Chapter 3

Briar

I couldn't stop thinking about what Quinn said. I think I may have offended him when I called him a loner, but when he said introvert I started thinking about myself. The way I forced myself out of my shell when I got to college. I made myself talk to people, go to parties, join clubs, even dated guys that I probably wouldn't have before. I started wondering if maybe I had more in common with Quinn than I thought. That maybe I thought I was growing, maturing by doing these things when in reality, I was just forcing myself to be someone I'm not.

I fell into a fitful sleep in my unfamiliar sorroundings. I never sleep well on my first night in a new place and Brad wouldn't stay with me, saying he had early morning practice. Not that it would have been any easier with him here. He hogs most of the bed, feels like a fucking furnace and thinks it's sexy to wake me out of a dead sleep for sex.

Newsflash fellas: It's not sexy. It's annoying.

So when I woke up the next morning with a text from Brad that he couldn't make it to our prescheduled run because practice was running late I was even more annoyed than I already had been. But I didn't want to get out of the habit of running in the morning, so I forced my ass out of bed and dressed before standing on our little porch to stretch. Just as I was about to hit the pavement, Quinn's door opened. I smiled when I saw Hank, the large beautiful dog looked so graceful as he bounded through Quinn's front yard, waiting for his owner to catch up. Hank made it incredibly obvious that he thought Quinn was going much too slow.

I plop down the couple of stairs on our porch and walk towards them, waving at Quinn. He took out one of his earbuds and looked at me expectantly.

"Good morning!" I say as cheerfully as I can muster. Quinn scowls at me a little but I don't let that deter me.

"Do you mind if I join you on your run? Brad can't make it and I don't really like to run alone." I say and Quinn's scowl deepens.

"What, he too busy pounding protein shakes and raw eggs?" He asks sarcastically and I bark out a laugh.

"Football practice, actually." I say and he scoffs.

"Figures." He mutters and I'm getting the vibe he doesn't like Brad. Not that I can blame him, Brad was kind of an ass to him.

"Sure. Let's go." He says, popping his ear bud back in.

Guess we're not going to have a conversation then.

He takes off at a steady pace and I stay with him easily. Hank runs between us, his head swiveling from side to side as he looks from me to Quinn. After awhile, Hank pulls out in front of us and Quinn lets him take the lead. Hank is obviously very well trained, much better trained than the dog I had growing up. But Scooter was still my best friend.

I get a little lost in the memories of my favorite childhood dog and don't realize we're coming up to an intersection. I go to jog out into the street when I hear Quinn yell at me. He grabs my arm and Hank barks, blocking me from running out into the busy street. I trip over him and land awkwardly, my ankle bending at an unnatural angle. I cry out, hissing in pain as I reach down to cradle my ankle.

"Ah, fuck. What were you thinking? Didn't anyone teach you to look both ways before you cross the street?!" Quinn asks, obviously irritated. I scowl at him as the pain laces up my leg.

"I wasn't thinking. Obviously." I shoot back and Quinn grunts in annoyance, holding his hand out to help me up.

"You're lucky Hank was paying attention or you'd be splattered across the road by now." He says and my stomach sinks at the thought. The adrenaline wears off and my body begins to shake. I try to stand, but my ankle hurts too much to put any weight on it. I sink back to the ground and feel tears threaten my eyes. Hank, like the good boy he is, shoves his face in my neck. I wrap my arms around him and a few stray tears fall, wetting his fur.

"Thank you, Hank." I say quietly, pressing a kiss to his snout. He huffs a little at the move and I smile.

"Why are you crying?" Quinn asks, standing with his hands on his hips.

"Because that was scary." I say back, sass coloring my tone. He rolls his eyes a little and sighs heavily.

"Can you walk?" He asks and I shake my head.

"I don't think so." I say, testing my ankle again. The pain flames even more and I grit my teeth to keep from crying even more. Quinn lets out a frustrated groan and before I can realize what's happening, he leans down to scoop me into his arms. I let out a surprised squeak, my arms going around his neck as he turns and starts walking back towards our houses.

"What are you doing?" I ask incredulously, my body going rigid at the unexpected close contact.

"I couldn't very well leave you there." he says. "Hank would never have forgiven me." He says with a smirk and I scoff at him, relaxing a little in his arms.

"Well, thank you." I say shyly and he shrugs.

"It's fine, but I don't think we should jog together anymore." He says and I feel a pang of hurt go through me.

"Sorry I ruined your morning." I say harshly, annoyed that he's being so mean to me, but he just chuckles at me.

"I meant we must be distracting to you, it may not be safe for you to run with us again." He says gently, almost affectionately and I feel a little guilty for my unnecessary outburst.

"I just got lost in my thoughts. Wasn't paying attention." I say with a little sigh. He nods and walks a few more minutes until our houses come into view.

I see Brad's car out front and internally groan. I so don't want to deal with him right now. But, as if he was summoned, he comes barreling out of the front door and stomps down the sidewalk. His face is pinched in anger when he sees me being carried by Quinn.

"Why the fuck are you carrying my girlfriend?" He asks and I recoil at his aggressive tone. Quinn's hold on me tightens a fraction and somehow the movement relaxes me.

"Maybe if you hadn't blown off your plans with your girlfriend this morning, she wouldn't have asked to jog with me and she wouldn't have tripped and hurt her ankle." Quinn replies cooly, seemingly unaffected by the large man trying to intimidate him. Brad grunts in annoyance and goes to grab me, but Quinn takes a step back. I look at him curiously and he shrugs.

"He seems angry. Will he hurt you?" He asks and my heart does a weird little flutter at his concern.

"What the fuck? I'd never put my hands on her, you fucking dick." Brad seethes and reaches for me again.

"Hank, protect." Quinn snaps and Hank takes a defensive stance in front of us, snarling and baring his teeth. Brad lets out a little shriek and takes a few steps back. I look over at Quinn, who's watching the scene with a smile. He chuckles a little and sets me down gently, keeping an arm around my waist so I don't have to put any weight on my ankle.

"I'll be fine. You can call off your dog." I say with a little smile.

"Do I have to?" Quinn asks quietly and I can't help but laugh, earning me a scowl from Brad.

"Yes, please." I say and Quinn grunts.

"Hank, heel." He says, snapping and Hank is instantly at his side. I reach down to pat his head when Brad takes a step closer.

"Don't touch that dog, Bri! He's obviously dangerous." Brad seethes, but Quinn continues to stare him down.

"He's only dangerous to people he doesn't like." He murmurs quietly, almost like a threat. I decide to end the stand off, reaching out for Brad to help me.

"I hurt my ankle. Can you help me inside?" I ask and Brad walks over to scoop me into his arms. I roll my eyes and push away from him.

"I can walk. Put me down." I murmur but he shakes his head.

"No. I'm getting you away from that weirdo and his psycho dog." He says cruelly and I gasp, pushing away from him even harder.

"Don't say shit like that. Quinn isn't weird and his dog is amazing." I seethe. He just grunts in response and my eyes flit back to Quinn over Brad's shoulder. He's standing stock still, his arms across his chest and an angry expression on his face. When he sees me looking, he motions for Hank to follow and he walks away, not sparing me another glance.