Page 60 of Mine

“I’m sure I will.”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you if you have plans with the family for New Year’s Eve,” Quentin asked.

“There’s a small party for friends and special guests, but I hadn’t decided whether I was going or not. Are you?”

“Nah,” he said, “I don’t think I’m invited.”

At the saddened look on Phoebe’s face, Quentin reached over and tugged her nose. “Cheer up, my lady love, everything will be all right. You’ll see.”

That seemed to make her feel a little better, and she leaned further into him, wanting to be closer. “Let’s place a bet,” Phoebe offered.

“Well, there’s something I didn’t know about you,” Quentin said. “You’re a gambler. No wonder you lost all that money in college.”

Phoebe’s mouth dropped, and she swatted him across the arm. “Did not, that was Eden!”

Quentin tossed his head back and guffawed. He’d known it was Eden, but he and her brothers had always messed with Phoebe, stating she was the culprit. Everyone knew Phoebe managed every dime she earned, even when she sold lemonade at her stand when she was young, so it turned Phoebe’s ears red and made her nose flare up when someone accused her of flushing away her money.

“I’m just kidding, my lady love, don’t look so disappointed.”

Phoebe cut her eyes at him, and a grin creased her lips. The live recording of the game went to commercial, and the players ambled off the court. During the commercial break, several cameras scanned the crowd, stopping on a few other celebrities in attendance. Quentin and Phoebe were no different as the camera zoomed in on the two.

The announcer spoke their names, and the crowd cheered to be in such good company. Suddenly their faces appeared on the overhead monitor, and the kiss cam lit up with roses outlining the frame. Phoebe gasped as she and Quentin noticed at the same time. The crowd began to cheer, mass clapping and thundering stomps.

“Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!” they chanted.

Quentin looked to Phoebe, and she blushed as his firm hand tickled her chin and lightly pulled her in for a kiss. Their lips tingled upon meeting, and the fiery torch that always consumed them spread throughout. The crowd went bananas, and cameras snapped as the pair enjoyed the tangle of their tongues. Their bodies held a searing concentration, and both hearts knocked in sync. A fluttering tinkered in their chests, and Quentin found himself reaching for Phoebe’s waist to pull her in. The crowd continued to scream as he deepened the erotic kiss, sending a trail of nerves splitting down their spines.

Phoebe moaned, and her hand slipped up the side of his neck as she welcomed his probing tongue. The crowd was at its high point, screaming with a thunderous sound, and Phoebe smile against his mouth. I love you, she thought. I always have. Her thoughts continued, and a cove of heat simmered between her thighs.

Feeling on the edge, Quentin pulled his mouth from hers as bad as it pained him to do so. His smile was devilish, and with one hand, he reached out and wiped the corners of her mouth with his thumb. Phoebe smiled in turn, shivering under his touch as they held each other’s blazing stare. They had just turned the night up, and Quentin was exceptionally hungry, but it was Phoebe who would fill up his plate.

Wrapping an arm around her, Quentin pulled her back into his chest, trying to casually refocus on the game coming back from commercial. With his leg propped back up on his thigh, and Phoebe in his arms, he added a quick kiss to the side of her forehead. The crowd was still hyped but had also turned their focus toward the game, and they cheered along as the Bulls went on to win.

After the game, Phoebe and Quentin were quick to leave the arena, knowing if they didn’t get out before everyone else, they’d be caught in a parade of people. Phoebe laughed with a sweet giggle as they dashed through the stands and ran for the door while holding hands. When they made it through the second door guarded by security, the two slowed to a steady pace, still laughing and catching their breaths.

“Are you good?” Quentin asked with a charming smile.

Phoebe nodded. “Yes,” she panted, a little out of breath. “I’m good.”

“You sure, I might need to work you out at the gym. I can’t be having my girl out of breath. Being together means we have to become track stars.”

Phoebe doubled over in laughter, and Quentin held on to her smile with one of his own.

“You know it’s true. We got to duck and weave, girl.”

She giggled, and Quentin reached for her chin then tugged at her nose. “Come here you,” he said, drawing her into an embrace, loving her beautiful beam. They walked slowly, making their way to the parked limo outside confident in the moment they shared.

Inside the car, Phoebe sat with her butt in the seat and her legs laying leisurely over his lap. She cozied in her perfect space with a head on his shoulder, one of his arms draped casually around her. Looking into his face, she kissed his jaw with one, two, three sweet kisses when he turned his face down to meet her lips. Again, they indulged in one another, heated, and feeling connected on another level.

“I enjoyed my time with you tonight,” Phoebe said.

“I’m happy to hear that. I thought for a minute I’d chosen the worst date to possibly take you on.”

“No, this was fun. The next time we do it, I’d rather be in jeans and some comfortable shoes though.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry about that, but I must say, you are the real MVP, running in those heels like the track star you once were.”

“Once were?” She pulled away from him and placed a hand on her hip. “I’ll have you know I can outrun you and anybody representing your fitness center in these heels any day.”

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