Page 71 of No Place Like Home

I took a deep breath and then dared myself to look at him.

“In the winter, you like caramel lattes, and if it’s late, hot chocolate. In the summer, you like cold brews or iced coffees, and if it’s too late, you’ll take some iced tea. We might not have been close, but that didn’t mean I didn't know things about you. You’re quiet, but not shy. You had a habit of speaking with your hand over your mouth because you tried to hide.”

This time, I was sure I was having a heart attack. It was not natural the way it kept pounding. I was going to die with a fucking hickey on my neck. His words were affecting me, and I hated that.

“You promised me that this wouldn’t affect us,” he said, sounding almost hurt. “If I had known, I wouldn’t have fucked you, Jess. I value our friendship.”

My hands shook. I wasn’t expecting his reply to make me feel elated one second and disappointed the next.

I was glad he valued me as a friend, but I’d lost control. I boasted about my control, and sex was blah to the point where I was sure I was asexual. For the first time, I’d felt like a woman, and he’d admitted that it was just sex. Hearing that hurt, but I nodded because I would never admit it in a million years.

“I needed time to think,” I said. “I’ve never had sex—”

“You were a virgin?” he asked in disbelief.

“No!” I exclaimed as I plopped down on my chair.

I couldn’t believe I’d gotten myself into this conversation.

“I’ve never had sex with someone I know,” I muttered.

There was silence, so I looked up at Quincy, wishing he’d take a seat, because he was too much for me to handle.

“What does that mean exactly?” he bit out.

I covered my face with my hands. “This is so embarrassing.”

One second, Quincy was in front of me; the next, he was right next to me. His hands came to my sides, and I shivered. My body remembered what those hands could do. He sat me on top of my desk as he took my chair.

I didn’t like this position either.

“You are really bad for my ego, Jess,” Quincy said, with his voice sounding lighter than before. “You just had sex with a football god, and you’re fucking embarrassed.”

“You are not a god,” I deadpanned.

Those green eyes would be my undoing. They got super intense, and I felt like I wasn’t going to like what came out of his mouth.

“For someone who doesn’t believe in God, you sure kept saying his name last night.”

“Dude!” I hissed.

His face changed, and I knew that whatever would come next would be serious. He usually had the same look on game days when he talked with his team, except now he was giving it to me.

Shit.

I thought his flirting was what got me into bed with him, but apparently, this look had my coochie ready to be a hoochie.

“Look, as I said, I value our friendship, but if people find out, you can't blame it on me.”

I glared, and he kept going.

His hand came up, and I held my breath, thinking he was going for my face, but instead, it went to my neck, touching the marking on my skin.

“If you’d stayed in bed, no one would have seen this.”

I bit my lip.

“Then I wouldn’t have woken up with Jake staring at my junk.”

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