“I have one condition,” Quinn said, taking the container of kung pao chicken she handed him.
Kiera felt a wave of triumph, and focused on not letting her smugness show in her expression. “Yes.”
“You haven’t even heard my condition yet!” he said, laughing.
She shrugged, sitting down with her beef and broccoli and opening her chopsticks. “Doesn’t matter. If it means you giving the audition a shot, my answer is yes.”
“Hmm.” One brow lifted as he shot her a wicked grin. “This could be interesting. Maybe I should change my condition.”
“Vetoed. First condition stands,” she said, smacking his arm lightly as she took a bite of her dinner.
Quinn laughed, swallowing his next bite of food. “Okay, fine, but we could have had a lot of fun with that. My condition is you can’t tell my family.”
“You mean unless you get into the show?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, even if I pass the audition. You can’t tell them about it.”
Kiera imagined how upset his mother would be if she found out she’d been left out of something so major. “You know what, you’re right. You should change your condition.”
“I’m serious, Keeks! You don’t understand how my family is. If I tell them, I’ll be teased about this forever. We’re a sports family, maybe business, too. But there isn’t a single artist among us.”
“There’s you,” she countered. “You’re an amazing artist.”
“My family doesn’t know that side of me, Kiera. I don’t think they’d understand.” There was a sadness in the way he looked down at his food that made her heart ache.
Shaking her head, she put her food down on the table and he did the same. Crawling into his lap, she straddled his legs and kissed him. “Quinn, your family loves you so much. They’d understand.”
“They are great, but it’s not…” He exhaled loudly, his hands on her hips. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t sound manly, I guess.”
Kiera let out a small laugh, shaking her head. “You work with fire and metal—that’s not manly? You take the broken and ugly and rebuild it into something beautiful with meaning. That’s powerful, Quinn. Your work is powerful. You are powerful.”
A growl emanated from his chest as he ran his hands up her sides. He gripped her hips, pressing her core down against him. A sharp jolt of pleasure slid through her at the movement, and she tipped her head forward as she moaned.
“How’d I get so lucky, Keeks?” he whispered, throaty and full of desire as his lips found hers. His tongue slipped inside her mouth, and she welcomed him eagerly.
Her hands twisted in his shirt, fists pressed against his chest. “I’m the lucky one.”
Quinn’s hands pushed under the back of her pants, gripping her bare ass and squeezing. One of his hands moved around her waist, finding its way between her legs. She pressed her lips harder to his, taking more from their kiss as her excitement grew.
The moment his fingers rubbed over her clit, she bucked forward, her back arching, and a gasp escaped her throat. He didn’t stop, nipping her bottom lip as the hand on her back pulled her closer to him.
Two fingers slid inside, curved forward at just the angle she needed to explode. Her body trembling and her eyes closed, she fell against his chest with a low, satisfied moan.
He chuckled, kissing her cheek. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”
“But the food?” she murmured, her eyes still closed against his chest.
“It will still be here when we’re done,” he assured her. “Or you can bring it to bed with us.”
“Ooh, yes. Let’s do that. I love eating in bed.”
Quinn laughed as they stood. “I know you do, you weirdo. That’s why I have to change the sheets on our bed every other day.”
She grinned, shrugging her shoulders as she grabbed her broccoli and beef and headed for “our” bed. She liked the sound of that…and she liked even more that it had come out of his mouth.
It was all about the little pleasures in life.
Chapter 17
When Quinn stepped through the bedroom door, Kiera was already standing at the edge of the bed facing him, the food momentarily forgotten on the nightstand. He leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms over his chest, and stared at her.
“What are you doing?” she asked, lifting the hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head. She tossed it on the ground halfway between them, like a siren call. “Come to bed.”
“I’m doing the audition like you wanted. It’s my turn to call the shots now, don’t you think?” He tilted his head slightly. “You game?”
The corners of Kiera’s lips tilted north ever so slightly as she nodded, saying nothing. Her bright blue eyes danced with excitement, her nipples pushing against her bra as his eyes grazed over her slowly.
“Drop the pants,” he instructed first, ignoring the strain in his own pants at the sight of her body. He wanted to remember every single moment of this. He wanted slow; he wanted hard. He wanted her screaming his name again and again until she could never forget it.
She was his, and he was going to show her that.
Kiera hooked her thumbs in her waistband, shimmying her pants down her silky thighs until the fabric pooled at her feet. The tiniest pair of lace panties was all she had on underneath, a different color from the lace bra she still wore. Strawberry-blond hair cascaded down her shoulders, as unruly and untamed as she was.
“Take off your bra,” he said next, his thumbs hooked in his jeans pockets as he watched her.
Kiera’s hands twisted behind her back, the lace bra loosening the moment she unfastened its hooks. She held the cups against her breasts for a moment, before letting it drop to the floor.
Round and full, her breasts were accentuated by perfect pink nipples. He wanted to rush over and slip them between his lips, but the wait was almost as exciting.
She shivered, her hands by her sides. The room was warm, so he knew she wasn’t cold, but the tension of the moment was titillating.
“Those, too,” he said, motioning to her panties.
She removed them. Fully naked, she swayed slightly, and he reveled in the evidence of her arousal…the bumps on her skin, the glistening between her legs, the peaks of her nipples. Still, she said nothing. She let him take charge, and he loved her for it.
“Sit on the bed, feet on the edge. Knees bent. I want to see you,” he commanded.
Kiera didn’t hesitate. She sat on the bed, her feet on the edge, and bent her knees as she spread her legs. Her sex opened for him, wet and waiting. She was breathing faster now, her chest rising and falling as she propped herself up on her elbows to keep her eyes on him.
“Rub your clit, Kiera. I want to see you touch yourself.”
Still holding herself up with one elbow, Kiera’s other hand slid between her legs. Three fingers found her clit, rubbing small, slow circles over the sensitive bundle of nerves. She moaned softly, dropping her head back ever so slightly.
Quinn unbuttoned his jeans, freeing his erection from the confines of the tight fabric. One hand on his shaft, he stroked up and down slowly as he watched Kiera pleasure herself. When she caught sight of him doing the same, she moved her fingers faster. Two fingers dipped inside, and when he saw them again, they were slick with her arousal.
Groaning, Quinn picked up the pace, feeling his own arousal increasing.
“Oh, God,” Kiera moaned, the first thing she’d said in several minutes. “I’m so close.”
“Harder, Kiera,” he told her, watching her fingers push in and out of her sex, faster and faster. Her eyes were closed, her head tilted backward as her moans became louder.
Moving quickly, Quinn closed the gap between them just as she was about to climax. He grabbed her hand, pulling it from between her legs.
“What?” Kiera’s eyes blinked open, surprise on her flushed face as he stopped her right before orgasm. “I was so close!”
“I didn’t say
to come, did I?” His words were fierce, a wickedness behind his smile.
She nodded slowly, excitement returning to her expression as she bit down on her bottom lip. “What do you want, Quinn?”
A loaded question, but right now, all he wanted was his tongue buried inside her. Grabbing her hips, he lifted her to sit on the edge of the bed, her legs falling over so her feet were on the floor on either side of him. His eyes never left hers as he kneeled down in front of her, his palm on her shoulders pushing her down until she was stretched out in front of him.
One long stroke of his tongue had her hips bucking off the bed. She tasted sweet, warm, needy, swollen. Her cries filled the room as he tasted every inch of her, pressing inside of her, nipping at her. He pushed her knees apart even wider, and her hips moved in rhythm against his face as he sucked, kissed, licked, nipped at her flesh.
“I’m getting close, Q…so close,” she gasped. “Please?”
Lifting his head slightly, he blew cool air over her sex, making her jolt against him. “Tell me exactly what you want me to do, baby.”
“I want you to make me come…let me come,” she told him, her body shaking beneath him.
He slid his tongue through her folds slowly before looking up her body again. “Squeeze your nipples. Do it now, and I’ll give you what you want.”
“Yes.” Her hands flew to her breasts, cupping each one as her fingers squeezed her nipples, pulling hard.
Grinning, Quinn dropped his head between her legs again, taking her clit between his teeth and pulling just enough to make her moan. Spreading her apart with his hands, he pushed his tongue inside her, and she pulsed against him. He dove in and out, tasting her as she pushed over the edge and began to buck against him. Holding her down, he pushed harder, faster, as he flicked his tongue over her clit until she was shaking hard, shouting out as her orgasm overtook her.
As her rigid body began to relax and she came down from her high, Quinn pushed back up to his feet and grabbed protection from his nightstand. Ridding himself of his clothes, he rolled it on over his shaft and came back to the edge of the bed. She smiled lazily back at him, nibbling her lip as she stared down at him.
“I think I like you being in charge better,” she said, smiling lazily at him. “At least in the bedroom.”
Quinn laughed, climbing onto the bed over her. He slid a hand under her hips and pulled her farther up the mattress with him, kneeling between her legs as he positioned himself over her entrance. She locked her knees against his hips and pressed closer to him, wrapping her arms around his torso.
The moment he was inside her, her moans in his ear, he knew that he’d do anything this woman asked of him. The way she smiled, so wholly satisfied, or how her eyes lit up, earnest and wanting…he’d move mountains to see that happiness, to give her that happiness.
He might be in charge in the bedroom, but she was in charge of his heart.
And it was fucking terrifying.
Chapter 18
“This is an absolutely terrible idea,” Quinn told her, staring wide-eyed at the sign on the front of the building reading SIP & STROKE. “Isn’t this illegal? Plus, you’re my girlfriend…this doesn’t bother you?”
Kiera furrowed her brows and turned to stare at him, pausing as they crossed the parking lot after parking her car. “What? What are you talking about? Why would it bother me?”
“A happy ending from a hooker.” Quinn pointed at the sign again. “It’s not my style, Keeks. I’m sorry, it’s just…no.”
Kiera tilted her head back, letting out a long laugh as she realized his confusion. Belly laughs consumed her and she clutched her sides at the very idea that Sip & Stroke could be anything but a painting studio where you simultaneously drink wine.
“What?” His cheeks were reddening by the second. “It’s not that funny.”
“Get your mind out of the gutter, Q,” she teased, still trying to catch her breath from laughing so hard. “It’s an art studio. Stroke, like paint strokes?”
The light came on behind his dark eyes. “Oh, that makes more sense.”
“You think?” Kiera wrapped her arm around his free hand, leading him toward the entrance. She didn’t move too fast, since he was still using a cane, but his progress was remarkable. He was healing quickly, gaining strength and endurance, and would be back to some version of himself soon. What that version would be, however, was still a point of contention between them, which was exactly why she hoped having an art-themed date would open up his creative side.
“At least we’re a bit of a distance from Woodlawn so no one I know will see me here,” he mumbled as they stepped up onto the sidewalk, and she reached for the front door. “Isn’t this something girls do together?”
“Anyone can do it,” Kiera assured him, pulling the door open for the both of them since his hands were occupied.
The smell of paint hit her nose immediately, and she wrinkled it in displeasure. Turning to mention the strong odor to Quinn, she paused. He looked completely different—his face relaxed, his chest expanding as he breathed in the familiar scent, with a smile on his face that almost looked dreamy. Deciding not to complain, she just wrapped her arm tighter around his and kissed his shoulder.
“This place doesn’t look half bad,” Quinn admitted after a moment, walking them toward the first table where they both sat on stools beside each other.
Large, blank canvases sat in front of them at an angle, a tray of brushes and colors before them, empty wineglasses to the side. Kiera noticed a young woman walking around filling up everyone’s glasses and chatting, as well as a painted canvas at the front of the room, a nighttime landscape with twinkling stars and a bright moon over a dazzling lake. She’d been to something like this only once before when she was younger and they’d painted a cartoon giraffe, which she’d still managed to make look like a really ugly dog. Plus, she hadn’t been old enough for wine at the time, which was the real tragedy from that day.
“Is that what we’re painting?” Quinn pointed at the landscape she’d been eyeing.
She cringed. “I hope not, because I could not pull that off.”
“The instructor will be showing the class each step carefully,” the young woman with wine said, apparently overhearing her as she appeared by her side. “Believe me, everyone can do it! You guys will be great!” She lingered a bit long pouring Quinn’s glass, looking up at him between her lashes and nearly overpouring the glass. “Oops, sorry about that.” She blushed and scurried away.
“Wow.” Kiera raised one brow at Quinn. “Women just throw themselves at you, huh?”
Grinning, he picked up a dry brush and swiped it down her nose. “What woman? I didn’t even notice.”
The twinkle in his eyes said he was lying, but she let it slide, giggling from the tickle of his brush. Grabbing her own, she dabbed the edge of her brush in water and slicked the cool liquid across his nose.
“Hey!” he warned, also laughing. “Don’t get us kicked out of class before it even starts, Keeks. I’m having flashbacks to grade school all over again.”
“We were never in the same class. You’re three years older than me.”
Quinn shrugged, taking a sip from his glass. “Maybe, but how many times did I catch you trying to play hooky and have to drag you back to class?”
“Narc,” she teased, trying her wine, as well. It was spicy, tingling over her tongue as it slid down her throat. The rich berries and flavors made her instantly warm as she took a longer sip this time. “You could have just cut school with me.”
He was quiet for a moment, a small smile on his lips when she looked sideways at him. “We did one time,” he said, nearly whispering now. “Remember?”
Kiera thought for a moment, then it hit her. “Panic! At The Disco. They were playing on the morning show and I wanted to get their autograph outside the studio doors.”
“And it was thirty degrees, and your eyeliner was thicker than your eyebrows.”
“Hey, that
was cool back then,” Kiera reminded him.
Quinn laughed. “That was never cool, Keeks.”
“Well, you didn’t have to come if I was soooo uncool,” she teased, running her palm against the blank canvas as if plotting out her piece.
Quinn didn’t respond, so she turned to look at him. His eyes were smoldering, darker than usual, and fixed on her in a way that made her body heat. Parting his lips, his tongue slid across then retreated into his mouth.
“Of course I had to go, Keeks.” His voice was low and gravelly, making her shiver. “If you were there, I needed to be next to you. I still do. I always will.”
Kiera’s lungs emptied, and she clutched the edge of the table so as not to fall off her stool. The way he spoke, the sincerity in his tone, the meaning in his promises…he took her breath away.
“Welcome to Sip & Stroke!” the instructor shouted from the front of the room, her entire body bouncing with excitement and pep, a way-too-wide grin on her face. Kiera instantly felt comfortable with her, and was glad for the distraction from her conversation with Quinn. “I’m your instructor, Ma— Oh. My. Gosh. Is that you, Quinn Kavanagh?”
The instructor pointed in their direction and Quinn’s face lit up. “Guilty. Hey, Mandy.”
“I’m going to catch up with you in a minute,” she promised, then went on to introduce herself to the class and discuss the evening’s plan.
“That’s Trudy’s wife,” Quinn whispered, leaning into her, his lips inches from her ear. “From the ‘dingy’ tattoo parlor?”
Kiera’s lips twitched at his silly jab at her earlier remark. “I remember. So much for no one knowing you here.”
He shrugged. “If it had to be anyone, I’m glad it’s her. They’ve been a vault for all my secrets.”
“Sure, but is painting a fun canvas really one for the vault?” Kiera asked, still unsure why he was so hesitant to express his creative side. “It’s just a fun date night.”
“You’re right. Let’s just have fun,” Quinn agreed, following the first of Mandy’s instructions and painting the top half of his canvas black.
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