Page 173 of Quinlan

“Let me help you. Please.”

Rome and I exchanged looks over her head.

Mine said,You’re running out of time.

His answered,I know.

At least that ended the bra argument.

On the other side of the screen, Quinlan yawns, stretching her arms over her head. Her top clings to her breasts. I shake my head. This obsession will be the end of me.

Every drop of blood in my body races south. The pressure in the front of my pants is intolerable.

I bet they’re hard too. How could they not?

Pretending Quinlan isn’t the most beautiful, exquisite woman alive is impossible. It should be a crime.

Flick. Snap. Flick. Snap. Flick.

The faint smell of butane reaches my nose. Liam does that when he’s concentrating or when his anxiety kicks in.

Apparently, he also does that when he needs to fuck Quinlan.

“I’m this close,” Rome murmurs. “This close to going home early.”

“To fuck Quinlan some more before she meets Anne in two days?” I ask. “Make her fall for you so hard she won’t try to run away with your sister?”

Rome’s eyes cut to mine. They’re dark. Intense. “Worst fucking moment to mention my sister.”

“When the air in the office is as thick as your dick?” I’m taunting him. Smirking. Some would call what I’m doing cruelty. Quinlan would, for sure.

It isn’t. All I’m doing is nudging him in the right direction. He could fuck her tonight, alone even. Jealousy is the furthest thing from my mind.

He can do that after he talks to her.

“Seriously?” He straightens to his full height. Liam snaps his Zippo shut, his gaze flicking between us and the screen. “What the actual fuck, Damien?”

“Awake, finally.” I mirror his posture, my smirk widening despite the anger simmering beneath my skin. At him. At myself for being just as much of a coward.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’ve been fucking Quinlan for two days. Feeding her. Taking care of her.” If not for Liam sitting between us, I’d be in Rome’s face. I could, his office is big enough for me to take a step back and I’ll have Rome’s collar in my hand. I don’t do that. “And stalling. I get that it’s uncomfortable, but guess what would be even more fucking uncomfortable? You, killing yourparentsandexpecting Quinlan to be okay with it without any forewarning. Without her knowing what abusive useless fuckers they are.”

Like I should before I kill her half-brother and expect her to fall for me. Toloveme.

I’m such an asshole.

“She almost has it figured out.” Rome’s hands are fists at his sides. They’re not raised. Not yet. “This is between her and me. Mind your own fucking business.”

“Sheismy business. You three are.”

“Hey. Enough.” Liam’s staring at the two of us, scowling.

I’ve never been angry with Rome. Then again, I’ve never been this angry with myself.

This is worse, this self-loathing, than it was the day I came to Rex’s home late. We had dinner at Liam’s, the three of us and Anne. I shouldn’t have stayed there for so long. The second I stepped foot into this hellhole, I knew I fucked up.

Then I saw it. Jagger and Laurel huddled in the corner of our room and Rex and his wife drinking beer, binging on their frozen meals. Jagger was naked from the waist up, using his shirt to soak Laurel’s blood on her stomach. Rex and Harlow cut her, and I wasn’t there.

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