Quinn was being impossiblybrave. Taking me along to this when he could have taken Lucy. I’d seen her alldolled up, and she would have looked a damned sight better than I did next tohim.
He’d asked me to come, though.Shy and soft and like I might have saidno.
I wouldn’t have missedthis for the world.
All the same, I couldn’t wait to gethim back to the hotel room, spread him out on the bed, and make the most ofhim.
He was gorgeous tonight. Ihadn’trealized he scrubbed up quite so well, but he wore a well-fitted suitbeautifully. My fingers itched to peel it off him, button by button, until hewas naked again.
My Quinn. The Quinn onlyIgot to see.
The one I didn’t have to sharewith all these people.
Three years and nothing hadchanged. I still got excited the moment my fingertips brushed his bare skin.Still responded to the sight of him sleep-tousled and smiling softly with arush of lust-soaked affection.
We still pounced on eachother like we’donly just met at more or less any opportunity. Aside from increasingly extendedforeplay, it was like nothing had changed at all. We still hadn’t gotten enoughof each other.
Even now, arousal pooled inmy belly as I thought about having him behind closed doors for a few hours.
I’d just leaned over towhisper in his ear when I heard the wordsthe nominations for Song ofThe Year are…
And there was Quinn, rightup on the big screen behind the presenter.
My stomach tensed up. I wasn’t a nervous man,but this was Quinn’s big moment.
I wanted him to win this.More than I’dwanted most things in my life.
Quinn grabbed my hand as theother three nominees were read out, squeezing tight.
The urge to tell him that Iloved him welled up in my throat. Ididlove him. I’d love himwhether he won or not. He was the most incredible person in any room, to me,all the time.
What these other peoplethought didn’tmatter. Not to me.
And the winner is…
Quinn’s griptightened, hard enough to hurt. I didn’t flinch. He needed me, and I wasn’tabout to let him down now.
“Quinn O’Rourke!” thepresenter said, a broad grin lighting up her face and making the glitter on hereyelids sparkle.
Quinn kept squeezing myhand, as if it didn’t quite register for a moment.
Then the audience explodedinto applause, and he turned to me as though he was looking for confirmationthat what he’dheard was right.
I wasn’t the idealperson to ask, but I could see his name in bold, clear letters on the far wall.
He’d won.
My heart felt too big for mychest, close to bursting with the overwhelming, giddy joy of knowing that he’dwon.
Quinn grinned at me, broaderthan I ever remembered seeing, and then…
Then he kissed me, sealingour lips together right as the camera swung around to him.
On national, livetelevision.
Blood rushed in my head. Icouldn’thear anything except the pounding of my own heart, but I still managed to nudgeQuinn toward the stage, shooing him to go and claim his prize.
I’d always known he wasamazing.
