Summer Of My Secret Angel by Anna Katmore Page B

mainland
Europe.”
    “You mean from the wrong side?” I
offered.
    Long wisps slipped through his fingers as 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 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’ll take good care
of the princess, won’t 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
would 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 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 those. 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 want 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 way 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. We rounded the corner and he was out of sight.
    After we passed passport control and
security, 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 time to board the plane.
    It took not a minute for Julian to sit 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 windowpane where Charlene stood and paid attention
to the traffic 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’d
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 loud speaker, a stewardess
announced the plane was ready for boarding. I rose from my chair
and followed Julian and Charlene through the final ticket control.
The noise of the plane engines grew louder with every step down the
narrow gate. A slight chill wafted into my face as I stepped over
the small gap and entered