“You’re crazy,” I whispered.
“About you,” he replied, his eyes still closed. “Now give me some sugar, Kinny. I need some of that sweet stuff to truly get my day started.”
“Are you kidding me right now?” I glanced around the room and saw the others trying not to watch. Josh was being Josh by laughing his ass off and failing to hide it.
Quinn grinned wide, and I fucking gripped the desk, my face turning beet red when his eyes shot to my reaction.
Oh, hell.
“I’m not, baby,” he purred. “Lay those lips on me, but only if you want to.”
He had me there, the ass. If I didn’t, it’d look suspect, and if I did, it looked like I wanted to, and not just for the sake of our audience.
Well, I suppose I could play along and throw in a little something of my own.
“Come here, then,” I goaded.
And he did. He leaned toward me, dropping my hair and cupping my cheek, holding me still. I couldn’t look away from his mouth as his lips parted. The second I felt his breath on my face, my eyes fluttered closed, and he kissed me, taking my breath away. His tongue slipped inside my mouth, his lips covering mine, gently sucking before coming in again. Fingers stroked over my skin, the tips sliding down my cheek as Quinn’s erotic kiss made my brain turn into mush. Heat stirred inside of me, starting in my stomach, then sinking lower and lower, settling in my core.
His lips pulled back, but I couldn’t move.
“Holy shit,” I breathed, forcing my lazy lids to open. Quinn was staring at me, a strange expression crossing his features that I couldn’t decipher.
“Right back at ya,” he mumbled, warmth flowing across my lips.
I blinked quickly, our surroundings coming back into focus, my face flaming. “So,” I said, coughing a little to clear my throat. “I’ve blocked out a session for your photoshoot.”
“Say what?” He sat up, his hand dropping from my face, resting on the back of my chair.
“Pictures last longer, remember?” I winked, then faced forward.
Oh, yeah.
“You’re treading on dangerous ground, Kinny,” he warned next to my ear, but instead of his words feeling like a threat, my body responded with a resounding, bring it on.
I couldn’t concentrate, couldn’t focus, hell I could barely sit still because Quinn hadn’t left me alone for the entire class. It was as though he was absentmindedly stroking my hair, twirling the ends around his fingers, then bringing them to his nose to inhale. He was the opposite of the Quinn I’d met almost three months ago. The Quinn that hated me on sight, had loathed my presence and made up some twisted deal assuming it would be simple because of our dislike toward each other.
Now? Now he was gliding his fingertips across my shoulders, playing with my ponytail, and, oh dear God, kissing me on the cheek every few minutes.
“Quinn,” I hissed when his lips brushed my cheek for the fifth time in thirty minutes.
“Yeah, babe?”
“You’re going overboard.”
His light chuckle vibrated across my skin as he kissed me again. “Is it bothering you?”
Yes, because I like it.
I didn’t want to, and I shouldn’t. This wasn’t real, none of it was real, but the way he touched me made it seem like he meant everything.
I had to cut him off soon because if I let this go on for too long, I’d fall in too deep to get myself out of it.
“I’m just trying to concentrate,” I whispered, still failing to make a coherent sentence on the page. “And I can’t with you kissing me and touching me all the time.”
Quinn’s arm rested over my shoulder, his wrist limp, and his hand hanging. “Sorry, babe.”
Oh, God, it sounds like he means it, too!
He was too good at faking. I just hoped that my heart could distinguish between the two.
“You seriously want to take pictures of me?” Quinn asked once class was finally over, the longest hour-fifteen of my life.
“Yeah, why not?” I refused to meet his gaze, choosing to take my time packing my stuff away while he stood so close, he scorched me with his body heat. “You said it yourself.” He huffed out behind me, my nerve endings firing up as the gentle gust blew innocently over the back of my neck. “Can you please stop breathing on me?” I asked, my tone clipped. “God.”
“Is it a problem?”
It is when it makes me shiver, when it makes my skin prickle, when it turns me on…
“When you’re standing too close, yeah,” I replied, softening my tone. “Anyway,” I turned around, still not looking at him, “if we go there now, we’ll have an hour before my art class.” I stepped around him and began walking toward the exit.
“I thought you booked the time?” he called out, his voice holding a cold snap with every word.
I stopped, glancing over my shoulder. “Sue me.” I walked out, wondering if Quinn would follow or if he’d be so pissed off, naturally, that he’d just disappear for the rest of the day as usual.
“What do I have to do?” he asked, coming up beside me.
I closed my eyes for a couple of seconds to compose myself. “I was kidding, Quinn, I’m not taking pictures of you, so you’re safe. I actually have class right now.”
“Okay.”
I paused outside the room. “I have to go in.”
“Baby, I can’t say goodbye just yet,” he said with a wink.
“What are you talking about?” I whispered in return. “I’m not ditching this class.”
“Nobody’s asking you to.” His mischievous smile had me worried, especially when he raised his hand and pushed open the door. “Let’s go in before you’re late.”
“You’re not…” I sighed as he walked right past me. “…allowed in there.” I went in behind him and saw he was standing at my desk.
“How did you know this was mine?”
His eyes danced with mischief. “I have my ways.” He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me close, taking my breath away, and dipped his head to mine, resting our foreheads together. “Don’t put up with his shit, Kinny, okay?” he whispered, and his eyes dropped to my mouth. “He doesn’t know when to stop.”
“I won’t,” I replied, my mouth brushing over his as I spoke, the gap between us closing. “But you have to leave, or I’ll get in trouble.” My last word had his lower lip between mine, and I ran my tongue over it, licking over the dip in the center.
He kissed me once, long and hard. “I’m leaving, but I’ll see you later, okay?” He made sure I was looking at him, waiting for my answer.
“Yeah, see you later.” And when he smiled, I melted. The deep frown disappeared, the pain that seemed to be trapped behind his eyes had disappeared for a split-second, and the light snarl that always seemed to settle on his sensual mouth was gone.
“Remember, I’m coming over tonight,” he said, then pulled away. “Don’t forget.” I shook my head, my jaw falling open. The asshole waved, shot me a wink as he pulled his lower lip between his teeth, then he was gone.
What the hell!