Page 38 of Alpha Jax

I narrow my eyes, a smile creeping across my own face. “I told you I’m looking out for you.”

“Right,” she sighs. “Because my brother asked you to.”

“That’s not the only reason.”

I shouldn’t have said it, but she stops in her tracks, peering over at me. “It’s not?”

I stop, too, turning around to face her. “No.” My voice is quiet, low. Barely audible.

Quinn just stares back at me, her hazel eyes searching mine. And then she steps closer.

Her scent fills my nose- strawberries and vanilla and spring florals. I’m not sure which of us moves closer next, but suddenly our bodies are almost touching. We’re both drawing shallow breaths, our hearts pounding.

“Quinn…” I murmur, staring into the most gorgeous face I’ve ever had the privilege of looking at. “We can’t.”

“I know,” she pants, but she doesn’t move an inch.

I bring a hand up to cup her cheek, tracing the pad of my thumb across her pouty lower lip. “So tell me to stop.”

Something flickers in her eyes. Quinn rises up on her tiptoes, leaning forward so her lips brush against mine as she whispers, “Don’t stop.”

What little hold I had on the tether of my control snaps- I thread my fingers through the back of her hair at her nape, pulling her face into mine, crushing my lips against hers. Her hands tangle in my hair and clutch my face as she kisses me back urgently, desperately. Our lips part, tongues tangle. Bodies press together. We’re clinging to one another, devouring each other.

The kiss is everything and nothing- it’s too much, and it’s not enough. It’s like an exchange of raw energy, and even though I know it’s wrong, it feels too right to stop it. Quinn moans into my mouth as I nip at her bottom lip, kissing her hard, relentlessly. I pull her body tighter to mine as I bruise her lips with my kiss, her hands clawing at the fabric of my shirt. All at once, I remember how good it felt to kiss her that night in Stillwater, how thrilling it was to taste her, how euphoric it was to be with her. I want it all- I want all of her. In this moment, I don’t care who she is to Theo or what the consequences may be,I just want Quinn.

A laugh cuts through the silence of the forest and the two of us immediately break apart, both jumping back. We’re panting, trembling, looking around wildly for the source of the interruption. There’s low chatter coming from the direction of the bar- some other squad members must be on the path heading back, but they aren’t close enough to see us yet.

Neither of us say a thing- we just stare at each other, understanding what we don’t say. We start walking again, quicker this time, headed for the complex. And we don’t say another word- not when we pass through the gate, not when I hold one of the double-doors open for Quinn to enter. Not until we approach the door to Quinn’s room, and she turns to face me, her face flushed, lips still swollen from my kisses.

“Kyla’s in there,” she says quietly, tossing a thumb over her shoulder to indicate her door.

“Oh,” I mutter, shaking my head. “I wasn’t…”

“No, I know,” Quinn mumbles, sweeping her long chocolate brown hair over a shoulder. “I just…”

I swallow hard. Is she looking for an ‘out’ here so that she doesn’t have to face Kyla after everything with Tony? I look toward my room. “Do you wanna…?”

I hear footsteps in the corridor, glancing down it to see someone returning to their room, tucking inside. When I look back to Quinn, she gives a little shake of her head.

“Better not.”

“Right,” I nod. And deep down, Iknowshe’s right, but damnit my balls are already blue as hell and I just wanna kiss her again. I know that in this moment, she wants this just as badly as I do, and by morning, some of our self-control may return.

I should turn away, but I linger, Quinn’s hand brushing mine. “Goodnight, Jaxon.”

I have to walk away, before it’s too late. “Goodnight, Quinn.”

I’m not sure who’s first to turn away- her, to her door, or me, down the hall. Maybe we both turn at the same time. Either way, it becomes clear in that moment we’re both in agreement that this flirtation can’t go further. We’re playing with fire, and if we keep this up, we’re gonna get burned.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Quinn

“Talk to me.” I take Kyla’s hand as I sit across from her on my bed, staring into her dark brown eyes.

“I… I’m still just in shock, I think,” she mutters, wriggling her hand free from mine. She brings it up to pinch the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger, pressing her eyes tightly closed. “I feel like such a fucking idiot.”

“Don’t,” I say, shaking my head adamantly. “This is onhim, Ky.”

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