For Once In My Life (Stevens Book 2)

Chapter 9

All four men were quiet as the truck sped down the highway. Quinn was behind the wheel calm and in control.

The adrenaline slowly started to wear off, and she started to shake then nausea began.

"Dana!" Quinn shouted at her.

Her head jerked, and the faint feeling left her, but she had to fight hard against nausea.

The ride the hospital usually took forty-five minutes. Quinn did it in twenty-five, and when they arrived Caleb and Rainer gently helped her out of the truck while Bryce strode in ahead of them so that by the time they reached the door there was a wheelchair waiting. She looked over her shoulder for Quinn, but he was driving the truck away.  The brothers had coordinated everything without a word being spoken.

The next few hours were more exhausting than the fight with Marcus had been.  She was examined and questioned.  It turned out she had two broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder plus some scrapes and bruises where she had hit the ground. It was well after midnight when she was loaded back into the truck with Bryce and Quinn to travel back to the ranch.  Lizzy had driven over to pick up Rainer and Caleb earlier, so Dana had the back of the truck to herself. She had denied pain medicine but agreed to take over the counter painkillers and they were doing very little for her.

She could feel Quinn's eyes on her, but she couldn't look at him.  It was bad enough that he had read about what had happened to her, but now he had witnessed it, and she was ashamed. She watched the moonlit scenery as it flew past the highway.

He would never want her now. 

When they arrived back at the ranch, Cassie and Lizzy were waiting on the porch and raced down the steps to greet her.

"Everyone was silent as Quinn helped her out of the back of the truck.  He had his arm under her good arm, supporting her as she slowly lowered herself to her ground. It was not a graceful descent, and her skirt rode all the way up her legs.

Ever the gentleman Quinn averted his eyes as she smoothed it back down.

"We stayed up in case Dana needed help getting to bed," Lizzy supplied as they all followed her and Quinn up the porch steps.

"Thank you both." Dana turned to them, giving them both an awkward one armed hug.  "I can manage."

Quinn helped her up the stairs, and she leaned on him a little more heavily than she needed too.  She would pretend for a second that he was hers to lean on for real. When they got to her door, he opened it and helped her into the room.

"Are you sure you can manage?" His voice sounded strained.

"Yes thank you." Hers sounded automated.

"At least let me help you with your shoes.  It might be hard to bend to undo those strappy things."

Dana looked down at her feet. He was probably right "Alright, thank you."

Quinn kneeled down taking one of her feet in his large brown hands.  She was looking down at his broad shoulders and thick blond hair.  Dana wanted to run her fingers through it.  What would it be like to be able to touch him, feel him whenever she wanted too?

He finished removing her shoes and rose.

She wanted that sense of friendship they had had before she had begged him to kiss her, maybe if she apologized?

"Quinn, I want to apologize." Dana kept her eyes focused on her hands in her lap. She tried to take a deep breath but winced at the pain. "The other night, I was wrong to put you in the position I did.  I," she paused trying to gather her thoughts, and Quinn was silent, waiting for her to continue. Dana started to turn red with mortification. "I have never really been kissed or wanted to be kissed before, and I wanted you to kiss me." The last part was barely a whisper. She cleared her throat. "Marcus would-"