by Lisa Evans
“I get it, baby. Your dad sounds like a complete moron if you ask me.”
“I hate him. I hate him for treating me this way,” I say, as the tears continue to flood down my cheeks.
“Oh sweetie,” Quinn whispers, and kisses my tears away. “I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better…”
“Just… Just hold me…” I mumble, and cry some more.
“Come here, beautiful,” Quin says, and lifts me up into his arms. Then he carries me into his bedroom and puts me down gently on the bed. Taking off my shoes, he sits down on the bed next to me and starts rubbing my feet. It actually feels really good, and I’m so grateful that he’s there for me.
“And now I’m mad at myself for getting so upset. I should just… I mean, I wish I didn’t care so much,” I say, and close my eyes. Quinn hands me a napkin, and I dry the tears from my eyes with it.
“But you do care. And it’s no wonder. Your father’s gone out of his way to hurt you, so it’s only natural that you get upset.”
“I know…” I say, and glance at him. “You’re right… You always say exactly the right things…”
“Sweetie,” he whispers, and lets go of my feet. Lying down next to me, he lets me rest my head against his chest. It feels so warm and so comfortable, that I start feeling better right away.
“Thank you Quinn,” I say quietly, and put my hand on his chest.
“Don’t worry about it darling, you know you can always come to me if you’re upset. I’ll take care of you. In every way I possibly can.
“Thank you… It means a lot to me,” I say, and kiss him.
Quinn slips his tongue into my mouth, and when he does, it sends tingles of arousal through my body. I start to feel much more relaxed, and I realize just how much I’ve missed him today. We didn’t spend the night together since he needed to work and I had some stuff to do at the house, so it’s been almost a day since we last made love.
Pulling him on top of me, I wrap my arms around his neck, and continue to kiss him, hungrily. When I do, I feel his hard bulge pressing against my body, and I know he wants me as much as I want him.
Looking into his eyes, I see him smiling as he pulls away from me for a moment. Reaching his hands down to the hem of my skirt, he slides it upward until he reaches my panties. Pulling them off me, he tosses them aside, and then turns me over so that I’m lying on my side. I love it when he’s in control, because I trust him, and I know he’s going to do everything to please me.
My desire is his only focus right now.
Pulling up my skirt, he ends up ripping it. “Sorry,” he whispers into my ear, and then rolls his warm tongue along my neck.
“Don’t worry,” I mumble, shutting my eyes and enjoying the feel of his tongue on my skin. My nipples are tingling and I want him so much right now that I feel like I’m gonna come if he just touches me. “Fuck me Quinn… I want you…”
“I want you too, sweetie… I want you so much Nina…”
Reaching his hand between my thighs, he cups my sex. And when he does, I gasp.
Sliding his fingers along my wet crevices, he makes me moan, and when I feel him nudging his cock against my opening, I clutch the sheets beneath me.
“Nina,” he grumbles as he penetrates me. And when he starts fucking me, I breathe in quick shallow gasps.
Holding on to my hips, he thrusts into me from behind. It feels so good, and when I hear him moaning into my neck, it makes me come. Clenching the sheets, I scream out his name and erupt.
“Quinn,” I whimper, sensing the tears welling up again. It’s like I’ve been feeling so many feelings today, that I can’t help but weep.
“Nina baby… I love you,” he whispers, and stops thrusting into me. Deep inside of me, he comes, and when he does, he cries out my name again.
Chapter 6
QUINN
JEALOUSY PUMPS THROUGH my veins when I think about Nina’s ex. And it gets even worse when I hear about how he’s treated her not only today but before, when they were still together. Just thinking about him makes me want to hurt him, punish him, make him suffer for all the ways he’s hurt my sweet darling Nina.
Waiting for Nina to finish her shower, I sit on the patio sipping some ice tea. Images of Nina crying flash through my mind while I admire the palm trees surrounding my turquoise swimming pool.
Sweet Nina.
Gorgeous, loving, darling Nina.
Nobody should ever hurt you.
Ever.
I’ll die before anyone does that to you again.
“Quinn?” I hear her calling me inside the house. I just adore the sound of her voice, and I know already that it’s the only voice I ever want to hear calling my name for the rest of my life.
“Out here, babe,” I respond, and recall our latest session of love-making.
Can’t believe I told her that I love her already. It’s so soon… But it’s how I feel, and it felt like the right thing to say. It just slipped out of me.
I hope she won’t think it’s too soon though.
“Hey,” Nina says when she finds me. Hugging me where she stands beside me, she kisses me on the neck with those soft and plump red lips of hers. The feeling sends shivers down my spine.
“So,” I say, while she sits down on my lap. Her hair is wet, and I’m finding it hard not to just scoop her up in my arms and bring her back to the bedroom and make her come all over again. “Apart from the mess with the elevator…”
“Uh-huh.”
“How did the meeting with Grace go?”
“Well,” she says, sounding perkier. “It went pretty excellent actually.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, and I’m real proud of myself, for once.”
“You should be,” I say, and stroke her thigh. “You’ve done an excellent job with me.”
“Yes, and… The thing is,” she says, sounding hesitant all of a sudden. “Grace kind of wants to try out my skills with some colleagues of yours.”
“What?”
“Yeah, she said she wanted me to meet with a couple of the other authors who could use a helping hand with their current projects. Isn’t it great?”
“Yeah,” I tell her, but on the inside I sense the venom of jealousy spewing through me. I don’t like the idea of her seeing other people, and I need to find out who these other people are. “Did she… Uh… Did she mention some names or…?”
“Well,” she says, toying with my hair while eyeing the pool. “She mentioned a couple of names, one was Felicity Hoffbauer and another one was James Bryant. You know these people?”
The moment she utters the name James, the jealousy grows even stronger in me. I don’t want her to be alone with some tan, young blonde surfer guy who writes books about his trips to Bali and New Zealand. Felicity, I’ve got no problem with, she’s nice, though I’m not exactly into fantasy so I’ve never read her work. But James. No way. There’s no way Nina’s seeing him on her own.
He’s a notorious flirt.
“I’ve met them both actually, a couple of times, yes,” I say, while trying to figure out the best way to warn her about James.
“And…?”
“And… Felicity is nice, I’m sure you’ll get along fine.”
“Great. What about this James guy?”
Clenching my fists, I grind my teeth. I don’t want Nina to think that I’m trying to stop her from pursuing this career, but I also really don’t want her to be alone with that moron.
“Come on, Quinn,” she says, putting her hand on my chest. “I googled his name and saw that he writes travel books or something, but I need to know what you think about him. And be honest.”
“Honest? You want me to be honest?”
“Yes.”
“Well, the guy’s a… Actually, I don’t really like him.” That’s an understatement.
“You don’t?”
“No. And I don’t particularly like the idea of you going out to his house and spending as much time
with him alone as you and I did.”
“Hold on, wait a minute,” she says, cupping my face. Forcing me to look at her, she says, “Are you… Are you jealous? You don’t think I’d cheat on you, do you?”
“That’s two questions and I’m not sure which one you’d like me to answer first.”
“So you are jealous. But you don’t need to be. I’d never cheat on anyone. I’ve never cheated, and I’m never, ever going to cheat on you. You hear me?”
Her words soothe me. And when she kisses me, it’s like all my worries disappear.
Hours later, when Nina and I are hanging out on the living room couch after dinner, I feel the jealous side of me emerging again. It’s like it’s creeping up on me, and I hardly even notice it before it’s taken complete hold of me.
Grabbing her hand, I stroke my thumb against her soft skin, and I want to tell her how much I love her, that I’m in love with her, and that I want to be with her forever. But I also don’t want to push her. I need her to feel safe around me, especially since it doesn’t seem like she’s ever felt safe around anyone.
“Quinn?” she says, leaning against me.
“Yeah?”
“You do trust me, right?”
“Yes.” It’s the truth. I do trust her. It’s other people I don’t.
“So you have no problem with me working with other authors as well?”
Sighing, I shift my weight. “I guess not… But…”
“But what?”
“I don’t know,” I say, letting go of her hand. “I just… This isn’t what you want to do for the rest of your life is it?”
“What?”
“I mean, being some assistant to a bunch of crazy, egocentric, idiot authors who are full of themselves? Because that’s what most of us are, trust me, I should know.”
“I wouldn’t describe you that way, but… I don’t know. I guess I’m just glad I’ve got this job right now since it’s so much better than working for my parents.”
“So in other words it’s not exactly your dream job?”
“No. No, definitely not. I would much rather get into PR or something, and do it the right way. You know. Get a degree in PR at FIDM first, and then work my way up the ladder of some company before starting my own business. That’s my dream.”
“Then I think that’s what you should pursue.” Facing her, I grab her face. Staring into her gorgeous marble eyes, I tell her, “Don’t sell yourself short sweetheart. Pursue your dreams. You deserve it. You need it. I want you to do that.”
“But I… I don’t have the funds… To pay for tuition and all that…”
“Then I’ll fix it. Let me take care of that. I’ll pay for FIDM and you can stay here if you like so you won’t have to pay rent anymore.”
Narrowing her eyes, she studies my face. “You… You would do that? For me?”
“Of course, honey,” I say and furrow my brow. “I would do anything for you. Anything.”
“I… I don’t know what to say…”
“Say yes, say you’ll quit your job and move in with me and pursue your lifelong dream instead. You could have it all, you know.”
Staring at her beautiful, beautiful face, I beg her to say yes. My heart is pumping a mile a minute, and I don’t know what I’ll do if she says no.
“Yes,” she says, her eyes looking watery again. “Yes Quinn, if you’ll put me through school, I’ll do it. I’ll move in with you and everything.”
“Good. You’ve made me the happiest man alive,” I say, and kiss her.
My tongue enters her mouth, and when it meets her tongue, I feel myself getting hard.
Pushing me down on my back, she lies down on top of me, and reaches for my zipper. “Thank you Quinn,” she murmurs between our hungry kisses. “Thank you so much…” she whispers, while sliding her hand down my pants. Grabbing hold of me, she caresses my shaft firmly, and proceeds to give me one more kiss. Then she bows her head down and takes my manhood into her mouth.
Gasping, I watch my belly move up and down while she pleases me. Playing with her hair when she makes me come, I shut my eyes and cry out her name.
With my fingers nestled deep inside her warm, sappy tunnel, I make Nina come.
“Quinn,” she whimpers, grinding, and rubbing herself against me while I please her. “Oh Quinn…”
“So sexy… You’re so sexy when you come honey,” I whisper into her ear, breathing in all of that luscious scent of her hair.
Waiting for her to calm down, I stroke her head and enjoy having her throbbing wetness surrounding my fingers.
“I don’t know how you do that,” she whispers, and gives me a long, deep kiss.
“Do what?” I ask after our kiss has ended.
“Make me come that way… It’s… So intense.”
“Maybe we just belong together,” I say, and kiss her again.
“I guess…” Fidgeting with my sweater, she says my name again. “Quinn?”
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Did you… Did you really mean all that? About me moving in here and going to FIDM?”
“Of course,” I say, looking straight into her eyes. “You can move in tomorrow for all I care. I want you to be here. All the time.”
“You do?”
“Yes. And I want you to be happy and spend your days doing something you enjoy. Look,” I say, and pull my fingers out of her. “I love you. If I could, I would marry you tomorrow. I already know that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Even if you don’t want it. And I’ll do everything and anything to make you happy. You hear me?”
“Yes,” she whispers, looking vulnerable again. “Quinn?”
“Yes?”
“I love you too. I want you to know that.”
“Oh baby,” I say, and part my lips to kiss her again.
I’ve got her exactly where I want her.
She really is mine.
And I’m going to love her for all of eternity.
Chapter 7
NINA
BACK AT MY place, everything looks the same, but I feel different. Completely different. It’s like I’ve been transformed and have warped into some other person. That’s the effect of Quinn’s love.
Going through my closet to find something fun to wear over the next couple of days, I’m secretly also trying to decide what stuff I want to keep and which of my things I can happily be rid of once I move in with Quinn.
If it were up to him, I would be moving in with him today, but I told him these things take time. No matter how much you want it, it’s important to do things the right way. Which is why I’m gonna let things simmer for a while before I make the necessary calls to my landlord and other places to organize the move.
Because what if Quinn changes his mind?
What if he suddenly decides he doesn’t want me there at all?
A change of heart can happen so easily…
Although we’re having a really good time together, and the sex is mindblowingly spectacular to say the least, it’s all so new to me still. Which is why it’s hard to set my mind to leaving my old life behind. I can’t just up and leave this apartment without thinking things through first. I mean, what if it isn’t Quinn who has a change of heart? What if it’s me?
Remembering when I first moved here a couple of years ago now, I’m sort of sad to think that I’ll probably move out soon. Of course I’ve always known that this West Hollywood apartment wasn’t going to be forever, but it’s still kind of sad to think that I’ll be leaving it behind for good sooner rather than later.
It feels just like yesterday we had the moving-in party, with all my friends and family gathered right here to celebrate. It was nice. It was… It was a happier time in some ways. In others, not so much. Part of the deal I made with my parents was that I’d give up the idea of FIDM if I got this apartment in exchange for going to business school. Sure it sounded like an alright deal at the time, and most of my friends were delighted that they’d have a place to crash a
fter a long night out on the town, but still… I was forced to give up on my dreams.
It wasn’t what I wanted.
Thinking about it, I feel a bitter remorse emerging in me. I wish I would have stood my ground and had gone to FIDM despite my parents’ protests.
But at least I’ll get the chance to go now, even if it’s been quite the detour.
Finding a couple of dresses in the back of the closet I haven’t worn in a long time, I pack them into my bag. Quinn was adamant this morning about me bringing more stuff over to his place, so I guess that’s what I’ll do. Not because he wants it, but because I do too. I love his house, and if he’s really being sincere about me and us, then… Then I guess I’ll just go along with what he wants.
Because I already know that I’m in love with him.
He’s a true dream come true.
The phone buzzes, and I remember that I was supposed to call Grace to talk about my new plans for the future. Grabbing my phone, I see that it’s Quinn calling, and I make a mental note to myself that I’ll call Grace and arrange a meeting as soon as I’m done with Quinn.
“Hey,” I say, my head tingling with excitement over talking to Quinn.
“Hey gorgeous, what’s up?”
“Just picking out a couple of outfits to bring along to my boyfriend’s house. You?”
“Not much, just missing my girlfriend is all.” Hearing him say the word girlfriend makes me giggle. And my heart jumps in my chest. “Speaking of my girlfriend, I was wondering if she would like to go for a run with me tonight?”
“Sure,” I say. “I could use the exercise. Where’d you have in mind?”
“Runyon Canyon.”
“Runyon Canyon it is. I haven’t been there in ages it seems.”
“Then we’ll put an end to that. Meet you there?”
“I’ll see you there, hot stuff.”
“Love you.”