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“It was just another bad dream,” she says between hiccuping sobs. “It just felt so real,” she breathes. Then she buries her face against my chest as she trembles violently.
“Shh, I’ve got you,” I breathe, rocking slightly in the hopes that it will soothe her.
Slowly, her tears start to subside, her breathing grows steadier. And as her quivering calms, she sags against me, as if all the terror has completely sapped her strength.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers, her breath washing across my chest, and it’s the first time I notice I didn’t put a shirt on in my haste to get to her.
“For what?”
“I must have scared the hell out of you screaming like that.”
She releases a shaky laugh, and it makes my chest tighten, my heart twisting painfully.
“I’m just glad you’re safe,” I rasp, my throat tight with an inexplicable ache that makes me feel like I could cry.
And I realize belatedly that it’s because I’ve never meant words more sincerely. I don’t know what I would do if Quinn weren’t alright. I think I might just lose my mind. And it’s earth-shattering to realize just how deeply it would affect me if anything were to happen to her.
“Lance?” she says tentatively, keeping her cheek pressed to my chest, her lips brushing softly across my pec.
“Mmm?”
“Would you stay with me? Just for a little while?”
The lump in my throat is near impossible to swallow, but I force it down as I pull her more snuggly into my arms. “Of course,” I rasp. And I scoot her gently over so I can settle back against her headboard.
Releasing the breath trapped in my lungs, I rest my head back against the solid bed frame and look up at her ceiling. I take a moment to appreciate her steady warmth radiating into me, the soft way her body molds to mine. She fits perfectly against me, and feeling her heartbeat settling into a calmer pace against my ribs, her soft breaths steadying across my chest feels shockingly comforting.
And as we stay like this in peaceful silence, I feel my heart swell inside me. An affection I’ve never known before flickering to life. A fondness for Quinn that’s different from what I felt for her as I watched her grow up. It’s dangerously close to attraction. And I realize too late that letting Quinn get under my skin could have dangerous consequences.
Because it feels far too good to hold her close like this.
To have her in my arms.
Closing my eyes, I take another deep breath as I will away my errant thoughts. And I focus on the fact that Quinn’s stoppedshaking. I should be grateful for that. Not thinking about the fact that she’s a beautiful woman and we’re in her bed.
“Lance?” Quinn whispers, and I hate how much I like when she says my name.
“Hmm?” I ask, lifting my head to look down at her.
And at the same time, she tips her chin up to meet my eyes.
Suddenly, our lips are within inches of each other’s, and my breath freezes in my lungs as the air around us crackles to life.
“Thank you,” she murmurs. “For everything.”
I should say something. Anything.
Tell her that she has nothing to thank me for. Because I would protect her without a second thought. And I know that this is my opportunity to mend the hurt I created before. But I can’t seem to summon the words. Only, this time, it’s because I can’t seem to get past the fact that Quinn’s perfect, Cupid’s bow lips are dangerously appealing. And far too close.
Her breath catches, her lips parting slightly, and when my eyes snap up to hers—as I realize I was fixating on her mouth—I find her looking at my lips. Then slowly, tentatively, she tilts her chin higher. And presses her lips to mine.
White-hot arousal blasts through my veins, turning my blood molten. And suddenly, the room feels charged with such intense sexual tension, my muscles tighten. Her mouth feels sinfully good against mine. Her cute peach-colored lips shockingly soft and malleable. I’ve kissed plenty of girls in my time. I’ve lain with more than a few.
But this, right here, kissing Quinn King, is different from anything I’ve ever known.
And though I’ve never tasted alcohol, never tried a single drug, I suddenly wonder if this is what it feels like to be high. Because I have absolutely no control over my body.
Blood hammers through my veins, making my ears roar as my cock throbs to life. And I’m rock-hard in an instant,tenting my joggers with my intense need to know Quinn more intimately.