Page 40 of Bitter Queen (Advantage Play 4)

“I know you can. But today was about you. Come on.”

As I lace my fingers through his, it finally hits me. Intimacy is more than sex and getting off. It doesn’t have to be selfish. It’s about the connection you build with someone. And I’m terrified with how quickly he’s managed to form one with me.

15

Diece

With my arm around her shoulders, and our bellies full of Mexican food, I look down at an amused Q as she watches a Golden retriever devour a wedding cake on the screen.

“Anne-Marie is gonna be pissed when she catches him,” Q announces when she feels me watching her.

“Yeah. What’s she gonna take to the mayor’s wedding? If she shows up empty-handed, she’ll lose the big gala event and won’t have enough money to pay for her father’s surgery.”

She grins up at me. “Exactly. Ya know, you’re kinda cute when you get invested in Hallmark movies.”

“I don’t give a shit about the movie, Blue, but I do like to see you smile.”

“That seems to be happening a lot when I’m around you.”

Pulling her closer, I drag my finger along her bare arm. “We gonna talk about those cuts?”

Like a clam, she closes up instantly and turns back to the movie on the screen, though I doubt she sees a damn thing.

“Not much to talk about,” she deflects.

“Bullshit. Did he give you those?”

Scoffing, she counters, “You think someone else would?”

“You want me to kill him for you?”

Peeking up at me, she bites the inside of her cheek. “He’s gone, remember?”

“I have my ways,” I explain vaguely. And I’d give anything to kill him myself for the shit he put her through.

“I just want to forget all of it. Can you help me do that?”

My phone buzzes in my pocket, interrupting our conversation as I pull it out. Recognizing the number, I grimace then unfold myself from the small couch. “I gotta take this.”

“Okay.” She watches me for a second, then forces herself to turn back to the screen.

Stepping out of the room, I linger in the doorway before sliding my thumb across the screen to answer the call. “Hello?”

“Hey, D. It’s Lou. We have you on speakerphone,” Lou explains in a crisp, clear voice.

“Hey, guys,” I return. “Who’s all there?”

“Kingston, Stefan, Dex, and me,” Lou explains.

“Okay. What’s up?”

Clearing his throat, Kingston answers, “How’s Q?”

I hesitate and glance back into the theater to find Q popping a kernel of popcorn into her mouth. “She’s uh…she’s fine.”

“Has she mentioned anything about her past?” Kingston prods through the speaker.

Rubbing my hand across my face, a little piece of me hates that I answered this call in the first place. Because when I’m with Q, I almost forget the clusterfuck going on at home, along with her part in it all. After clearing my throat, I mutter, “No. Why?”

---