Focus, asshole.
My pants are wrinkled as hell and hardly appropriate for the gym, but I slip them on anyway. I keep a change of clothes in my locker, so at least I won’t lose time stopping by the apartment. I throw on my shirt and pull out my phone to check the time.
Five-thirty.
I’ll be cutting it close. Training starts at six.
I button my shirt and slip on my shoes before darting one last look at the bed.
Quinn looks like an angel curled up under that ridiculous pink comforter, hair spread around her head like a halo.
Sneaking out is a dick move, but I hate to wake her so early. We didn’t get much sleep last night and even if she’s got an 8am class, she can still grab another hour of rest.
I find a pen and sheet of paper on her desk and I’m scrawling a note by the light of my phone when a quiet laugh breaks the silence.
“Were you actually going to leave me a note?” Quinn asks, voice groggy from sleep.
She flips on the bedside lamp and I turn to find her sitting up, hair tangled and still wearing my undershirt. It looks good on her. She should sleep in one of my shirts every night.
I toss the pen on the desk, abandoning the note. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“Not at all.” She grins. “I just didn’t know it was part of the Cooper DeLaurentis sleepover experience.”
“There’s a lot you still don’t know about the Cooper DeLaurentis sleepover experience.”
There’s still a lotIdon’t know, since this is only my third one.
I cross the room in a few quick strides and drop a tender kiss on her lips. “Sorry to cut and run, but I’ve got strength training at six and Coach will kill me if I’m late. We’ve got Michigan this week, and he wasn’t happy I missed practice yesterday.”
“No worries. I don’t want you to be late on my account.” She bites her lower lip, and I can practically see the wheels spinning in her head. Impressive considering my brain is currently running on autopilot. “I know you have training, and I respect that, but there’s something I want to say before you go.”
Awesome. That doesn’t sound terrifying at all.
“What’s up?” I ask, trying to sound casual.
“So, the thing is, I want more.”
“More what? Sex?” I flash her a wicked grin. “I’m down.”
Quinn laughs and shakes her head. “That’s part of it, but not all of it.”
My smile falters. “What else is there?”
“Don’t freak out.”
Yeah, because good news always comes after those words.
“I can’t keep sleeping with you.” She fists the comforter in her hands, but she might as well punch me in the balls. “Not without some kind of commitment. I’m just not built that way. And after last night…”
Last night was intense. I won’t deny it. Hell, I won’t even deny it changed things between us, but dating? Like an actual relationship? That’s like— I don’t—
Fuck.
I rake a hand through my hair.
“I’m not sure what to say here.”
That’s the understatement of the century.
