Page 76 of When We Were Reckless
She took a deep breath and exhaled. “I’m here for the rest of the summer, and you’re here too. So… I thought we could make a deal.”
“A deal.”
She nodded. “We’ll be together for the rest of the summer. Just sex. No strings attached. And when the summer ends, so does our little arrangement.”
My eyes narrowed on her. Where had she come up with this crazy idea? It didn’t even sound like her. “That’s not what you want.”
“It’sexactlywhat I want. We both want the same thing. So it’s perfect. Why fight it?” She shrugged one shoulder, so casual and nonchalant like this was no big deal. “Let’s just go with it.”
Her smile was so genuine, and she sounded so confident that it was hard to tell if she was lying. But she had to be. I didn’t believe for a minute that Quinn would settle for an arrangement like this.
It was a trick. She’d insinuate herself into my life, and then she’d expect more. And more. And more.
Been there. Done that. And had no intention of ever going down that road again.
“I’m leaving in a month, Quinn.”
Her face fell, but she quickly recovered. “In a month? Where are you going?”
“California.”
She smiled. That big, brilliant smile that told me my answer made her happy. Knowing her, she was already making plans for the future. I wanted to be completely honest with her and squash any notions that this meant we could be together. Giving her false hope and unrealistic expectations was the last thing I wanted to do.
“I’ll be on the road a lot, and my sole focus will be on my career.”
“What will you be doing?”
“I’m joining a traveling circus.”
She laughed and smacked my arm. “Seriously. What will you be doing?”
“Some guys I know have put together a freestyle team, and they’ve invited me to join them.” I couldn’t hide my smile. For the first time in a long time, I was excited about the future. Fuck Nate Hutchins. And fuck Alessia Rossi. I wasn’t going to let my past stand in the way of my future.
“They’ve got sponsors and shit. We’re going to compete, freeride in the desert, put on stunt shows across the country. So yeah, it’s kind of like a traveling circus.”
The joy on her face reflected mine.
“That sounds amazing, Jesse.” She threw her arms around me, her enthusiasm so great that she almost knocked me over. I staggered back, my arms wrapping around her to keep us from falling.
She tipped her face up to mine. “You’re making your dreams come true.”
Her smile didn’t falter. If she was disappointed that I was leaving soon, she didn’t let it show.
Quinn was genuinely happy for me. There was no trace of jealousy, no whining about how I was never around or complaining that I always put my career first. Alessia used to make me feel guilty for spending so much time training and traveling for races. She was always complaining that I didn’t give her enough attention.
I had no idea how I could have ever thought she was the one for me. Even before all that shit went down with Nate, Alessia had never been a supportive partner. Everything had been about her. Considering that she’d built her career as a social media influencer on the back of mine, you would have thought she’d be my biggest cheerleader.
When we met, she was a fitness model with a small following and only a few modeling jobs here and there. I’d been the one to encourage her to dream bigger, shoot for the stars. I’d been the one to introduce her to the energy drink company that sponsored me. And to all my other sponsors who could help her career. They’d used her in their campaigns. Her career had taken off, and now she was a lifestyle guru and a social media influencer with hundreds of thousands of followers.
In front of the cameras, she always played the part. But, behind closed doors, it was a different story.
I could have destroyed her career the way she’d destroyed mine. And don’t think I hadn’t thought about it. But in the end, I decided to rise above. Karma is a bitch, and I had faith it would bite her in the ass. But, until then, sabotaging her career and reputation would make me no better than her and Nate.
Unlike them, I had a conscience.
“So you see… it’s all turning out the way it’s meant to,” Quinn said. “I want to lose my virginity, and who better to teach me about sex than you?”
My determined sunshine girl. Sexy one minute. Sweet and innocent the next. Completely disarming me and knocking down my defenses.
