Quinn (The Waite Family) (2 page)

Drew laughed.
“That must have hurt a bit.
I mean the hard-assed Quinn Waite saying she’s sorry. Did you have to write it down and have it perfect before you came out here?
Or did you just wing it?
No, you wouldn’t want to have anything to be wrong, would you?”

He saw the hurt in her eyes and felt badly for it. Before he could tell her he was sorry, there was a shout behind his truck and she turned away.
When she smiled at someone and took off running Drew turned in his seat to see who it was.
Another woman was getting out of a car and throwing her bag—was that a duffle bag?—on the ground.
The two women embraced then walked to the Diner again.
Drew started his truck and left the lot.

~~~

Quinn hugged Sin again. It was so unexpected to see her sister that she wanted to keep touching her to assure herself she was there. Sin, or Sydney as was her real name, was in the Army. A captain in the Special Forces, actually.
They were on their way to Cain’s house when Quinn asked her sister why she was home. Also, why she hadn’t given them any notice that she was coming to visit.

“Don’t.
Just let me visit, okay? I’ll only be here for a few days and I don’t want to spend it trying to calm nerves and tell you I can’t tell you. Suffice it to say I’m fine, my men are fine, and we are all hunky dory.”

Quinn could tell something was off, but decided that trying to get anything from Sin if she didn’t want to share would more than likely have her clam up like a safe.
Quinn wanted to visit with her baby sister, not fight.

“I’m so glad you’re here.
You have to meet Alyssa. She’s so cool and Cain is such a sap around her.
He looks like one of those puppies in the window you want to take home.
And her…wow, she’s the same way. I was really glad when they let Jazzie and me stay in Cain’s house and not with them. It’s a big friggin’ house, but still.”

Sin laughed. It was a sad sort of one, but Quinn would take what she could get.
Quinn was pulling into the deep drive when Sin asked a question that had her jerk the wheel.

“Who’s the hunky guy in the truck that you were fighting with?
He looked like he was ready to haul you inside with him or drive off without you. Something I should know about?” Sin wiggled her brows.
“Have you finally met the right one?”

Quinn tried not to blush.
She didn’t want anyone to know what she thought about Andrew Miller.
For one thing, he was way out of her league, and for another, she wasn’t ever going to let herself think about ever getting herself tied up with a man again.
Once was plenty.

Carl Wicket had been an abusive husband, both physically and mentally. She’d spent more than one night in the hospital and she wasn’t going to put herself in that sort of situation again.
Not that she thought Drew would hurt her, but she didn’t want to hurt him. She was extremely gun-shy…or in this case, sex-shy.

Had it not been for Sin, Quinn didn’t want to think about what would have happened to her if she hadn’t learned to defend herself.
When Sin had taken her to the gym and showed her how to fight back, it had been a rude awakening.
Quinn hadn’t even known that her family was aware of it.

Then when Carl had gotten out of the hospital after he’d been shot in the line of duty, he’d been his usual sweetness to her.
About a week later when he drew back his fist to make a point she made hers first, knocking him down and hitting back. He’d hurt her, broken two ribs and bloodied her mouth, but she’d put him in intensive care for a week. He left her soon after and had signed the divorce papers and sent them back immediately.
She’d not been out on a date since.

“His name is Andrew Miller, he’s Alyssa’s lawyer. He doesn’t like me, not at all. Of course there isn’t any love lost between us, but that’s okay too. How about you? Dating anyone special?” She flushed when she realized how quickly she’d spoken. Apparently, so had Sin.

Sin’s full-bodied laugh made people turn to look.
She certainly lived up to her name—tall, muscled, and beautiful.
Sexy.

“I don’t have time to date. I’m with seven to ten men daily and not a one of them see me as anything but their captain. And I want to keep it that way. Being in the outer jungle and horny are not situations I ever want to be in.” Sin turned in her seat to look at her fully.
“But cute.
Nice turn around. Answer the question, Quinn.
W
hat does he mean to you
,
if anything?”

What did he mean to her?
Nothing. Not that she didn’t want more, but he was pissed at her more than anything.
She looked over at Sin and with the best straight face she could muster, answered her. “He hates me. Most of the time, I hate him too. He works for Alyssa and that’s it, I swear.”

Sin stared at her and after a few moments, she nodded then changed the subject.
Quinn had never been so grateful to anyone in her life.
She never thought talking about something so mundane as ordering bulk sheets and pillows could be so much fun.

Alyssa and Cain were in the mansion when Quinn called.
She told them she had a surprise and that she needed to bring it now.
She told him she’d be over as soon as she took a shower and changed.
Cain wanted to spend the night making love to his wife not talking with his sister, but Alyssa was right, they had become hermits.

When the butler opened the door an hour later Cain couldn’t believe it. Sin Waite was standing on his doorstep. He didn’t know how long he’d stood there before Gayle
,
the maid
,
poked him in the ribs to get him going again.
He reached forward, pulled his sister into his arms, and swung her around the room in a great bear hug. “Damn it, woman, don’t you ever call?
I’ve missed you.
You look great.”
She did too. But then Sin had a quality about her that made one see the entire picture rather than the big blue eyes and short dark hair.
He pulled Quinn into a hug as well.
He loved his sisters, all five of them, and was very happy to have them home with him, even if it was for a short time.

“Let me get Alyssa. She’s in the study with Drew. They’ve been in there long enough.” Cain turned and nearly bowled the two of them over in his haste.
Picking up his wife, Cain hugged her too.

Drew stepped back with his hands up in the air. “You hug me like that and I’ll knock you on your ass.
It’s bad enough that Grandda does it, I won’t have—oof!”

Cain hugged him too.
When Drew started to struggle, Cain pulled him tighter and patted the man on the back. He was just too happy to care what Drew thought.
Smiling, Cain introduced them to his baby sister.

“Honey, Alyssa,” Cain started with a grin and a wink to Drew.
“This is Sydney Waite. Sin, this is my lovely wife, Alyssa Howard Waite, and her attorney and friend of the family, Andrew Miller. He works for Alyssa.”

“He works for us both. Hello, Sin.
I’m so happy to finally meet you. Cain and the others have told me all about you. Why don’t we all go into the living room?”

Cain looked to the kitchen when someone cleared their throat. He didn’t think he’d ever get used to having servants. And gardeners and pool people and…the list was nearly as endless a
s
the things he’d had to do since marrying the richest woman in the world.

“Dr. Waite,” the butler
,
Fredrick
,
asked him, “shall I serve cocktails and hors d'oeuvre?
And would you like for me to set extra place settings for dinner?”

“If I asked you to set another place setting will there be enough for everyone to eat?
Or do I need to have you order pizzas?” Cain was half kidding, but the man looked like he’d just stolen his last chocolate truffle.

He knew there would be enough food. For whatever reason there was always more food than they could eat at one meal. Cain had started taking the leftovers to work every day and feeding the staff and whoever else was hungry.
But he always asked.

“Oh yes, sir, plenty. I shall have cook slow things down a bit then dinner can be served when you’re ready.
I’ll just bring in something to hold you over.”

Cain grinned. He’d introduced them to that term the first week here.
Holding him over until his wife got home had become somewhat of a frustration to the people in the kitchen.
Either have
something ready
for him
or have the master of the house under foot in their domain until the mistress could lead him away.

“I know that Alyssa is hungry and even if she’s not we’ll eat in an hour.
Thanks, Fredrick.
And please see if Cook has anymore of that brown cheese that Alyssa likes, please?”

“Yes,
s
ir, right away.”
Cain went into the living room just as Drew and Quinn were getting into another fight.

The two of them seemed to go at it all the time. Cain had noticed it just after the wedding.
He didn’t worry about Quinn getting hurt. For one thing, Quinn could handle herself and for another, Drew wasn’t the type of man who would hurt a woman. But their constant bickering could grate on one’s nerves.
Alyssa said to let them go.
She said things usually worked out better when there weren’t too many fingers in the stew. He was sure she’d gotten that bit of wisdom from her friend Rodney.

“He didn’t do anything but stand there and mash up potatoes on my note pad. All I was doing was making some notes.
Notes, I might add, to ensure the safety of you, Alyssa.” That got Cain’s attention, but before he could comment or ask, Drew clarified.

“She was making notes on having dogs mill about the lobby of the Howard Building.
Dogs!
Do you…who was going to take them out to walk?
Hummm, ever think of that?
Or were you going to bring in trees and fire hydrants for them to use?
Not to mention, can you imagine the look on the people’s faces coming in for a visit to have dogs sniffing crotches? Holy Christ, don’t you think things through?”

Quinn stood up and glared at Drew. “That’s why I was writing it down, so I could think it through, you overgrown, narcissistic dick.
I have never in all my—”

“I am not narcissistic,” Drew said in a deceptively calm voice.
“Nor am I overgrown.
As for the ‘dick’ part…perhaps I could interest you in it sometime.”

The sound of skin connecting to skin was profound.
Cain could see both their faces and he didn’t know which of them looked more shocked, Quinn or Drew.
When blood welled on his lip Quinn stepped forward and Drew took a step back.

“Don’t touch me.”
Drew turned to him and Alyssa and bowed.
To Sin he saluted then he left the room.
The sound of the front door closing was loud in the silent room.
That was until Sin burst out laughing.

“Way to go, big sis.
You just bloodied your opponent.
I hope for your sake that he plays fair, because a man like him doesn’t seem to forgive and forget.”