by Doyle, Dawn
“What’s the problem?” he shrugged. “You didn’t make a show of taking care of me and my injuries?”
“What?” I asked, flinching in disbelief. “No, you idiot, because if I don’t know, then it’s obvious to everyone else that our relationship is fake! Even Rachel is suspecting it. Didn’t you think of that when you came up with the idea in the first place?” I looked around. “And I still see that your enormous fan base has yet to materialize.”
“Because of you,” he said, all expression now gone from his face.
“I don’t see how. If you were in such high demand, wouldn’t they be trying to get rid of me?” Rachel’s words came back and bit me square on the ass. As if sensing that, he smirked. “Phoebe.”
“Phoebe,” he repeated. “And whoever slashed your tire. She claims she wasn’t responsible, but she wasn’t exactly sad it’d happened.”
I had my suspicions, but now I wasn’t so sure, either. Colby had been acting more and more aggressive, and the way he showed up at my house to give me a ride... Could it have been his plan?
“So, you’re a man-whore who the girls can’t let go of, is that right?” I asked, back to the subject.
His eyes blazed, his features taut and rigid. “No. I’ve never treated a woman like that, Kinny. In fact, before Phoebe…” His nostrils flared.
He’d slept with Phoebe?
“Before Phoebe?”
“It doesn’t matter, but just so you know, I don’t fuck around. While we’re together," he gestured between us, "I won’t be fucking anybody on the side, and I’d expect you not to be either.”
I gasped, my mouth dropping open. “Of course not!”
His lips twitched. “Then that’s settled.”
“What is?”
“Kinny, I’m a fighter, yeah, so fucking what? Maybe I shouldn’t have kept that little bit of info from you, but you have to understand that I don’t want to drag you into that part of my life.”
“Kinda late for that, don’t you think?” I asked, folding my arms over my chest. My shoulders rounded, the cold biting into me.
“We’re supposed to break up after a few weeks, so I didn’t think it was important.”
A huge lump smacked me square in the chest. “Well, of course we’re going to break up,” I shot back as though it were ridiculous to assume otherwise. “But getting blindsided like that doesn’t just make me look stupid, it also makes you look like you don’t give a shit enough to tell me.” My mouth formed an ‘O’ when something clicked. “That’s what you were probably going for and the reason for our ‘breakup.’”
The flash of guilt when he dropped his head spoke volumes, practically screaming from the rooftops ‘that was the plan, dumb ass, you just weren’t aware!’
It disappeared just as fast. “I promise I’ll tell you more, but another time, okay?” His eyes flicked up above my head. “There’s a ton of people looking this way, and if I don’t make some show of being your boyfriend,” He winked, “then it’s going to cause further suspicion.” He eyed me. “You’re cold.”
As if right on cue, I shuddered against the chill. “It’s not that bad,” I said, trying to ignore the icy blast hitting me in the face. “It’s just a little windy over here.”
“Come here,” he said, gripping the sides of his black hoodie, opening it out, revealing a bright white T-shirt covering a broad chest. “I’ll warm you up.”
I didn’t think twice about stepping into his arms, sliding my arms around his waist. He wasn’t just warm, he was cozy, like a fire in the middle of winter, and I wanted to bury my face into the heat. His arms folded across my back, enveloping me in his embrace, cocooning me in his jacket.
He felt safe.
His pecs were solid under my cheek, and as I pressed further into him, his abs bunched against me. “You’re so warm,” I moaned. “God, I could stay here all night.” My eyes snapped open after those words had fallen out of my mouth.
Quinn coughed, clearing his throat. “It’s always cold over here—I come prepared. I can warm you up whenever you need.”
God, why does he have to do this?
I tipped my head back, seeing him looking down at me. His pupils were large in the darkness, the blue, and patch of green almost invisible in the night. “Aw, aren’t you sweet?” I cooed, brushing off his kind words. “Are you going to be this sweet tomorrow, or are you going to bite my head off for looking at you?”
He chuckled. “Yeah, I don’t like being stared at so, sorry again.”
“Even by your girlfriend?” I joked, wiggling in his arms. I hadn’t moved much when he squeezed me tight, holding me still.
“I’ll try to make the exception,” he said, smiling and showing those gorgeous teeth of his. He seemed to notice and touched one point with the tip of his tongue. “You could take a picture, you know—it’ll last longer.”
“Oh my God,” I gasped, my lips curling up. “I could.”
“Fuck.” Quinn’s head dropped.
“Oh, you said it, Quasi.” I laughed. “You can’t take it back. I am going to take so many pictures of you, you’ll be begging to break up with me sooner rather than later.”
Shitty plan, but if it gets the job done…
That idea didn’t feel as good as it should, and I frowned as I attempted to figure out why the hell I wasn’t goading him over it.
He grumbled, then his head snapped up to the sound of Josh’s voice.
“Come on, love birds, it’s fucking freezing over there. Get your asses by the fire!”
Reluctantly, I pulled out of Quinn’s arms, the air biting me as soon as his heat left my body.
“Here, you can have this,” he said, beginning to pull his hooded jacket off his shoulders.
“It’s okay, we’ll be by the fire soon.”
We headed over, walking close together, and to the space Josh had made for us. A guy who looked a little like Josh sat next to him, but with dark blond hair, who I assumed was Layton.
“Oh, look,” Phoebe purred, snaking her arm through Layton’s. “The happy not-couple have arrived.”
Layton pulled her arm from his and rolled his eyes as though he’d heard it before. “Phoebe, not this again,” he complained, shaking his head. “Can you just leave this the fuck alone?”
Josh looked ahead as though he was close to losing his temper, but Quinn said nothing. Instead, he sat next to Josh and gestured for me to sit next to him.
“Look at them for crying out loud,” she said, holding her hand out, her long nails pointing toward us. “Does that look like a normal relationship to you?” She looked around at the mass encircling the fire. “To anyone?” She laughed slyly, her menacing expression for all to see. “If I were Kinsley, I’d be all over Quinn. My lipstick would be smeared, and his hands would be on me, not shoved into his pockets.”
“Wow, Phoebe, your bitchiness is showing,” Layton glowered. He stared into the flames, not looking toward us.
I glanced at Quinn, his sharp features hard, and it was evident his hands were balled up inside his jacket. I slipped my hand into his pocket, touching his fist. “Don’t let her get to you. We have nothing to prove,” I assured him, but as I scanned the faces, everybody that I could see was watching with avid interest.
A short girl with blonde bobbed hair tipped her head to the side. “She’s kinda got a point, there,” she said, her voice high-pitched and nasal.
Jojo leaned forward next to Phoebe, flashing her cleavage over her tight, red bandeau top. “I’ve never seen you show any PDA except for the hug over there.” She pointed to where we’d been stood. “And I’d know. You always stand out, Quinny.”
Quinny? Really?
Phoebe snorted. “See? I’m not the only one that thinks this is some elaborate lie for reasons I cannot fathom. Quinn, why are you doing this? Why are you pretending to date Kinsley?” She turned to me. “You couldn’t get one of your own, so you managed to get him to agree to be your pity partner?” She threw her head back and
laughed, and so did most of the other girls. Some watched with interest at the possible unveiling of a bizarre hoax.
The guys spoke in hushed tones to each other, and when I made eye contact with Colby, his fixed gaze penetrated me, his mouth spreading into something I could only describe as sinister. “I told you,” he mouthed, looking pleased with himself. “I’m right here.”
“We don’t have to prove anything to any of you!” Quinn bellowed. He stood, taking me with him. “What the fuck is wrong with all of you? You think we’re fake dating?” He laughed hard, bitterness flying from his mouth. “Sure, believe what ridiculous shit you want, you fucking sad individuals.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Am I such a big part of your life that you find it necessary to come up with crap to smear Kinsley’s name?” He glared at Phoebe. “And for what? To keep me single so you have a chance?” He laughed indignantly, mocking their idiocy. His anger was palpable in the air, the flames seeming to feed off of his rage, the fire dancing higher and higher. “Fuck, I wouldn’t touch any of you desperate wannabe Instagram stars with a ten-foot-pole. You’re pathetic. You’re all acting like jealous kids when someone got the candy you wanted first.” He turned to Phoebe, whose satisfied smirk had fallen, her head turning side to side as she watched for everybody else’s reaction. “I bet this was all you, right?” When she shook her head so fast it was almost comical, Quinn jabbed his finger out, aiming at Colby. “And you. The one who’s been trying to hit on my girl every time my back was turned.” Colby didn’t deny it, he just stared right at me, making me uncomfortable. “You all need to grow the fuck up.”
“You don’t even kiss each other,” the blonde girl snipped.
“Yeah, what’s up with that?” a girl next to her piped up. “I’d be sucking face any chance I got.”
“God, I’m with Phoebe,” Jojo sighed, her long lashes batting up and down “If I was hitting that, I’d be home right now and getting busy, not sitting here freezing my ass off.”
“Yeah,” blondie said. “I’d find better ways to spend my time than here.” The pair giggled while throwing sultry eyes his way. “So, if you want to meet up later, Quinn, you know where we are.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. The way these people spoke about him like he was an object, and the things that came out of their mouths…
Did he not just say no, in a strange, yet glaringly obvious way?
My past clawed its way out, the memories of Owen and my fight with him coming to the forefront of my mind. These people treated Quinn’s no almost the same way Owen treated mine.
“We’re out of here,” Quinn said, disgust written all over his face as he sneered at the now silent faces. His fist uncurled, and his fingers brushed over mine, sending shivers up my arm and my skin to prickle as usual whenever he touched me. They linked with my fingers, and he took our hands out of his pocket as we walked away.
“They never listen to a word he says,” Josh said to me as he caught us up. “It doesn’t matter how much of a twat he is, they don’t fucking listen.” I watched his face fall, defeat and exhaustion from an ongoing battle settling on his young features. “I make fun of him for it sometimes, but I know it gets to him.”
I turned to Quinn, keeping my voice low. “God, I’m so sorry,” I whispered.
He shrugged, his eyes still searing as he stared dead ahead. “Now you see why I fucking hate people.”
I nodded. “I’m starting to feel the same way.”
“If you’d have just made out a little from time to time, they wouldn’t have suspected a fucking thing,” Josh muttered. “You know I’m right.”
“It’s not for me to decide—it’s Kinny,” Quinn snapped, “and you know I’m right.”
I swallowed hard, the thought of kissing Quinn making me lick my lips and my mouth to pool.
Quinn halted and turned to me, his height making my head tilt back. His tense jaw ticked, and his deep frown began to soften, as did his eyes as he looked into mine.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, a shiver running through me.
He let go of my hand, then shrugged out of his hoodie. The movement caused his muscles to bounce, and I watched his shoulders tense and his now exposed biceps bunch up.
I tore my eyes away before he saw me taking in his ripped physique.
He held the hoodie up, and before I could protest, he slipped it around my shoulders, waiting for me to push my arms into the sleeves. It swamped my body, the size difference between us making me look tiny in the large garment.
My skin absorbed his heat in an instant, relishing the soft fabric and the warmth inside. I breathed in, taking in the scent I’d become familiar with, and I reacted in exactly the same way, with an embarrassing sigh.
“Better?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” I said, never leaving his face.
He lifted his hands and placed his palms on my cheeks, holding my face still. His fingers threaded in my hair, brushing back until he cupped my head, his thumbs resting against my cheekbones. He dipped down toward me, his face closer and closer with every passing second causing my heart to race faster than ever, my breaths becoming shallow and quick.
A hard body pressed against me, and I held onto his arms to steady myself. What had probably lasted a couple of seconds felt like a lifetime as he neared.
“Don’t bite,” he whispered, his eyes falling to my lips.
I sucked in a breath. “I won’t.”
His mouth pressed against mine, softly, carefully, as though anticipating the moment I’d sink my teeth into him, but I didn’t; I couldn’t.
The pressure increased, his lips pushing against mine a little more. Behind my closed lids, I saw nothing. Everything had disappeared from around me, no waves, no sand, no audience witnessing Quinn’s mouth on mine, even if it was closed, and no fire raging except for the one deep in my core.
Quinn began to pull back, and my lips parted on their own, expecting him to be done with his show. He wasn’t. His tongue ran over my bottom lip before his mouth crashed to mine, open, seeking entrance, and I let him in.
His tongue delved into my mouth, hot and insistent, tasting of oranges with a hint of cola, sweet and delicious. He tilted my head, deepening the kiss, his hands gripping my hair and holding me tighter.
My hands slid up his back, feeling the fibers of his muscles bunch under my touch. I couldn’t stop there. I brought my hands to the front, stroking his solid waist and then up over his square chest, continuing my ascent until my fingers reached his hair.
I tangled myself in them, gripping, weaving, and pulling him closer for more.
One of Quinn’s hands stroked down my head, my back, and rested in the dip of my spine right on the top of my ass. His fist clenched against me, and his rock hard body tensed further.
My breasts flattened against him, the rest of me trying to follow as his lips worked over mine, soft, strong, and so languorous I lost all feeling in my legs.
He took a breath, then kissed me again, more urgent, and I licked into his mouth, not wanting him to stop. I sucked on his lower lip, and a growl erupted from his throat, sending tremors to flow downward, settling right into my lower stomach, pooling there.
With no warning, Quinn pulled away, and even in his nearness, I managed to stumble forward, slamming against him.
“I think they got the message,” he said, his head low, but his eyes focused over by the bonfire.
I cleared my throat, and they snapped to me. “Yeah, definitely,” I choked out, lifting my hand and touching my kiss-swollen lips. “No doubt about it.” My knees still wobbled, my legs shaking from the most unbelievable kiss I’d ever experienced.
And it was all for show.
“We should leave now,” he said, looking down at me.
I looked down, too, and caught a glimpse of my nipples poking out like they were trying to flee from my bra.
Please don’t notice.
I checked Quinn’s face as he took the zipper. He averted his
gaze from my chest, and I closed my eyes in embarrassment. He had to have seen my reaction, and being pressed against him, his heat surrounding me, I couldn’t blame it on the cold.
“We’ve got business to attend to,” Josh said, not looking up from his phone. “And just in case those asses decide to hold onto their wallets after your little rant there, we need to do this now.”
“Sure.”
One word from Quinn was enough to throw a bucket of ice over me—hitting home that this was nothing but a convenience for both of us.
“We’ll drop you,” Josh said to me, gesturing to where a black SUV was parked off to the side, away from the other vehicles. “I wouldn’t go back over there alone.”
Quinn rubbed his chin, then glanced at me, but didn’t hold it. “I gotta sort out the next fight—see who’s listed.”
I nodded. “Sure,” I replied, repeating his answer.
“I’ll, text you later, okay?”
I walked on ahead when Josh pressed the fob in his hand, the lights on the car showing it belonged to him. “Whatever, Quinn.”
Quinn
The car journey was silent except for Josh’s voice rambling on about the people signed up for the circle. I wasn’t the only fighter there, there were a few, but I was the one who’d been there the longest and the one who brought the crowds just to see someone take me down.
I wasn’t silent because of that, though. I had to get that kiss out of my head, to get the feel of Kinsley in my arms off of me. It had taken every scrap of energy I had to let her go, to not go back in to taste her mouth more and more. God, she was fucking with my head, standing there, looking up at me with that deer-in-headlights expression, her sexy ass lips all puffed up because of me. My cock had strained behind my zipper, the tightness worsening with every fucking sound that came out of Kinsley’s mouth.
“It’ll be a tough fight, though,” Josh said, breaking my thoughts.
“Of course,” I replied, looking out into the darkness, still waiting for my dick to get the memo that it wasn’t getting any action. “If it were easy, nobody would come to watch.”
