Page 86 of My Little Doe
“I’m done drinking, plus I gotta prepare Lucy a bottle soon,” I said.
“Lucy? There’s a baby here?” he said.
“No. No. It’s a bobcat kitten,” I said.
He walked closer to me, closing the gap between us. I was already leaning against the counter.
“Oh, good,” he said.
“And if there was a baby?” I asked.
He was within a foot of me now. I wanted to run out the door. My brain kept saying to run, but my feet weren’t moving.
“Instant turn-off,” he said.
He closed the gap, his hands cupped the sides of my neck, and pulled me in. I immediately pulled back and spun toward the counter.
“Even better,” he growled.
“What in the fuck are you doing?” Quinn said.
“We were just kissing,” Kai said.
I pushed past him and came to the other side of the counter. I stared at the ground. My heart was beating faster and faster by the second.
“You were trying to kiss her,” Quinn said. He turned toward me. “Are you okay, Zay?”
“Yeah… nothing I couldn’t handle,” I said.
“Why do you care? Just a friend, remember?” Kai shot out.
“Because friend or not a friend, consent matters. Take your drunk ass outside,” Quinn said.
Kai lifted the cup in his hand, swallowing it all in one gulp, before heading back outside. Quinn turned toward me and stepped closer to me. He brushed my hair behind my ear.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asked.
“Yeah… he only tried to kiss me. I didn’t let him,” I said, dropping my eyes to the ground.
“Look here,” he whispered. I looked up, locking my eyes with his. “Don’t feel ashamed.”
We both went back outside. This time, Quinn swapped seats with Kai, sitting next to me. Kai and Bellamy started chatting and laughing. After a bit, Kai stumbled into the house and didn’t come back out. Graham whispered something into Quinn’s ear. Quinn gave him a nod, then Graham and Minnie started rounding everybody up. Everyone stumbled to the vehicles. Graham was helping them either in the cab or the bed of the truck, all except Kai.
I needed to feed Lucy before bed, and when I walked inside, Kai was on his stomach, sleeping on the floor. His legs and arms spread wide. I shook my head, went to the kitchen, and made a bottle before going into the bedroom. She’d been crawling all around the little blanket. I scooped her into my arms, went to the bed, and climbed in. Leaning against the wall, Lucy drank from her bottle.
Just as she was done, the doorknob turned, and my entire body tensed up. My stomach knotted. The door slowly opened. Quinn poked his head in before he walked in and shut the door. He leaned against the doorway, looking up at the ceiling.
“What are you doing?” I finally asked.
“Things are spinning, just a bit,” he said.
“Oh… I see,” I said.
He slid down the door and sat on the floor.
Lucy finished her bottle and was fast asleep again. I rolled the blanket back up into a little circular bed and placed her inside. I walked over to him and knelt. He stared at me and gave me a big smile, flashing his dimples. Damn it Quinn. I was also tipsy, but I couldn’t leave him on the floor.
“Come on, get in the bed,” I said.
