Her gulp is audible, and she blinks quickly. “He can be really vindictive, Colton.”
“I know.”
She closes the distance between us, going up to her toes and pressing a featherlight kiss to my lips. A shudder racks my body. The vulnerability and gratitude in that kiss wipes out any regret I have. I’d do anything—sacrifice anything—for her to know she’s loved.
She deepens the kiss, and I wrap one hand around the back of her head. I let her maneuver us to the plush chair in the corner. I drop back when my legs hit the seat, expecting her to come down with me. Instead, she stands between my legs and runs her handsthrough my hair. My eyes drift closed, and I plant a soft kiss on her wrist.
“You brought the lingerie,” I say, my voice coming out husky.
“You told me to.”
I did, but if I told the Colton of two months ago that Quinn would both listen to the suggestion and allow me to see her this way, he’d have assumed I’m on drugs.
She runs her hand down my neck and over my chest, continuing down my torso in a slow, addictive slide. She kneels between my legs, looking at me from under her lashes as she unbuttons my pants.
I place my hand over hers. “You don’t have to do that.”
It’s not like it’s the first time, but I don’t like the idea of her doing it as a reward. She deserves to be supported because she’s her—gorgeous, dazzling her—with no expectations.
“Please.” That word on her lips wrecks me. “I want to.”
She shifts my pants down my legs, removing them completely before sitting up on her knees, undoing the buttons of my shirt with steady hands. She undresses me slowly, almost reverently, until I’m completely naked before her.
She grips me, and my head drops back when she twirls her tongue around the tip. I let out a deep groan, my breath turning ragged. She hums in response, and my gaze is immediately drawn back to her. I can never keep my eyes away from her for long. Her gaze stays on me with every leisurely bob of her head, and my heart clenches at the trust in her eyes even as I feel the familiar tinge at the base of my spine.
“Stop.” I barely force out the word. “I want to be inside you when I finish.”
Her smile is so sweet, almost shy, when she pulls away. She stands between my knees and slips one strap off, followed by the other, before she lets the lingerie drop to the floor in a pool of white lace. The look on her face, open and unguarded—is it toohopeful to say loving?—freezes me in place. Her underwear slips over her hips, dropping to join its pair on the ground.
She climbs into my lap and kisses me. I want to wrap myself up in her, to feel and taste every inch like it’s the first time, but she pulls away from me. Her fingers map my face, my jaw, my neck; her eyes shine with so much affection I can hardly breathe.
Quinn notches me at her entrance and lowers herself torturously slow. Our eyes never leave each other. I can’t think beyond her perfect heat wrapped around me, squeezing me tight.
There’s none of the frenzied energy that normally drives us. No hard, punishing movements. My cock swells, but it’s the sensation in my chest that’s driving me to the brink. It’s like my soul is swelling, too. Like it’s trying to escape my body, reaching out for hers as if they were always meant to be one. Like it recognized something from the beginning and finally sees the hope that its pair will recognize it, too.
Quinn’s eyes fill with tears, and I bring my hand up to wipe away the couple that escape.
“Quinn, what’s wrong?” I want to take away her pain, to stand in front of her and defend her from anything that threatens to hurt her.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she insists, running her hand through my hair.
“If that were true, you wouldn’t be crying.”
“I’m not sad. It’s just… I feel…” And when I look in her eyes, I see it. There’s no heartbreak, no fear or insecurity. I can see what she can’t say yet. I’m not a convenient fuck or a living vibrator. I’m more to her.Weare more.
And I know she’s not ready to deal with what that means, so instead I pull her forward for a soft kiss and place my forehead against hers.
“Me, too,” I whisper. The closest I can come to saying what I mean without scaring the living shit out of her.
Because what I want to say is that I’m hers, so utterly andcompletely that I could never belong to anyone else, even when she doesn’t want me anymore. She’s my best friend, my Venus, the love of my goddamn life, regardless of whether or not I’m hers. And all I can do is hope what I see on her face isn’t a desperate figment of my imagination.
We don’t say anything else as she kisses me and begins to move. The only sounds are our soft breaths and sighs. When we come together, my face buried in her neck, I fight to swallow down the words again.
If she needs time, I’ll give it to her.
I’ve waited this long already. And she’s worth every second.
28
