Maximum Risk (17 page)

Someone stepped into her line of sight and she looked up to see Quinn’s brother, the watchful one who always seemed to hang in the background. There was an alertness about him that reminded her of Quinn. But his was understated, subtle, and that made him even more compelling.

“Avery, right?”

She nodded, wary. Lest she not forget she was in the lion’s den.

“Mind if I sit?” He motioned toward the Adirondack chair sitting a few feet away.

 “Of course.”

With a sip of wine she watched him pull the chair over and sit down. Uncertain what to expect, she waited for him to speak first.

His green eyes met hers, reminding her of an antique bottle she’d once found buried in her aunt’s back yard. They didn’t make her want to run in the other direction like the brother with the dark blond hair and reckless nature who made it clear she wasn’t wanted.

“I’m Quinn’s brother, Nate. We haven’t officially met. I’d like to apologize for Chris’s behavior at the funeral today. He was born without a censor button.”

Avery smiled. “I’ve never heard it put quite that way before. Thank you.”

He nodded, his gaze traveling around the deck. “You know you’re safe here. We Wolffs are a protective bunch. No matter what the circumstances, we will protect you.”

His quietly spoken declaration made her realize how alone she really was. With her parents gone, no siblings to turn to and an aunt who’d seen her as nothing but a burden, her life seemed empty compared to that of the Wolff clan.

“How many of you are there?” she asked, uncomfortable with the subject. She didn’t deserve their protection.

“Seven.” His expression turned solemn. “Six now.”

Her heart twisted. “Bailey is the only girl?”

“Don’t let that fool you. She knew exactly how to survive with six brothers.”

Avery didn’t doubt that one bit after having met Quinn’s sister. She doubted much scared the woman. What would it have been like growing up with six brothers?

Pushing the thought away, she sipped her wine. Already she could feel it relaxing her.

Someone approached Nate and he excused himself, although she got the impression he wanted to say more. She finished her glass and watched him stride away, head bowed to the man who drew his attention. Unintentionally, her gaze found Quinn leaning against the railing listening to his companion talk, but watching her. He masked his expression so she couldn’t read his thoughts, but heat rose slowly from her toes to the top of her head at the way he looked at her.

Maybe it was the wine or maybe she was tired of fighting her attraction for the man, but either way she acknowledged the chemistry sizzling between them. There were so many reasons for them not to be together. Right now she could think of none of them.

She watched Quinn excuse himself and stride toward her. Whatever he’d been about to say got waylaid when his mother approached.

“Quinn, could I talk with you for a moment?”

He glanced her way before moving inside the house with his mother. Feeling awkward and out of place, Avery rose gingerly to her feet and followed. Only she didn’t go all the way inside, instead detoured to the stairs leading to the second floor in search of a bathroom. The open floor plan allowed her to see downstairs as she wound her way around the bedrooms. Quinn stood beneath the stairs talking quietly with his mother, who looked upset.

Certain it was over her presence, Avery heard the familiar voice of Quinn’s brother, Chris, coming down the hall and she quickly ducked inside the closest door. She closed it silently and let out a long breath. Quinn’s brother didn’t like her and she didn’t want another confrontation.

Feeling like a coward, Avery turned to study the room. Immediately, she knew she was in Quinn’s childhood bedroom. Not a thing was out of place, the room preserved much as she expected it had looked like when he was a child. Sports memorabilia decorated the walls and trophies sat on a shelf over the bed.

Curious, she moved farther into the room and trailed her fingers down the dark blue patchwork comforter. The trophies were from football and baseball. State champs three years running in both sports. Medals with Quinn’s name on them hung from the trophies. He was that guy. The one who dated the high school cheerleading captain and was voted prom king.

She sat on the edge of the bed and tried to imagine Quinn as that guy, but the images didn’t fit. Somehow, she just couldn’t picture him in a letterman’s jacket. He was too rugged. Too much his own person to follow those strict high school codes. Quinn went his own way and she liked that about him.

Picturing him stretched out on this very bed, she leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. Sure enough, she caught the faint hint of sandalwood.

As she drifted off to sleep she wondered if Quinn had ever had a girl in his bedroom.

Chapter Twelve

Chest tight, Quinn stood in the doorway of his old bedroom, watching Avery sleep in the very spot he once had. Somehow she had slipped upstairs without his knowledge. He’d spent the last ten minutes in a near panic looking for her.

Silently, he closed the door and moved into the room to stand beside the bed. She looked so peaceful and content he hated to wake her. But he was ready for this day to be over.

Avery rolled over with a tiny sigh that went straight to his groin. “Quinn,” she murmured.

He sat down on the edge of the bed. “Time to go.”

She blinked the sleep from her eyes, frowning slightly. “I fell asleep?”

“You did.”

Her frown intensified. “I…”

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Don’t worry, it happens to everyone.”

“Everyone who comes here falls asleep?” she repeated, amused.

“We blame it on Mom’s cooking.”

“But I didn’t eat anything.”

“Not here.”

Her eyes lit up. “The Tupperware.”

He nodded.

“That was really good.”

Even if she only ate a few bites. With his mom’s cooking that’s all it took. She lifted her head to rest her cheek on his knee. An innocent move, but his body didn’t see it that way.

“This used to be your room,” she guessed, her eyes traveling the paraphernalia on the walls.

“Mom kept all our rooms the same as when we left. A waste of space.”

Avery’s expression softened. “No, not a waste,” she murmured. “You’re very lucky to have a mother who wants to preserve the past.” A mask fell over her face and she pushed to a sitting position. “We should go.”

Clearly talking about this upset her, so Quinn rose to his feet and helped her to hers. She winced as she stood, and bit her lip.

He moved to her side, but she waved him off. “I’m fine,” she said and he scowled. She rolled her eyes and walked to the door. “Well, I am.”

She was not fine, but he let it go and followed her into the hallway.

His father met them on the stairs. “Going home?”

To her credit, Avery didn’t shy away from him. His dad was a bear of a man who intimidated most people until they got to know him.

“Yeah. Bailey helping Mom clean up?”

“And Evan and Dani. Avery, I don’t think we’ve officially met.” He held out a big hand. “I’m Frank Wolff.”

Quinn watched Avery shake his father’s hand, unafraid. Not much scared this woman and he liked that about her. She definitely wasn’t the nervous, timid type. With the Wolff family you had to be able to hold your own or they would devour you. He was arrogantly pleased she passed the test.

“We were just on our way out,” Avery said as if to reassure him she wasn’t staying.

“I was actually coming up to have a word with my son. Could you give us a minute?”

“Of course.” With a glance at him, she moved down the stairs. To anyone watching she would appear to have no trouble at all, but he could see the pain she hid and the way she bit her lip every time she took a step.

“Come upstairs for a minute,” his father said and Quinn followed him up to the master bedroom.

Inside, his father moved to the dresser and pulled open a drawer. “I want this packed with Ryan’s things.” He turned with a purple heart in his hand.

Throat thick, Quinn accepted the medal and clutched it in his hand. All he could do was nod, remembering his father’s bravery in war that had earned the honored gift, the men he’d saved. Like Ryan.

His father clapped a hand on his shoulder and the band around Quinn’s chest tightened another notch. “Son, I know you’re dealing with a lot right now, but you can’t blame yourself for what happened. You boys do what you do knowing the risk. Your brother knew the risk when he signed on.”

He knew what his dad was trying to do and he appreciated it, but Ryan’s death was on his shoulders and nothing would change that.

“If Avery needs to see a doctor I can call Rachel. She’s taking over her father’s practice in a few months.”

Little Rachel McBride. He hadn’t seen her in years, not since she’d left for med school. He had heard she was back in town but hadn’t run across her. She used to follow him and his brothers around like a stray cat, always wanting to join their adventures, but too girly to do it. They all thought she had a crush on them but none of them dated her, since she was more like a sister.

He should have known his dad would pick up on Avery’s misery. “How much do you know?”

His father shrugged. “Enough to know you have to find a way to clear her conscience. She can’t hold onto the blame. We don’t blame women for things that are out of our control.”

“I don’t blame her, Dad.”

“Good, because that woman is carrying one heavy burden.”

“She blames herself. I can’t make her see reason.”

His father patted him on the shoulder and strode for the door. “You’ll figure it out, son. You always do.”

Left alone in his parents’ bedroom, Quinn stared at the Purple Heart. Ryan deserved the honor for saving Avery’s life and he would personally pack it with the rest of his service items. His dad was right. Avery carried a heavy burden. He never should have let her take the blame. Never should have pushed her away on the chopper.

He rubbed a hand over the back of his neck to ease the tension riding there. Fucking mess. All of it.

“Quinn, you better get downstairs. Avery needs you.”

Bailey’s voice brought him out of his thoughts. He tucked the Purple Heart in the breast pocket of his shirt. Anxiety twisted Bailey’s features and had him sprinting past her. He found Avery lying on the couch, his mother pressing a cool washcloth to her forehead. Her face was deathly pale.

“What happened?” he demanded, pushing past Evan and his father, who hovered over the women.

His mother looked up, worry lines creasing her face. “I don’t know. She was walking and suddenly fell to the floor.”

Quinn looked at Avery, knowing whatever happened was serious because she wasn’t the type of woman to faint. She would fight for all she was worth.

“Avery?”

“I just got lightheaded, that’s all. I didn’t mean to scare anyone.” She moved to sit up, but his mother put a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back down. “You’re in no shape to move, dear. Now, you just sit there and I’ll make you a warm cup of tea. Brittany Sawyer just dropped off a new tin the other day. Straight from China.”

His mother bustled into the kitchen and Quinn crouched next to Avery. “What happened?” he asked quietly.

She closed her eyes and said wearily, “I don’t know.”

That wasn’t like her at all.

“Your feet?”

“No. It’s like your mother said. One minute I was walking and the next I was on the floor with everyone standing over me. Your brother carried me to the couch.”

Evan stepped forward. “She didn’t hit anything on the way down, but she felt a little warm.”

Quinn removed the washcloth from her forehead and replaced it with his hand. Her skin was definitely too warm.

His mother joined them with a china cup and saucer. “She needs to drink this. It’ll make her feel better.”

Tea cured every ailment according to his mother, but this time he didn’t think it would work. He was gently nudged aside as his mom took his place at Avery’s side.

“Here, dear. Take a sip of this.” She slid a hand behind Avery’s head and lifted, the cup pressed to her lips.

Quinn took his place next to his father and watched Avery sip the tea with a forced smile.

“I’m feeling much better,” she said, attempting to sit up again. His mom only pushed her back down.

“You must be overheated in all those clothes. Frank, turn the air conditioner up.” She reached for Avery.

“No!” Avery shied away from her touch.

His mom adjusted the pillow behind her head. “It’s all right, dear. You just relax and sip your tea.”

“I’m sorry,” Avery mumbled and took another sip, her cheeks flushed.

His father strode to the thermostat to adjust the temperature and Evan nudged Quinn’s arm. He glanced over to meet his brother’s questioning look with a shake of his head.

“Evan, get me the digital thermometer. Quinn, pull down the blankets in your room. Bailey, you and Dani finish cleaning up with your father.”

The orders were given in his mother’s don’t-argue-with-me tone and they all snapped to. They didn’t argue with Mom. Before he turned, he saw Avery’s desperate expression, but he only put up his hands in a defenseless gesture. When his mom decided to nurture, there was nothing any of them could do.

“Really, Mrs. Wolff, I’m fine. Quinn can take me home now,” he heard Avery plead as he took the stairs to the second floor.

“Call me Ellen, and, no, you aren’t going anywhere, young lady. Not until we know what we’re dealing with here.”

“But—”

“No arguing, dear. Now, let me feel your forehead.”

Quinn strode into his bedroom and pulled the covers back, still wrinkled from where Avery had laid on them earlier. He fluffed the pillows and met his brother in the hallway.

Evan shook his head, thermometer in hand. “Avery seems pretty uncomfortable with all this attention.”

“I don’t think she’s used to it.”

“You better rescue her before Mom gets her into bed.”

He followed Evan down the stairs. His brother was right. If his mom got Avery into bed there would be no stopping her. She would nurse Avery back to health and not let her leave until she was satisfied Avery was well. That could be days. He doubted Avery would survive that much attention.