Page 190 of Scars Like Wings

“I read you more like a poem, if we are being honest. I want to read you so much that you are ingrained in my soul, and I can recite you from my heart. But I’m not done,” Quinn continued when I opened my mouth. “ I sense my girl, my sweetness,mi tesoro, my love. I sense someone that I would kill for. If anyone hurt you, Byrd, I would hunt, kidnap, torture, and murder them, even if they just gave you a paper cut. I have never felt this way about anyone before, but I would make that person feel your pain a thousandfold. I would burn the world down if it meant keeping you safe.”

“What about your family? They know now.”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“What if they decided it does?”

Quinn’s eyes lit up like a forest fire. “I would fucking love to see them try.”

“I don’t ever want to force you to choose between me or your family, Quinn. That’s not right.”

“Byrd. That doesn’t matter to me. I have given my family everything my entire life at the risk of my own happiness. It’s time I did something that would make me happy for a chance. They can go fuck off.”

My heart fluttered despite myself. All rational, logical thought told me this was a bad idea, but those thoughts were losing footing in my head as my soul cried out for her. With eachpassing moment, Quinn became more and more of the right thing to do, to have, to be with. I was already leaning into her touch, into her body. My brain made one last ditch effort, one final argument.

“But you know how to kill me,” I said weakly.

“I do indeed.” Quinn’s eyes darkened and heated at the same time. My heart sank briefly until she continued. “I know how you like to be called a good girl and how it makes your pulse quicken. I know how biting you drives you wild, especially on those pretty little scales of yours. I know you love scratching me, and it drives you wild. I know how to make you scream my name like you are begging for mercy. I know how to make you see heaven. I do know how to make you experience little deaths and come back to life again. And I know that you are addicted to it like a saint to prayer.

“The thing is, Byrd, I am just as obsessed with you. I worship you and you know how to kill me as well as I know how to kill you. We are not oil and water, not opposing sides. We are a wildfire that no one can contain. You are not in danger with me,mi tesoro.”

“I know,” I sighed before admitting. “I have actually never felt safer.”

Quinn took me up in her arms, holding me tight to not only put me back together but to seal it. Her chest vibrated against the side of my face as she said. “What do we do now?”

“Can you take me home?”

Supernova

The elevator doors closed shut behind us, but the sound barely registered over the rush of my heartbeat in my ears.

Quinn’s lips were on mine, soft and insistent, as we stumbled through the foyer hallway of the penthouse. The now-familiar scent of home—coffee, sandalwood, and the ever-lingering aroma of whatever Thompson had made the night before—mingled with the smells of Quinn—chocolate roasting on a campfire with hints of freshly picked oranges—creating a heady mix that made me dizzy with desire and love.

It felt so right.

We fumbled, hands everywhere, trying to navigate our way through the condo without breaking the kiss. I was so engrossed in the literal heat of the moment I had forgotten the layout of my own home. I was grateful that Everett and Thompson weren’t home to see this. How we had even gotten here was a blur with the Midnight Railway Train ride and the walk home. Had I sat in Quinn’s lap? Had anyone seen?

Did I even care?

My back hit the wall behind us. Quinn’s large hand grabbed my neck, her finger grazing the patch of scales there and sending jolts all throughout my body. I moaned into her mouthand flipped us so Quinn’s back was against the wall. Laughter bubbled up between our kisses. My hands found the hem of her button down shirt, eager to feel the warmth of her skin against my own.

Her breath hitched. A thrill went through me at the sound.

As we both took another step toward my bedroom, I felt something soft brush against my ankle followed by a distinctive yowl. We almost tripped and landed on the floor, distracted as we were, because of Dinah. I glanced down just in time to see Dinah, the fattest clit-blocker in existence, darting away with an indignant flick of her tail.

“Din-Din isn’t used to such excitement,” I breathed against Quinn’s mouth, half-laughing.

Quinn chuckled, her lips grazing my jawline as she spoke. “Poor kitty. We should apologize to her.”

“Mhmm, later.”

My fingers tangled in her curls to pull her back to me. Everything around us seemed to fade, leaving just the two of us and the electric connection between our bodies. Quinn pushed us off the wall, our destination forgotten in the haze and intensity of the moment. The back of my knees met one of the couches, and we collapsed onto the couch in a tangle of limbs.

Quinn’s weight pressed down on me, solid and reassuring, as the cushions gave way beneath us. Her hand found both of mine, reaching for her shirt again, and pinned them above my head with just one hand. Her grip was strong around my hands, with no give. My pussy was already throbbing, but then her lips claimed my neck. I arched into her, a moan escaping from me as her teeth grazed my skin. She licked, nibbled, sucked, and kissed my neck and my scales that had refused to recede, like they knew. Each motion was hotter and more desperate than the last.

It drove mewild.

“Byrd.” Her voice was a low growl that sent shivers down my spine.

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