Page 35 of Fragile (Cedar Lakes University #2)

Chapter thirty-four

Miles

“You’ve been here before,” I say, linking my hand with Quinn’s as we round the corner to my dorm.

“Yeah, but that was before .” She looks around as though she expects her brother to leap out of the bushes, despite the fact we left him back at her dorm, waiting for Indie, after scrapbook club.

“Before what?” I feign innocence, when I know exactly what before she’s talking about. Before I kissed her. Before she and I started messing around. Before our friendship became something much more than I thought it would ever be. Just before.

“Before our movie nights had the potential to become X-rated,” she whispers as we climb the stairs, and I have to hold back a barking laugh.

“X-rated, Queenie? Is that what’s happening tonight?” I tease.

Shrugging, she winks at me. “Play your cards right and maybe.”

Jesus, all the blood just shot down to my groin. This girl can absolutely evoke the biggest reactions from my body, and she doesn’t even realize how beautiful and sexy she is.

“I’m crap at card games,” I say, leaning closer as we reach my dorm. “But I’m really good at other things, you know, sexy things. So maybe we should start there instead?” Wiggling my eyebrow, I swipe my keycard at the door.

As we step into the dimly lit hallway, the sounds of other students echoing faintly in the background, and I can tell she’s on edge. She has been since the scrapbook club.

“Jay knows,” she blurts, as we round the corner to my room.

I flick my eyes down to her, wondering what she’s feeling. “He figured it out?”

She nods. “Pretty much.” Pausing, she looks down at her shoes. “I want to tell my brother, but I…” Her eyes meet mine hesitantly. “I like having you to myself.”

Stopping in the hallway, I know I’m playing with fire here out in the open, testing to see how far she’ll go before she panics. I pull her into me, her head immediately tilting to look up at me. Those green eyes glisten against the luminescent lights above us. “I’m ready when you are. I don’t love lying to my best friend, but I can’t deny that I’m a little scared too. Plus, I don’t hate all this sneaking around. It is kind of hot.”

She smiles, before I press a kiss to her forehead, not wanting to push her much more. Holding her this close is a big deal anyway, as any of my teammates could be out here.

I’m not lying when I say I’m scared. Seb jokes about none of us in the group being good enough for her, but has he really thought that through? Does he mean that? Would he really feel so badly that me, the guy who’s known and protected her most of her life, would want her like I do?

“Maybe Seb will just figure it out like Jay did,” she says casually as head up the stairwell.

Then, I remember the conversation I had with Jay and a very unhelpful Hudson a while back, knowing that probably tipped him off. “I, maybe, sort of, spoke to Jay about this girl I liked a while back.”

“A girl?” she asks, stumbling up the last step.

She rights herself, getting to the top step, and I grasp her wrist, stopping her from going further, pulling her back to my front. “It was you. I was talking about you. I didn’t know how to express everything. I know I’m still not very good at it.” Walking us forward, I feel her body relax in my arms, and I relax too. “I don’t think Jay will out us. So, when we’re ready to say something, it should be to your brother first.”

She hums her agreement.

I reach out and softly tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, letting my hand linger near her cheek. Taking a small step closer, our bodies almost touching, I meet her gaze with a steady, reassuring look. “I’m ready when you are, Queenie.” I repeat my words from earlier, meaning every syllable.

We reach my room, and she pauses before opening the door. “You know, we could always skip the movie,” she suggests, her voice sweet and sultry.

“And miss out on another terrible rom-com, or have you scared and jumping into my lap with a horror film? Not a chance,” I say, dipping my head to kiss her jaw quickly as I push the keycard again to my door, walking her backward into my room.

Smiling, I push the door open and motion for her to enter. She walks over to my bed, flopping down with a familiarity that makes my chest tighten. She’s wearing her cargo pants and plain cropped t-shirt that she looks so damn good in. What am I saying? Quinn looks good in everything. She always has.

“I may have brought our favorites. Even if we don’t eat them tonight, I’ll leave them here for next time.” She opens her tote bag on the ground and pulls out popcorn and gummy worms. Watching her open the candy, she offers the first one to me, and I don’t even think before I dive in, capturing it with my mouth, my tongue brushing against her fingers ever-so-slightly. Her breath hitches, eyes widening just for a second.

“Who said anything about not eating them tonight?” I hum. Licking my lips, I let the sweet raspberry flavor envelop my tongue. “Mm, so sweet. Pick a movie, Queenie,” I say, passing her the remote.

She chuckles as she leans back on the pillows, legs crossed, the hem of her t-shirt riding up higher, exposing that sliver of skin. She scrolls through the streaming options, her focus seemingly on the screen, but I can tell by the way her fingers hover over the buttons that her mind is elsewhere too. After a few seconds, she lands on some cheesy rom-com, that I’m sure we’ve watched before, but I can’t help but chuckle. “I thought we were going scary movie tonight?” I tease, jumping on the bed next to her, leaning in a little closer, so close that our shoulders brush, sending a jolt through me.

“You said I could pick,” she shoots back, but there’s a softness in her voice that makes my heart skip a beat.

“Fair enough.” I settle back against the pillows, but my hand lingers near hers, the temptation to close the distance between us almost unbearable.

My phone buzzes in my pocket, and pulling it out, I see a message from my dad.

Dad

I need to talk to you, Miles. I’m tired of your excuses. I need to discuss some things with you, and I’m done waiting.

My throat dries like I’ve swallowed sawdust. I don’t want to deal with him. I’ve managed to ignore him for a while now, brushing him off with the fact that we’ve got finals coming up and I’ve been playing well. But I know I’ll have to figure all this out soon before it blows up in my face. Just not tonight. Tonight, I need my girl. I turn my phone off and push it away.

“Everything okay?” Quinn asks, staring at my discarded phone.

“Yeah. I don’t want distractions tonight,” I say, grabbing the remote and pressing play.

As the movie starts, the room falls into a comfortable silence, the flickering light from the screen casting shadows across her face. I can’t focus on the movie at all—my mind is entirely consumed by the feel of her beside me, the soft, sweet scent of her perfume, the way her breath hitches just slightly whenever I move a little closer.

Minutes tick by, and I can feel her stealing glances at me, just as I’m doing the same. Every accidental brush of our arms, every time our legs bump against each other, makes my blood rush through me, making it harder and harder to pretend I’m watching the movie.

Finally, I can’t take it anymore. “Quinn,” I murmur, turning to face her fully, my voice barely above a whisper.

She looks at me, eyes wide and filled with the same anticipation that’s been building inside me all night. “Yeah?” she replies, almost breathless.

I lean in to close the space between us as my heart pounds harder. “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do all night,” I say, my gaze flicking to her lips.

She doesn’t pull away. Instead, she leans in too, her eyes gleaming with anticipation, as if she’s been waiting for this moment just as much as I have. “Then do it,” she whispers, and that’s all the encouragement I need.

I close the gap, my lips brushing hers in a tentative kiss, testing the waters. The moment we connect, it’s like a floodgate opens—the kiss deepens, our bodies moving closer together as if we can’t stand to be apart for even a second longer. Her hand slides up to the back of my neck, pulling me in, and I respond by wrapping an arm around her waist, drawing her into my lap.

The kiss is slow and deliberate, every movement fueled by the need building between us. I can taste the faint sweetness of the gummy worms we shared earlier, and it makes me smile against her lips.

She pulls back slightly, just enough to speak, her voice husky and filled with need. “What about the movie?” she asks, but there’s no real concern in her tone.

“Screw the movie,” I murmur. Capturing her lips again, this time, there’s no hesitation, no holding back.

She climbs into my lap, her hands sliding under my hoodie, peeling it over my head, and the feel of her warm skin against mine sends a shiver down my spine. We’re crossing lines we’ve blurred for weeks now, but it feels right—like this is exactly where we’re meant to be.

Her center brushes against my length, and I can’t help the low groan that escapes me. My hands find their way to her waist, gripping her firmly as I pull her even closer, needing more of her, needing all of her. Her fingers dig into my shoulders, and she responds with equal intensity, her kisses growing more urgent, more desperate.

When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing heavily, our foreheads pressed together as we try to catch our breath. Her eyes are half-lidded, her lips swollen from our kisses, and I’ve never seen her look more beautiful. I reach up, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and she leans into my touch, her eyes closing just for a moment as she breathes in deeply. “I like it when you do that.”

I can’t help but leave my hand against her skin, reveling in the fact she likes something I do. She leans in, kissing me again, softer this time. It’s as if we’re finally acknowledging everything, letting it all spill out in the way our lips move together, the way our hands explore each other’s bodies.

As the kiss deepens once more, I turn us so that she’s lying back on the bed, and I’m hovering over her, propped up on my elbows. Her hands slide up to tangle in my hair, and I can feel the way her body responds to mine, arching up to meet me, her breath hitching every time I touch her.

The shirt she’s wearing has ridden up, exposing the more of her smooth skin, and I can’t resist the urge to kiss my way down her neck, across her collarbone, moving lower still. The sound she makes—a gentle, breathy moan—nearly undoes me, and I have to take a second to gather myself before carrying on.

My lips brush against the edge of her hoodie, and she lets out a shuddering breath, her hands tightening in my hair. “Miles…” she whispers. The sound of my name on her lips sends a thrill through me every single time.

“Yeah?” I murmur against her skin, trailing kisses along her stomach, feeling the way her muscles tense beneath my touch.

“I want—” She cuts herself off with a gasp as I kiss just below her navel, her fingers digging into my shoulders, as if she’s trying to ground herself.

“What do you want, Quinn?” I ask, my voice low and rough with desire as I slowly make my way back up to her, capturing her lips in another searing kiss.

Her eyes open, locking onto mine, and there’s something exposed in her gaze that makes my heart squeeze. “I want you,” she whispers, her voice barely audible, but there’s no mistaking the honesty behind it. “I want all of you.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, and for a moment, all I can do is stare at her, my heart thundering. I can see the same emotions mirrored in her eyes—desire, need, and something deeper, something that’s been there all along, but that we’ve both been too afraid to acknowledge.

“I’m yours,” I whisper. “All of me, Quinn. I’m all yours.”

Her breath catches at my admission, and she pulls me down into another kiss, her lips moving against mine with a newfound urgency. The intensity between us ramps up, and I feel like I’m drowning in her—in the taste of her lips, the feel of her body beneath mine, the way her hands roam over my back, pulling me closer.

My hands slide under her shirt, skimming over her sides, feeling the warmth of her skin against mine. I push the fabric up, exposing more of her, and she arches her back, helping me slip it off. The sight of her, almost bare and vulnerable beneath me, takes my breath away, and I pause for a moment, just taking her in.

“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur, my voice thick with emotion, and she blushes, a shy smile spreading across her face.

Her fingers trace over my chest, over the tattoos that decorate my skin. I know her favorites are on my left arm, the half royal flush of cards. She spends the most time brushing her fingers over the Queen of Hearts.

Slowly moving down to the waistband of my sweats, she runs her finger inside the edge, grazing against my skin, making my body respond in the most primal way.

But then she pauses, and I see the decision cross her face as she shifts upright to pull my sweats and boxers down, freeing me from the material.

As soon as her hand wraps around me, I feel heat shoot down my spine and settle in my balls. The sensation overtaking me with such a force, I thrust into her hand unintentionally. My thighs tense as I realize what I’m doing, stopping myself. “Sorry, that just felt so fucking good.”

She grins and squeezes me once more, and I groan. “Queenie, baby, please don’t tease me. I’m a strong man, but right now, I feel weak, and I could give in to this feeling so easily.”

“Maybe I want you to give in,” she purrs, and how the hell I keep it together I’ll never know.

“If I give in, I don’t think I’ll ever stop,” I say, running my hand down her shoulder, pushing the strap of her lace bra down. Her entire body shudders as her mouth opens on a gasp.

“Then don’t,” she pleads, so I use my other hand to push down the opposite strap. As the material falls away, she shrugs her shoulders, and I unhook the bra from behind, revealing her perfect breasts. She gently moves her hand over me again, and I feel my hips flex from the sight of her, the feel of her palm against my sensitive skin. I’m unraveling at an alarming rate around this girl.

“Miles?” she says, bringing my focus back to her face.

“Yeah, Queenie?”

“I want you inside of me.”

My heart pounds so hard I can feel it in my throat. Every muscle in my body tightens, desire roaring in my veins, but I force myself to stay still, to give her the space to change her mind, even though the thought of pulling away feels impossible. The need to claim her, to make her mine in every way, is overwhelming—almost suffocating—but I can’t lose control, not yet.

“I want that too. Are you sure?” I breathe out, trying to hold on by a thread. “Because once I’ve been inside you, once I’ve tasted you, marked you, and made you come, you belong to me only.”

“I think…” She pauses, her voice so quiet and breathless I almost don’t hear her. “I think I’ve always belonged to you.”

Something inside me snaps. Maybe that’s exactly what I needed to hear. I bite back a groan at the idea of being with her as she unbuttons her pants and, suddenly, I’ve lost all sense of slow and soft. I felt every single word she just whispered to me, the declaration looping around my heart and squeezing tightly. I need to show her how much it means to me.

She lifts her hips, dragging her pants down her toned legs, and I reach for her panties, looking in her eyes for confirmation I can do what I want to do. Giving me a subtle nod, she lies back completely as I rid her of her clothes.

The sight knocks the wind from my lungs. Quinn bare and on my bed is not an image I’ll ever forget. Freckles scatter her soft skin, too many to count, and most are barely visible, but seeing her splayed out on my bed, the contrast of my navy sheets against her pale skin, I feel like I can see constellations decorating her complexion.

My cock nestles at her entrance, encompassed with her heat. Dragging myself over her, I feel her wetness coat me, making me slip up to her clit. “Oh my god,” she gasps, meeting my thrusts. “Miles, now. Please.”

The tip of me rests exactly where I want to be, and for a second, I forget my head. “Condom,” I force out, moving backward slightly.

Quinn’s eyes widen for a second, but she doesn’t move. “Go,” she tells me with urgency, eyes never wavering from mine.

I quickly move, finding the foil packet in my bedside drawer, ripping it open and sheathing myself in record time.

Our eyes connect once more as the frantic need makes way for something else I’m feeling for her. Something that goes beyond all the physical stuff we’ve been doing. “You ready?”

“For your above average dick?”

I chuckle at her sass, and she laughs, pulling my face down to hers. “I’m ready.”

And with one slow, purposeful movement, I’m fully inside of her, and I know in this moment I belong to her too.