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“Um...well, not...not exactly, no,” said Quinn, feeling the heat rise from his neck up into his face.

He knew they’d have a problem with this part.

He’d struggled with it himself but had tried his best to glaze over it and not give it too much thought.

“Okay, um...the thing is...this is supposed to be more like a virginity pact.”

“But you’re not a virgin,” Chris stated, eyes darkening even in the limited light. Even Jett’s always-friendly face looked incredulous and mildly threatening.

“No...No, I’m not,” Quinn cringed as the reality of the lie set in .

“Case...no,” Jett shook his head. “You cannot do that to Rae.”

“What am I really doing though? I mean, she gets what she wants. She loses her v-card and it’s not with some asshole like Liam-”

“Who lied to her about the conditions and intentions of the relationship?” Chris cut in. “Liam pretended to like her and dated her for two months because he wanted to have sex. You have been lying to Rae for the entire school year so you can have sex with her. Quinn, no.”

“I didn’t lie , technically,” Quinn said, and even he heard how weak that sounded. “I mean, I never said that I’d never had sex. She just made the assumption based off a conversation we had...and I didn’t correct her.”

“Lying by omission is still lying,” said Chris. “How many times has she asked you if you still haven’t had sex?’

“A few…” Quinn mumbled, no longer able to make eye contact with either of them. “Well shit, what am I gonna do? We’re supposed to do it next weekend after graduation.”

Chris and Jett looked at each other, pondering and mulling over the limited options.

“You have to tell her,” Jett said, “but maybe you can start by telling her how you feel about her. And that because you want to start something real, that it’s best that you just forget the pact.”

“Okay, but what if she’s just happy with that? Then do I have to tell her? Because...no pact, no problem, right?”

“But your relationship is going to get there eventually and she’s still going to think that she’s your first, and that might bite you in the ass later,” Jett replied, looking to Chris to add on.

“The problem is that the girl you did have sex with is basically Rae’s arch-enemy.

You don’t have to tell Rae who it was, and she probably won’t ask.

But just imagine, if you will...Rae runs into Alaina at the gas station.

And you’re with Rae, of course, because you’re a happy couple now, having regular intercourse.

Alaina sees you two together and makes a snide comment about Rae getting her sloppy seconds or some shit like that, because those two girls cannot resist making jibes at each other.

Rae says ‘what did she mean by that, Quinn? I thought I was your one and only?’ and Alaina hears this-”

“Okay, I get it! That would be very bad,” Quinn brushed his hand through his hair and then sighed, landing his face in his palms. “Fuck! So how do I get out of this without Rae being pissed?”

“My vote is that you tell her the bad part first, and then soften it up with the crap about how you’ve been in love with her for years and want to marry her and have her babies,” said Jett.

“Bad news first, then soften the blow. And hope like hell she’s so delighted by the good news that she completely forgets that you’ve been lying to her for nine months. ”

Quinn slumped in his seat, leaning his head back as he pulled his hat over his face. How could he go from feeling so blissfully elated to this in such a short period of time? His stomach churned and his head was suddenly throbbing.

A few hours ago, this felt like a non-issue.

But sharing it out loud to his friends, he realized how terrible it was.

They were right. He was lying to his best friend to have sex with her.

That’s not even what he wanted. It’s not all he wanted, anyway.

He’d have to go over to her house tonight and come clean. About everything.

“You taste like strawberries today,” Quinn groaned into Raelyn’s mouth, his tongue sweeping in and tasting hers.

“Cinnamon rolls...and strawberries...are my new favorite foods.” He was lying on top of her, pressing her into the bed, her head resting on the pillows.

Raelyn’s hands were roaming over him, up the flat plane of his stomach and chest, around the back of his neck and pulling him, urging him to kiss her deeper.

Kissing Quinn was like no other experience she’d had before.

She couldn’t get enough. Their lips fit so perfectly, and when he slid his tongue into her mouth, dear God , her heart pounded, she had butterflies in her stomach and chest, and her skin tingled everywhere.

His hands were gentle but firm as they explored her.

He had been tentative at first. Hesitant about where and how he should touch her.

But over the last week they’d spent every possible moment like this, tangled together in a mess of limbs and eager hands and hot breath and kisses, learning each other in a completely new way.

When Quinn had come over after the championship game, she had practically grabbed him by his shirt and covered his mouth with hers before he could get out even half a greeting.

His arms had slowly wrapped back around her, and she had dragged him upstairs to her bedroom before her parents or Camille could catch them making out in the foyer.

If they found out she and Quinn were getting physical, she doubted her parents would be as lenient about him staying the night as they always had been.

Quinn’s hand felt warm and steady as he slipped it beneath her shirt and held her just above her hip bones.

He pulled her upward, forcing her back to arch just slightly off the mattress and pressed his body into hers.

If her eyes hadn’t been closed, they would have rolled back in her head at the incredible, sensational pressure between them.

The daydreams and weight room fantasies had absolutely nothing on the actual feel of him against her.

His scent fogged up her brain when they were this close and all she could be aware of was him and his hard body, soft hands, tender lips, his wet tongue on hers.

She loved the sounds that seemed to escape him from some deeply buried primal part of him.

His groans and his steady touches. Every action felt territorial and she craved it.

There was a flash of hesitation as Quinn lifted his hand from her skin, and she instantly wished for the return of his warmth.

He placed his hand back, lighter this time and Raelyn groaned needily against his lips.

His hand slid up her stomach slowly...slowly.

..until it was covering her breast through her bra.

Raelyn’s small gasp of surprise made him pull away just slightly, interpreting his touch as unwelcome or too much.

Raelyn rocked her hips up into him and whimpered, begging for him to return his touch. His hand came over her breast again and massaged it expertly. His thumb trailed along her soft skin, threatening to dip into her bra and find that sensitive pink peak.

Oh my God, yes, please...just a little closer... His teasing thumb was making the ache between her thighs pulse.

“Quinn,” Raelyn breathed as he trailed his mouth down her jaw to her neck. “Quinn, it hooks in the front.”

He buried his face in her neck with a deep groan and let his hand find the bra clasp between her breasts. His hips rocked against her and she could feel how hard he was beneath his jeans, rutting against the ache between her legs, giving her the intense pressure she craved.

The sudden opening of her bedroom door cut straight through all the need and desire and intensity between them as Jett’s voice boomed into the room, “Who’s ready to get their taco on? Aye-aye-aye!” Then realizing what he’d walked in on, “Oh my God! Put a damn sock on the door!”

“Whoa, sorry guys,” came Chris’s low, much quieter voice.

“Shh! Jett!” Raelyn whisper-yelled. “You think my parents would be okay with my door being shut if they knew about us?” She gestured between herself and Quinn as he rolled off of her with a heavy sigh.

“Jett, you really need to learn to knock, dude,” said Quinn, reaching a hand down to adjust himself. He was visibly hard through the denim of his jeans and Raelyn’s skin heated at the sight of it pressing against his zipper.

“And you really need to do something about your one-eyed trouser snake, bud,” Jett replied casually, taking a seat in Raelyn’s desk chair.

“Could you just...not?” said Quinn, sitting himself up to lean against the many pillows at the head of the bed.

“Don’t like that one?” Jett questioned. “How about hardwood?”

“Tent pole,” Chris added, sitting in the cushioned chaise lounge in the corner.

“Stiffy,’ Jett continued.

“Boner- always a classic,” said Chris.

“Love stick. ”

“Hard-on.”

“Ramrod.”

“Pocket rocket,” Raelyn contributed, earning her an amused sideways glance from Quinn.

“Chubby,” Chris said.

“Lieutenant Dangle!” Jett called out in his best Forrest Gump impression.

“Louisville Slugger!”

“The ol’ custard slinger,” Raelyn winked and shot finger guns.

“Aghh, Rae, too far! Too far!” Jett shouted as he and Chris cringed.

Raelyn bowed and waved her hands with a flourish. “Thank you, thank you, I’ll be here all week.”

“Thanks for finishing that, Rae,” said Quinn. “I feel like that could’ve gone on all night.”

Raelyn stood up off the bed and straightened her t-shirt and blue jean shorts. Shooting Quinn a mischievous grin over her shoulder she remarked, “Hm, I wonder if you’ll be saying that again later.”

Quinn’s face went red as he grinned, eyes glinting back at her. Chris and Jett erupted in groans and shouts of disgust, causing both Raelyn and Quinn to laugh.

“Too far again, Rae,” Jett shook his head, “Damn, girl.”

“I think he means daaayum, girl ,” Quinn said with a wink.