“Then how about we start with dinner?” Riley suggested. “I was just about to order. This stuff isn’t going anywhere, and you can take a few boxes upstairs while we wait for the food to arrive.” She hesitated. “Unless you’d rather stay down here?”
“No, dinner would be nice.” It was good to be with Riley right now, to have someone to talk to. Quinn had thought about her a lot today, and despite the shocking discovery, their chemistry was still as palpable as this morning. From the way Riley’s eyes lingered on her, she had a feeling Riley was as aware of it as she was. “But let me order it, please,” she said. Tearing her gaze away from her, she randomly selected two boxes; Riley carried one of them upstairs, Quinn the other. “Are you up for pizza?”
“Only if it’s Mystic pizza,” Riley said with a smile as she put the box on the coffee table in the living room.
“A margherita with a small salad and chili oil on the side?”
“You remember.” Riley chuckled. “How on earth do you remember that?”
“How could I not?” Quinn placed her box on top of the other one and fell back on the couch. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone order so fast in my life. You clearly knew what you wanted, and you wasted no time. It made me laugh.”
“Hmm…” Riley slumped down next to her, and pulled a leg underneath her. “Are you making fun of my ordering style?”
“No. I’m making fun of how adorably straightforward you are. It’s cute and—” Quinn stopped herself as she realized she was flirting again. Even now, after finding out her legacy lay below the house in the basement, she still couldn’t stop flirting.Jesus, Quinn.
“What? What were you going to say?” Riley asked.
“Nothing.” Quinn gave her a playful look and shook her head. “It’s not important.”
27
RILEY
“Would you like a beer?” Riley placed the pizzas on the table along with salad, chili oil, and two bottles of beer that she’d already opened.
“Yes, please. I could do with one.” Quinn leaned back on the couch and stared into space like she’d done for the past hour in between going through memorabilia. Riley imagined seeing the house through her eyes; it must be a surreal experience for her.
“Do you hate it?” she asked.
Quinn looked at her quizzically as she sipped her beer. “Hate what?”
“The living room.”
“As I said, my opinion doesn’t matter, but no, I don’t hate it. It actually looks quite fresh and clean. I’ll admit I had reservations about what you were doing, but the wooden floor will be lovely once it’s sanded and oiled, and it’s much brighter without the dark wallpaper.” She tapped her foot on the floor. “I get why there was such thick carpet now. Since there’s a basement underneath, it sounds hollow without it.
“I thought the floor had a strange sound to it, but it didn’t click.” Riley took a sip of her beer and winced, still unsure if she liked it or not. Although she didn’t normally drink beer, she’d bought a few in case Quinn came around. She’d done a lot of “just in cases” lately, like shaving her legs every day, blow-drying her hair in the morning, and making sure she looked at least semi-presentable throughout the day.
“You might need some insulation,” Quinn continued. “I can hook you up with someone who can help you with the floor.”
“Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m still surprised the previous owners never discovered the basement. Maybe they decided to keep the bookcase there, as it’s fixed to the walls. I only tried to move it because I’m a perfectionist and it bothered me that I could still see a tiny bit of wallpaper behind it. Anyway, I’ll just paint over it now. I don’t want to break the entrance.” She smiled. “Pretty cool, though, right? A secret room in the house. Do you think your parents knew about it?”
“No chance. My mother grew up here, and she would have mentioned it.” Quinn turned to Riley. “I should probably tell my family. Mom will be delighted to have the photographs back. Thank you for calling me.”
“You can leave everything there if you have nowhere to store it. It’ll take a while before I even think about starting on the basement I never knew I had. Or you can bring everything up to one of the bedrooms and go through it there. There’s more than enough space, and it’ll be much more comfortable.”
“As long as I’m not in your way.”
“You won’t be. I like your company.” Riley shrugged. “It can get lonely here by myself.” She felt excited about the prospect of having Quinn around, and the discovery of the basement had given her a new sense of positivity.
“I’m always happy to keep you company.” Quinn shot her a lazy smile that made her shiver. “I’m really glad I met you.”
“Yeah.” Riley’s core swarmed with butterflies as she held her gaze, and without thinking, she reached out to touch Quinn’s face. “You have some dust here,” she whispered. Quinn’s eyes fluttered closed, and she leaned into Riley’s touch. It was in that moment that Riley knew for sure; Quinn wanted her too. She kept her hand there and stroked Quinn’s cheek with her thumb, and Quinn placed a hand over hers. Her touch was warm and comforting but also immensely arousing.
Quinn opened her eyes and shook her head before she let go and inched back. She looked as if she were about to say something, but instead, she took another sip of her beer and studied the label that was nothing out of the ordinary.
“I’m sorry. I…” Riley’s voice trailed away. She wasn’t sure what she was apologizing for because the moment had felt so perfect, it couldn’t possibly be wrong.
“Don’t be.” Quinn met her eyes again. “But I can’t be around you if it’s going to be like this. I like you and I’m only human.” She paused. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
