I nod, unable to force a single word past my lips until I hear what he has to say.
Tears fill his eyes, then his dimple appears, followed by the widest smile I’ve ever seen grace his perfect face. He pulls me up to kiss me, and I feel it in every corner of my body.
He pulls back, his eyes sweeping over my face like I’m more mesmerizing to him than all the ruins in Rome. “I love you, Quinn. So fucking much.”
He kisses me again, and just like that, I’m complete.
32
COLTON
AUGUST — ONE WEEK TO WIN OVER THE FACULTY
Quinn snuggles upon my lap in the large armchair we pulled over to the window so we can look out at the view. I run my mouth down the curve of her neck, settling her more firmly on my lap.
It has been thirty-one hours since Quinn told me she loved me—not that I’m counting—and my mind can’t quite comprehend it. We’ve spent every one of those thirty-one hours in bed. But now we have to split up for different dinners, and I hate the idea of not being by her side. The second I get back, I’m dragging her to bed where she belongs.
“This view is incredible,” she says.
“Is that why you’ve been sleeping with me all summer? You’re pissed I got to the room before you, so you’re employing other strategies to access it?”
She chuckles, and the way her body vibrates from the noise goes straight to my dick. “It isn’t the worst thing I’d do for this view.”
I nip at the spot where her shoulder and neck meet beforesliding out from underneath her, and I love the way she reaches after me.
“Don’t leave,” she whines, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to lift her perfect ass up and slide back in place.
“I can’t keep Dr. Cassia waiting,” I say, even though I want to.
It’s more important than ever that I maintain my relationship with Dr. Cassia now that Richard has it out for me, so when she planned a last-minute visit to her family and asked me to grab dinner, I made it work, even though it means I’ll have to miss the goodbye dinner. And worse, I’ll have to be away from Quinn.
“Want to join?” I ask, even knowing she won’t say yes.
She rolls her eyes, a teasing smile playing on those full lips. “I think one professor skipping the final dinner is enough, don’t you?”
“Oh, come on. The students are much more interested in talking to each other than us. They won’t care. She’d love to see you.”
She runs her thumb across her bottom lip. “Things ended kind of strangely when I decided not to go into the field. She didn’t agree with my choices, and our last conversation was… tense.”
My brow furrows. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“It wasn’tbadbad, like with my parents. She just said I was making a mistake. I didn’t want to cause issues between you.”
I lean down, arms braced on either side of the chair. “Anyone else I need to hate?”
She nudges my shoulder. “Stop, I don’t hate her, and neither should you. It’s just a bit awkward, and I’ve had my fill of awkwardness this summer.”
“Okay. I’ll be back later tonight.” I lean down and kiss her goodbye, savoring the fact that I can.
She chuckles against my lips. “This is a thing we do now?”
“Damn straight it is.” Technically, we still haven’t discussedwhat we are to each other. Silly, when we’ve both said I love you, but still a necessary step. “We should have a conversation, shouldn’t we?”
“You mean we can’t just be friends who are in love with each other and fuck on the side?” she asks, a teasing glint in her eye.
“The uncertainty may get tiring after fifty or so years.”
She bites her lip, her deep eyes twinkling. “You think you’ll still like me in fifty years?”
