Chapter Twenty-Nine
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Quinn stripped the last song of its melody, leaving only the thrum of the base to flicker out. High on adrenaline, she thanked the crowd through raucous applause. ‘Thank you for the love and the energy! This was a dream! Enjoy your night! Be safe!’
The set had drained her. She was hot, sweaty, hungry, and spent, but she’d never felt better. To make it perfect, Kya was waiting at the bottom of the stage. Then it all came crashing back, and Quinn’s own heartbeat thinned to a thread. Three short steps unfolded between them. Yet she hesitated as if at the edge of a cliff. Kya extended a hand. Delirious with relief, Quinn grabbed it and let Kya guide her down the steps and across the cluttered landscape of cups abandoned on cocktail tables, overturned chairs, confetti on shimmering glass. Every so often, someone stopped them to ask for a photo. Kya stepped away but did not hide, waiting patiently until Quinn could return to her. Finally, they made it as far as the hotel lobby then sought refuge in a lift. Even there, they weren’t alone and were forced to stand side by side, but hand in hand.
At the suite, Kya locked the door behind them. ‘I’m sorry I let you down today,’ she said.
Quinn took her pretty face in her hands. ‘Don’t say that. I’m sorry I said those things. I appreciate that you’re here at all.’
‘Are you crazy? I’m the lucky one.’
Kya closed her eyes, as if she couldn’t make sense of her good fortune. She clearly didn’t get it. So often, after playing an amazing set, Quinn returned to an empty and quiet room to come down from a high all alone. To have Kya here this week was such a gift. But just because she wanted this, it didn’t mean Kya was ready to handle all that would come her way.
‘Let’s talk,’ she said.
‘We’re done talking,’ Kya said. ‘I’m here. I’m all in. There’s nothing more to say.’
‘I need you to know that this is scary for me too, babe. I don’t mean to push you. If you’re not ready—’
‘I’ll never be ready for this. Never.’
Okay. That was … brutal. ‘Am I such a pill?’
Kya leaned close and kissed her ear. ‘I don’t care. I’d swallow it.’
Quinn was shivering already. They could talk later, she decided, just as Kya changed her mind.
‘Actually, I do have something to say. You are one stubborn b—’
‘Babe, watch what you say!’ Quinn cried.
‘It’s true!’ Kya exclaimed.
‘Well, yeah, I am! Sorry it took you so long to figure it out. Can we move on now?’
‘No, we can’t. You’re uncompromising. I thought I was being reasonable earlier. Didn’t you get where I was coming from?’
‘Did you miss my heartfelt apology just now?’
‘After you dragged me through hell!’
‘I didn’t drag you through anything, Kya.’
‘I had a mental breakdown!’
‘You’re a little drama queen. That’s not my fault.’
‘This week is going to wreck me.’ Kya sighed with resignation.
‘Probably,’ Quinn said. ‘Now that you’ve got all that off your chest, kindly shut up and kiss me.’
Kya kissed her slowly and Quinn’s world spiralled. She pinned Kya to the door and slipped her hands beneath her soft cotton shirt. She loved the feel of her skin, always warm to the touch. She loved her breasts, small yet lush and full. Her hardened nipples drilled into Quinn’s palms, sending a thrill through her body. She was ready to rip Kya’s clothes off when a knock and a tentative call of ‘Housekeeping!’ sent them scrambling away from the door.
‘No, thanks!’
‘We’re good!’
‘Extra towels?’
‘Actually … yes,’ Quinn replied. She opened the door and accepted a pile of white towels. ‘We’ll need these for the ritual,’ she said to Kya.
‘What ritual?’ Kya asked, distractedly. She was slipping off her clothes.
‘I have a post-performance ritual. It involves a hot shower and a chilled glass of wine. Will you join me?’
‘That’s funny,’ Kya said. ‘I have a post-performance ritual, too. It involves a chilled glass of wine and a cigarette.’
Quinn dropped the pile of towels and went to her. ‘My ritual can wait.’
‘We’ll get to it,’ Kya assured her. ‘In time.’
They were back in each other’s arms, gripping at each other. The bed was too far away. Quinn pushed Kya onto a corner chair and straddled her. Kya held her still with one hand, fingers digging into her waist. The fingers of her free hand slid up her inner thigh, leaving a trail of goosebumps. Her thumb found and brushed against her clitoris, over and over, until the emotions of the day flooded through her, leaving her weak but happy, in Kya’s arms.
In the morning, when Quinn threw open the bedroom curtains to a pristine view, an immaculate sky, not a whisper of a cloud anywhere, she couldn’t believe her eyes. Of course, it would turn out like this, rain on game day and nothing but golden sunshine the day after.
‘Are you seeing this?’ she asked Kya, who was still curled up in bed.
She covered her face with a pillow and moaned. ‘I’d rather not.’
‘It’s a beautiful day.’
‘I trust you.’
Quinn yanked the sheets off her long, toned, but listless body. They had the room until noon, maybe a little longer if Quinn requested a later check-out. They had to take advantage while they could. She ran the tip of a finger down the length of Kya’s thigh. ‘Come on,’ she said. ‘It’s like Key Largo, but with sand.’
Kya tossed the pillow aside and met her eyes. ‘That sounds nice.’
‘If there’s a better way to start the day, I don’t know it.’
‘There’s a better way,’ Kya said. ‘But it is very pretty outside.’
Quinn let her gaze wash over the curves of Kya’s body. ‘Very pretty.’
‘Don’t look at me like that if you hope to get anywhere near the beach,’ Kya warned. She swung her long legs over the edge of the bed. ‘Let’s go!’
They scrambled around, pulling on swimsuits and slathering on sun cream. They raced each other down the hall to catch the lift just before the doors slid shut. This time they were blissfully alone. Kya drew her close and kissed her full on the mouth. Her skin was warm and she tasted like mint toothpaste. Quinn wondered if a lazy morning in bed might’ve been the way to go. Then they reached the ground floor, the doors parted, and Kya sprang out ahead. Quinn chased after her, across the garden and out a back gate to the boardwalk where they nearly crashed into a cyclist, down a flight of wooden steps on which Kya’s sandals came loose, and finally onto the beach. They arranged for a sunlounger and an umbrella. Napping in the sand, as she’d once fantasized of doing, was overrated. Getting sand out of her curly hair was more trouble than it was worth. Besides, real life was dreamy enough. Kya rushed into the rolling waves for a swim. A while later, she walked out of the sea and stretched out next to her in the shade of the umbrella. What more could she want?
Kya reached for a towel and patted her arms dry. ‘Last night’s performance was fantastic. You were amazing. Did I tell you?’
‘No,’ Quinn said. ‘You told me I was a stubborn B, and then you made love to me in the shower.’
‘That’s right,’ Kya said. ‘I have no regrets.’
‘Me, too. And you’re right. Last night was special.’
‘I met Amanda.’
‘Did you?’ Quinn sat up. ‘I didn’t even get a chance to say hi. I’ll have to make it up to her tomorrow. Did you two get on?’
‘She’s great. I like her a lot,’ Kya said.
‘I love that girl. She brought me my favourite snacks from England. I promise to share them with you when we get home.’
‘She says you two despised each other when you were kids.’
‘We belonged to rival gangs,’ Quinn deadpanned. ‘She was ballet core and I was dark and goth.’
‘You? Dark and goth? I can’t picture it. You’re my glitter-bomb angel.’
‘That’s sweet of you to say, but you ought to know better by now.’
‘On your birthday you said your friends wouldn’t travel halfway around the world to celebrate you. It seems like you were wrong.’
‘I was,’ Quinn admitted. She and her friends lived wildly different lives. They were spread out around the globe. They didn’t meet for regular Sunday brunches but would show up for each other.
‘You’re lucky. I’ve been feeling friendless lately. That’s the toughest part of all this.’
‘What about me? I’m the best friend you’ve ever had.’
‘So humble and modest, too.’
‘The wing beneath your wings, babe.’
‘I’ve made another friend,’ Kya said. ‘You’ll never guess. It’s Victor.’
‘Seriously?’
‘He hooked me up with a local entrepreneur for a job opportunity. I already had the hook-up, but that was still nice of him.’
‘Very nice. Will you consider it?’
‘The job?’ Kya asked. ‘No way. It’s not in a field I’m remotely interested in. I will follow up, though. Seems like it’s meant to be. First, I run into this woman at my brother’s award ceremony the other night, then Victor hands me her card. You’re the expert. Is this a sign?’
‘It’s a sign you should start believing in signs,’ Quinn said coolly. Anything to hide her searing disappointment.