Page 70 of Puck My Stepbrother

“Don’t give me that. You don’t really love me. Guys like you will say anything to get what they want.”

“Quinn, do you know how many times I’ve said those three words to anyone?”

“How many?”

“None.” I made a “zero” sign with my thumb and index finger.

That made him pause.

“Seriously?” he asked.

“Yeah, seriously. I’ve never said it. I mean, I’ve been around a lot of girls. Some of them actually said it to me?—”

“But you didn’t say it back?”

“That’s right. Part of me thought I should. It would’ve gotten me laid, wouldn’t it?”

“I guess so.”

“But it would’ve been empty. I can’t say something like that if I don’t mean it. I’m a pig, but notthatmuch of a pig. With you, I really do mean it. I love you, Quinn.”

If this had been a TV show, the audience would’ve been cued to goawwwwwww. Yeah, those words must’ve sounded extra sweet coming from the muscle-bound hockey player who loved to hit the ice and bust heads, but it was the truth.

As I looked into my stepbrother-to-be’s beautiful eyes, I knew why I’d never loved anyone else.

I loved Quinn Standish, and only Quinn. I didn’t want anyone else.

“And you love me,” I said.

If Quinn had been taking a sip of his milk, he probably would’ve spit it out.

“Don’t you believe me?” I asked.

“Where hell did you get an idea like that?”

“I just know, Quinn. I can tell.”

“What, is it the look in my eyes or something?”

“Well that, yeah, but it’s also in the way you walk and talk. You’re doing everything in your power to avoid admitting it, especially to yourself, but you love me as much as I love you. It’ll come out sooner or later.”

Quinn said nothing, like he could forever cling to denial.

“I used to think I just had a crush on you. Now I realize I can’t live without you, Quinn. The few years I didn’t see you…God, it felt like an eternity. And when we wound up in this house together, I had no idea how I ever survived not being so close to you. Can you really say you didn’t feel the same way?”

“Well, sort of.”

“And it didn’t make sense to you before. Now it does. I wanted you, and you wanted me.”

“I wanted you in a different way.”

“But you’ve pretended not to want sex from me either, and we saw how that turned out.”

He groaned. I knew this conversation was driving him crazy, but I couldn’t let go. I needed to talk sense into him.

Quinn tensed up some more, drew a deep breath through his nose, and shook his head.

“No, Levi,” he said. “I can’t do this. I’m with Jeff.”