Page 28 of Temptation

Good to know. I take it you had an exciting conversation too?

She had dinner waiting and tried to “relax” me.

Funny. Joel asked me to rub icy hot on his back and then asked me to stay when I was leaving.

Tenn narrowed his eyes. Joel could fuck right off. Quinn deserved way better than him.

Busy tomorrow?

Nope. Why? Have something in mind?

I took a few days off. I need to buy locks for a couple of doors and put up security cameras inside. I have a feeling her next move will be to claim abuse. Would you like to grab breakfast, go shopping, and give me a hand with the security cameras and setting them up?

I can do that. Pick me up at nine-thirty? Joel leaves for work at nine. We can also look at their texts tomorrow and see if we can figure out their game plan.

Sounds good, see you in the morning.

Looking forward to it!

Grinning, Tenn showered and climbed into bed. Remembering Viki and Joel's texts about not having sex in each other's houses anymore, he groaned. It looked like he was buying a new mattress set tomorrow too.

Chapter Fourteen: Medical Advice

Tenn was up early the next morning, did his workout, and was in the kitchen eating his Almond Joy overnight oats when Viki came in looking a little pale and very tired. “Late night?” He raised an eyebrow, smiling politely.

She glared at him as she grabbed the frozen berries from the freezer to make her breakfast smoothie. “I was up past midnight trying to put everything away. It was just a few pieces of clothing on the floor, Christ. Overreact much?”

“A few pieces of clothing on the floor after it took me an hour to clean up yesterday morning.” He corrected her. “Also, when you see the doctor about your wrist and ankle, I'd ask him about something for your yeast infection.”

“I don't have a yeast infection.” She frowned, shaking her head at him in confusion.

“Well, you have something, given the state and smell coming off of your underwear.” He kept a mildly concerned look on his face. “I'm not trying to be mean; I'm genuinely concerned.”

Viki's face went burgundy. “I'll have him check me out.” She stammered. “I think I'm past due for my pap smear anyway.” She quickly put things away, grabbed her purse, and hurried from the room.

“Not having breakfast?” He called, trying to keep the laughter from his voice.

“Not hungry.” She called back. He heard the door shut and smiled to himself. That little exchange made the ten minutes he spent scrubbing his hands after he cleaned up her dirty clothes worth it.

Before he went to sleep, he made the decision to put this house on the market and see if there was anything in Quinn's neighbourhood for sale. It was closer to the museum than his current place, and he wanted a fresh start, and not having to drive thirty plus minutes to Quinn would be an added bonus as well. He went to his bedroom to get ready, realizing he was quickly becoming obsessed with her. He loved how she melted into his arms when he hugged her, how open and honest she was about her anorexia and food issues, and how animated she got when she talked about something that interested her, not to mention how absolutely stunning she was.

He hadn't needed porn since he first laid eyes on her. The last time he had jerked off this much while fantasizing about a woman had been Greta Hildenburg in his senior year, and even as a horny seventeen-year-old, he didn't get off as fast to Greta as he did to Quinn. He hadn't even gotten to the point of fucking her in his fantasies. Picturing her thighs tightening around his head while he buried his tongue deep inside her while she called his name or her on her knees with his cock in her mouth, his hands buried in her thick locks of fire, and her gorgeous green eyes on his were more than enough to get him off. Tenn groaned and headed to the shower to take care of himself for the second time that morning. She was driving him crazy in all the best ways.

When he got out and dressed, he quickly moved through and did a mental checklist of where he wanted the cameras to go and how many he needed to buy. He hadn't lied when he told Viki he wouldn't step out on his marriage, but he was already considering them over and separated, and while he fully intended to follow Quinn's lead, he would be letting her know he was interested in a relationship with her. Tenn was not one to hide his feelings or pass up opportunities and had never experienced anything like he felt with Quinn.

At nine-thirty, he pulled up in front of Quinn's house and smiled as she came out, her lengthy hair in a pile on her head, wearing an adorable navy-blue shorts and t-shirt romper combo and carrying an oversized white purse. “Hey!” She said brightly as she climbed in, leaning across the console to hug him. He put his arms around her and breathed in her sweet orange blossom scent.

“Hey.” He grinned. “You look incredible.”

“Thanks!” She pulled back and settled in to buckle her seatbelt. You look good enough to eat.” Her eyes swept over his blue jeans and black T-shirt. Nothing special, but everything fit him perfectly.

“Is it odd that I kinda want that?” He mused, making her blush and chuckle. “How was your night?”

“Interesting. Joel won't leave me because he thinks I will spiral and end up in the hospital.” Tenn glanced over at her in surprise as he backed out of the driveway.

“What?”

“I mean, obviously, his standard of living will drop, and he doesn't want that, but when we were arguing, I was trying to make the point that he doesn't care unless I'm at a breaking point and he got concerned I wasn't eating. He pulled up my shirt to check my ribs and got upset, saying he couldn't go through me being in the hospital again. I think he's afraid I'll spiral, and it'll be his fault.” She explained her thought process to him, and he noticed she was leaning on the center console so she was closer to him, which made his heart flutter. “I will say for him, he was very remorseful when he did it the first time and he accepted that his actions led to it. He was the one who told Quill what he had done, not me, and he felt he deserved the beating Quill gave him.”