“I’m good–Oh, this is my husband, Marcus.” She gestured at the tall man who was standing beside her.
Quinn eyed him for a moment before letting out a chuckle. “So, you had enough time to get married, but not enough time to come to your own son’s funeral?”
“Qwinny.” The woman sent her a look.
“Why haven’t you stopped by to visit your grandchildren? Don’t you care to know how they’ve been coping since their parents passed?”
“Quinn.” The woman sighed. “It’s not like attending that funeral was going to bring my son back to life, and you know I’ve never been good with kids…” she drifted off, shrugging.
“Oh, don’t I know it?” Quinn spat before turning on her heels and storming off.
I stood up as quickly as I could, not sparing the woman another glance as I followed after Quinn. Even a blind man could’ve seen the hurt on her face, and I didn’t want to be around someone that had hurt her a second longer.
I could only walk so fast, so catching up to Quinn was impossible, but I knew where to find her.
We’d made the smart choice of getting a spot in the underground parking lot, far away from the entrance. When we’d first parked, the lot had been filled with cars, but now it was nearly empty, thank God. At least it’d be easy to get out of the lot and head home.
When I got to the van, she was sitting in the driver’s seat, glaring out of the window with tears streaming down her face. I bit my lip, reaching over to rest a hand on her shoulder. “Quinn–”
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Okay…” I sighed. “We don’t have to talk about what happened with your mother right now, but I hope you’ll talk to me about her soon. I’m interested to know where you got your selflessness and compassion from. Evidently, it wasn’t her.”
She glanced at me, sniffling quietly as she wiped at her tears.
I smiled. “Of course, even the most selfless people can be selfish sometimes. You didn’t save any food samples for the kids to try later.”
She cracked an infectious smile that had me grinning from ear to ear as well. “They probably wouldn’t have liked it, anyway. It’s hard to get them to eat anything aside from chicken nuggets. I didn’t want to waste food!”
I’d seen them eat almost everything that was set in front of them, but, “Sure.”
Quinn let out a quiet laugh, and I grabbed her hand, squeezing it gently. “You’re a great person, Quinn, and I’m sure your brother was as well. And those kids are the sweetest, purest little rays of sunshine. It’s your mother’s loss if she doesn’t want to be around to witness that.”
She tucked a stray loc behind her ear, smiling softly as she murmured a quiet, ‘Thank you’. Unable to resist the urge, I leaned across the console, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
Quinn drew in a quick breath, her eyes meeting mine. She leaned in ever-so-slightly, and I did too. I wasn’t sure which of us was the one to close the distance between us, but our lips pressed together, gently at first, and then desperately.
Our mouths slotted together perfectly, and her taste overwhelmed my senses. She let out a quiet moan, leaning closer and closer, limbs tangling with my own, when she somehow found her way into my lap, straddling my legs.
I pressed myself closer to her, eager for more. I had been waiting as patiently as I could for the moment when I’d get to have her, but it was getting harder to fight off the immense need to claim her as my own. I was already fumbling with the buttons on my pants when she pulled away from me.
“Jasper, wait, your legs—”
“Are much stronger now than what they used to be, not that that’s my concern right now,” I murmured, my head spinning as I inhaled the scent of her perfume, staring at her pouted lips, which were only tempting me.
I leaned in to kiss her again, deepening the kiss as I tugged at her waist.
A strangled sound escaped her throat as my hand dove into her hair, tugging it slightly. I felt her fumbling around for a few moments, the sound of the compartment opening barely registering until she pulled away from me again, grinning as she held up a condom.
I mentally thanked Eros as I took the small silver packet out of her hands and ripped it open. Quinn lifted her hips as I quickly sheathed myself, and I sucked in a breath, then groaned as she slowly descended over me.
It wasn’t until that very moment that I realized… This was the first time that I had managed to get and maintain a full erection in over two years! I had tried plenty of times before, but I was never able to get aroused after becoming too ill to even stand, but now, here I was, fully erect and able to have sex again for the first time. The realization only made me feel even more desperate.
Grasping her hips tight, I ground myself against her, Quinn’s breath coming out choked as her eyes opened, meeting mine, and she dipped her head, kissing me as she began to move.
I sucked on her bottom lip, palming her full breasts and squeezing the heavy globe softly, then ran my fingers over a rock-hard nipple.
“Jasper,” she moaned, arching into me, her dress splayed over our legs as her movements increased. I couldn’t get enough of her. Pins and needles ran along my legs, but I didn’t care. It had been pure torture, having to restrain myself, especially knowing she was just as attracted to me.
