Earth

Quin's Bedroom in New Philly

Year of 2254, June

Nothing out of the ordinary alerted Quin, not a creak or muted pad of a footstep reached her. Someone had intruded in her home. The air thickened, tensed, as if frozen in a moment of time. She knew no other way to explain it. Perhaps it was her hypersensitive instincts, bred to be paranoid. She stilled, slowing her breathing as her bedroom door opened on silent hinges. When they left her as they always did, making it squeak would be first on her agenda.

It took all her control to remain relaxed despite tuning her senses on the intruder crossing her bedroom floor. A familiar cologne tickled her nose, and she almost barked a laugh.

"You breathe like a gorilla." She opened one eye and focused on her oldest brother.

Lucas grunted despite his grin. "You should've heard me at your front door, sis."

He opened his arms wide. She bolted into his embrace, slamming her face into his T-shirt-covered chest. Tears prickled the backs of her eyes, but she didn't release them. Crying was for sissies—they, her three brothers and their four friends cum guardians, hadn't raised one.

"I thought you'd never wake up." He grinned, his yellow-blond hair the same as hers. Shaved as it was made it appear darker than their high-school days.

She remembered when his locks had brushed across his face making all the girls swoon. Now look at those swoon-worthy locks. All gone. But no hair enhanced the cut of his jawline. All the Walsh brothers shared that trait.

"You could've called first." She pushed herself out of his arms, tempted to punch him on the shoulder.

"What's taking so long?" Garrett hovered in the doorway, leaning his great bulk against the frame.

Shit, he is gorgeous. Tall, dark, and handsome, he filled his pilot suit like no man should. He'd been her next-door neighbor for as long as she could remember. Until he volunteered for the Air Force, now he cycled through bases. When she was younger, she'd had such a crush on him, but he'd never shown interest. Any lingering 'love and hope' were for nostalgia. Of all her guardians, he was her favorite; her brothers excluded, of course. Well, maybe not Aiden, her youngest brother; she barely tolerated him.

Lucas rested his chin on the crown of her head. "We could've stomped like a pride of elephants."

"Herd." She laughed and squeezed Lucas's shoulder. "Happy to see you, brother."

Nine months had passed since his last visit. She'd shared her displeasure at their neglect when Garrett had taken her camping. Now that had been fun. All they'd done was camp, fish, and hike. The normalcy of it was rare. He hadn't made her crawl through mosquito-infested water, nor had he camouflaged her in leaves and mud that made her skin itch for days afterward. They'd just camped, breakfasted over a fire, and stared at the stars in the evenings.

She skipped across to hug him. "Hello, Garrett, my big teddy bear," she said as he tugged her against his chest. "So, two of you? How did that happen?"

She buried her face into the curve of his neck as he cuddled her closer. Her height was perfect for such a hug from her guardians but not from the men she dated.

"Three," Wyatt called from the kitchen. A familiar crunch of an apple followed. "You have nothing in the house. Where's the food, Quinny?" A full mouth muffled his words.

"Wow, three of you? I'm so going to feel it," she muttered.

With a final squeeze since she didn't know when next her hugs would come, she released Garrett. She slipped around him, scraping her fingernails across his rock-solid torso as she headed for the kitchen. On the passage wall, she paused to straighten a framed digi-photo showing their makeshift family at a shooting range. What made it special was that all seven of her guardians had been there. Lucas, her eldest brother, held out a rifle to Aiden. Her middle brother Mason cradled a beer while chatting to their lifelong friends, Carter, Garrett, Wyatt, and Josh.

"Do you think she'll like what we've planned for her?" Lucas asked Garrett as they trailed her.

She grimaced. No, she wouldn't like whatever they wanted to do for their furlough, but they never bothered to ask her.

"No," Garrett chuckled.

Yup, the one man who understood her but even he didn't want to date her. Wyatt bit into another apple and held it there while crushing her in a hug. He needed her the most and saw her as a brother, best friend, confidant, and accomplice.

Sighing, she squeezed him back because if she didn't, she'd be stuck like this for longer. When she whispered she'd make bacon, he released her with a nudge toward the stove.

Coffee was first, and she set the machine to make its maximum number of cups. Her insides churned, forming a knot. Despite knowing what hell was coming, she grinned like an idiot at her guardians visiting her. In times like this, she didn't ache with loneliness. That would slam into her after they left.

As the coffee percolated, she started on the imported bacon. She'd been saving it for a special occasion, and this seemed about all she could have hoped for. They assumed couches in her rarely used living room, discussing work, life, and goals. She listened with one ear, not learning anything new other than she'd be left behind, as usual.

Her ankle twinged as she danced to the coffee pot, reminding her of all the times she'd been injured on their escapades. They'd hie back to their bases, stranding her with some malady, in effect, ducking the consequences. Anger surged, stiffening her posture until she was ready to punch something. No, not this time. She'd be damned if she took the brunt of their 'bonding' sessions. No more meekly going into the fray for her.

"Okay, out with it." She served the coffees and, once done, faced them with her arms folded across her chest. "What's it to be this time? Will I be stabbed, punched, shot at, thrown off a cliff, or dunked?" She threw up her hands with a groan, imagining the torture they could dream up. "Never mind, after breakfast, just...leave. I'm not interested."

Lucas swept out an arm, gesturing to the room. "But three of us on furlough, squirt, what are the odds—"

"That I'm cursed? Those odds are pretty good." She folded her arms across her chest. Garrett's gaze lingered on her unbound breasts in the tank top. She wanted to challenge him with a glare, but he glanced away.

"It's paintball." Wyatt gaped, his eyes wide. He couldn't handle it when she wasn't 'sweet' or 'amenable.'

She'd had enough. "I don't care." She stomped to the kitchen to serve the bacon, bundling strips in paper towels before shoving a bundle at each one. "Go. Have fun." She hugged Wyatt, who'd delved into the bacon like a starving man. The next hug went to Lucas, then Garrett. "Send me a digi-card." She swung open her front door.

"But Quinny—" Wyatt's gray eyes darkened while he chewed.

"It's for charity, squirt," Lucas said, then grinned when she released a string of curses along with the violent slam of the front door.

~*~

"I don't know why you're not enjoying yourself?" Lucas called from behind the V-shaped bunker where the three of them 'hid.' The plan was to lay low and have Quin do all the work. After all, they did this for a living.

She snorted from across the tire-strewn yard. "I hurt for days after your visits. I know things women shouldn't. I can't even find a man who'll accept that I can kill him with his dessert spoon. I need to have a relationship, one that's not in passing or includes bodily harm."

A ball splattered green paint too close for Lucas's comfort. "Relationship?"

"I'm so willing. It's the lack of decent men, I tell you. And it's not that I'm not trying."

Was there a whine to her voice? He chuckled. When last had she used that tone?

"Are we talking sex, squirt?" Wyatt burst to his feet and fired a few paintballs before dropping alongside Lucas, sprawling in the dirt without concern.

"Victor?" he mouthed, arching a brow at Lucas.

"Her vibrator." Lucas grinned as he held his gun over the plastic barrel and fired a few shots in his sister's direction, not aiming or planning on hitting anything.

"She has a vibrator?" Garrett crouched behind another barrel.

Lucas shot him a glance, wondering when his friend would grab his balls and ask Quin on a date. "Of course she does. I bought it for her." He shrugged, ignoring Garrett's look of dazed fascination. "It's an abnormally huge one too." He puffed out his chest. "Only the best for our sister."

"She named it?" Wyatt shook his head.

"I named it when I bought it as a joke." Lucas peeked over the bunker as she somersaulted over an obstacle, landing on her feet with ease before disappearing behind tires. "Shit, I never taught her that." He ducked his head again.

"It looked like a Carter-move," Wyatt spat.

Carter was the operative in their family. An assassin was a better designation. Agent provocateur according to Carter, not that any of the actual soldiers in the family gave a damn about his opinion.

"It looked badass. I should have her teach me that." Garrett smiled as he reloaded his magazine.

"Why haven't you opened Victor yet?" Lucas tilted his head to listen for movement. "I should be offended you don't like my gift." He laughed as only a brother would do. Anything to embarrass a beloved sister, right?

"I refuse to lose my virginity to an inanimate object." Her grunt preceded a ball splattering to the left of Garrett's head.

Cursing, he ducked lower.

Lucas frowned. By the pained expression on Garrett's face, her words hit him harder than the near miss.

"There are children here, Quinny." Wyatt waved at the passing kids and their mothers.

"If you must know, my longest relationship has been with Victor, and I'm fond of him. I haven't unpackaged him yet, but he's a good listener." Her words came from another direction.

Lucas shuffled on his backside to peek over the other side of the bunker. She was covering ground with efficiency. He didn't know whether to be proud or concerned. Her techniques were better than the men in his squad.

"Anyone of us non-biological brothers could take one for the team, dammit." Wyatt dove to the ground and leopard-crawled to a new position as balls struck the top of the bunker, raining paint. When another two balls near-missed Garrett's head, Lucas realized she was toying with them.

"I'll do it," Garrett yelled as a ball whizzed past his ear.

Pht pht pht

Fire throbbed just above Lucas's heart. He dipped his chin and scowled at the bright green splat on his armor. A shadow fell across them. He squinted at Quin crouching on the wall of their bunker.

"I don't want pity sex." She leaped off and tossed the rifle at Lucas's feet. With a dismissive wave, she strode off. "That's it, I'm done with this bullshit."

He lay there stunned. A glance at Wyatt and Garrett revealed a precise kill shot to each of their hearts.

"Shit." Wyatt jumped up to stomp to the 'base,' known to civilians as the reception.

Lucas stared at his sister's disappearing back, hating the sensation crushing his chest. "What have we turned her into?" He scooped up her gun, her original magazine half empty. "She's not happy, and I don't know how to fix this." He strode to the 'base' with a grumbling Garrett trailing him. "When she was younger, a teddy bear, a strawberry milkshake, hell, even a hug would've solved everything. Now, I just don't know. You might have to take one for the team, Garrett."

"You heard her, Lucas. Besides, I'm moving bases again." He ran a hand over his face, his anger and frustration in the jerky twitching of his fingers. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but she needs a man who'll stick around."

Lucas frowned. "You've wanted her for ages."

Garrett jerked back, then tried to hide his shock. Had he thought his obsession had gone unnoticed? There were no secrets in a military family.

"That's true, but I also love her."

"Not as much as you love flying, though?" Lucas pinched his lips when Garrett nodded.

"Regardless, I want her happy too, and if it means with another man..." He winced.

Lucas wasn't going to force someone to date his sister. She'd made her stance on this clear. An authentic relationship couldn't be bought or coerced. He thumped the guns and protective gear onto the counter, then strode to a pacing Wyatt.

Quin wasn't with him. "Where is she?" Lucas peered through the glass doors to where he'd parked his car.

"She's jogging home, said something about us disrupting her schedule, dooming her to a sexless life, and generally being a pain in her ass." Wyatt cupped his cheeks, his eyes darkening with sorrow.

"What has you so upset?" Garrett handed in his rifle and goggles.

"She's my home." Wyatt tilted his head, his gaze afar while he held open the glass door. "Maybe parachuting over the gorge wasn't such a good idea."

"Isn't that when she sprained her ankle?" Lucas climbed into the driver's seat of his car.

"Yes, and like I said, it was a bad idea." They remained silent before Wyatt made another suggestion. "I'll take her hang-gliding with me over the canyon. She'll like that, right?"

Garrett thumped his head on the window.

Lucas groaned. To Wyatt, Quin was the one constant in his life, and when her behavior was out of the ordinary, he was unable to deal with it. "Maybe not this time, Wy."

"Yeah, I thought as much."

Lucas glanced at the man in his rearview mirror and would swear under duress, there were tears in his eyes. Shit, this was bad. And as the oldest, they looked to him for guidance. He faced forward and tightened his fingers on the steering wheel.

What the hell was he going to do?

~*~

Quin burst through her front door, allowing it to slam shut behind her while she bent over, hands on her knees, to suck in great gulps of air. Sweat dripped off her chin and had plastered her T-shirt to her like a second skin. Her jeans weren't the best for running, but at least her sneakers had served their purpose.

Despite her trembling legs, she could run another thirteen miles with the fury in her veins driving her. Fuck her brothers. When would they learn she wasn't a mini-soldier to drill and train?

Huffing, she toed off her sneakers and kicked them aside. She grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge and took a long pull, relishing the chilled liquid sliding down her throat. For a moment, she pressed the bottle to her cheeks, hoping the condensation would cool more than her temperature. After another sip, she peeled off her drenched T-shirt and sports bra, tugged off her socks and jeans, and threw the bundle into the washing machine. The cool air on her damp skin brought a sigh of relief.

"Should we say something now, Lucas?" Wyatt laughed.

She yelped and grabbed the kitchen towel, holding it in front of her. "What the—?"

"My eyes, they're bleeding." Lucas chuckled.

"Lucas!" She slipped behind the counter to hide her lower half better. With one glance, she calculated how much more she'd reveal if she bolted for her room. Raising the cloth to cover her breasts, she glared at the three grinning idiots.

"Sorry, babe, we came to apologize, but we could stay for the show." The way Garrett ran his dark gaze over her left her with no doubt to which show he was referring.

Bloody hell. They'd sat in her living room, watching in silence as she'd stripped. Why didn't I hear them? Feel their presence? Shit. I didn't notice Lucas's car.

"Apology accepted, now get out." She pointed at the door, and in doing so, the corner of the kitchen towel dropped to reveal a nipple. Cool air bathed it, puckering it. A shiver followed. She righted the towel and gritted her teeth, ready to kill them.

"Like I said, a show." Garrett sounded harsh.

Her brother rose, and with a huge grin, strode to her front door, opening it before saying one last thing. "We'll pick you up at seven, sis, for plain, old, boring dinner."

"No knives, bullets, poison... Just dinner." Wyatt jumped up and marched out of her house. At that moment, she loved him the most.

"If I could, you know I would, Quin, in a heartbeat," Garrett traveled his gaze over her bare shoulders and pebbled nipples peaking the kitchen towel.

"I know, and I love you for offering even though your heart's not in it." She flashed him an understanding smile and slumped when the door closed behind them. Had Snow White felt the same with seven irritating, smothering, and frustrating guardians? With heat still burning her cheeks, she tossed the kitchen towel in the washing machine and went to shower.

~*~

"You look beautiful," Wyatt greeted her as soon as Quin stepped into her living room. Ten minutes ago, they'd entered her house and helped themselves to the beers she kept in a small fridge in the garage.

"Thanks, Wy." The yellow silk dress fell to the floor, with a slit from ankle to mid-thigh, exposing her left leg when she walked. In it, she felt feminine...beautiful. She had taken the time to shave. The dress, paired with pale gold ankle-strap, peep-toe pumps, was smart enough for an expensive restaurant. When her guardians said dinner, she never knew what to expect. So, she chose to overdress rather than underdress.

"You look handsome too." Quin smiled at Wyatt in his gray slacks and a dark-blue collared shirt that enhanced his broad shoulders. He was the typical tall, dark, and handsome man most women had heart palpitations over. He flashed her a charming smile between bites of an apple and sips of beer.

"Wyatt's right. You look heavenly, Quin." Garrett slipped his arm around her waist and spun her, sending her unbound curls wild.

She laughed as he twirled her before bringing her to a gentle stop. She stepped back to make her perusal obvious. He wore tailored slacks in dark blue, molding his long legs. He paired it with a crisp white shirt that clung to his arms and shoulders. With those muscles on display, she should complain on behalf of women. Tonight, she'd watch said women drop like flies.

"Damn, Garrett." She grinned, raising her gaze to meet his. "Just let me get my taser. You guys might need it."

"And me?" Lucas called as he swaggered from behind the kitchen island. In his black slacks and black-velvet-flowers-on-black shirt, open at the collar, he could've posed for a men's digi-zine.

"Meh," she teased, giggling when he wiggled his eyebrows. "You look like Dad."

"You look like Dad too." He barked a laugh before hugging her. "Ready to go, squirt?"

"I hope so." She grabbed her pale-gold clutch and followed him to his car.

Wyatt tossed away his apple core and licked his fingers. "The view from behind is better."

"There's a compliment somewhere in that." She slid into the front seat. Silence descended on the car ride, but it wasn't awkward. "Your furlough ends tomorrow, I assume?"

"Moving bases," Garrett said, "and Wyatt's got a course to attend on something or other. Lucas's going to Mars for a month, maybe longer."

"Well, I hope I'm back by then. I'm traveling to Uruguay next week for a travel digi-zine. I thought I'd do more sightseeing, stay a little longer. I'm undecided."

"It's a beautiful country." Lucas parked the car.

"I was in Africa about nine days ago. The sunsets were the best I've ever seen." She twisted in her seat to face him.

"I won't panic then if you're not home." He threw her a quick smile.

"You? Panic?" she teased as she opened her door to slide out.

"You're too quick for me," Wyatt whispered, closed the door, and offered her his arm.

She smiled and looped her arm through his, slipping into an easy stride alongside him.

The restaurant claimed the bottom floor of a skyrise building—its glass-solar panels shimmering in the domed lights contrasted with the weathered-stone detailing and antique wood doors. Warmth from art deco lanterns poured through the windows onto the walkway. The impression was almost ruined by the massive neon signs advertising fashion or food lining the roads and buildings around it. She couldn't shake the thought that the place had been ripped out of time and space.

The maître d in a tailored suit offered a bow, then ushered them to their table. Despite the upper-society vibe, the waitresses reacted the same no matter where her guardians went. They fell over themselves to serve them, throwing Quin jealous glances until she let slip that these were her brothers. Then, of course, she received better treatment. As the perceived gatekeeper, the sister had to like them first. She snorted and ignored the glance Garrett cast at her.

As the evening progressed, each dish a mouthwatering delight from the tofu-prawn starter to the real steak, she couldn't hide her amusement. They were on their best behavior, their attention on her as if she was a newborn baby. The air had thickened with unsaid words like they were acting out roles with unfamiliar lines.

But loving them as she did, she couldn't let this continue, no matter how sweet their intentions.

"Thanks for dinner, guys, but I'm calling it a night. I'll take a taxi." She rose to her feet. "If I hurry, I might make the last kickboxing class."

Lucas gaped at her.

She winked and gestured to the hovering waitresses. "Go get your 'no-strings-attached,' and I'll see you whenever." She kissed him, then Wyatt on the cheek.

Garrett stood to hug her, squeezing her hip at the same time. "Be safe, Quin," he whispered before kissing her temple.

She waved and left, realizing that the moment she stepped through the wooden doors of the restaurant, any opportunity with Garrett would be lost forever.

And yet, she didn't look back.