was more upset by his adoring fans than she’d thought.
She forced herself to take a calming breath. Yes, nearly every female in town—and half the men—had come to talk to him during lunch over the past few days. That wasn’t really her business.
“Look, I know we made out the other night, and it was great, but I know that doesn’t mean—”
“I want you to go out with me, Quinn.”
Holding a giant cardboard box to her chest, she gripped the edges as she stared at him. That charming smile made her toes curl inside the cheap, non-slip, well-padded shoes she had bought after her first day.
This man—this gorgeous, friendly, charming man—was dangerous in ways that she’d never thought possible. Not for someone like her. Not at this stage of her life.
Unsure what to say, she spun around toward the short alley.
When she saw Riley walking down the street, she promptly dropped all the boxes again.
Oh crap. She could not face her brother like this, not in front of Baby while carrying trash. She couldn’t have the long conversation about her failures right in front of the gorgeous man who’d just asked her out. Without a second thought, she kicked a box aside and did the only thing she could think of...
She pushed Baby against the wall and kissed the hell out of him.
The thought that she might be making things worse if Baby pushed her away crossed her mind. But he didn’t.
She’d caught him off guard, but it didn’t take him long to recover. He pulled her up against him and kissed her back, his strong arms wrapping around her waist.
It had started out as subterfuge, but it didn’t stay that way. It wasn’t long before all she could do was cling to him. All she could feel were those lips on hers. She forgot about the cardboard boxes around them, her brother, and all the reasons it was a bad idea for her to get involved with Baby. Forgot that her life was completely falling apart and that she wasn’t sure it was ever going to come back together.
All she felt was him.
When he finally pulled back, she found herself staring up at him.
His green eyes bore into hers, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips. “Something you need to tell me about you and Phoenix?” he finally asked, one eyebrow raised. “Did you guys used to date? Is that why you’re hiding from him?”
She closed her eyes. She should’ve known Baby would figure out she was up to something with this stunt.
“No. He’s my brother.”
His hands squeezed her waist gently. “Ah. He mentioned you to me while we were on the race. But he said you were a professor at Harvard.”
She didn’t want to go into this. Didn’t want to announce her failures right here.
“Is there reason you’re hiding from him? A reason he thinks you’re at Harvard when you’re actually here in Oak Creek?”
She stepped back, rubbing her brow with her fingers. “I... needed a break from Harvard.” An extended break. “I’m not hiding from Riley, per se. Honestly, I thought he was going to be in Asia for a while, and figured I’d tell him when he got back into town.”
Baby nodded. “Then he suddenly showed up for the Wild Wyoming last week.”
She nodded. “And then someone tried to hurt him...and you. And now all the stuff about Girl Riley having MS.”
Her brother’s girlfriend was also named Riley, so around here they were known as Boy Riley and Girl Riley.
Baby raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t have thought you were someone either Riley needed to be concerned about. Are you in trouble?”
Damn it. Baby might be a mechanic, but he was way too observant.
She tried for a light laugh, but it came out forced. “You know how family is—a pain in the ass. That’s all I meant. I’m going to let them know I’m here, of course. I’m just waiting for the right time.”
“Well, nobody has seen them much since the race. They’ve been keeping to themselves over the past few days after what happened.”
Quinn wasn’t at all happy about the thought of someone with an axe to grind trying to kill her brother, but she had to admit, she was grateful for the reprieve it had given her.
“Yeah. Once they start sticking their heads out, I’ll be sure to let him know I’m here. Just...not quite yet.”
“I happen to know exactly when they’re going to stick their heads out. There’s a wedding tomorrow, actually one