Page 17 of Fragile (Cedar Lakes University #2)

Chapter sixteen

Miles

For the second time in my life, I’m kissing Quinn.

My Queenie. The girl who has been under my nose my whole life.

Those beautiful green eyes pierced me when I turned up tonight, and I tried so hard to act normal, but that went about as well as a fumble at the touchdown line. I couldn’t pretend. The moment I walked into her space, that smells like her sweet cinnamon scent, she did the most Quinn thing she could possibly do and outright asked me what was going on. And just like that, I wanted to kiss her again.

Which is what I’m doing now. Her lips move against mine like she’s always kissed me, like she was made for me. The overwhelming and entirely new feeling of possession roars its way into my blood again, making me pulse and vibrate with need for her. I tighten the grip I have in her hair and feel her moan against my mouth as I sweep my tongue along hers.

Breaking away briefly, I stare down at her. My favorite color isn’t reflected back at me yet, her eyes closed, and her lips look swollen from my kisses. “Quinn,” I breathe, and I’m rewarded with her emerald eyes opening and burning with lust for me. “Fuck, you’re beautiful,” I whisper before kissing her again.

I don’t know how long we stay kissing, but it’s not enough. When she pulls away, breathless, I take a tentative step back to give her some air.

She swipes across her puffy lips, holding her fingers there. “Wow, I mean, that was—”

“Yeah. Agreed,” I say on an exhale.

“What should… I mean, the… Uh…” She squints, as though she’s thinking really hard.

“Have my kissing skills made you incoherent, Queenie?” I muse, a smile playing on my lips.

She scoffs and waves her hand. “No, yeah.” She pauses and thinks. “Definitely something going on. My brain isn’t braining.”

I chuckle and reach for her hand, pulling her to me, and she comes willingly, fitting against me perfectly. It blows my freaking mind how natural it feels. All of it. “So…” I begin, slowing my gaze over her delicate face. “Wanna watch a movie?”

“Movie,” she repeats mindlessly and stares at me for a beat before wriggling out of my hold and walking to her bed, her hands laced in her hair. “Wait, what the h-e-double hockey sticks just happened?”

“I kissed you.”

“Again.”

“Again,” I confirm, watching her face morph from confusion to surprise and pretty much staying that way. “Is that okay?”

“Okay?” she repeats with a huffed laugh. “Yeah, it was more than okay. I mean, we should talk about it, right?”

I nod. “I know, and we will.” I bring her toward me to kiss again. Now I’ve started, I can’t seem to stop. She wraps her arms around my neck, letting me kiss and taste her exactly how I need to before I whisper against her mouth. “But let’s just chill for a bit, okay?”

She nods, seemingly in a daze, and I walk to her bag, taking out her laptop again, passing it to her. She taps a few keys, waking it up as she sits on her bed. “What were you watching?” I ask as I flop down next to her.

“ Insidious .”

A startled sound escapes my mouth as my gaze darts to her. “You know that’s scary as shit, right? It’s not a happy ending like you’re used to and it’s sure a shit not a comedy.”

She shrugs. “Trying something new is good for you, and I’m sure I can handle it.”

Yeah, but maybe I can’t if she gets scared and climbs into my lap. I know what we’re doing is new, and I’m towing some kind of ‘best friend’ line here, but my control will waiver when we’re alone now that I know what she tastes like. I can’t let that happen yet. Not with Quinn.

“What’s that face for?” she asks, amused, as she breaks into a grin. “Don’t tell me the big, strong football player is a scaredy cat?”

The jab to my ribs has my body curling in on itself, and a burst of laughter erupts from both of us. We’re a mess of limbs and teasing pokes until I grab her wrists and pin them above her head. Her warm body fits perfectly beneath mine.

Our breaths make a heavy soundtrack in the room as we stare at each other.

My heart thuds so loudly, I swear she can hear it. As her lips part slightly, I can feel the rise and fall of her chest, matching the quick rhythm of my own breathing.

The look in her eyes pulls me in, like gravity. It feels inevitable. I lean closer, our lips just a breath from one another’s, and even though we’ve already kissed tonight, I want more. Which is a bad idea. My eyes flicker down to her ruby lips and then back up to her green eyes, searching for any sign that I should stop, but all I see is her, waiting for me to make a move. And it would be so easy to do.

“Quinn,” I murmur, my voice barely more than a whisper. I can feel the tension crackling in the air between us, and I’m so close now that I can feel her breath on my skin. “I’m not afraid.” Except I already know that’s a lie. I’m scared of this, of her, of what we could be and how I’ll inevitably mess it up. Suddenly, my throat feels thick as I try to swallow past it. “But for once in my life, I’m going to exercise control.”

She searches my eyes for a beat. “Control?”

“I don’t want to jump into the deep end here. You’re my best friend.”

“Okay,” she says hesitantly. “You know I’m not fragile, right?”

I smirk at her response. I know she isn’t. She’s the strongest person I know. “You might not be, but maybe I am.”

She nods, something that looks like understanding crossing her face. “Well, let’s watch the scary movie. Unless your idea of a good time is sparkly vampires and sexy werewolves again?”

I chuckle lightly, burying my head into the crook of her neck, breathing her in as I do. Fuck, she smells so good. “You know how much I wanted Jacob to get the girl. That’s unfair.”

“I know, poor baby.” She pats my back in the most condescending way and some of that fear dissipates because this is her. My Quinn. When I lift to meet her face, she’s smiling at me, and my heart double taps. “But Edward was far superior. Now get off me, you big brute.”

Reluctantly, I move off her and roll to sit on the bed. Two seconds later, her sweet scent washes over me as her body joins mine. When she presses play, the sinister music filters into the laptop’s crappy speakers, somehow making it more disturbing. I shift in my seat as an image of a boy in his bed in the dark comes on screen, and I glance over to Quinn out of the corner of my eye. She’s chewing on her bottom lip like it’s her favorite flavor of gummy worm, so I lean over her and grab her the bag I brought for her instead. “Give those lips a rest, I’ll need them later.” I peck a quick kiss to her temple.

A gasp of air escapes her, and I can’t help but smirk as I turn my attention back to the movie.

As the evening progresses, I become more aware of Quinn next to me. Her breathing, her subtle movements, her scent. Even though that’s always been etched into my brain as something uniquely her. But tonight, it feels different. It feels like I’m seeing things differently and I’m a little terrified. It’s like flying without a parachute, because I have no fucking idea what I’m doing with Quinn. I can’t just turn on the charm and get into her pants. I mean, I could, but that’s not what this is, I already know that much. I need to think about being what Quinn needs, and wants, in a guy.

Honestly, I have no idea if I can do that, but after one—no, two—tastes of her, I’m not giving up that easily.

Even if I’m in over my head.

Even if I’m keeping things from her.

One thing I know for sure is that I want Quinn Dawson.