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“Not at all. Cadence, my life has been filled with such shit, the thought of a baby actually makes me...” His words fell, dropping into a long pause.

“What?”

Flicking his eyes up, I watched the sincerity of his emotions wash over his face. “Happy.”

I wasn't sure how to respond to that. So I sat quiet, letting his thought linger between us.

Swirling my finger in small circles on his chest, a quiet ringing cut the silence from the stand near the doorway. Perking my head up, I realized it was my phone.

“Fuck, I bet I know who that is.” Standing in my birthday suit, Quinn's eyes lit up.

“Take as long as you need to walk there, the view is amazing.”

Giving my ass an extra wiggle, just for him, I picked up my purse. Sifting through the jumbled mess inside, I dug around till I finally felt the hard case. The front was lit up,'Dad'glowing brightly across the screen. “Yup, I knew it.”

“Don't answer.” Quinn had rolled onto his arm, the after sex glow still flushing his cheeks.

My head dipped down towards my shoulder. “He's pissed, I'm sure of it.”

“So what, let him be pissed, you're a big girl.”

Clicking reject, I dropped it back inside. “What time is it?”

“Eleven-thirty, why? Need to be some where?” His teeth gleamed through his lips. “Because I think you being here is exactly where you belong.”

I knew I was walking a fine line. Staying here, with the man who had come in and swept me off my feet; and ignoring the man who had once held me trapped inside his grip, a slave to his every demand.

The strings that had held me close, dangling above my head, and moving me like a marionette; were severed.

I wasn't his puppet anymore.

Crossing the room, the sun broke through the blinds, hitting Quinn's chest. His tattoos streamed, the black details shaping his muscles, molding the contours of each crest. Small splashes of color were speckled across the paintings on his body.

He was a sight, a pantie-melting piece of art laid up on that couch. Bending his arm, the massive muscle rolled into a mound, his stomach rippling like waves, dancing as he pushed himself up.

And when he looked at me, it wasn't just lust I saw behind his stare. He had one trait that my life had lacked; Quinn actually cared about me.

For once, things felt right.

They felt perfect.