by Lisa Evans
“Love you too, bye.”
Hanging up, I feel like I’m on cloud nine. My cheeks are burning, and I’m so happy that Quinn feels confident enough about his feelings for me to call me his girlfriend as well as telling me he loves me. I’ve never been with anyone who’s dared saying the words so soon after we started dating.
It’s different.
It’s nice.
It’s just perfect.
After a long run up the hill, I beat Quinn to the finish. The sun’s about to set, and I’m sweaty and so hot that all I want to do is go home and have a shower.
“You are quite the runner,” Quinn says, panting. Hunched over, he catches his breath for a moment while I do the same. It feels so good to be out running.
“Thanks,” I say, wondering if he’d be interested in doing this regularly. “It’s been a while since I went running, but I guess it’s a lot like biking.”
“I suppose,” he says, grinning. Standing up tall, he looks so sexy it makes me want to jump him right now right here. Walking over to me, he wraps his arms around me from behind. Both of us look out at the surroundings, and I feel so safe and secure in his arms.
The sky is turning into a bright orange mixed with deep rosy colors, and there’s a thin line of purple on the horizon.
“It’s beautiful out here, isn’t it?” I say, and feel a bit overwhelmed.
“Not half as beautiful as you,” Quinn says, and kisses my temple. “Look, Nina. There was something I wanted to ask of you.”
“Okay, what?”
Quinn lets go of me, and I turn around to face him. Surprised to see him looking so serious, I begin to fear that he’s had a change of heart.
“I…” he says, looking down at the ground. Reaching into his pocket, he takes something out. I can’t really see what it is, because it’s too small.
“Nina, darling,” he says, and gets down on his knee.
What is this? What’s going on? He isn’t… Is he?
Scanning the surrounding area, I realize that we’re all alone out here. Did he bring me all the way up here just to…?
“I know this is soon, but I’ve never felt the way I feel about you before… Which is why I wanted to ask you… Would you… Would you marry me?”
Shocked, I hold my hand across my mouth. I’m absolutely speechless, and I’m not sure how exactly to react. Yes it’s soon. But is it too soon?
If you’re in love then…
“You don’t have to answer right now if you don’t want to,” he says, creasing his forehead.
“No,” I say, drawing in a deep breath.
“No?”
“No, I mean, no I wanna answer right now.”
“You do?”
“Yes. And the answer is yes. Yes I’ll marry you Quinn.”
Quinn’s face softens, and he starts smiling. Standing up, he kisses me and holds me with his strong arms. I feel so loved and so happy that I could weep.
When our kiss ends, he pulls away from me and presents me with an engagement ring. It’s a beautiful big diamond ring, and it is so beautiful, I’m unable to hold back the tears anymore.
“Quinn,” I say. “It’s… It’s beautiful.”
“I’m glad you like it,” he says, while treading the ring onto my finger.
Laughing with bewilderment, I keep gawking at the giant rock on my hand. I can’t believe it.
I cannot believe this is really happening.
On our way back to Quinn’s place, I tell him about the conversation I had with Grace on the phone earlier today, and that I’m seeing her first thing tomorrow morning. It’s a beautiful night out, and I feel like my head is full of cotton and that my chest is buzzing with butterflies. Driving with the top down, we talk about my plans to go to FIDM and that I’ve decided to go ahead with the application as soon as possible, and also that I’m going to tell Grace all about it.
“Everything? You’re going to tell Grace everything?” Quinn asks, pulling his eyes away from the road for a moment to glance at me.
“Well not everything, of course not. Not about you and me… Not yet, at least.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Quinn says, taking my hand while we stop for a red light. “I’ll talk to Grace for you if you want to. Once we’re ready to let her know about us, that is.”
“You think we should tell her now?”
“Not right now, beautiful. Right now, I want to enjoy my fiancée. And to be honest, I kind of like the idea of us sneaking around.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, don’t you? It’s kind of sexy isn’t it?”
“I guess…” I say, and study his face. Damn he’s handsome. Lifting my hand to his face, I stroke his cheek. “But then again, everything about you is sexy…”
“I think you’re talking about yourself,” he says, and pulls my hand to his face to kiss it.
Glancing out the window, I admire the blinking lights glowing in the California night. Everything about this place is beautiful, and I love where I am right now. I won’t let anything ruin the way I’m feeling and the place I’m in right now.
Nothing is going to come between Quinn and I.
Nothing.
Next morning, we’ve just finished breakfast outside on the patio when he seduces me. Pulling me to him, he makes me sit down on his lap. I’m supposed to get ready to go to a meeting at Myers Books, but the allure of having Quinn make me come is too enticing.
“Quinn,” I groan, as he puts me down on him. “Oh God,” I utter while he fills me up. Holding me by my hips, he sets the pace. Looking down at his face, I hold on to his shoulders while he fucks me. “Quinn,” I say. “Quinn… I’m supposed to go to work,” I try, but he won’t hear it.
Behind me, I hear the rustle of the palm trees leaves blowing in the wind. I’ve never had sex outdoors, and it’s kind of awkward. But Quinn is so sexy and so good at fucking me, that it makes the world disappear. All I can focus on is how good it feels when he’s got his cock lodged deep inside of my body while the sun shines down on us.
“Nina…” he grunts, continuing to pump his steel into me. “Nina… You feel so good… So good…”
Clinging to his shoulders, I bite my lip while trying to hold the orgasm back. I’m enjoying this ride too much to come straight away, but all resistance is futile. The next time I slam down on him, I reach climax. And it’s mindblowing. As always.
“Quinn…” I whimper, my orgasm ripping through my entire body. “OH QUINN…” I holler, shutting my eyes and tipping my head over his shoulder.
He comes too, breathing into my chest, mumbling my name over and over.
God, how I love this man.
And how I love it when he comes deep inside of me.
About an hour after Quinn seduced me on the patio, I walk into Grace’s office to tell her what’s going on. Not between Quinn and I, but about my plans for the future. Quinn and I decided I should leave my engagement ring at home today, not because we don’t want the world to know about us, but because it would be hard for me to lie to Grace’s face if she were to ask me about it. And hiding that enormous rock from her would be practically impossible.
The place looks as neat as ever, and when I sit down opposite of Grace, I feel sorry about having to let her down. This wasn’t something I had planned, and definitely not something that I had expected. I just started this job, and I feel really bad about doing this to Grace.
“So tell me,” Grace says cutting to the chase. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about in person?”
“Well, first of all,” I say, and swallow nervously. Talking to her face to face is turning out to be a lot more difficult than I had expected. “I really want to tell you that I’m grateful for all you have done for me so far.”
“But?”
“But… The thing is, something’s happened and I…”
“Just spit it out already,” Grace says, staring at me.
Sighing, I go ahead. “Well, I’ve decided I want to go bac
k to school and get a degree in PR and… So I won’t be able to take on anymore work from you.”
“I knew it. I knew it was too good to be true,” Grace says, looking downcast.
“I’m sorry, I…”
“Don’t be. I’m happy for you, I really am. Even if it means I’ll have to try and find someone else to fill your spot.”
“Are you sure it’s alright? Because I was thinking I’d at least finish the project with Quinn before I move on.”
“That sounds reasonable. Come to think of it, I think I’ll give him a call today to see how he’s coming along.”
Grace and I go on talking about the future, and though I want to tell her that I’m in love and that I just met the most wonderful man, and that he makes me happy, I refrain from doing so. For the time being, I’m keeping Quinn a secret. But since we’re engaged, I have a hunch it will all come out soon.
Chapter 8
QUINN
NINA IS THE best thing that’s happened to me. Ever.
It’s Saturday morning and I’m sitting in my office. Finishing the last sentence of my novel, I save the document on my MacBook once more. Getting ready to print my manuscript, I feel grateful. I feel eternally grateful for Nina and how she just walked in and changed everything.
Nina. My beautiful, sexy, smart fiancée.
My everything.
I owe everything to her, really.
Now that I’ve finished the first draft of my new novel, there’s just one more thing I have to do. I have to let Nina know, and I have to make sure we’ve got cake and champagne for tonight.
Before I send the manuscript over to Grace, I think I’ll let Nina read it first. Because I can’t wait to see what she thinks. Her opinion matters to me. Like no one’s opinion has ever mattered before.
Heading into the bedroom, I check to see if she’s up. It’s almost eight and I’ve been up writing for two hours already. Before that, I went for a swim in the pool, so I’m beyond ready to get the rest of the day started.
Can’t wait to talk to her again.
Every night when we go to sleep it’s the one thing I long for. Waking up the next day so I get to talk to her again.
In the darkness of the bedroom, my beautiful fiancée is sound asleep. I walk over to the window and open the blinds slightly to let in some morning light. The sun’s rays instantly start dancing on the floor of the bedroom, forming a pattern on the hardwood floors.
The sounds of her quiet breaths flow across the room, and when I crawl into bed with her, all I want to do is wake her up. She is so pretty without her makeup on, and it’s impossible to resist the urge to kiss her. Which is exactly what I do next.
Bowing my head down, I wake her up with a kiss.
“Good morning sweetie,” I whisper when she opens her eyes.
“Good morning,” she says, stretching out her arms over her head like a cat.
Kissing her forehead, I stroke her hair while giving her a moment to come to.
“What time is it?” she asks, yawning.
“It’s eight, sleepyhead. Time to wake up.”
“How long have you been up?” she asks, and rests her head on my chest.
“A couple of hours.”
“What did you do while I was sleeping?”
“Not much, I just went for a swim in the pool and finished my book.”
“You what?” she asks, eyes wide with surprise.
“I finished my book, and it’s all thanks to you.” Bowing my head down, I kiss her again. Her lips meet mine, and she slips her tongue into my mouth. Rolling it against mine, she makes me tremble with passion, and I sense my hunger for her growing stronger with each moment. Reaching her hand down, she takes hold of my cock and squeezes it. When she does, I grunt into her mouth, and my shaft grows hard in her palm.
Taking off my shirt and my pants, I get naked as quickly as I can. Nina is already nude underneath the covers, and when I lie down on top of her to mount her, it makes me feel like a king.
How is it that I was able to catch this beautiful person and make her my queen?
Penetrating her, I look into her eyes and whisper that I love her. She feels so good, and I just adore this feeling. This is my favorite part, when I’ve just pushed into her, it’s like no other sensation in the world. Her warm, wet tunnel clasping around all of me…
“Nina…” I groan, and then kiss her on the mouth.
Holding on to my shoulders, she wraps her legs around my body and moves with me while I thrust into her. Digging my hands into her luscious hips, I push deeper and deeper inside of her with each passing moment. I feel her tightening up around me, and when I look at her face I see that her cheeks are red. Her lips are swollen, and her eyes are hooded. She’s whimpering and moaning, and I know that I’ve got her exactly where I want her.
“Oh Quinn… Ah… Ah…” she moans, her breaths quick and shallow. “Oh god Quinn… You’re making me come…”
“Nina baby, come for me… Come for me,” I tell her over and over until she erupts.
Wailing, she tenses up, and it makes me want to increase my pace even more. Thrusting even deeper into her, I plow hard into her while she comes. She whimpers and moans loud enough for the neighbors to hear her, and when she does, I explode too. Unleashing myself deep inside of her, I come hard. And as I do, I whisper her name.
The scent of roses fills the room, and I know it’s Nina who’s coming out of the bedroom. I’ve just finished printing my manuscript and I can’t wait to show it to her.
“Hey handsome,” she says, kissing me before she sits down by the kitchen table. “What’s this?” she asks when she notices the thick pile of paper on the table.
“It’s my manuscript,” I tell her. “I wanted you to be the first one to read it.”
“Really? Wow, that’s… quite an honor.”
“I’m glad you see it that way, because I was wanting to ask you of your honest opinion.” Walking over to her, I rub her shoulders.
“My honest opinion?” she says, smiling.
“Yes. And do be as brutal as you can. I need it.”
“Whatever you want,” she says, and cranes her neck to the side. “Don’t forget about the cake and champagne.”
“As if I could,” I say, and head over to the kitchen counter to serve breakfast.
Over breakfast Nina suggests we go spend the day at the beach. Since I want to give her everything she wants, I tell her we’ll do just that. We bring the first couple of chapters of my freshly printed manuscript along with us, so that she can start reading it on the beach.
“Quinn?” Nina says, before we get in the car.
“Yeah?” I say, and when I look at her, I can tell that there’s something bothering her. “What’s the matter?” I ask, and tip her chin up. “You know you can talk to me. Tell me anything.”
“It’s just… Earlier, when I was getting dressed before breakfast, my mom called.”
“Your mom called?” I say, and my jaw stiffens. They better not be hurting her again.
“Yeah, I was about as surprised as you sound.”
“So what did she say?”
“She asked me to come join them for breakfast tomorrow, because it’s my dad’s birthday.”
“Your dad’s birthday?”
“Yeah, I guess I kind of forgot about it what with everything that’s been going on.”
“And do you want to go?”
“I don’t know… I’m not sure,” she says, shying her eyes away from me again. “I guess I do, but I also want to be with you… Or rather, I guess I wanted to ask you if you’d come along with me.”
“You want me to meet your parents?”
“Uh-huh,” she mumbles, nodding her head.
“Tomorrow?”
“Yes. Would you?”
Honestly, I don’t know what to say to her. All I’ve heard about her parents are bad things, and how they’ve hurt her in different ways. So my initial instinct is not exactly that I’m overjoyed ab
out all this.
Staring into her eyes, I’m speechless.
And it’s killing me, because I can tell by the look on Nina’s face that she really wants this. She wants me to come along with her.
“Of course I’ll come along with you, if that’s what you want.”
“You will?”
Her face brightens.
“Naturally, what kind of fiancé would I be if I didn’t?”
“Oh Quinn,” she says, and stands up on her toes. Kissing me, she wraps her arms around my neck. “I love you, I really do love you…”
Holding her closely, I tell her that I love her too. But deep down, I’m worried. Because I’m not so sure I’ll be able to remain calm if I notice that they’re behaving badly towards Nina, or hurt her in any way.
Nina’s safety and comfort is the sole thing on my mind.
It’s the one thing I’d be ready to hurt other people in order to protect.
Meeting the parents? I think to myself, shaking my head.
After spending the better part of the day with Nina at the beach, I’m now standing in line to pick up the chocolate cake I ordered earlier. And I can’t stop thinking about tomorrow.
I don’t know what kind of an impression I will make on Nina’s parents, but I guess I’m going to have to meet them sooner or later. Especially since I plan to keep Nina forever.
And ever.
Paying for the cake, I head straight back to the car. I’ve already got the champagne chilling in the fridge, so everything is set for tonight.
Nina and I are going to have a romantic dinner at home, and afterwards I plan on seducing her. That way, I won’t have time to worry about tomorrow morning and meeting her parents. Nina is the perfect distraction for me.
And I hope I can be the perfect distraction for her too.
Chapter 9
NINA
DRINKING CHAMPAGNE AND eating the most delicious piece of chocolate cake I have ever tried, I feel like luckiest girl on the planet.
