He blinked down at me, his brow creasing slightly in the middle. For a moment he said nothing, just stared. And then a professional, relaxed Quinn said, “Feet shoulder-width apart.”
His hand landed on my upper arm and his fingers slid down my sleeve as he coaxed me forward. “Lean slightly inward. Keeping your balance is essential.”
“It’s been a busy few days,” I said, practicing throwing a palm-punch to his face. My fingertips brushed over his nose, cheek, and the side of his eye. His eyelashes scraped over the pad of my thumb as he blinked. “Hope you haven’t been making dinner expecting I would come.”
No answer.
“If you have, I’m sure it made for good lunches.”
Quinn stepped closer, slowly sliding his hand around the back of my neck. His palm was warm where he pushed me down. “Try it,” he said.
It was the same move I’d watched him show Cheddar, the one I’d practiced on Genna a few times already. I copied step-by-step, catching the tips of Quinn’s hair on the length of my fingers as I steered him down.
When he came back up, I waited for his comment. Again, nothing.
It was my turn to frown. I started to describe how well I executed that maneuver, when he suddenly spoke. His words were puffs of air against my cheek as he locked his arms tightly around me. “You look different without your glasses on.”
Per Shannon’s earlier instruction, I shifted into his embrace instead of against it, pressing quickly against him and steering my thigh to his crotch in a would-be kick. I smirked. “You look different without my glasses on too.”
This was the part where Quinn was supposed to show how my moves affected his balance and stumble backward in submission.
He didn’t. He tightened his arms instead until I was cocooned in warmth, the light smell of Axe mingled with sweat filling my nose. He said quietly into my hair, “Did you ever get that date?”
“Yes.” I pushed until our bodies were flush. “Friday.”
This time when I lifted my thigh to his groin, I knocked him enough off balance that he didn’t have to feign stumbling. He caught himself, straightened quickly, and acknowledged the move by cocking his head.
“I got myself a date too,” he said.
He had? “Who with?”
Quinn jerked his thumb toward Cheddar.
“The cheese?”
Lips stretched into a satisfied smile as he crossed his arms. “My favorite.”
“To each his own, obviously.”
“It won’t bother you?”
“We’ve been over this, Quinn. No freaking out, I promise.”
“Not that. I mean—”
“Oh,” I said. Was he worried I would take it the wrong way because of our kiss the other day? I quickly shook my head. “I’m not jealous or anything if that’s what you’re asking. I mean, the kiss was great, Quinn. It opened my eyes to new possibilities that I need to investigate further. But I can promise you, I’m not going to act weird around you or suffer under a pathetic crush.”
Quinn’s cheeks bloomed with color and he scratched the back of his head. “Right. No pathetic crush. Good.”
Shannon’s voice sliced through the conversation. “And switch partners again.”
“Can I catch a ride home with you after class?” I asked, noting that Cheddar was eyeing us. Guess I knew my next partner.
Quinn sighed and motioned for Genna to pair up with him. “Sure, Liam. Sure.”
Chapter Thirteen
Hunter rolled throughScribe’s office doors, wearing a white tank-top that made his arms look as beefy and intimidating as Booster Gold’s. “Which one of these geeks do you think is The Night Warrior?” he asked, with a sideways grin.
