Page 3

QUINN

Q uinn lasted about another half hour once Patience brought the check. He paid the tab and added a hefty tip. The need to take care of her, protect her, overwhelmed him. He’d do what he could without bringing her into his orbit and putting her in danger.

After he finished his beer, he pushed back from the table. “I’m gonna call it a night. See you knuckleheads at zero six hundred Monday.” His gaze went around the table to make sure they heard him. With their nods, he dipped his chin and stood up. Doc reached out but stopped short of touching him.

“You sure you’re okay, boss?” Doc’s mouth thinned as he squinted at Quinn. His concern was evident.

Quinn might be closest to Josh, but Doc could read any of them better, like he lived inside their heads. But he didn’t need the big man worrying about him.

“I’m good.”

Doc sighed. “If you say so. I’m not doing anything tomorrow if you want to shoot some pool or something.”

“Thanks, but don’t wait for me if something comes up.”

“No problem,” Doc said.

The last thing Quinn wanted was for his team to worry about him.

He was their rock. Nothing ever got to him.

Seeing him lose his shit had to have shaken their trust in his ability to lead.

He’d been the stoic one since day one, the person they all came to when they needed help to work something out.

Of course, they had questions after seeing him lose it.

Thankfully, they hadn’t asked. One thing was for sure—he needed to get his head out of his ass before PT on Monday or they wouldn’t let him brush them off.

Quinn walked out of the bar and breathed in the frigid December air. A light dusting of snow covered the parking lot, as more of the white stuff fell from the sky. He ran his hand through his hair and rolled his neck. That’s when he noticed Patience bent over under the hood of her car.

That’s what he got for patting himself on the back, for escaping without speaking to her again.

Fate apparently wanted to laugh in his face one more time that day.

There was no way he’d be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least see if he could help her.

He might be a bastard, but he’d never walk away from a woman in distress.

“Car problems?” Quinn tried to make some noise as he approached. The last thing he wanted was to scare her.

“Shit.” Patience startled at the sound of his voice, and her head connected with the hood of the car. Her phone slipped out of her hand and dropped onto the wet pavement. As she rubbed her head, she turned to look at him. “You scared me.”

“Sorry. I thought you heard me.” Quinn rescued her phone from the ground and handed it back to her. “What’s wrong with the car?”

“I’m not sure. Google thinks it’s the battery, alternator, or maybe both.” She avoided meeting his eyes and turned back toward the engine.

Did she really think that her phone could figure out her car problem? Mobile apps had come a long way, but he didn’t know one that could diagnose car issues from holding it over the engine. More proof he wasn’t the right man for her, as if he needed anything else to add to his long list.

“It won’t start. It won’t even turn over. The mechanic checked it last week and said that everything was fine.” Her brows drew together, and she twisted her lips in a grimace.

Fucking adorable, and totally off limits.

“Want me to try jumping you?” As soon as the words left his mouth, her lips tipped up at the corners, and he knew he was in trouble.

“You want to jump me?” Her eyes sparkled in the light from street lamps.

Quinn sighed. He’d walked right into that one. “Yeah, your car. You know better, little girl.”

“I’m not a little girl.”

“Yeah, you are. I’ve got at least ten years on you.”

Patience rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I’m still not a little girl. And as for your offer, sure. It would be great. I want to get home before it gets much worse out here.”

“Let me get my truck and we’ll give it a shot.”

“Thank you, Quinn. I really appreciate it.”

He nodded, then made his way across the lot to where he’d parked earlier.

He shouldn’t have called her a little girl.

Patience always looked young. But with her long auburn hair in a high ponytail and snowflakes stuck on her hair and eyelashes, innocence radiated from her.

The torn light blue jeans, puffy ski jacket, and black chucks added to her girlish look.

Her hopeless expression, like she’d broken her favorite toy, triggered all his protector instincts.

Still, instinct or not, he needed to remember they weren’t friends, just barely acquaintances.

It didn’t matter that his cock twitched in his pants when he thought about brushing the snow from her hair and brushing his fingers over her cold-kissed cheek.

He needed to shut this shit down before it went any further.

After he got her car started, he'd send her on her way, then go back to ignoring her.

Quinn pulled his truck in front of her car since there were cars parked on either side of her. If they were lucky, no one would need to get past him until they were done. He left his truck running and grabbed the jumper cables out of the toolbox in his truck bed.

After connecting the cables to both batteries, Quinn stepped back and leaned against his truck. The more distance between them, the better as they waited to see if her car would take the charge.

“I hope this works.” Patience glanced back and forth between her battery and Quinn and chewed on her bottom lip.

Quinn fought his desire to pull it away from her teeth and tell her to stop before she drew blood, but it wasn’t his place. As he studied her more closely, he noticed the dark circles under her eyes. She was exhausted.

“You must be worn-out after your shift. Why don’t you wait inside your car? There’s no reason for us both to be out in the cold and snow. I’ll let you know when you can try to start it.”

She squinted up at him. “I’m okay.”

Quinn shook his head. She was sweet and stubborn.

Her shoulders sagged and rolled her neck as she looked everywhere but at him.

Did she think she would look weak if she got out of the snow?

“I didn’t say you weren’t. But you just worked a long shift, and I know you’re in medical school.

Don’t be so stubborn. It won’t hurt to give in. ”

“You know I’m in med school?”

“Yes, I do. Out of everything I just said, that’s your takeaway?” Quinn crossed his arms over his chest and waited for her answer.

“Well, yeah. I mean, I didn’t think you cared enough to find anything out about me. You barely speak to me except to order. The other guys always chat a bit.” She shuffled her feet and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth again.

It reiterated his need to pull her into his arms and hold her.

She just seemed so young. He knew she traveled the world with her parents, but it hadn’t taken away her innocence.

As much as he wanted to cup her cheek and feel her skin beneath his fingertips, or be the one to bite her lip, it would be wrong.

Sighing, Quinn shook his head. “I know more than you think, Patience. You’re in medical school and will graduate soon. Your parents are also doctors, and you’re an only child. They’ve taken you with them wherever they go to practice with the organization Doctors Without Borders. Shall I continue?”

“Holy shit. Seriously? How do you know all this? And why would you care? You’re always so…” Her words trailed off as she gazed up at him.

He quirked an eyebrow, waiting to see if she was going to finish her comment. Quinn was six foot six. Patience was maybe five foot two or three, but no more. She barely came up to his pecs.

“I’m always so what?”

“Never mind. Has it been charging long enough?” A pink color stained her cheeks as she turned away and studied the engine of her car like it had the answers to world peace.

Quinn had been curious to see if she’d call him out on his perpetual rudeness.

Patience might be young, but she didn’t seem to take any shit from anyone, especially any of the handsy guys in the Ready Room.

He ran his hand over his head, and it came away wet.

Dammit. It was getting late, and the snowfall had gotten heavier.

Hopefully, the ten minutes the battery had been charging would be enough.

“Yeah, see if you can get it to start now.”

He shut off his truck, then disconnected the battery cables. Patience watched him like she expected him to pounce. His lips twitched with the need to laugh, but he’d bet she’d think he was laughing at her.

“Can I try it now?”

“Yup. If it’s just the battery, it should start now.” Quinn tipped his chin to encourage her to get into the car. He held his breath as she slid into the driver’s seat. The car was old and probably needed a complete overhaul. If a mechanic had looked at it last week, he’d done a piss-poor job.