Loving Your Lies by Piper Shelly Page B

he
ruffled my hair. “Exactly.” His low chuckle reminded me of how much
I was going to miss this man. He was more like family than my
mother could ever be.
    A moment later, Julian approached us again,
this time with the dragon in tow. “We’re boarding in twenty
minutes. Better get through the passport control now.”
    Bile rose in my throat the moment he
announced our short departure.
    Quinn didn’t miss the tremble of my lower
lip. He dipped his head, brushing his thumb over my cheek. “You’ll
be okay, kiddo.” Then he turned to Julian. “You take good care of
the princess, will you?”
    “I promise.” Julian’s eyes fixed on mine as
he spoke.
    My mother said goodbye to Quinn and shook
his hand. “Thanks for watching over my baby. I hope we’ll get a
chance to meet again.”
    Her baby? Which one? The one she’d have
drowned in the river with a happy laugh? I had to look elsewhere to
restrain from making this woman eat her teeth.
    She and her pet started for the passport
control with me following at a reluctant pace.
    “Julian!” Quinn’s shout had us all turning
around once more. He retrieved a set of silver handcuffs from the
back of his belt and tossed them at Julian, who caught the glinting
object with one hand. “You might want to make use of them. And
better keep an eye on the exit.”
    Julian’s chuckle didn’t bother me half as
much as it should have. Neither did Quinn’s final banter. Before I
knew it, I broke into a run and slammed hard against Quinn’s chest.
His arms enveloped me with the strength of a best friend, and I
wished there was a way to stay in this protective cage.
    “Cheer up, kiddo. It’s only for six weeks,”
he said into my ear. “If after that time you still wish to return
to England, I’ll come and pick you up myself.” He pressed a kiss to
my temple. The first and the last. Then he cupped my chin. “Now go
meet your family. They’re waiting for you.”
    There was no chance to delay the walk into
the lion’s den any longer. Slipping away from Quinn’s hug, I
dragged my feet over to the sliding glass-doors where the dragon
waited for me. Every so often I cast a glance over my shoulder to
ensure Quinn was still there. He waved, then shoved his hands into
his pockets, but didn’t move until we rounded the corner and he was
out of sight.
    After we passed the control section, my
suddenly lethargic body slumped into one of the many red vinyl
chairs lining the wall. Arms crossed and jaw set, I waited for the
moment we would board the plane.
    It took not a minute until Julian sat down
next to me. “You know, six weeks isn’t an eternity. Give yourself a
push. You might even enjoy the stay.”
    “Yeah, right. Like pulling a tooth.”
    Resignation filled his sigh. He brought his
hand down on my thigh for a second. The move caught me unaware, and
I completely forgot to jerk my leg out from under his touch.
Instead, I stared at his fingers for as long as they lay on my
jeans.
    Then he rose from the seat and crossed the
hall to the huge window pane where Charlene stood and paid
attention to the traffic of aircrafts on the runway.
    Even with his gentle caress gone from my
leg, the spot where he’d touched me remained prickling with heat.
An odd sensation raced over my skin. I rubbed my hand over my
thigh, my heart pounded as warmth filled me.
    Whether there was magic in his touch or I
lost my mind, I couldn’t tell. Either way, his unexpected caress
distracted me long enough to ease the pain over the departure from
my hometown and my only friend.
    Over the microphone, the air hostess
announced the boarding message. I rose from my chair and followed
Julian and Charlene through the final ticket control. Noises of the
plane engines grew louder with every stride down the narrow gate. A
slight chill wafted into my face as I stepped over the small gap
and entered the plane.
    Two captains and another hostess greeted us
at the entrance and wished us a pleasant