Chapter 22
Graham
She kissed me like she was claiming me.
I expected her to taste like winter—like ice or snow—but she was none of those things. Not anymore.
Quinn was pure heat.
Her lips were soft but hungry against mine. Her hands fisted into my hair, pulling my mouth closer as she arched into me. A sound left me on its own accord, something low and deep rumbling through my chest, and her knees pressed tighter around my hips.
Her tongue ran tentatively over my upper lip and my mouth opened, wanting more of her.
She was mesmerizing. I would’ve given her everything I had if she’d asked for it.
I wrapped one arm around her waist, locking her against me while my other hand snaked up the back of her slender neck, curling into the soft hair at her nape.
It had been so long since I’d felt anything like this. I couldn’t think; I could barely breathe—her heat, her light, and everything about her was so overwhelming. I had once thought that she was bitterly cold. But she was fire, and I was tangled in her flames.
Our mouths opened to each other, growing deeper and rougher. Her hands roamed over my face and down to my shoulders, fingertips digging into my skin. Without thinking, I moved. Drawing her tight against my chest, I turned until her back was pressed against the bed and I was on top of her.
She let out a small sound that almost undid me. My nerves resonated with want, with need. Even though every part of me wanted to get closer to her—to strip away every little thing that separated us—a voice in the back of my mind screamed that this wasn’t the time.
Not yet.
Not yet.
With an incredible amount of effort, I pulled back. My forearms bracketed her head. I almost lost the shard of self-control I’d managed to grasp as she stared up at me, her eyes half-hooded and glowing in the silvery light.
We were both breathing heavily, our breaths hot and mixing in the narrow space between us.
“We should stop,” I rasped.
A faint flash of hurt crossed her face before she hid it and nodded.
I groaned, pressing my forehead against hers.
“Stopping is the last thing I want to do.” I screwed my eyes closed. I had to focus. This wasn’t the time.
“But it’s late. It’s been a…long day, little lynx.”
I pulled back again, running the backs of my fingers down the side of her face. She blinked at me, her skin heating under my touch. I had never called her anything but her name before, and when she didn’t comment on it, I decided that I liked it. It fit her. It made her feel…like mine.
I glanced away from those eyes of hers—eyes that had always drawn me in. Eyes that were suddenly wild instead of frozen.
No. She wasn’t mine.
I clenched my jaw and slowly got off her. Standing beside the bed, I looked down. She hadn’t moved an inch.
“You should get some sleep.”
I went to turn, but she grabbed my wrist. I hesitated.
“Don’t leave,” she said, an edge of panic in her voice.
I glanced back at her. Her hair was beautifully mussed, lips slightly red and swollen. I swallowed hard, the taste of her on my tongue.
“I don’t know—”
Her fingers tightened around my wrist.
“I won’t kiss you again,” she said quietly. “Just…just stay. I don’t want to be alone.”
The desperate look she gave made me pause. I shifted on my feet, knowing I should leave and go to my own room, but something had changed between us. I couldn’t abandon her.
I let out a breath, then nodded.
Relief loosened the tension in her expression. I lowered myself back down to the bed, this time keeping some distance between us as I laid on the opposite side.
She settled onto her side too, facing me. Our eyes locked, and I could still see the faint hints of blue fire burning in hers. Untamed flames I wanted to explore and get lost in.
“Thank you,” she whispered, breaking the heady silence that had fallen between us.
I nodded, my chest tight, but didn’t move otherwise. I watched her eyelids grow heavier. Eventually, they closed completely—and didn’t open again until the morning sun was full and bright.
When I gradually came back to consciousness, the first thing I became aware of was the warmth pressed against my chest.
At first, it felt nice. It felt right.
I jerked awake, the realization sinking in.
Quinn. It was Quinn pressed against me. Her face was buried against my chest. My arm was slung around her waist, and our legs tangled together. Somehow, we’d found each other while we were asleep.
I stared down at her as she slept. She looked peaceful. Her face was placid, full lips slightly parted. She was stunning.
My heart flittered in my chest, like it had been stirred awake too. What was I getting myself into? What had I already gotten myself into?
Quinn was leaving. She didn’t live in Ember Hollow, and now—
My stomach sank.
Now she wasn’t even working the Shadow Stalker case. She had no reason to stay.
Slowly, trying not to wake her, I lifted my arm from her waist and scrubbed a hand over my face. The smell of her lingered, her jasmine scent wrapping around me until I was overwhelmed by it.
She stirred, and I froze.
When I glanced down again, she was looking up at me sleepily. It was…adorable. I couldn’t stop the smile that tugged at my lips.
“Good morning,” I said, my voice so gravelly I almost winced at how ridiculous I sounded.
She blinked again, then her eyes flared wide. Her cheeks flushed, and for a moment, I expected her to pull away. I waited for it—that moment when she’d shut down and freeze me out with those pale pools of blue. But she didn’t.
Instead, her throat dipped as she swallowed.
“Morning,” she murmured.
That sinking weight in my chest lifted so suddenly, my heart lodged into my throat. Without thinking, my gaze darted to her lips. Her breaths stalled, and that electric hum—that spark of fire—reignited in my veins.
I instinctively leaned toward her, stopping before our noses brushed. “You should—” I drew in a steadying breath. “You should probably get going.”
She stared at me for a beat longer. “Right.” She nodded. “I should go.”
This time, she glanced at my mouth. God, she was going to be the death of me. Every fiber of my being screamed at me to kiss her again. She’d tasted so sweet. I was going to dream about that damn kiss.
“I’ll bring you back to your car.” We’d left it in Callie’s parking lot.
She nodded again, but didn’t move.
We sat there for another agonizing minute. Her hands rested on my chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of my shirt. It would’ve been so easy to pick up right where we left off last night.
She wasn’t mine.
I sighed, trying to let all my tension go with it. I leaned down and pressed a kiss against her forehead. Then I forced myself to pull away.
She watched me, unmoving, as I stood. Her disappointment was so clear that a pang of guilt hit me. But it was the right decision not to kiss her again.
I pushed back the hair that had fallen over my forehead. “What are you doing later tonight?”
Her brows puckered. And then her jaw clenched. Probably remembering that she didn’t have the case to work on to keep her busy. “Nothing.”
I nodded. “You should come to dinner tonight. At Mom and Dad’s.”
She frowned. “Tonight is Sunday.”
“Yes, it is.”
“Your mom cooks dinner for your family tonight.”
“She does.” Mom usually didn’t take guests on Sunday nights, but there were always exceptions, like Quinn. We were used to the possibility of other people being at dinner.
Quinn had never come, though.
I wasn’t sure why, but I wanted to change that.
“I can’t crash your family dinner.” She shook her head.
I shot her a look. “First, you wouldn’t be crashing because guests are always welcome at my mother’s table.” I rolled my eyes. “Second, I’m inviting you. Even if you weren’t a guest of the bed-and-breakfast, you’d be mine.”
She sat up slowly, her gaze boring into mine like she was trying to detect a lie. Her teeth caught her lower lip. “Okay,” she said, cautiously, like she wasn’t sure about it. “I can come to dinner.”
My grin was wide and genuine as I offered her my hand. “Come on,” I said softly. “I can make you some breakfast before I take you back to your car.”