Page 41 of Alpha Jax

“Thanks anyways,” she breathes as she straightens, twirling her keys in one hand and running the other through her hair.

I’m acutely aware of the close proximity of our bodies- mere inches apart. It’d be ridiculously easy to lean down and kiss her right now…

“You gonna let me close my door?”

Quinn’s question grounds me back in reality- the open car door is at my back and I’m just standing here like an idiot preventing her from closing it.

“Sorry,” I mumble, awkwardly trying to move around her in the small space between the cars without touching her.

I hear Quinn chuckle to herself as she closes her car door, glancing back at me over her shoulder. “Later, Jaxon.”

She starts to walk away, making it a few steps before I call after her.

“Hey wait, do you need a ride or something?”

Quinn stops, long hair swinging as she twists to look back at me again. “Nah, I wasn’t really going anywhere,” she says with a wave of her hand. “I was just gonna drive the forest roads to clear my head.”

I smile, thinking of how I like to do the same thing when I’ve got a lot on my mind. Maybe Quinn and I have more than just her brother in common. Before thinking better of it, I beckon her with a flick of my head and a low “c’mon.”

“What?” Quinn narrows her eyes, studying me.

“I’m down for a drive,” I shrug.

A smile slowly creeps across Quinn’s lovely face, lighting it up. “You sure?”

No. Putting myself in a situation where I’m alone with Quinn is probably a terrible idea, but I’ve already asked her, so there’s no going back now.

“Of course,” I say, fishing my own keys out of my pocket.

I lead Quinn over to my truck, unlocking it and telling her to hop in. She does, and as we’re pulling out of the parking lot, heading away from the complex, this suddenly feels a little dangerous, like we’re getting away with something sneaky. My heart races as I glance over at Quinn beside me, pulling onto a road that winds partially up a mountain.

“So what’s on your mind?” I ask after we’ve been driving awhile, loose rock crunching under the tires as I take a tight curve.

“Oh I’m sure you can guess,” she mumbles, resting her chin in a hand and staring out the window.

“Yeah,” I sigh, frowning. “Sorry you had to rehash it all this morning.”

Quinn’s silent for a few moments while I steal glances at her reflection in the passenger window glass.

“I envy Reid for being the one to discipline that guy,” I growl, gripping the steering wheel. “I’d love to get my hands on him, teach him a lesson.”

“I mean, you kinda did last night,” Quinn says, turning her gaze to me. “I’m not sure I ever thanked you for stepping in like you did.”

“Right place, right time,” I shrug, though my wolf is fucking preening.

“Yeah, well if you keep swooping in to save me, I’m gonna start expecting it,” she smirks.

I flick her a sideways glance, grinning. I like the sound of that, but I don’t say it. Instead, I pull off of the road on a turnout, coasting to a stop.

“This road gets a little narrow for the ol’ truck,” I say, gesturing up ahead. “Usually have to turn around here.”

Quinn nods in understanding, then looks around for a moment. We’re deep in the forest, surrounded by lush green trees and foliage. “Can we just sit here awhile?”

I answer by sliding the gearshift into park and cutting off the engine.

She gets comfortable in the seat beside me, leaning back and kicking her feet up on the dashboard. “I wish I could just hit rewind on the past twenty-four hours,” Quinn groans, pressing her eyes closed and rubbing her temple.

“All of it?”

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