Mia's Heart (The Paradise Diaries) (23 page)

But
still. 

********

I
wake up to a knock on my bedroom door. 

I
growl and cover my head with my pillow.  After not getting home until
2:00a.m, there is no way that I’m getting out of bed at 8:00. 

Not.

Gonna.

Happen.

I
bury my head deep under my pillows and squeeze my eyes shut.

But
whoever it is won’t give up. They knock again and again.

And
then finally, they get tired of knocking.

My
door opens.

And
Quinn is standing there.  He looks breathtakingly sexy and fills up my
entire doorframe.  He’s wearing old jeans that fit him exactly right, his
cowboy boots and a blue faded button up shirt.  The shirt looks soft and
worn and it hugs his chest. 

I
peer out from under my pillows to get a better look.

He
grins at me.

“Why
are you so early???” I groan, flipping onto my back and staring at him. 
“And so cheerful already?  Plus, you’re dressed and everything. Ugh.”

He
raises an eyebrow as he approaches the bed.  I only just now notice that
he’s carrying two cups.

“Would
you prefer that I wasn’t dressed?” he asks innocently.  He holds out a
cup.  “I come bearing gifts.  Coffee with one shot of espresso plus
enough cream and sugar to make cake batter.”

I
stare at him now as I sit up.

“How
did you know how I like my coffee?  Stalk much?”

Quinn
laughs and I decide that I might want to marry his laugh.  It’s just that
sexy. 

“I
don’t stalk you, tiny tot.  I don’t have to.  I know you’ll come to
me someday.  I asked Marietta how you take your coffee.  And then she
made it.  So if it sucks, don’t blame me.”

I
smile and roll my eyes. 

Marietta
might have made it, but Quinn brought it to me. And that’s pretty dang
sweet.  But I don’t say that. 

Instead,
I take a sip of the nectar of the gods and stare at him over the cup.

“So,
what’s the occasion?  Why have you come bearing gifts?”

Quinn
perches himself on the edge of my bed.  And no, the fact doesn’t escape me
that now Quinn is technically in my bed.  With me.  And I’m half
naked. 

My
heart flutters again.

Down
girl,
I silently tell it.  Then I return my attention to Quinn, waiting for an
answer.

“I
want to continue with your riding lessons.  And I figured you’d need some
coffee to wake up.”

I’m
already shaking my head. 

“Oh,
no.  I don’t get up this early.  The old me didn’t and the new me
doesn’t either. And neither one of us is getting up this early to go riding on
a gigantic demon.  Nope.  Not gonna happen.”

I
am up and dressed five minutes later.

Hey,
don’t judge.

Quinn
can be pretty compelling while sitting on the side of my bed smiling at me.

Okay,
fine. 

I’m
weak.  Weak, weak, weak.  Quinn’s cocky grin does that to me.

But
I admit it, so that’s something, right?

Right
before I duck out the door to meet Quinn outdoors, I text Gavin. 

I’m
really sorry about last night.  I hope you can forgive me. I hate that
you’re upset.

There’s
no immediate answer.  And I leave my phone in my room. 

Quinn
is already waiting for me outside.  And now he’s wearing his cowboy hat
which only makes him even sexier. 

“Hey
tiny tot,” he greets me.  “I have something for you.”

And
he hands me a pale pink cowboy hat. 

No.
Lie.

I
laugh as I take it and shove it onto my head. 

“Where
in Caberra did you find a cowboy hat?”

He
grins.  “There’s a woman in town who makes straw hats.  I showed her
mine and asked her to make a smaller one for you.  In pink.  She did
a good job.”

I
feel sassy now in my pink hat.  I find myself wishing that I had a pair of
shorts and boots on like Reece always wears. 

“Thank
you,” I tell him.  “I love it.  I feel so American now.”

He
chuckles.  “Well, surely you know that all Americans aren’t cowboys. 
In fact,
most
Americans aren’t even cowboys.  Just some of
us.  The awesome ones.”

I
smile up at him.  “Okay, Awesome One, tell me more about America.”

So,
as he saddles up Titan, he does.  I stay a safe distance away from Titan’s
enormous stamping foot, but still close enough to listen. And obviously, close
enough to watch Quinn’s muscles flex as he lifts the saddle.

Because
that’s important.

“We
like good barbeque, football and Sunday naps.  We like pep rallies and
college ball teams and ice cream.  And French fries.  We like animals
and some girls even carry little dogs around in purses.  But I could never
see you doing that.  We like working hard to be the best we can be. 
We love Disney World, no matter how old we are.  And we love riding in
Jeeps with the tops down.  We love target shooting. We love firecrackers
and the Fourth of July.  We love going to the lake on a summer day,
especially in a speed boat.”

He
looks at me as he adjusts Titan’s bridle.  “Is that enough or do you want
to know more?”

I
smile at him. 

“Every
American likes those things or just you?  Because I honestly don’t see
Reece target shooting.”

Quinn
smirks.  “Well,
most
Americans probably love those things.
 I
certainly do.”

“I’ve
never been to America,” I tell him. “So, I have no way of knowing if you’re
exaggerating.  I’d planned on coming to visit Reece at some point, but now
she’s here.”

“Well,”
he tells me. “You’ll just have to come visit me instead. I mean, you need to
know if I’m telling you the truth, right?”

And
he literally stops what he is doing and stares into my eyes.  His are warm
and brown and chocolately.  And I feel flustered for a second. 
Lost.  And then he smiles.

“Deal?”

I
swallow and nod.

“Deal.”

He’s
satisfied with that.  And he boosts me onto Titan. And I forget for a
second that I am terrified because Quinn is swinging up behind me.  I
twist around to look at him.

“Tandem
horseback riding?”

“I
thought you could use a break today from things that stress you.  So we’re
going to have a relaxing ride today.  You just sit back and let me do the
work.”

So
I do. 

I
settle back against him, enjoying the way his chest is hard and strong.  I
seem to melt into it and we fit just right.  His arms curve around me and
I am encompassed there.  And I really like being here in this spot. 
He makes me feel safe and sound and warm.  I love the way his chest feels
as he talks, and I love the way his voice is smooth, yet husky. 

And
then I am faced with a big realization. 

I
love quite a few things about him.

It’s
a bit scary. 

But
then I’m distracted by the stubble on his chin as he dips his head to talk to
me.  So I grin up at him and before I even know what I’m doing, I’m
twisting around to kiss him. 

I
am as surprised by this as he is, but he recovers first. 

He
wraps an arm around me, pulling me close.  His tongue delves into my
mouth, his breath hot.  When he finally pulls away, I feel like panting
again.

There
should be a law against being as sexy as Quinn McKeyen. 

“What
was that for?” he asks softly.  His chocolate brown eyes are glued to
mine. 

“I
don’t know,” I tell him honestly.  “I just wanted to.”

“That’s
as good a reason as any,” he answers.  “Maybe your heart is starting to
give you answers.”

And
maybe he’s right.  But I don’t say that. 

Instead,
I lean against him again.  And I enjoy the ride.  Titan walks
smoothly, his large muscles contracting beneath us.  The sun feels so good
on my face that I almost fall asleep. I’m still tired from my late night. 
We ride through the entire property, weaving amongst the olive trees and down
by a natural creek that runs on the property. We take a few minutes there to
stretch and let Titan drink. Then we ride more. 

Finally,
several hours later, Quinn guides Titan back toward the house and I close my
eyes, basking in the sun like a contented cat.  I am seriously almost
asleep when Titan stops. 

I
open my eyes. And I get the surprise of my life.  And not a good surprise,
either.

Gavin
is here. 

He’s
standing next to the corral, apparently waiting for me, and he isn’t happy to see
me riding with Quinn.

Efffff.

Chapter Twenty

“Hi
Gavin,” I call out. 

He
doesn’t answer.

Effffffff.
 

“Will
you be alright?” Quinn asks me quietly. 

“Of
course,” I tell him.  “It’s fine.”  He nods and helps me down from
Titan, then heads to the stable. 

I
walk straight to Gavin.  And Gavin is not happy.

At
all.

“What
are you doing, Mia?” he asks.  And there are thunderclouds on his
face.  I’ve never seen him look quite so mad.  Actually, I don’t know
that I’ve ever seen Gavin mad at all.  I gulp.

“I
went for a ride.”

“Yes,
I see that.  With Quinn. 
Literally,
with Quinn. You were
basically on his lap.”

Is
he jealous?  Holy cow.

“Well,
to be fair, there’s only one horse and I don’t really know how to ride
yet.  So, Quinn was kind enough to take me for a ride.”

Gavin
scoffs.  “Oh yeah.  He’s being kind.  There’s nothing in it for
him.”

And
now he’s being facetious.  And definitely jealous.  That’s not like
him. 

“You
weren’t answering your phone,” he points out. 

“That’s
because it’s in the house,” I tell him. “I texted you this morning and you
ignored me. So I just left it inside.”

“Convenient,”
Gavin says wryly. 

“What
is wrong with you?” I demand.  “You wouldn’t even talk to me last
night.  And here you are pissed off that I went for a ride with Quinn.”

As
I speak, I glance toward the stables to see if Quinn has emerged, but he
hasn’t.  He must still be taking care of Titan.  I decide that’s
best, considering how agitated Gavin is. 

“What
is wrong with me is that ever since your accident and I saw that things could
change between us, in a good way, I’ve felt better than I have in a long time,”
Gavin tells me.  “You and I together is a very good thing.  We know
each other.  We would fit so easily into each other’s lives.  And all
of a sudden, you’re too nervous to try and pursue it.  And you’ve never
been nervous a day in your life. I don’t understand it.  And now you’ve
taken up with Quinn.  And I can’t figure you out.”

I
stare at him. 

“Do
you want to be with me?” I ask.  “Or do you want to be with the idea of
me… because we would ‘fit so easily into each other lives?”

Gavin
rolls his eyes.  “Don’t twist my words, Mi,” he tells me.  “You know
what I mean.”

“I
don’t
know what you mean,” I answer.  “And I haven’t ‘taken up with
Quinn’.  I went for a ride with him. We didn’t run away and get married.”

Gavin
is angry now. His tan cheeks are flushed.  I can see that he’s trying to
rein it in and I don’t understand it.  I don’t know where his anger is
coming from. 

“Mia,
I’m worried about you.  And your decisions.  Quinn isn’t like
us.  He’s not from here. And I like him, I do.  So it’s not
that.  But you don’t realize right now, because you’re not yourself… but
you can’t just got trotting off with someone you barely know.  Not in your
position.  I hate to say this, but you don’t have the best track record
with guys.  You thought you knew Vincent Dranias too, but look how that
turned out. Dimitri, Dante and Elena could have all been killed.”

I
suck in a breath and Gavin goes still.

And
I go still.  And my blood turns cold. 

“I’m
sorry, Mia,” Gavin says quickly. “I crossed the line.  I didn’t mean it.”

“But
you did,” I answer slowly. “You did mean it.  You don’t think I can think
for myself. And you think that the assassination attempt was my fault.”

He
looks pained now.

As
he should.

I
jut my chin out.