheart. I know."She reached up and smoothed a hand over the top of Maeve's head.Maeve beamed. "Go on in. If Dad tries to yell at you or give you a hard time, I've got your back."Then she added quickly, "I
Talia and Quentin walked toward the front door hand in hand, and by then, Garrett and the others had already spotted them.Maeve stepped out from behind Paige and called out instinctively, "Aunt Talia."The worry in the young girl's voice was impossible to miss. It wasn't hard to imagine the kind of mood Garrett must have been in for the 20-odd hours Talia had been gone.The closer they got, the more nervous Talia became. She tried to pull her hand free, but Quentin's grip held firm, his fingers locked around hers like a vice.When they reached the front steps, Quentin stopped. He made no effort to hide anything. He stood there openly holding Talia's hand, his expression serious, and addressed Garrett directly. "Hey, Garrett."But Garrett didn't acknowledge him.Quentin wasn't bothered. He turned to Paige instead. "Hey, Paige."Paige, at least, greeted him warmly. She smiled brightly and said, "Good. You're back safe. That's what matters."Maeve's eyes hadn't left Talia once, h
Talia kept it simple. "It's 9:00 pm. If I don't go back soon, Garrett really will call the police."Quentin didn't seem the least bit concerned. "And? Are you agreeing to what I asked or not?"She had no leverage left, so she gave in. "Fine. I agree."Quentin scowled at her. "That was pretty half-hearted."Talia sighed. "You're such a child. You got what you wanted, and you're still not satisfied."She was barely limping along. He knew her leg was still hurting, so he bent down and scooped her up in one smooth motion. A faint smile tugged at his mouth as he looked down at her. "Pretty sure you're the one who got what she wanted."Heat flooded her face instantly.She always caught his meaning right away, and he wasn't wrong. She had absolutely nothing to complain about on that front.But she couldn't stop her mind from wandering. Was the reason he was so impressive simply... his experience? Had he been with enough women to get that good?She'd never let herself think about it b
Talia threw herself into Quentin's arms, crying. "Quentin, I'm scared."His hand moved gently up and down her back as guilt laced through his voice. "I'm sorry. I'll leave the light on for you from now on."She leaned against his shoulder and cried for a while before she gradually calmed down. Quentin held her the entire time, never once stopping the steady rhythm of his hand on her back.Where she couldn't see, his other hand was slowly regaining feeling. She'd been sleeping on it for the past three hours, and he hadn't had the heart to wake her, so he'd just let it go numb.After a while, Talia pulled back from his chest and looked up at him. She asked, "How late is it?"Quentin glanced at his phone and turned back to her. "Almost 9:00 pm."Talia shot upright in bed, panic flooding her face. "Quentin, I really need to go home."It had been almost 24 hours since she'd left last night. If she didn't get back home soon, Garrett was genuinely going to file a missing person's repor
Talia lay beneath Quentin with her eyes open, but all she could see was the line of his jaw. She could feel his body burn against hers like it was about to combust.Her own breathing and heartbeat were just as unsteady.She didn't even have time to think about his question before her body answered for her. She didn't say a single word. She simply lifted herself slightly and pressed her lips to his throat.That one gesture hit harder than any verbal agreement ever could have.Quentin stopped holding back. He gripped her waist, pulled her clothes away, and stripped himself bare.On the white sheets, they picked up right where last night had left off.From 3:00 to 5:00 pm, a full two hours passed, and by the time they were done, the sky outside the bedroom window had already started to darken again.Talia lay flat on her back while Quentin carefully tucked the covers around her. He cleaned himself up and headed for the bathroom.About ten minutes later, he came back out in a robe,
While Talia was spiraling through worst-case scenarios, Quentin lifted a spoonful of soup to her lips.His voice was gentle and coaxing, the same way one might speak to a child. "Open up."Talia snapped out of it and looked up at him, and before she could stop it, the tangled images from last night came flooding back.The memory of how reckless she'd been turned her face red all over again. Quentin caught it and smiled, a quiet sense of triumph filling his chest.He'd won her over.Talia parted her lips and let him feed her. He was attentive to every small detail, and it put her more at ease than she expected.When he'd first entered her last night, her mind had actually been racing. He had been so good to her, but a part of her wondered if it was all just part of the chase.After all, men always wanted what they couldn't have. She happened to be the one thing Quentin had never been able to get—not because she was anything extraordinary, but simply because she'd been out of reac
Quentin's reputation as a womanizer was well known, but he'd never shown a hint of humility in front of anyone before. Yet here he was, stripping away all his dignity for Talia.Given Quentin's status, he didn't need to bow to anyone, not even Christian. Everyone present was stunned by his behavior
Quentin watched as Talia pulled the blanket over herself. He knew that she wasn't actually trying to sleep. She just didn't want to keep talking.So he didn't call out her little act.But eventually, Talia did drift off. Quentin grew drowsy as well and rested his head on the edge of the bed.Two
Quentin paused before smiling. "It's good that it's gone. I'm not interested in being a stepfather anyway."Talia hadn't expected him to say that. After a brief pause, she asked, "Can I go back to sleep now?"Quentin mirrored her question. "So after your dinner tomorrow, will you come meet my moth
Henry called for an Uber to take Talia back to the Stewart residence. Neither of them spoke during the drive, sitting in silence.As the car crossed the Second Street Bridge, Talia turned to look at the opposite lanes. Traffic was completely gridlocked, and a crowd had gathered along one section of







