With Every Heartbeat

by Linda Kage

  “But...but you left me all those drawings.”

  When Ten didn’t deny it, Quinn glanced at me for confirmation. I nodded, and his eyes grew big with shock.

  “Noel’s been worried about you,” Ten said. “He said you hid away in your room all summer, and he wasn’t going to stop worrying until you finally started to live again. Those stupid pictures made you smile. They made you—”

  “So...what? You made them to cheer me up just so Noel could feel better. It had nothing to do with me whatsoever?”

  “Caroline.” He groaned, closing his eyes. “I am sorry, but nothing—nothing—is ever going to happen between you and me.”

  “You got that right,” she growled before spinning away and marching off. The fire and anger in her eyes made me smile, though. Their story was far from over.

  I leaned up toward Quinn. “Is it just me, or is it kind of fun to watch them fight?” It felt like...foreplay.

  When he didn’t immediately answer, I lifted my gaze to him. The seriousness in his expression made my stomach drop. When he took my elbow and drew me into a quiet empty classroom, my heart started to pound hard.

  “Is it just me, or did that feel...right?”

  “Right?” I repeated slowly, not sure how to answer, because I wasn’t too sure what he was even talking about.

  “Spying on them together,” he said. “You and I...we’re watchers. We worry about our friends and keep silent tabs on them, waiting to step in when they need us. That’s just...it’s us. Doing that together felt right.”

  “I...” I shook my head, completely discombobulated because he was dead-on. It had felt right to stand there with him and listen in on Caroline and Ten’s conversation.

  He shifted closer to me, the closeness of his huge, hard body making my head spin with delicious memories. “You know I didn’t use you for revenge, right? Cora had nothing to do with what happened between us.”

  Not expecting him to say that, I sniffed and shook my head. “Of course I know that. When Ten said that about you going after one of her friends for revenge, I just kind of classified it under the ninety percent of stupid stuff he says.”

  “Good.” Quinn’s lips tipped in a smile, but his face remained serious. “I can’t stop thinking about it. About us. That night. It was just so...I want more.” His pleading eyes lifted to mine. “Don’t you?”

  I was tempted. So tempted. But the obstacles in our path were so ginormous.

  I groaned. “Quinn, you’re still on the rebound from Cora.”

  He shook his head. “No, I’m not. I’m really not. I know that sounds insane since a week ago we were picking out a ring for her, but...there is something between you and me. You can’t deny that. There’s been something growing between us since the moment we met.”

  No, I couldn’t deny it. But I clenched my teeth and closed my eyes. “If you have felt something for me this entire time, then why...why did you stay with her? Why buy her a ring? Why ask me to help you pick it out?”

  When I opened my eyes, I could see on his face that he finally knew exactly what he’d put me through when he’d asked me help him choose that ring. Realization puffed from his breath as he took a step back.

  “I...I...I’m so sorry, Zoey. I...” He shook his head. “I thought it was just me. I thought I could control it.”

  “Control what?” His feelings?

  “M-m-my attraction to you. I thought I could ignore how much I wanted you, and we could just be friends. I like being your friend. But after Friday night, I realized I want both. From dating Cora, I didn’t think being friends with my girlfriend was necessary. But Noel, and Mason, and Pick...they’re best friends with their women. Maybe that’s how it supposed to be. Friends and lovers.”

  “Quinn,” I sobbed. “Stop putting me through this. We can’t do this. You know why we can’t do this.”

  His face fell, but he nodded compliantly. “I know. And I’m sorry for causing you more distress, but I had to try. You know I had to try, right?”

  All I knew was that I ached so deep inside, I felt like my spirit was being ripped to shreds. Unable to say a thing in response, I spun away from him and fled. I just...I couldn’t deal with this.

  Cora marched into my bedroom where I was writing a new story on Wednesday evening, all dressed up in her party clothes. She tossed some kind of pink cloth on my bed.

  “Put that on. I’m going out tonight, and you have to come.”

  I glanced at the pink…dress, I guess it was, and went back to writing. “I don’t want to go out tonight.” And I certainly didn’t want to go out with her.

  “Well, too bad. You have to. The girls are demanding I go out with them to help me get over my break-up. It wouldn’t look right if you didn’t come.”

  The urge to be nasty rose in my throat. I wanted to spit something like, “Oh, you mean it’d look like I didn’t support you and your faithless, cheating ways?” But then I remembered what I’d done to her, and how I’d spent the entire evening with the guy she’d been in a serious relationship with for months on the very evening he broke up with her.

  The guilt kept me quiet. I ducked my face. “I’m not going.” If Quinn could tell Ten he wasn’t going out with him to get over Cora, I could tell her the same thing. “I’m sure you’ll have plenty of other girls with you to support you.”

  “But you’re my roommate.” She picked up the dress and shoved it in my face. “It’s doubly important that you show your support.”

  I glanced up at her. “But I don’t support what you did.”

  “And I don’t give a flying fuck what you feel in your tender, little, self-righteous heart. Appearances are everything, Zoey. You’re going, or I’ll tell all my friends we broke up because he cheated on me…with you.”

  So, I went out with Cora and her friends, but I chose my own outfit, putting on skinny jeans, tall boots and a long top.

  They decided to hit Forbidden first. Maybe they wanted Quinn to be working so they could flaunt Cora in front of him and make him miss her or something. I don’t know, but he wasn’t on duty, so whatever that plan had been fell through anyway. Ten and Asher were the two guys manning the bar. Cora’s crew found a table near the front doors and a waitress took our order. I glanced toward the bar a few times, but both guys seemed too busy to notice us.

  Cora wasn’t as bad as I thought she’d be. She was so, so much worse, whining to her friends about her new single status, and they all—every single one of them—sympathized with her. Did they not even care that it was over between her and Quinn because of her actions?

  Apparently not. And then I learned why. They didn’t know it was because of her.

  I had no idea what Cora had told them until Tamsen, I think her name was, said, “I can’t believe he cheated on you. He always seemed like such a dedicated guy.”

  My eyes grew wide. Say, what?

  “I know.” Cora put on a sad face and fake wiped at her cheek, but all the while, her gaze lifted to mine. “It’s always the quiet ones.”

  Or the liars, I wanted to spit back. My gaze narrowed. I couldn’t believe she’d told them he’d been the cheater. They probably had no idea she’d slept around throughout her entire relationship with him.

  “And he was the worst lay ever,” she went on, making my blood pressure skyrocket.

  I knew I’d only been with one person, but Quinn Hamilton was far and gone away from being the worst at anything he did in the bedroom. His merely looking at me could fry my hormones.

  “Talk about vanilla lover. He never did anything but straight missionary, always skipped the foreplay, and he totally lacked sexy talk.”

  Quinn’s voice from Friday night moved through my head.

  After the touching and kissing comes the licking.

  So pink and delicate.

  God, yes. That’s the flavor, right there. That’s what would keep me coming back for more, every time.

  Ready for another biology lesson?

  I push
ed to my feet, needing to escape before I blew a gasket.

  Cora lifted her eyes. “Oh, are you headed to the bar? We need another round of strawberry daiquiris. Thanks.”

  I stared at her a moment, but then I glanced toward the bar…or rather toward the bartenders.

  Maybe heading that way wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all.

  I marched to Asher and Ten. Asher grinned at me as he passed a fruity-looking drink to a waitress.

  “Hey, Zoey. You look amazing tonight. What can I get you?”

  Asher was too nice for my needs, so I bypassed him and planted myself in front of Ten, where he was busy plunking an olive with a toothpick and setting it just so into a martini glass.

  Pointing in the direction of my roommate’s table, I said, “Go destroy her.”

  Ten glanced up. He blinked at me for a moment before he arched an amused eyebrow. “Wow, Blondie. Do I really look like some kind of trained pet to you, who sits and fetches on command?”

  I clenched my teeth. “She’s talking smack about Quinn to all her friends. She told them he’s the one who cheated on her.”

  His eyebrows lifted. His gaze veered Cora’s way before it narrowed on where she was surrounded by her skank posse. “Oh, bitch is going down.”

  Setting one hand on the bar, he hopped over it and stalked off.

  My chest filled with an eager excitement. I knew I should’ve felt bad for siccing Ten on her, but she deserved it. Guilt and joy blurred in my head. Curious to see what he did, I hurried after him.

  “…and he refused to go down on me, the selfish prick,” Cora was saying as Ten approached her from behind.

  He startled her by snapping his fingers and saying, “Oh, damn. That was my bad, sorry.” She spun around to gape up at him. Setting a hand against his heart as if he genuinely wanted to apologize, he sent Cora a wince. “You see, I told him how bad you stank down there. And the flavor…” He winced and shuddered. “It took me a fucking week to get that nasty aftertaste out of my mouth. It’s my fault if he refused to eat you out.”

  My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe he’d said that. What was worse, I couldn’t believe he’d actually been with Cora. Wha…when had that happened?

  Glancing at her stunned friends, Cora started to shake her head. But the panic was getting to her. “You’re such an asshole.”

  “Well, you’re a fucking slut who had to beg me for weeks before I finally let you into my pants.” He shrugged and lifted a hand to let her know he had no excuse for himself. “And everyone knows I usually need no encouragement before fucking a willing woman.”

  Tears filled Cora’s eyes. As she pushed up from the table and fled toward the hall that led to the bathrooms, everyone else at the table hurried after her, trying to comfort her.

  Wow. Ten definitely knew how to clear a table. Note to self: never get on this guy’s bad side.

  He swung toward me and lifted his eyebrows, waiting for my response.

  I cleared my throat and patted him on top of the head. “Good boy.”

  Ten threw his head back and laughed. “Damn, Blondie. Sometimes you crack me up.” Throwing an arm around my shoulder, he led me up to the bar.

  “Get her a Long Island,” he told Asher as he showed me to a barstool.

  I didn’t really want a drink, but I didn’t want to say no to Ten either, so I lifted my purse from my lap to get some money. Asher lifted a hand and waved my money away.

  “It’s on the house. Anyone who looks out for our Quinn need not pay.”

  “Damn straight,” Ten agreed. He hopped back behind the counter and took an order from someone else as Asher set my drink in front of me.

  I thanked him but didn’t drink. I was running my fingernail up the condensation dripping down the side when Cora’s voice from behind me made me lift my head and whirl around.

  “I suppose I have you to thank for that attack.” She scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

  I wasn’t proud of sending Ten after her, but I wasn’t sorry for it either. “You shouldn’t have said all that about Quinn,” was all I could think to answer.

  Noticing her talking to me, Ten started our way, but I put up my hand to stop him, letting him know I could handle this. He paused, but kept watching us.

  Cora snorted as she watched our silent byplay, only for a lightbulb look to enter her face as if she’d just then figured something out. She turned back to me slowly, her eyes narrowed. “Why, you dirty little slut.”

  My heart skipped a beat. I was so sure she’d just figured out what Quinn and I had done, I almost passed out from the shock. But then I wondered if she thought maybe Ten and I had been together. So, I said, “Excuse me?”

  She leaned in close. I wanted to pull away, but I stiffened my back and met her glare for glare. “We’re leaving,” she snarled. “This pigsty stinks.” Her gaze slid to Ten, letting me know he was the reason for her retreat.

  Hooking her hand around my arm, she tried to pull me off my barstool, but I resisted.

  “I don’t think so. I’m not going anywhere else with you, and I refuse to listen to you spew more lies about people.”

  “Oh, you’re going, or I’ll tell all the girls you’ve had Ten, too.”

  I snorted and rolled my eyes. “Well, maybe I’ll just do one better to you, Cora. I’ll—gasp—actually tell the truth about you.”

  She frowned and shook her head. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ll tell your friends how sick you are. You didn’t want them to know about your renal problems, right?” When her eyes widened, I clicked my tongue. “Or maybe I’ll tell one of your doctors just how much you like to drink. That is one of the reasons they reject someone from getting a transplant, isn’t it? Substance abuse?”

  When she paled, I knew I’d won the battle. I would never tell on her, of course, but she didn’t know that.

  Straightening her back, she lifted her chin regally high. “Well, look who grew a backbone.” Then she turned away as if giving me the cut direct and stormed off.

  I stared after her, feeling...I don’t know. Alive. Powerful. I wanted to...I just wanted to see Quinn. Liking my new backbone, as Cora had called it, I pressed my hand to my rapidly thumping heart. She had no idea what kind of man she’d let go when she’d decided to treat him like crap and then spout lies about him. But I knew, and I’d been an idiot for letting him slip through my fingers. If he was really a dull vanilla, then I didn’t want any other flavor.

  “Heading out?” Ten asked, taking my untouched drink away without commenting about it.

  I smiled at him. “I have someone to see.”

  The approving grin that grew across his face only emboldened me more. “Go get him, baby.”

  So I did.

  When I knocked on Quinn’s door twenty minutes later, I was ready to get my man. He answered, wearing his sleep pants and a rumpled shirt. His hair stood up on one side as if he’d been lying on it. He looked good enough to tackle and devour.

  So I did.

  “I’m ready for another biology lesson,” I said, grabbing a handful of his shirt. Then I rose onto my toes and kissed him. Hard.

  For someone who totally wasn’t expecting it, Quinn reacted almost immediately, only stumbling back half a step before he caught himself and then crushed me against him. His large hands cupped my head. “Zoey,” he gasped before his lips captured mine.

  My mouth opened under his, and his tongue was eager to fill it. I climbed his big body, because I needed every part of me rubbing against every part of him. He dropped his grip from my face to catch my butt and hoist me up where I wanted to be the most.

  My legs wrapped around his waist. He spun me to pin me against a wall and then he began to grind. Oh God, but feeling his thick, long erection through his pants caused this delicious, throbbing clench of muscles deep in my womb. It reminded me just how much I’d missed feeling him there. I needed him inside me, moving, pumping, thrusting.

  “I did a little research a
fter...you know, learning about flower anatomy,” I panted out as he began to kiss his way down my throat.

  “What?” He lifted his face, looking too dazed to remember the biology lesson he’d given me the last time we were together.

  So aroused that my breaths wouldn’t calm down, I nodded. “Did you know that an imperfect flower is one that has either all female parts or all male parts, but not both?”

  He blinked, clearly confused about why I was telling him this. “Yes,” he said. “I knew that.”

  Of course he knew that. But that so wasn’t the point.

  “So...so if you...” I bit my lip as I shifted my hips so I could ride his erection a little faster. “If you and I, male and female parts, came together, we’d make—”

  “A perfect flower,” he whispered, finishing the sentence for me as his eyes lit with realization.

  I smiled. “You want to make the most perfect flower ever with me?”

  Lust and awe filled his gaze. “Yes.” He cupped my face, stared into my eyes, and then kissed me hard before repeating, “Yes,” even stronger. Then he peeled me off the wall and began to carry me down the hall. “Condoms are in my room.”

  I nuzzled my nose up the side of his neck and nipped his earlobe with my teeth before saying, “I’m on the pill. Doctor’s orders.”

  “In that case…the kitchen’s closer.” He veered left and then let go of me with one arm so he could shove everything off the top of the table. “I can’t get inside you fast enough.”

  “I’ll get my jeans, you get the top.”

  He agreed by swiping my shirt over my head. I fumbled with my jeans, zipping them down and then tugging them off my hips while Quinn whipped my bra off within seconds. Then he grabbed the heels of my boots and pulled them both off at the same time before helping me fling my pants over his shoulder.

  “God, you are so perfect.” His eyes gleamed as he had me lie down on my back with my legs hanging off the side of the table.

  The chill against my butt and spine fled the moment he hooked one of my legs under his arm and then slid his hand in his pants only to come out with his thick cock ready to impale. “And look at these beautiful swollen petals.” He slid the head of his shaft up along my folds. “You’re already blooming, all wet and ready for me.”