“I’m sure you will,” Rhys replied.

  Quinn departed, closing Rhys’s office door behind her. His gaze met mine—the look there far too perceptive for my comfort.

  “What?” My tone was defensive, and I knew it.

  “Nothing. Actually, I’m dodging there. I’ll point out the obvious. Things seem a little tense between you and Quinn. Have you come to your senses yet?”

  “What are you talking about?” I grumbled.

  “You’re in love with her. Just admit it and put the rest of us out of our misery.”

  I plunked down in the chair across from his desk with a sigh, running a hand through my hair before letting my hand fall with a thump to the armrest. “We’re figuring it out.”

  “Are you? Because it seems like you’re avoiding each other,” he offered pointedly, although his tone was gentle.

  I narrowed my eyes. “We’re figuring it out,” I repeated. “Now, what did you need?”

  “Do you mind going to Juneau for two days? We’re going for it with setting up a smaller production warehouse there.”

  “I’ll go. This afternoon?”

  “If you don’t mind going on the fly like that.”

  “You know I don’t.”

  “Tish has already looked up flight options for you, so just swing by her office on your way out. Thank you.”

  “You got it.”

  As I walked down the hallway, my footsteps slowed when I passed Quinn’s office. The lights were off, and she had already left. I felt the sting of regret in my chest. I knew Rhys was right. We were avoiding each other. I needed to talk to her. But more than that, I needed to convince her I was worth the chance.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Quinn

  Three days later

  * * *

  I waved the key card in front of the keypad to my hotel room. Nothing happened. I waved it three more times before I heard the lock click open. I quickly stepped into the hotel room, letting my bag slide off my shoulder in the entryway and tossing the key card on the dresser as I walked past it.

  I stopped by the windows and pushed the curtains open to look out over the Seattle skyline glittering in the darkness. I’d taken an unexpected trip here when my father told me he needed help on a commercial fishing case. I tried to explain to him we could’ve done all of it over video conference, but he preferred the personal touch. He had had a minor medical procedure scheduled for his knee this week and couldn’t fly.

  The meeting had gone well, and I had one more night here before I flew home. With Christmas a few weeks away now, I felt melancholy.

  With a mental shake, I turned away from the windows. I decided to order room service. I didn’t want to go out and see people feeling festive while I felt more alone than I’d ever felt lately.

  My friendship with Kenan had become such an integral part of my life over the past five years or so that its absence loomed. Normally, before we’d gone and blown everything up, he might’ve come with me to Seattle. We would’ve gotten adjoining rooms and watched a show together. Instead, we weren’t even texting and joking. I found out from Tish that he’d left to help Blake in Juneau. Before, he would’ve texted me he was leaving and sent me photos of funny things. Now, there was a void of silence.

  I kept replaying our last conversation at my place and the look of hurt in his eyes. I forced my mind off him. While I waited for my dinner, I logged in to the system where I could select a potential anonymous donor. Every time I tried to do that, my heart ached.

  Ever since Kenan had said he wanted me to give him a chance, that was all I could think about.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Kenan

  “What do you mean Quinn’s gone?” I asked.

  Tish blinked up at me. “All she said was she had to go to Seattle for a couple of days.”

  “For Fireweed Industries?” I prompted.

  She shook her head. “No, for personal reasons.” The confusion on my face must’ve been evident. “I would think you would know. You two are usually all up in each other’s business,” she added dryly.

  I didn’t know what crossed my face then, but her gaze immediately sobered. “Wise up, Kenan.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You have been in love with her since you two have been close. I thought maybe you had finally figured it out. But now you’re being stupid.”

  My mouth dropped open before I snapped it shut, muttering, “Oh my God.”

  Tish cocked her head to the side, the look in her eyes almost pitying. “Kenan, tell Quinn how you feel and make it right. If you’re wondering, that’s more for your own good. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”

  Without another word, she tapped her keyboard and returned her attention to her computer screen. I walked down the hallway toward my office, walking by Quinn’s office on the way. She must be going to Seattle to do the IVF thing; that had to be it. I had to go find her.

  I came to an abrupt stop in the hallway just as Rhys stepped out of his office. “Everything okay?” He stopped in front of me.

  “I need to go to Seattle.”

  “To find Quinn?”

  I didn’t even care to contemplate how he knew she’d left. “Do you know why she went to Seattle?”

  “I actually don’t. She told me she needed to go for personal reasons and took a few days off. That’s all I know. You should know,” he said pointedly.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” I grumbled.

  Rhys studied me. “Ask Tish to set up a flight for you and get there tonight. I don’t know where Quinn’s staying, but I’m sure Tish can find out.”

  I didn’t know how, but I would prove to Quinn that we were worth it before she went and got pregnant from some stranger.

  Blessedly, Tish was lightning fast. She made reservations for me and even tracked down where Quinn was staying. “You know she has a favorite hotel there. She refused to let me use the company credit card for her reservations, but I set it up for her.”

  As I flew down to Seattle on a late evening flight, I prayed I could figure out what to do to prove to Quinn that I loved her and that I wanted a family with her. Every time I did Chase’s thought exercise, I nearly broke down at the idea of not having the chance with Quinn. It was far more heartbreaking and terrifying than the prospect of just going for it.

  Four hours later, I landed and was grateful that Seattle time was an hour behind Alaska time. As it was, it was coming up on midnight.

  I slung my backpack over my shoulder and jogged out of the airport. I hadn’t even bothered with getting a car rental, thinking it would be faster to use a car service. In short order, I was pulling up in front of a familiar hotel, the one any of us traveling for Fireweed Industries usually stayed in. I’d had the driver stop by a grocery store so I could get some flowers for Quinn. He had helpfully pointed out there weren’t any floral shops open at this hour. I knew Quinn liked flowers. Maybe it wasn’t enough, but it was a start.

  My heart banged so hard against my ribs that I worried I might actually crack one. I dropped off my bag in the room across the hallway from Quinn’s before standing in front of her doorway, flowers in hand and contemplating my entire future.

  I knocked, praying she was awake. Before knocking again, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent her a text.

  Me: I need to see you. I’m here.

  I knocked one more time. Emotions rushed so hard through me that it almost felt as if my body couldn’t contain them. I let out an audible sigh when I heard the door opening. A second later, Quinn stood there with her hair in a messy bun, her glasses on, and wearing a big T-shirt that hung halfway down her thighs and a pair of fuzzy socks.

  “Quinn.” That was all I could say, my voice raspy and my throat tight with emotion.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Quinn

  Kenan stood in the doorway of my hotel room, and all I could do was stare at him. He held a bouquet in his hand. His eyes were wide, and I could’ve sworn there was a sheen of tears in them.

  I didn’t realize tears slid down my cheeks until he stepped closer. He lifted a hand, his thumb brushing across my cheek, as he whispered, “Please don’t cry. Can I come in?” His hand fell away.

  “Of course,” I said just as a family walked by.

  The woman’s eyes widened when she saw me there in my T-shirt and socks. I leaped back, and Kenan stepped inside, closing the door behind him.

  We stood there, studying each other. I cataloged his features—the strong line of his jaw, the stubble on his cheeks, his mussed hair, and his bright-blue eyes. My heart felt pierced, the pain of it bittersweet.

  “Here.” He thrust the bouquet at me. “I know it’s not much, and they’re not in the best shape because I got them at the grocery store. The guy who picked me up at the airport suggested that because no florists were open at this hour. I love you, and I just needed to do something.” Kenan’s words came out in a run-on sentence, which was so unlike him.

  All the while, my heart pounded so hard I could hear the rush of blood in my ears. I was tingling all over. I took the flowers, smiling so hard my face hurt from it.

  * * *

  “They’re beautiful,” I said. And they were. It was a bouquet of mostly daisies with some purple flowers scattered among them.

  “Also, we’re taking the ferry back together,” Kenan added.

  “We are?” My eyes flew from the flowers back to his face.

  He nodded quickly. “Yes. Because we need some time. It’s winter, and I’m sure there’ll be holiday lights. We can see some wildlife, and that’ll give me more than a plane ride to convince you that I really want this with you. I can’t imagine life without you. I want a family with you. I love you.”

  I was still smiling when I hiccupped, and tears splashed on my cheek. Kenan moved closer and wrapped me in his strong embrace. I buried my face in his chest as I cried.

  “I don’t know why I’m crying,” I mumbled against him a few minutes later.

  When I leaned back to peer up at him, his cheeks were damp with tears as well.

  “I don’t know either. I miss you,” he said, his gaze boring into mine with such intensity, it took my breath away.

  It was my turn to babble. “I missed you. I miss your texts and everything. You haven’t sent me a silly picture or a stupid meme or told me what you were annoyed with in too long. I thought we had ruined everything.”

  I felt him take a deep breath and took my own. Just then, his stomach growled, and I grinned up at him. “Are you starving? Because I was going to order room service, and I never did because I haven’t had an appetite, but now I could really use something to eat.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Since it was so late, our room service arrived quickly. It felt like old times. We had the television on while lounging on the bed. That was a distinction. Before this whole thing started, when we were just friends, we would’ve been watching a show and laughing about it and eating room service, except we would’ve been sitting on the couch. Instead, we were on the bed together, stealing little touches here and there. Underlying all of this was a combination of intense emotion spun within the comfort and sturdy foundation of our friendship.

  I would probably always wonder if this possibility for us had been there all along, yet we’d both ignored it. Perhaps we hadn’t allowed it to flourish because it was too risky, too much of a threat to our friendship that mattered so much.

  “Were you asleep?” Kenan asked after we had wheeled the room service cart out into the hallway.

  “When?”

  “When I knocked on the door.”

  All we had left from our late-night dinner was a bowl of chocolate mousse, which we had decided to share. Kenan glanced down to carefully scoop some of the mousse.

  He held it up for me. “Want a bite?”

  “Please.” He held the spoon up for me, and I leaned closer. The rich, ridiculously decadent chocolate flavor broke across my tongue, and I couldn’t help but moan.

  His eyes darkened as he slipped the spoon out of my mouth before helping himself to a bite.

  A moment later, he prompted, “You haven’t told me if you were asleep.”

  I met his gaze as I shook my head. “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

  “Neither have I.”

  “I missed you,” I said quietly. The words felt too inadequate to describe just how deeply I’d missed him. My heart tumbled in my chest. I had missed him so very much.

  Kenan looked at me, quiet for several beats of my heart. He glanced down as he shifted to place the small bowl on the nightstand before turning back to face me.

  “I missed you more than I thought it was possible to miss anyone.” He lifted a hand, brushing my hair away from my cheek. His fingers slid through the ends of my hair before tracing a line along my collarbone.

  Just a single fingertip and his touch felt like fire burning across my skin. I couldn’t look away. The moment felt suspended and caught a shimmer of sparks. Another moment later, he shifted closer, whispering against my lips, “I love you, Quinn.”

  My words were lost in our kiss as he brought his mouth to mine in a slow, sensual kiss. It was the most intense kiss I had ever experienced, a slow, breath-stealing, heart-pounding, claiming kiss. All things considered, it was a good thing we were already on the bed. Because I couldn’t have held myself up.

  Chapter Forty

  Quinn

  Kenan made love to me. It felt as if every touch shared was a form of communication of sheer, fierce, raw, unguarded love and utterly pure lust.

  His palm slid down to cup my breast, and his thumb teased over a nipple. His mouth closed with warm suction over the other nipple. Sparks leaped over my skin as his touch slid over my belly, strong and sure. His fingers dipped between my thighs where I was slick with arousal and near desperate for him.

  The brushing sensation of his calloused palm when he pushed my knees apart and dropped kisses like hot honey on the insides of my thighs before he brought his mouth to my sex. He licked into my very core, bringing me to an intense climax until I was trembling all over and pleading for him. Because I needed more. I needed to be joined with him as closely as possible.

  Finally, finally, he shifted and turned until I was straddling him. He was propped against the pillows, looking deep into my eyes. “Just like this,” he whispered.

  I felt the thick press of his crown at my entrance as I slid down, slowly sheathing him in the heart of me. I felt the press of his fingertips on my hips as he nudged deeper. “Here, just you, just us,” he rasped.

  Chapter Forty-One

  Kenan

  I knew Quinn by now, knew the call of her body, knew precisely when her release was building. She bit her bottom lip, her body tightening. She made this little sound in the back of her throat with her breath catching on the hint of a whimper.

  “Come for me, sweetheart.”

  I barely clung to the thinnest thread of control, trying to hold my release at bay until she found hers again. I reached between us with one hand, teasing my fingers over her swollen, slippery wet clit. She cried out sharply, my name following in a ragged pant as her pussy clenched around me.

  I finally let go, my release thundering through me like a dam breaking loose, stealing my breath as the pleasure crashed and broke.

  Quinn curled against me, and I held her close. We rested like that on the bed, her warm and soft in my lap and my arms holding her in a loose but secure embrace. I could’ve stayed right here, forever with her.

  Eventually, she lifted her head, her eyes meeting mine. “I love you, Kenan Cannon.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Kenan

  Quinn leaned her elbows on the railing of the ferry. The crisp, cold air blew her hair in a swirl. She glanced toward me where I stood at her side, her cheeks pink from the cold as she smiled. “I’ve never done this trip in the winter.”

  I leaned over, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Neither have I.”

  We’d left Bellingham, Washington, this morning. A seagull called nearby, and we could see a pod of orcas in the distance as they frolicked in the icy ocean waters. This stretch of the journey was dotted with islands, and the coastline was stunning with snowcapped mountain peaks rising tall against the sky and the evergreen trees standing out against the snow flanking them.

  Quinn straightened, stuffing her hands in her pockets as she shivered slightly. “Let’s go inside,” I said, my voice whisked away by the wind.

  I slid an arm around her shoulders as we walked back inside. The ferry was decorated for the holidays with lights strung inside the dining area and small wreaths with festive bows mounted at intervals between the booths. I got us some hot chocolate, and we found an empty booth.

  Quinn shrugged out of her jacket as she wrapped her hands around the mug, letting out a satisfied sigh. “This is perfect. I’m so glad we took the ferry back. What made you think of that?” she asked after a few sips.

  As I looked over at her, my heart felt split wide open, practically beating out of my chest. That was how Quinn made me feel, so vulnerable and raw.

  “Because we first made things official on the ferry going to Willow Brook.”

  Quinn’s cheeks flushed pretty and pink. “Official?”

  I hadn’t planned this, not even a little. Except for one thing. Before I left Fireweed Harbor, I’d stopped by the one and only jewelry store in town and gotten a small ring, thinking I would have it for when I scrambled up the nerve to ask Quinn to marry me. Amethyst was her favorite stone because she loved purple. I figured if she wanted something else, we could get that later.