“Wait for what? Are you going to say you don’t want this? Because I know you do…” Riley ran her hands up Quinn’s legs and brought her mouth between her thighs. She loved how Quinn tasted, and how she bucked against her tongue when she devoured her.
Quinn didn’t answer, but her body language told Riley she wanted it very much. Throwing her head back, Quinn took in a quick breath and raised her face to the ceiling, clasping at the edge of the counter until her knuckles turned white. “Fuck!”
Riley’s lips curled into a smile as she attacked her with her tongue, cupping her behind and squeezing her cheeks, pulling her in as close as she could. If someone had told her she’d grow to love the taste of a woman so much only a few months ago, she wouldn’t have believed them, but now it was all she wanted. Quinn had finally given in to her, and Riley wanted to give her as much pleasure as she could. She wanted her all the time, night and day. Every time they met, she felt this potent tug to be as close as she possibly could to her, and she’d come to realize that there was something incredibly beautiful about pleasing a woman. It felt far more intimate than with a man, and she knew instinctively what Quinn liked. They were intuitive together; she loved to surrender, and Quinn loved to lead. Even now, Quinn’s fingers laced themselves through Riley’s hair, setting the pace as her moans grew louder. The explosion that followed made Riley feel more accomplished than any big contract she’d ever signed, and the pure delight of hearing Quinn cry out fired her libido all over again. Riley felt Quinn’s orgasm everywhere. Against her lips, in her core, in her heart, and in her soul. Quinn’s energy poured into her, filling her with hope for their future. Because she could envision that now, and it promised to be beautiful and exciting.
Gathering her thoughts, Riley slowly got up and straightened herself, then inched close and rested her forehead against Quinn’s. Quinn smiled through heavy breaths and grinned as Riley ran her hands over her behind. “You are so gay,” she murmured.
“I know.” Riley chuckled. “It’s the best thing that ever happened to me.”
57
QUINN
“This is so funny.” Lindsey stood next to Quinn as she steered her narrowboat across the river. “It must be the easiest way of moving home by far.”
Quinn laughed. “I was wondering what I needed to arrange, then realized all I had to do was sail over to the other side. I’m not moving, though. I’ll keep my stuff in my barge, but it’s just more convenient when I don’t have to keep driving back and forth into town since I spend most of my time here anyway.”
“Sure. You keep telling yourself that.” Lindsey winked at her. “It’s a beautiful coincidence that you fell for the woman who bought your dream home, who also happens to live a five-minute boat ride away. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you planned it.”
“You know I didn’t.”
“Of course, but it makes me wonder about fate and destiny and all that kind of stuff. Maybe you were meant to meet.”
“Maybe.” Quinn would be lying if she said she hadn’t considered that. Her path had crossed with Riley’s at the right time in both their lives and aligned seamlessly as if, indeed, they were meant to meet. If there was such a thing as destiny, then this was it, and Quinn genuinely wanted to believe that. “I’m blessed, that’s all I know for sure.”
“And now you get to enjoy your blessed lives together.” Lindsey grinned and ruffled a hand through Quinn’s hair. “Speaking of coincidences, that was a weird date the other night.”
Quinn furrowed her brows. “I thought he didn’t show up?”
“Yeah, about that. Hewasthere. I was a bit overwhelmed, so I had to let it sink in before I told you. The guy I’ve been talking to, the one who calls himself Marcellus? Turns out it was Martin.”
“Martin was the catfish?” Quinn stared at her friend in disbelief. “Why? He could have just asked you out.”
“That’s whatIsaid.” Lindsey sighed. “He told me he’s been into me for a while. He had a fake profile on the dating app, which he only used for casual chatting, but then he saw me on there and decided to reach out.” Lindsey paused. “And after a while, we’d talked so much that he was scared to admit it was him. He said he was worried I’d laugh in his face if I found out it was the local baker rather than some world-traveling hotshot.”
“Wow. I didn’t see that one coming.”
“Me either, obviously. Martin was the last person I expected to like me. I’ve known him all my life.”
“I can only imagine. Was it weird?”
“Yeah. I was there waiting for my date, and when Marcellus didn’t show, Martin closed up the bakery and confessed. He apologized like a million times, so I didn’t have the heart to stay angry. You should have seen him. He was so distraught.”
“And how do you feel abouthim?” Quinn asked, steering the boat toward Aster House. “Do you think he’s attractive? He’s not bad looking, right? That’s what you said.”
Lindsey blew out her cheeks and shrugged. “I never thought of him that way. He was always Rebecca’s husband, and after that, he was poor Martin whose wife had an affair with you. Even though we were on friendly terms, our worlds didn’t exactly mix harmoniously.”
“And that’s my fault.” Quinn sighed. “I hope he can forgive me one day.”
“He’s long over Rebecca, and I don’t even think he still holds a grudge against you. Not that we discussed that,” Lindsey added. “Anyway, I agreed to meet in a few days, and in the meantime, I need to have a serious think about this.”
“What does your instinct tell you?” Quinn asked. “Forget about the absurdity of the situation, just focus on your gut.”
The corners of Lindsey’s mouth pulled up into a small smile as she stared at the riverbank. “Well, I like him as a person. He’s got a nice smile, and he makes great cookies.”
“Cookies is more than you had in common when he was pretending to be Marcellus,” Quinn joked, in two minds about the situation. For years, she’d avoided Martin in social situations, yet she wanted Lindsey to be happy. They kind of made sense together, and deep down, she knew Martin was a good guy. “Be grateful he’s not an athletic lawyer,” she added. “I know you. You would have spent the rest of your life trying to be someone you’re not.”
“I’m aware I tend to do that,” Lindsey admitted. “I bend over backward to make men think I’m perfect for them. It’s pretty fucked up.”
