Frog and Quinn: Chapter Seventeen (Patreon)

Character art by @lilytea_art

Previously on Frog and Quinn…

Luna Hale decided to take a spontaneous summer trip to Panama City Beach, Florida before her first college semester at Manhattan Valley University begins. Naturally, her bodyguards followed her to the Sunshine State. After Frog successfully took down an intruder, this summer trip became her ultimate test in the eyes of the security leads. If Frog does well protecting Luna, then she’ll be her primary bodyguard, and Quinn can be transferred back to his own client.

Sounds like a double-edged sword? It is! Both Quinn and Frog enjoy the partnership too much for it to be purely good news. But they know this team-up has always been temporary. They just weren’t expecting the end might be coming soon. Especially when Frog still has a goal to lose her virginity to a one-night stand while Quinn is around. Because who better to make sure that she’s safe and sound with a green flag than her teammate?

“Can you have one drink?” Luna asks me.

We’re at a seaside dive bar called Anchor’s Away, and the specialty drink list has put stars in my eyes. Who wouldn’t want a “sex on the beach” cocktail while they’re on the beach? Sounds like it’s meant to be. And there’s one thing Luna and I both love, it’s a good theme.

Maybe that’s why being her bodyguard is such a big delight. I feel like I get to do all the cool things and get paid for it. But I am definitely not being paid to drink on the job.

Three days ago, this would’ve been an easy temptation to shut down.

Instead, I tell Luna, “Maybe…what are you having?”

She twists some of the colorful ribbons tied in her hair. We’re side-by-side at the bar, worn stickers covering the lacquered wood. We offered to get drinks while Donnelly and Quinn went to the bathroom.

Luna points on the plastic menu to a picture of a glittery neon-green drink in a tall goblet. “The Fairy Summer Potion.”

Totally Luna.

I bite the inside of my cheek. You shouldn’t be drinking. You’re at work, Frog.

It’s a mantra I’ve had to say to myself for the past three days.

Ever since we changed hotels, there hasn’t been a dust up. No threats. No assailants. The worst that unfolded was Luna’s location being leaked. But outside of two men with cameras lurking in the parking lot and on the beach, everything has been quiet and contained. Paparazzi—not an issue unless they make it one.

The four of us have been beachside and poolside, relishing the summer sun, so it’s been easy to let some of my guards down and enjoy this vacation as a vacation. But it’s really not.

One drink won’t get me fired, but it will tarnish the reputation I’ve been cultivating. It’s not worth it unless I’m purposefully sabotaging myself. As much as I love having Quinn as my partner, I could never make myself “less than” to keep a boy around. Anyway, he’d hate me for it. He doesn’t want to be attached to me forever.

James, the bartender, comes over in a sailor get-up and shimmery eyeshadow. “What are you ladies having?”

Luna orders her fairy potion and a margarita for Donnelly. When James turns to me, I tell him Quinn’s order. “A Fizz with Maraschino cherries, if you have them. And then…” I point to the specialty cocktails on the menu. “Could you make any of these into a virgin?”

“All but the Heatwave Wrecker and Breakwater Blackout. I’d just be serving you club soda.”

Good thing I was steering clear of those anyway. “I’ll take a virgin Sea Siren.” The combination of lemonade, orange juice, and sprite sounds enticing.

James nods. “Great choice. Our zero-proof agave spirit is super popular.” He heads toward the rack of liquor bottles. 

“You sure about the virgin drink?” Luna asks me.

“It feels appropriate,” I say into a smile. “Me being a virgin and all. Plus, the sugar high will be just as good as getting tipsy.”

“Totally.” Luna nods over and over. “I just want to make sure you’re having fun too.”

“I’m having loads of fun,” I say honestly. “This has been the best getaway, minus that little weasel who broke in.”

“You got to prove yourself to your bosses though. So in a way, the little weasel might be a reason you’re promoted.”

Yesterday by the pool, I told her all about the impending “promotion” for Quinn and me if this trip turns out well. She also showed me MVU’s course offerings for the fall semester, and we spent a good two hours picking out her classes. I helped her look up professor ratings, and it felt so nice…to have a friend again.

I’m trying not to let the anxiety of messing it all up leak through the bright parts.

I readjust my earpiece in my left ear. No chatter from Quinn and Donnelly. Good signs. “You’re right, I should give Caleb some credit. I did also get to put my submission moves into action. All the practicing paid off.”

Luna smiles. “To the upsides.” She pretends to hold an invisible drink. I do the same and clink our pretend goblets together and take imaginary sips.

My grin hurts my cheeks. “Did I tell you about Metal Detector Dave?”

She gasps. “He has a name?”

I nod. “I found out this morning.” I met this cute guy on the beach a couple days ago. He approached me while he was using his metal detector to hunt for lost treasures.

His device kept beeping loudly as he got closer until it hit my feet with an aggressive and long beeeep. He smiled up at me and said, “I think this thing is either broken or you’re a piece of gold.”

I held out my arms. “You can’t see my skin shimmering?”

He put a hand over his eyes to block the sun. “Ah, yeah. There it is. Definitely gold.” His friend waved him over from down the beach, and he quickly scrawled his number on an old, crumpled Sharky’s receipt from his pocket. He handed it to me, asked me to text him, and left abruptly to catch up with his friend.

It was all so quick and sudden that I think I would’ve chalked it up to a dream if not for the physical receipt as evidence and Luna being an eyewitness.

She told me it was the most adorable “meet cute” she’s seen in a while—but I expected to feel more…butterflies?

He was attractive enough: short brown hair, clean-shaven, and an angular jaw. In trendy aqua-blue swim trunks, he was clearly fit, just lacking the defined muscles I’m used to seeing on guys in security.

But a six-pack and sculpted biceps are so not a prerequisite for a one-night stand. I’m not that shallow. It’s just hard not to compare guys to…

Well…

To Quinn.

“So I’m taking it you texted Metal Detector Dave?” Luna asks as she gently stacks the plastic menus together, peeling one off the sticky bar.

I nod. “This morning. He told me he lives here.”

Luna’s face lights up, and she rocks on her feet. “So this is even bigger fate, right?” It does make it easier. I don’t have to worry about Dave leaving tomorrow. He’ll be available as long as Luna is vacationing here, and I’m sure he’s seen his fair share of tourists. But there’s still something bothering me.

“Do we think the metal detector is a prop?” I frown. “Like he uses it to pick up girls?”

Luna’s shoulders slump. “But it was so charming…”

“Yeah. Too charming. That’s what Quinn told me.”

Luna nods slowly like she’s piecing things together. “So Quinn is the one who thinks Dave is using it as a prop?”

“Yes, but it’s a good theory.”

“Secondary theory,” Luna says in a sing-songy voice. “Dave really did think you were pretty and only used the pickup line on you.”

I like that she’s soaking in optimism. It’s better for Luna than looking at the glass half-empty, and maybe I should be doing the same thing. But I feel stalled out when it comes to Metal Detector Dave.

“How would I know?” I ask her. “Because if he’s been sleeping with every college girl spring breaking in PCB, then he could have crabs and not the cute speedy kind that race across the sand.”

Luna gives me this look that I’ve come to see as “big sister” protective mode. It’s weird since I am her Number One Protector. But I have to remember she is a big sister to two younger siblings, and she might naturally and unconsciously slip into this mode. Thankfully, she only turns this on for me when it comes to sex and dating—which I appreciate. In those categories, she’s way more experienced than me, and I like having her advice. I don’t have a sister to talk to.

“You should definitely ask your hookup if they’ve been recently tested,” she tells me.

“That sounds awkward.”

Luna shrugs. “If he makes it a big deal, you leave.”

Maybe it is that simple. Maybe I’m just making it this giant deal in my head when in reality it’s not one.

My phone buzzes just as Donnelly strides to the bar, no Quinn in sight yet. My stomach performs a strange tumble, and I don’t check my texts. Not when Donnelly asks me, “You good, Froggy?” 

“Do I not look good?” I’m asking Luna for verification.

She squints at me. “Slight notes of summertime sadness.”

I try to blink it away. Although… “I love that Lana Del Rey song.” Then I just admit to Donnelly. “I’m worried about crabs. The infectious kind.”

“You’re talking STDs,” Donnelly says so blasé, then reaches over Luna to take our drinks from the bartender. He places the neon-green one near his girlfriend and Sprite virgin cocktail near me.

I dunk my straw in my drink. “Any advice to avoid them?” I ask Donnelly.

He slips a cigarette behind his ear. “Quinnie doesn’t have crabs.”

“I’m not having sex with a coworker.” I suck down a quarter of my cocktail to ignore the burn in my cheeks. The bartender slides over Quinn and Donnelly’s drinks we ordered.

Luna doesn’t prod me, but I see her consider this idea a little too much, too.

“He’s not an option,” I double-down, looking between them with seriousness.

“I said nothing,” Luna chimes in.

“Space babe is innocent,” Donnelly tells me.

“So is Donnelly.” Luna plucks the tiny umbrella off the margarita, then spins on the stool and tucks it behind his other ear. “And if he’s been found guilty, then so have I.”

Donnelly isn’t in agreement. “She’s innocent,” he says to me while looking at Luna.

I jump in, “I just need advice that doesn’t include Quinn as a solution.” Why does that hurt to say?

Donnelly thinks for a second. “Just ask the guy if they’ve been tested recently before you have sex.”

“That’s what I said,” Luna smiles.

He smirks. “You on my brain wave or did I hop on yours?”

“I’ve intercepted yours. Human species needs me.”

“Accurate.”

I get lost in their deep affectionate love for a second. How Donnelly edges so close to Luna, and her legs just naturally curve around his waist. He lifts her up, and he slides onto the stool. He never releases hold of her. She’s sitting on his lap in a front piggyback and rests her spine against the lip of the bar.

It’s a seamless, natural move. Made just to share a barstool together. I’d believe they’ve done this several hundred times. But I’ve only seen them sit like this maybe twice.

Seeing Luna so happy is a great joy of mine. I really hope one day it can just erase all the images of her in the hospital from my memory.

While she fixes the umbrella behind his ear, I check my texts and reread the new one about ten times. 

MDD: You and your friends down for dancing? There’s a cool club nearby.

Quinn suddenly steps beside me, and I tense as he rests an arm on the bar counter. So close to my body.

His shaggy brown hair hangs a little in his eyes, and his flowy short-sleeved button-up shows off his flexed biceps. The Casanova. Sometimes his nickname in security pops into my head like an MC announcing his arrival.

He’s so attractive, he would require a full-on mental pronouncement.

He nods at my phone. “Akara texting you?”

I frown. “Akara? No. Why?”

“I haven’t seen you smile like that in a while.” It’s his turn to frown.

I’m smiling? I didn’t even notice. “It’s Metal Detector Dave.”

Quinn goes rigid. The tops of his hands flex, and he blinks for a long second. “You’re texting him?”

“Just a little bit. He could be a good contender for a one-night stand. Still undecided.”

Quinn doesn’t say anything.

So I add, “It’s not a sure thing. I know you think he’s a red flag.”

“I didn’t say that. I just think his metal detecting is suspicious.” Quinn eyes rows of liquor bottles on the back wall. “If you want to sleep with him, you don’t need my permission.”

My stomach knots. “But I want your advice.”

“My advice is that you can do better.” He meets my eyes in a strong beat.

I take a deep breath. “It’s not like I have a bunch of suitors lining up to deflower me.”

Quinn grimaces. “That’s a good thing, Kannika. All those guys would be losers.”

I smile, a floaty feeling levitating me. I like too much how he says that. How he’s looking out for me. How he makes me feel. And it feels good. But this, him, it’s temporary. He won’t be around forever, and I don’t want to get used to this.

Returning to my phone, I stare at Dave’s text for longer. I struggle to say yes to the club. Luna and Donnelly are whispering in each other’s ears, holding on to one another. Totally lost in their own affectionate world. I don’t want to make this entire trip about me and my hookup goals—and anyway, I’m not about to chat up Dave while I’m working. Luna needs to be safe and sound at the hotel before I even consider seeing him again.

I guess I don’t have to give him an answer right now.

Without replying to Dave, I put away my phone and slide over Quinn's drink. “They have Maraschino cherries,” I tell Quinn. “You’re welcome.”

“My savior.” He presses his hands together in a prayer.

“What’s up with your obsession with the cherries anyway? You could just order a Shirley Temple.”

He makes a face. “Not even close to the same thing. And I guess…my brother ordered me a Fizz with Maraschino cherries when I was a kid. It’s just something I’ve always loved.” He cringes. “Then there was a time period I swore off the drink for my petty hate against him.”

I wasn’t around during the Quinn and Oscar rift, but I can’t even imagine it. Their relationship is too loving to see the fissures, but there are times Oscar becomes more than just a big brother to Quinn. He’s a mentor…almost like a parental figure. And I know that might bring its own photobook of complicated history.

“So when you stop ordering Fizz and cherries, I can prepare for another Oliveira fight?”

“I’m trying not to let that happen again.” He rubs at his lips in a deep thought before he drops his hand to the drink and sighs. “It was mostly me. Not being able to express why I was pissed off at him. Talking about my feelings was hard…” He shakes his head into a dry laugh. “Fuck, I’m such a big culprit of that.”

“You’re getting better at it.” I remember how he talked about Nessa in the urgent care. I know it’s hard for him to express the painful parts of his life. I don’t take for granted that I’m the person he’s sharing with.

His gaze softens on me. The moment is broken as James asks us if we need anything else. We tell the bartender we’re good, then he leaves us in new silence.

Quinn uses his straw to submerge his Maraschino cherries before holding out his soda to me. “Try.”

I lean forward and take a sip from the straw. I attempt to be all casual, cool. Even though I’m positive this is the first time he’s offered me his drink. I’m using his straw. Friends do this, I remind myself. It doesn’t mean anything.

Except he’s watching me intently, and the bar feels quieter. His brown eyes sink onto me in weighted attention. I soak it up.

The soda has a sweet cherry-flavor to it. Expected and yet, surprisingly really good. Quinn’s brows rise, waiting for my review as I swallow.

“Tastes like soda and cherries.”

He rolls his eyes. “And?”

“And I want you to try mine.” I hold out my virgin cocktail to him.

“What is this?” He bends down to the drink I’m holding.

“A Sea Siren. Pure summer joy.” No summertime sadness to be had here.

He uses my straw, and his hand touches mine on the glass. My heartbeat speeds. His eyes flit to me as he drinks, then his cheeks immediately pucker. He backs away with a cough. “No.”

“What?” I balk and quickly taste-test my drink. I smack my lips against the flavor. “It’s good. Like citrus sunshine.”

“Too much citrus, Kannika.”

“Maybe yours has too many cherries, Quinn.”

“Maybe you’re being purposefully argumentative,” he challenges with a lopsided smile. “Because I know you love my drink more.” He holds up his soda. “Just admit it.”

“No,” I say into my own smile, loving this stupid back-and-forth too much. “Admit you’re wrong about mine.”

“No.” He has an elbow on the bar, angled more toward me. I have all of his attention. All one hundred percent and…fuck. That is not good.

My head whips toward the left where Luna is still straddling Donnelly on the stool. My client. Our client. The girl who should at least occupy half his attention. Probably more.

But Luna is not in any danger. She’s singing to The Cult which blares over the speakers, and of course Donnelly is singing with her, his finger twirling around her space bun ribbons.

My heart hammers hard as my anxiety amps. “Kannika, you okay?” Quinn asks quietly.

“Just trying to stay in the zone,” I whisper back and swirl the straw in my drink, letting my pulse descend. She’s fine. “Akara warned me that it’s easy to get complacent on trips.”

Quinn nods, glancing at our client for a second, then back to me. “It’s why doing well here shows the Epsilon guys that you can hang with them.” He pauses before adding. “Maybe you won’t even need to lose your virginity to feel like you’re respected.”

I shake my head. “No.”

“No?” He frowns.

“No, I still want to. I need to. It’s a goal now. One I want to complete.” While you’re here with me. While I feel safe. I take a large swing of my virgin cocktail.

Quinn’s jaw tightens. “With Metal Detector Dave?”

“It doesn’t have to be with him. But he is…convenient.” I remember his text. “He invited us to a club tonight. I was thinking about checking it out if we get off duty before one a.m.”

“He invited us? Who’s us?” Quinn stands straighter.

“He thinks I’m vacationing with friends. I didn’t tell him my occupation.” I shrug. “I think inviting everyone seems more casual than just pulling me away from my people. It’s kind of sweet, if you think about it.”

Quinn’s dark expression hasn’t lightened.

“What?” I ask, worry cascading.

“When he hit on you at the beach, Luna was with you.”

Oh. That. “I’m not an idiot,” I whisper. “I totally considered the possibility that he recognized her and that he’s just using me to get to her.”

“And?” Quinn frowns in confusion. “You’re not put off by that?”

“Luna said it was the most adorable meet cute she’s ever seen. I can’t let one bad possibility ruin what could be something special.”

“You think this guy is special?” Quinn looks like he’s been told to down a pig’s blood smoothie.

“No,” I say. “The situation could be special. Like it’d be a good story for my first time.”

He rubs at the creases of his eyes. “Yeah, I get that. Yeah.” It’s like he’s mustering every last bit of energy he can to attempt to be supportive.

Luna has hopped off Donnelly’s lap. She comes up to us, only a couple sips left of her green, glittery cocktail. She’s scrolling on her phone. “Hey, hi, howdy. So I found this place that has a DJ and all-night dancing. Thoughts?”

She hands her phone to me.

“Club Sandbar?” I raise my brows at Quinn. “Sounds cool.”

We have an agreement that we don’t dissuade Luna from the things she wants to do. We try to make them happen. Clubs can be difficult to secure without temps and extra hands, but we have Donnelly if anything goes wrong.

Donnelly rests an arm on the bar, facing us casually. “If you two want to go off-duty, I can go on tonigh—”

“No,” Quinn and I say in unison.

I’m glad we’re on the same page here. “We’d prefer being on-duty. Right, Quinn?”

“Yeah.” Quinn has zero reluctance about this and even tells Luna, “I’m down for Club Sandbar as your bodyguard.”

“Okay,” Luna says. “After food. We’ll order some apps here.” Donnelly passes her the menu, and I take a readying breath when her back is turned.

Yeah—we can do this.

Quinn bends down to talk softly in my ear. “Is this the club Metal Detector Dave is at?”

My stomach drops. I really wasn’t planning to interact with Dave while I’m on-duty. That’s not a part of my plan.

“I have no clue,” I tell Quinn.

We both exchange looks of apprehension. I know we’re thinking the same thing.

Let’s hope not.

Thank you for reading the next installment in Frog & Quinn! We loved getting to show more of Luna and Frog's friendship as it grows. We're getting deep into the story, so this is always the time that we have the most fun in the romance and plots. We hope you're enjoying it so far!

A bonus scene and podcasts are on the way this month! So keep on the lookout!!

xoxo Krista & Becca

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MUSIC: We listened to "Is What It Is" by Judah & The Lion while writing this chapter.

“Frog and Quinn," Copyright © 2026 by K.B. Ritchie