Page 145 of Scars Like Wings

“Do you want to try some stuff before everyone else wakes up?”

“Uh, am I black? Of fucking course, I do!” I exclaimed.

Quinn laughed. “Okay, stand over there and close your eyes.”

“Why? I already know what you made.”

Something shifted in Quinn’s eyes. Did I imagine that tick in her jaw? Whatever it was, it disappeared as Quinn set her jaw and fixed her space.

“Maybe you should just wait?—”

“Hey, now! I’m doing it, standing and closed eyes!” I said quickly. I went to stand where she instructed near the pantry door. I closed my eyes.

I heard Quinn as she made me a plate, her spatula and various cooking utensils rubbing against the serving dishes and pans. I was so excited, I was dancing as I waited. Quinn must have turned to see me after she covered everything in the magical foil because I heard her chuckle.

I heard her bare feet as she approached. It only took a few of her strides to reach me. Then I felt heat, and it wasn’t from the steaming plate of food she was holding. Gods, she was so hot in more ways than one. She really was like my starlight, warming me up like the sun.

“Open wide, sweetness,” Quinn said. I listened.

Immediately, I melted. The bite filled my mouth with the sweetness of maple, the crunch of pecan, the savoriness of sweet potato and toast, the salt of some bacon, the spices and sting of bourbon, and just puregoodness. It reminded me of how good Quinn’s girlfriend proposal cake pops had been, but even better because it was my favorite meal of the day. I had let Everett and Teddy try the cakes, but I would stab someone if they tried to take this plate from me. I didn’t try to hold back the moan that came from me.

“Holy fuck, my girl can throw down! I really will have to marry you, Quinn, because this is soamazing!”

“Are you just saying that?”

“I promise you I’m not! It’ssofucking good, Queenie! I want to eat this every single day.”

“Mhmm, we can make that happen.” The rasp in Quinn’s voice didn’t escape my notice. “Ready for another bite?”

“Yes, please!”

She fed me another mouthful. If my eyes weren’t closed, they would be rolling in the back of my head. This one had sage sausage, a bite of the grits, and a pumpkin pancake with a Nutella sauce. It was simple but divine. I don’t know how I wasgoing to go back to eating regular food after this. I swallowed, and I was ready for another bite.

Instead, I received something else sweet.

Quinn gripped my chin and pulled me forward before kissing me. It was slow like a tease. It was like Quinn was savoring every soft drag of her lips against my own, every graze of her tongue on my lips, every taste. The kiss was sweet, but torturous.

I wanted more.

I wrapped my arms around Quinn’s neck and pulled her in closer. I quickened the pace, deepening the kiss further. My tongue danced with hers, tasting her sampling of what she made to ensure its flavor, the smoke from her blunt that she must have had before she started to cook, and the fire that was Quinn. I gently took her bottom lip between my teeth. It was a fraction of what I wanted to do to her, but I loved the sound it earned me.

Quinn growled as she lifted me up and pinned me between her and the pantry door, never breaking from our kiss the entire time. I wrapped my legs around her waist, and my arms remained around the back of her neck. My senses were encompassed by everything Quinn. Her smoky, citrusy scent mixed with the sweet aroma of baking and cooking. The fire of her being that seemed to radiate out from her. The feel of her against me like this. It was everything and still not enough all at once. One of her hands gripped my thigh hard enough to definitely leave a mark this time, while the other went to my neck to grab it. I loved the roughness of her hands against my skin, and that was just my face. I couldn’t imagine how they would feel elsewhere…

Quinn moved her kisses down, peppering kisses on the corner of my mouth, my chin, down my jawline, and toward my ear. She nibbled on my earlobe around my lowest piercing, and I felt a shiver down my spine. Her chuckle tickled my ear, and her whisper into my ear made me shiver again.

“Remember what I said about questioning me?”

“Yes?” I scrunched my eyebrows, confused.

“Well, I warned you, and now you are going to see what happens.”

I had hardly registered her words when she started kissing along my body again. She kissed my ear, then each of my piercings. She kissed behind my ear, almost making me giggle. Then she kissed further down. Her kisses headed down my neck, right to?—

“Let’s see how sensitive these truly are,” Quinn breathed against my neck before her lips kissed my scales there. It was the softest kiss yet, honestly no more than a feather’s touch against my skin. But it was lightning dancing across my skin. It was a live wire, pure energy and pleasure. I arched my back against Quinn and gasped. My legs and arms tightened around her even more.

“Mhmm, interesting,” Quinn said. I could feel her smirk against my neck. “I wonder if the other ones have the same effect? We will have to see now, won’t we?”

I swallowed, and Quinn chuckled darkly.

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