Page 15 of The (Maybe) Murderer Who Knocked Me Up

I know damn well that guys like Quin don’t end up with guys like me.

“Thank you for last night,” he says. He kisses the tip of my nose. “It was the best night of my life.”

It’s impossible to not get sucked into whatever this is between us. I know it’s doomed. I know I don’t deserve him. But he’s so happy in my bed, and that happiness seeps into my bones through some magical form of osmosis.

“It was the best night of my life too,” I admit.

He beams with joy. Because of me.

That doesn’t seem real.

“I think I’m going to call you my sunbeam,” I say. “Because you’re all sunshine.”

He covers his mouth with his hand. “That’s the cutest pet name I’ve ever heard. I knew my brothers were wrong about you.”

That brings reality back. I haven’t told Quin about the stolen cars. I don’t think I should. That would make him an accessory to the crime. I haven’t told him about Jake’s drug problems, either. There’s so much we haven’t talked about.

My bedroom door opens. “Good morning, sleepyhead—” Georgina’s mouth drops open. Quin is under the sheet and nestled into my arms, but the back of his head is clearly visible from the door.

He turns his head to look at her. “I’m sorry. I’ll go.”

Georgina finally recovers, a wide smile spreading across her face. “I’ll give you two a little privacy. I just wanted to remind Slade that his bus leaves in an hour. We’ll need to head out in about thirty minutes to get to the station on time.”

Fucking hell. I packed everything, but I was planning on showering before we left. I want to make a good impression with my new boss.

Georgina closes the door behind her. Poor Quin’s cheeks are bright pink with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry. I have to go.” I sound like a creep. Quin deserves a slow morning with coffee and cuddles, and here I am, quick to leave.

“Okay.” He tries to smile, but his happiness from before is gone.

“You mentioned you could visit?” I say hopefully.

He smiles at that. “I have a little money saved up. I could take the bus to Austin this weekend.”

I have no idea if my boss will be okay with me inviting a boyfriend over. It will probably be a mistake to ask. I’m supposed to be proving myself, not requesting favors. But Quin is worth it.

“That would be great. Could I get your number?” I ask.

“Yeah, of course.”

This is crazy. I don’t even have his number, and I’m planning my life around him. I don’t care, though. I need to see him again. Something primal and needy pulses through my body, demanding more of him. I’ve never felt anything like it.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and hand it to him. I love the way he bites his bottom lip as he focuses on the screen. He finishes inputting his phone number and hands it back to me. “Here.”

I brush my lips against his, needing one last kiss before we have to say goodbye. “Thank you.”

He stares into my eyes with a vulnerability that reminds me a lot of last night when he was crying about his brothers leaving.

“You won’t forget to text, right?” he asks.

I shake my head.

He glances around the room. “I don’t exactly have clothes. I was a raccoon last night when…” He trails off and his cheeks flush pink.

Most shifters only take their animal form a few times a year. We think of our animal forms as private and sacred—something we’d only show to our mates or our immediate family. But raccoon shifters are different. I heard they sleep in their animal forms every night. That must be why Quin was wandering the neighborhood as a raccoon.

“Stay away from Georgina’s house while you’re shifted, okay? Her nephew is a piece of work. He likes to shoot at any animal he finds around her house.”

---