“You don’t have to say anything, baby. It’s obvious someone beat you with a belt.”
I swallowed hard. Oh, my…I…I didn’t even know how to process that. I’d felt the lash of my father’s belt more than once. But he’d never hit me so hard that I still had a scar from any of those experiences, except for the one on the back of my leg where he’d forgotten and used the other end. The metal clasp had caught my skin and ripped the flesh open. That had felt bad enough. I couldn’t imagine how much it must have hurt to make lasting scars all over my back.
Grabbing his shirt again, Cora used it to tug Quinn closer. “Now give me another kiss before I start beating you with a belt.”
I frowned at such an insensitive line but was sucked back into eavesdropping when she smashed her mouth to his. Then I leaned a little further out to watch.
I know it was wrong. But watching the way he kissed her was…I wasn’t even sure how to describe it. He carried honest caring and affection for her. I’d been worried after reading so many of Cora’s emails about him. She’d gushed over how perfect and gorgeous and sweet he was, and I had hoped she wasn’t blinded by lust and being used or manipulated by some jerk.
But Quinn seemed to reciprocate her adoration. I was relieved and glad Cora had found a relationship like this, even though I hadn’t known they honestly existed. It made my envy spark until a tiny part of me resented her...just a little bit for finding something so amazing.
She’d always had the nice family, a mother who annoyed her by how much she wanted to be involved in Cora’s life and a father who was one of the gentlest men I’d ever met. And I’d had a widowed father who’d hit me for things like overcooking his fried eggs.
It didn’t seem fair that Cora had gotten the perfect, dedicated boyfriend too. Which only made me choke on my guilt because here I was feeling jealous of the only person who’d ever befriended me while I was perfectly healthy and she was...not.
Oh, man. I was the worst friend in the world.
Quinn was the first to break away from the kiss. His breathing was accelerated, which made his voice sound huskier and in turn made me feel tinglier.
“I should get back,” he said. “The guys are waiting for their soapy water.”
“The guys can just keep waiting,” Cora argued as she kissed her way down his neck. “You need to satisfy your woman.”
He made a groaning sound, letting me know just how tempted he was, even as he set a hand on her hip to nudge her away. “I’ll make it up to you tonight. How about that?”
Cora pulled back and stuck out a fake sulky bottom lip. “Promise?”