Page 18

Raelyn whipped her head in Amira's direction and shot her a look that she hoped was read as 'what happened to he doesn't impress us? ' but was simply met with a lame shrug in her direction and then a beaming smile back to Quinn.

Apparently that was only her mantra tonight.

Quinn cleared his throat and looked up at Amira, giving a reserved grin, "Ah, yes, the other best friend.”

“I’m sorry, I’m the other best friend?” Amira asked defensively. “Strongly disagree. I have been by this lady’s side for the last ten years.”

“That’s cute, I was there for eleven years before that,” said Quinn, keeping a sarcastic yet playful tone.

“We lost our virginity on the same night,” Amira countered.

Quinn’s playful demeanor faltered for half a second, flicking his gaze to Raelyn for a beat before grinning mischievously, “Was it...with each other? Because I wouldn’t mind the details.”

Amira hesitated, appearing flustered, “Well aren’t you naughty? You handsome...beguiling specimen...”

Raelyn glared at her friend, shouting with her eyes, Get a grip, woman!

Leave it to Amira Jones to lose her senses at the sight of a handsome-devil grin, immediately after giving a pep-talk on female empowerment.

Once again, she told herself to take control of the situation. "Do you think we can find a booth in here? Not sure my skirt's really made for bar stools. "

Quinn's eyes dropped back down to the tight skirt embracing little more than her ass and thighs and then back up to her face. The slow lick of his bottom lip accompanied by a small bite didn’t go unnoticed.

He nodded and slid off his bar stool, "Yeah, I'll go find us a spot." His glance back down her legs didn't go unnoticed either and she turned to Amira once he'd walked away.

"Why don't you dress me more often?" Raelyn asked, feeling her confidence boosting significantly.

"I'll start coming over to set your clothes out before bed each night." Amira leaned over the bar where a tall girl with light brown skin and long braids was pouring drinks, "Can we get two shots of tequila with lemon and two cosmopolitans?"

"Tequila?" said Raelyn. "How the hell am I supposed to own the game if I'm table dancing?"

"Oh, sweetie, that's exactly how you own the game."

Quinn returned just as the bartender handed the girls their drinks. He watched as they drained their shot glasses and bit into the lemon slices with matching winces, and tried to conceal a grin, "Come on, I saved us a spot over here."

The girls left the empty shot glasses on the bar and followed Quinn back to a large corner booth that was sized for up to six people.

Amira and Raelyn slid into one side and Quinn sat down across from them.

He tipped his glass in a greeting to a group of college-age guys walking by who had pointed, recognizing the MLB all-star at once.

He was bound to get a lot of recognition at a place like this, frequented by sports fans, and Raelyn was sure that wouldn't be the last, nor would it be the most enthusiastic greeting Quinn would get from passing fans that night.

"Rae told me you're getting married at the end of next month," Quinn said to Amira. "Congratulations."

"Oh, thank you," Amira beamed. "Brody might actually be stopping by later. He's out with the guys tonight, but I told him I was meeting baseball's most notorious bad boy and he threatened to come swooping in with his damn sword if need be."

"Sword?" Quinn raised a curious brow, "As in…? "

"As in a sword," said Raelyn. "Like an actual weapon made from metal, designed to slice off various appendages."

"It was his way of incorporating my heritage into his outfit on our wedding day," Amira said, sounding slightly annoyed, but adoration was present in her voice. "He couldn't pull off the whole Indian groom look, but he couldn't pass up the sword."

"That might be the coolest wedding accessory I've ever heard of," said Quinn, awestruck.

"It was a bit of an argument. I tried telling him he'd look like an idiot in a tux with a sword, but then I realized it might come in handy if I needed to slice off the best man's balls," Amira shrugged.

This comment earned a look of wide-eyed shock from Quinn, "Do we not like the best man?"

"We do not," Amira and Raelyn said in unison.

When Quinn gave Raelyn a curious look she sighed and took a sip of her cosmopolitan before explaining simply, "Emerson."

"And before you let that color the character of my idiot future husband, let me just say that they were friends and roommates in college and Brody just hasn't realized yet that he's completely outgrown him," said Amira.

Quinn seemed to understand the explanation, giving a nod. He looked intently at Raelyn then, "Does that mean you're walking down the aisle with your ex?"

"Thankfully, no," said Raelyn. "Amira's mom insisted she make her little sister maid of honor, so I was rescued from that horrifically awkward situation."

Quinn's responding smile seemed both genuine and relieved, "I know a guy who's got nothing going on if you're looking for a date."

"Yes!" Amira exclaimed before Raelyn had a chance to respond. "Yes, she would love to flaunt her super hot, major league stud in front of that pompous asshole!"

"I don't need to make Emerson jealous," Raelyn protested. "His opinions of me and who I sleep with are completely inconsequential. "

"You think we'd sleep together if I was your wedding date?" Quinn asked, eyes glinting mischievously.

Raelyn returned his mischievous charm, "I'd give you the opportunity to beg."

Across the table Quinn shifted in his seat, eyes darkening with lust as he took a steadying breath. His gaze momentarily dropped to Raelyn's lips and he licked his own. Again.

"I think we need another round of shots," Amira grinned before slipping out of the booth and heading up to the bar.

Two hours later there was a collection of empty glasses on the table in front of them and Chris and Jett had joined them in their booth.

Raelyn and Amira had taken three shots of tequila each and were now finishing up their second mixed drinks.

Chris and Jett had handed responsibility of the bar over to the bartender and the assistant manager in the kitchen so they could join their friends for a couple of drinks.

Quinn finished his first beer and had down-sized to a pint for his second.

Jett had started a new game of Never Have I Ever, in which those who had done what the speaker hadn't would take a sip of their drink.

"Okay, uh, never have I ever…" Chris pondered, "slept with an actor or actress.”

Quinn pressed his lips together as if to keep from saying too much and simply sipped his beer.

Raelyn gasped, “Was it George Clooney?”

Giving in to a laugh he replied, “Even I couldn’t score Clooney.” He looked thoughtful for a moment then said, "Never have I ever sucked a dick."

“Come on, Quinn, let’s get a little more creative,” Raelyn sighed. She and Amira both took small sips of their cocktails. "Never have I ever had an audience to a wet dream."

"Hey!" Quinn exclaimed as the other three at the table laughed.

"I was maybe fourteen, you just climbed through my window, and.

..invaded my privacy. It was traumatic. One moment I was on the beach, lathering sunscreen on a hot babe, and the next I'm being whacked with a pillow, my best friend pointing out that I'm getting an erection.

I will never sleep with an open window again.

" Everyone laughed at this and he added with a flirtatious grin in Raelyn's direction, "You were impressed. Don't deny it."

“Ah, so you have a thing about lathering sunscreen on hot babes,” Jett nodded, clearly referencing their day at the beach.

Raelyn and Quinn made brief eye contact across the table, both smiling and blushing a little before looking down into their drinks.

Not only had they shared a sensual, passionate, arguably monumental experience, but they’d had witnesses.

Raelyn recalled the sensation like sparklers igniting all over her body as she’d felt Quinn’s mouth so close to her skin and heard those primal groans and harsh breaths like secrets whispered in her ear.

“Never have I ever lost my virginity to a cowboy,” Amira said with a pointed stare in Raelyn’s direction.

She shrugged, conceding, and took another drink.

“A cowboy, Rae? Really?” Quinn asked, disbelieving.

“True story. He came to our dorm every day for like a month and would antagonize me and try flirting, and I couldn’t stand him. And then one day I thought,” Raelyn gave a quick shrug, “eh, he’s attractive enough, why not?”

“Why not?” Quinn said flatly. “You didn’t even like the guy but, hey...why not?”

“It was a magical experience, I assure you,” Raelyn tilted her glass toward him. “Never have I ever posed nude on a magazine cover!”

“You would not believe how much shit my teammates give me for that.”

“I thought it was exquisite,” Amira cut in, sending an exaggerated wink across the table at him. "Never have I ever had a threesome."

Raelyn narrowed her eyes across the table at Quinn who was holding back a guilty grin. He took a quick gulp of his beer, not breaking away from her gaze. She arched one eyebrow in challenge as she also took a deep drink from her glass .

Quinn's eyebrows raised in apparent surprise before pulling together as he chewed the inside of his cheek, shooting her a curious, scrutinizing look across the table.

Jett let out a low whistle, "Damn...We had our suspicions about you, Rae-Rae, but I wasn’t sure."

"College is stressful, and sometimes one dick just isn't enough," Raelyn replied, keeping her tone entirely nonchalant.

Quinn set his beer back on the table hard, it sloshed as he coughed, pounding his chest. Amira had thrown her head back with a delighted laugh while Chris and Jett stared at Raelyn, appearing both astounded and mildly impressed.

"Wow, I was sort of imagining you two, but," said Jett motioning between Raelyn and Amira. "I'm not really sure where to go from here now."

"I think I need another drink," Raelyn said, pressing her hands to the table. When she stood up she stumbled a little before finding her balance.

Up at the busy bar, she leaned and waited for an available bartender to take her drink order. She hadn’t been waiting long when she felt the light pressure of a hand on the small of her back. She’d expected to see Quinn when she turned but was instead face-to-face with a stranger.

He was handsome enough, with light brown hair and bright blue eyes, a square jaw and, from what she could see, he was physically fit. He was also young. College-age young. That explained the level of confidence it took to come up behind a stranger and touch her like they were already together.

“Hi,” he smirked, brushing his gaze down her body and back up to her face. It was not a subtle gesture. “I’m Carter,” he said, cocky smirk still in place as he extended his hand to her.

“Raelyn,” She shook his offered hand and turned to face him so that his hand fell away from her back.

“I’ll buy this round if you come back to my table with me. You could share your life story or…” he dipped his head in what Raelyn was sure wa s a practiced move so that he could offer the perfect smolder. “We could skip all that and you can just come back to my place.”

It took some effort to not laugh derisively in this guy’s face, “What makes you think I need someone to buy my drinks for me?”

“Oh, I don’t,” Carter said, his eyes making another slow sweep down her body. His eyes were still down, gaze hovering over her thighs. “But I needed a reason to catch you before you went back to your table.”

Raelyn nodded slightly to one side, deciding it was a reasonable enough response. Still, there was no way she was going anywhere with this guy. She wasn’t going to let him buy her drinks either, but she couldn’t deny the unexpected male attention was nice. At least until…

“You’ve got some legs on you. I can’t help wondering what those thighs would look like wrapped around my neck.”

Before the laughter could burst out of her, a large and imposing figure had inserted himself between her and her admirer.

Quinn’s arm wrapped around her waist and he slammed a twenty dollar bill on the bar top, “I’ve got this round, babe.

” His voice was low and there was an edge to it that she knew well, though she hadn’t heard it in quite some time.

This was angry, protective, possessive Quinn.

And it was quite possibly the sexiest thing she’d ever seen.

She would’ve given anything to see the fire in Quinn’s glare that made Carter back down and cower like a nervous puppy. Carter slunk away from the bar and Quinn watched, not taking his eyes off him until he was back at a table with a few of his bros.

Quinn looked back at Raelyn whose face was caught somewhere between amusement and arousal. “Whatcha doin’ there, Case?” she asked. “You called me babe.”

He gave a short nod, “I did.” He looked her over, and though he was also taking in her full appearance, his attention fell heavily on her lips. His gaze flicked up to her eyes and he smirked as if to tell her she knew exactly what he was doing. “Did you order another drink?”

“Not yet.” She suddenly felt breathless under his intense gaze.

“You’re already a little tipsy, why don’t we call it a night?” He started lightly trailing his hand up her back and over her shoulders, stopping to push a stray piece of hair back behind her ear, then sliding his hand back down slowly.

“Amira’s in worse shape and she drove us here,” Raelyn managed to say, mesmerized by the rhythm of his strokes up and down her back.

Quinn lowered his voice, ducking so that only she could hear him, “Let me take you home.”

Staring into his golden, honey-brown eyes, it was as though they were exchanging secrets and trying to read each other's minds as well as they once had.

They used to be able to read each other so well, know what the other was thinking or feeling, know how to make the most minute adjustments to make the other comfortable.

It was like they had known everything about each other. Or at least she thought they had.

She searched his face for any sort of nefarious intent and, unsurprisingly, saw none.

The bartender appeared in front of her and asked for her order.

Raelyn considered, gaze fixed on Quinn for a moment longer before turning, "I'll take an eight ounce glass of DeRosé.

" She faced Quinn again, " One more, and you can take me home. "