Page 195 of Memories Like Fangs
“The upstairs is gorgeous, too, and just as large. Four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a rooftop terrace with some ofthebest views of the city?—”
Quinn arched her slitted eyebrow, the corner of her mouth quirking upward from sweet awe to curious amusement. “How do you know about the upstairs?”
I shrugged a little too easily and hastily. “Oh, I just saw the listing for it…”
Smiling, she shook her head. “I wonder what the new owners are going to do with it.”
“I imagine they’ll make it into a bakery.”
Her eyes flared brilliantly while her shoulders sagged with disappointment. It was like watching the fizzling fade of a firework bursting, leaving behind a drifting cloud of gunpowder-scented smoke. “Dammit, probably. This would be so perfect for it.”
“Maybe sell coffee, too? Oh, and books? There’s an area in the back that would make a wonderful bookshop that could even hold book clubs.”
“Oh, really?”
“Maybe they’d even put something in the backyard for their dog to enjoy freshly baked doggie treats and play with other pups and their owners in the fully fenced-in backyard?”
“That would be a genius idea! I’m so jealous of…Wait, how do you know they have dog?—?”
“And, they’d do all of this while living upstairs in the bedroom with that balcony?—”
Quinn blinked down at me. “Byrd, did you?—?”
I dangled the keys in front of her. “It was supposed to be a surprise from me for the wedding, but I just couldn’t wait any longer! I just got the keys at lunch today!”
Quinn’s jaw fell, her wide eyes darting from my face to the keys to the building and back again. “You bought us ahouse?!”
“Technically, I bought you a bakery, Clarkson a yard, and me a future renovation project.”
“You bought a—Wait, renovation?”
“The bedroom connected to the one with the balcony is going to be the perfect primary closet. Once it’s done, you might even get upgraded to a wholetwodrawers instead of just one in my nightstand.”
Quinn sent her head back in a laugh before looking back at me. “I am so honored and grateful. But, Sweetness, I can’t believe you did this for me. This is… I have no words.”
“Well,” I said, stepping closer to her and intertwining my fingers with her other hand. Even with some distance between us, I was still enveloped in her scent, chocolate and smoky fire with just a little bit of wilderness. “I know things have been slowing down for you with hunting, and you have talked aboutowning your own bakery for ages. This is your dream, and I just want to make sure all of your dreams come true.”
She pulled me close against her and took my face between her hands. Her breath brushed feather-soft yet weighted like a physical caress against my lips. “You are my dream come true,mi vida. I couldn’t be happier with you and this. I love it, and I love you so much.”
Then, our lips met.
The kiss was sunshine and pure happiness. It was the kind of kiss that settled in your chest and made a home there. It was steady and grounding and comfortable and sweet. Her lips were soft, smooth, and sure as they glided over mine, leading me in a dance we knew too well. We fit so perfectly together in every way that something ached deep within me because of it. Her hands cradled my face like I was the most precious thing that had ever been gifted to her, her thumbs brushing over my cheekbones in adoring, reverent strokes. The heat radiating from her spread through me like a shot of good whiskey: rich, heady, and intoxicating.
Maybe it was the way her fingers slide from my face to the curve of my neck and jawline. Or, how her lips lingered just a fraction longer before pulling back, only to return with a firmer, deeper press. Or, how our bond felt like a charging battery, buzzing with energy. Whatever the reason, the air between us thickened. My pulse skipped hard in my throat. The kiss turned from savoring and adoring to something hungrier. The tenderness remained, but it was threaded with the same urgency as a lit fuse.
One of Quinn’s hands drifted down, and my wings threatened to lift to life under my olive “Be Gay, Do Crime” shirt at the delicate touch of her fingertips skimming the line of my spine. Once they reached the small of my back, those same fingers went flat against my lower back and drew me even closeruntil there wasn’t room for a breath between us. My fingers went to her curls to feel their perfect, pillowy softness. Quinn angled her head, easily parting my lips with hers without any coaxing. She picked up her fervor, and I welcomed it, moaning into her mouth. Gods, she tasted like smoke and flame, the turtle latte she had on the way here, and unmistakably herself, all wildfire and chocolate and spices and home and love. I couldn’t get enough of her, would never get enough of her, not until she consumed me and we became nothing but stardust and ash.
I had no idea how long we stayed like that. The entire city could have collapsed around us, and I wouldn’t have cared because I was so wrapped up in Quinn. When we did finally break apart, our hearts thundered against each other’s in matching rhythm. Our breaths were uneven, but they mingled with each other’s like the dance from our kiss. Quinn rested her forehead against mine, like it was the only thing keeping her steady.
When she spoke, her voice came out rough and hoarse, but the sound of it brushed over my mouth. “How about we continue this in our place?”
A shaky, breathless laugh escaped me. “We can’t just have sex in the future bakery! People will eat there, Quinn Garcia!”
“It has to be cleaned and remodeled anyway, yeah?”
I shook my head, smiling. “Well, we at least need to tour it first! You haven’t even seen the inside.”
“Now, who said we weren’t going to tour it?” Quinn’s smoldering smirk was absolutely wicked and devious, and I swore I felt wetness trickle down my thigh. “May I borrow those keys?”
