Page 31 of Chasing Temptation
Chapter Nine
It’s just a simple car journey. It should be easy, but by the time I climb out of Lauren’s car outside Quinn’s building, I ache like a motherfucker.
Quinn wanted to stop, but I insisted I’d rather just get back so she drove us straight here. In hindsight it might have been a mistake, but at least we’re back now. A quick trip up to her flat for some of her stuff and then home. Well…the flat Trey rents, but it’s home for the two of us for now. I’m hoping we can start searching for our own place as soon as possible. I’m ready for it, ready for my future with this girl.
“Why are you smiling?” she asks, taking my hand as we walk towards the entrance to her building. The door is still fucked and just another reason why she shouldn’t stay here, even if the threats are now behind bars.
“Just thinking about us...the future.”
Her hand squeezes mine. “It’s exciting, isn’t it?”
“I understand it now—how Lauren couldn’t refuse Ben when he came back into her life. How Erica couldn’t deny Trey when he kept pushing. This thing. This connection. It’s...unbelievable.” Turning her into my chest, I tuck her hair behind her ears and stare into her eyes. The physical evidence of her ordeal is all but gone now. I’m relieved that she's not reminded of it every time she looks in the mirror.“It’s everything. You’re everything.”
Her eyes fill with tears, but there’s a smile on her face. “I don’t even know how to thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“No need, babe. I’d go to the end of the earth to find you. Now, come on, I can’t wait to take you home.”
“Okay,” she whispers, excitement filling her voice. Her step is lighter as she turns back towards the building.
Quinn lets out a little squeal when she stops at the post boxes and finds a huge manila envelope with a lawyer’s stamp on the front. Her excitement is infectious, and I find myself getting carried away with thoughts of making her mine once again.
“Now we wait to find out if he’s going to sign his copy.”
“You confident?” I ask as we climb the stairs.
She hesitates, but after a second she turns to me, a wide smile on her face, and says, “Of course. We’re done. What’s the point in refusing now?” I don’t point out that her ex-husband is quite obviously a control freak and will probably want to manipulate her any chance he gets, even from behind bars.
We fill a couple of black bags with her few belongings and she finally gets the chance to put the old soup and very mouldy bread in the bin.
“It might sound odd,” she says as we head back down the stairs, “but I think I’m going to miss this little flat.”
“That’s not odd.”
“I’d dreamed about what this place might look like for years. The place that I’d escape to. My sanctuary away from my past. It might not have been much, but it’s everything to me.”
“Plus, it’s where you were living when you found me.”
“I’m pretty sureyoufoundme. You were the one who walked into my classroom looking all bad boy nerd. I didn’t stand a chance.”
We’ve steered clear of talking about the whole student/teacher issue while we’ve been away, but as she says the word ‘classroom’ her voice drops and I’m reminded that we’ve got some hard conversations ahead of us.She’s moving in with me.That’s all the reminder I need to know that whatever comes next doesn’t matter. I’ll forget all about qualifications and a better job as long as I have her by my side. That’s if Eddie would even let me back after everything.
I’m desperate to ask what she wants to do, but I keep my mouth shut until we’re settled and less exhausted from the journey.
“Ready to go home?”
“So ready.”
I direct her to my building and in no time we’re pulling Lauren’s car into my parking space out front.
By some fucking miracle, the out of order sign on the lift is nowhere to be seen. I breathe a sigh of relief that we don’t have to carry the contents of the car up four flights of stairs to Trey’s flat.
“Wow, this place is nice,” Quinn says, walking in ahead of me and placing the bags on one of the sofas.
“Yeah, I could have found myself in a worse place, that’s for sure.”
“You go sit down.” I turn to her to argue, but she doesn’t allow it. “I know you’re struggling. Just go and sit down and I’ll get the last of the things.”
“No need,” a very familiar voice says from the doorway. When I turn back I find both Erica and Trey with armfuls of our bags.
