Page 34 of Beyond Me

I watched Quinn chatter on the phone with her friend Cassie, going over their arrangements for their flight in case they didn’t hook up before.Since I confessed I loved her, we hadn’t left the house.We spent hours in bed, trying to top my record of how many orgasms I could wring out of her, and ordered in food so we didn’t have to break our rhythm.We swam, napped, and took long walks around the villa, but never ventured out to the bars or beaches or even the boat.

I didn’t want to lose any time.

I fixed her a Sex on the Beach and realized our week was almost up.She flew out Saturday afternoon, and neither of us wanted to try to figure out what we were gonna do.She had a year of school left.I was still a walking mess, with no future opportunity or job in sight.Did I really want to follow her off to Chicago like a puppy dog when I had nothing to offer?Would a long-distance relationship work?My mind buzzed with endless thoughts and worries, giving me a headache.I didn’t want to ruin a minute of her company, but we needed to have a serious talk.It was the third night in a row I had the same dream about her.We stood by the water, and Quinn reached her hands toward me.A small smile rested on her lips, and sparks of sunlight shot and reflected off the water, blinding me.I wanted to take her hands, but I was never able to lift my arms, and then she disappeared.I called out over and over, but it was too late.She was gone.

I hoped to God it wasn’t an omen.

Rich had called me a few times, giving me shit about canceling the parties, and begging me to meet them at the bar tonight.I never answered.I’d be happy staying home with Quinn and trying to make sense of how I could make this work.The idea of losing her made me sick, but I needed to know if she was ready to commit, even if we were apart for a while.

She came out of the kitchen, phone in hand, and smiled at me.Her casual white cotton skirt paired with a hot pink striped tank top gave her a beachy casual look I loved.Especially when I ripped off her clothes and she became anything but.She was a hellcat in bed, giving me everything she had.I’d never known sex could be so intimate and raw and real.It was like I was waking up after years of sleep walking through life.“Cassie and Mac may hit Captain’s Cove for a quick drink tonight.Wanna stop in?”

Hmm, the same bar Rich and Adam were going to tonight.“Sure, if you want.What time?”

“We left it loose.I’ll check in with them later.Is that for me?”

“Yep.”I handed her the drink and she sighed with pleasure.Her skin glowed with sun and hopefully from all the orgasms I’d given her.Quinn melted the moment I touched her.That type of power invigorated me, made me feel like a God, and I couldn’t keep my hands off her.I stroked her arm as she sipped her cocktail.“What do you want to do today?”

She turned her head and cupped my cheek.Her inky dark eyes gleamed with emotion.“I’d love to go out on the boat one last time,” she said with a husky hitch to her voice.“Go to the bar for an hour.Then come home.Here.”

Home.The word sounded so sweet from her lips, yet so lonely when I thought of her getting on the plane.I pressed a kiss to her knuckles and smiled.“You got it.Finish your drink and we’ll go.”

We sailed for a few hours while I taught her some basics of boating 101.Her hair whipped around her face and she laughed when she almost got whacked by the sail in an attempt to show off her beginner skills.I kicked her back to the bench so she didn’t get hurt, and turned on some music.Her horrible rendition of Lady Gaga was a nightmare, but that was just another thing I adored.A woman who couldn’t carry a tune was on my list of go-to traits.She’d never dump me in her quest forAmericanIdol.

A brand-new patch of red on her arms made me call out her name.“You’re burning again.I have some extra lotion in the closet there.”She nodded and poked around in large compartment.“Toward the back,” I directed.

She dropped to a squatting position, so I figured the bottle had fallen off the shelf and rolled toward the back.Stretching out, her ass lifted in the air as her hand reached.And then I spotted the perfect lines of a lacy white thong against her skirt.

Oh.Fuck.

I hardened instantly.Jesus, I hadn’t seen her in a thong yet.Didn’t think she was the type to wear one.Quinn straightened up with the lotion in her hand, no idea that my lust factor had just hit the top of the charts.The cheerful-striped tank only made me feel dirtier knowing what lay beneath the innocent outfit.Quinn in a thong.Kill me now.

I decided to have fun and see if she followed my lead.So far, she liked a few sexy games between us, and I was dying to see if I could push.I marched over to her as she settled on the bench and opened the top of the bottle.She peered up from behind her bangs and frowned.“What’s wrong?”

I made my voice sound low and demanding.“What’s underneath your skirt?”

Her mouth opened into a little O and a blush of pink touched her cheeks.“Underwear,” she said.“Why?”

“You’re wearing a thong.”

She gasped.“Oh my God, how did you know?Could you see my underwear through the skirt?”I tried not to laugh as she jumped up and twisted around, trying to see if she could spot any lines through the white fabric.She chewed madly on her lower lip.“I hate wearing white, but this seemed like it was thick enough, and I didn’t see anything in the mirror, so I figured a thong would be the best thing to wear with white and—l”

“Take it off, Quinn.”

She froze.I kept my face firm, gaze trained on hers to see if I was freaking her out or if she liked it.The quick flare of interest and lust told me she enjoyed the hell out of that command.Hmm, interesting.

“Take offwhat?”she asked.Her voice sounded like a weak newborn kitten.

“The thong.Reach under your skirt and take it off.”I paused.“Now.”

Her breath came quick, and I watched her nipples tighten against her flimsy bra.I was so hard I had a difficult time keeping my sanity, but I was getting used to that state around Quinn.I wondered if she’d obey or laugh it off.I decided to wait her out.I folded my arms, a deep command in my eyes, and holy shit, she gave up a shuddering sigh and began lifting her skirt.

The ground swayed beneath my feet and had nothing to do with the sailboat.I watched the white fabric hitch up above her knees so I got a glimpse of white lace, then she hooked her thumbs on the side and pulled them off.Stepped out of them with grace and held the balled-up panties in her hand.

“Here you go.”

I grabbed them.Brought them to my nose and sniffed.Her musky scent ripped through my senses and my sanity.Her pupils dilated so her eyes turned a seething black.

That’s when I lost it.

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