She dug into her potato, concentrating on her food instead of me. I needed a second anyway. My head was about to explode. One minute I wanted to ruin Wynter, the next I was jealous as hell. I never got possessive over pussy. It was all just a hot cunt for me to fuck.
“Do you have a team that you want to play for?” she asked between bites.
At least she dropped the Mic conversation.
“Awkward moment four?” I responded, attempting to smooth out the tense air between us.
She arched a brow in my direction. “Three, but I feel like we might set a new record if we keep going at this rate.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. One thing I would give Wynter was the fact that she knew how to redirect conversation. Then again, she’d probably had plenty of experience.
“Is that a dare?”
She pretended to think about it. “Nope. If I was going to dare you to do something, it wouldn’t be about awkward moments. But you still didn’t tell me what team you want to play for.”
I reached for my napkin and wiped my mouth. “I have a few. My first pick would be the Dallas Cowboys, second would be the Seattle Seahawks. I seriously doubt I’m good enough on the field to have multiple offers, so we’ll see how it turns out.”
She set her knife on the edge of her plate. “I hope you get everything you’ve dreamed about.”
I set my fork down, wondering why she would want that for me. She didn’t even know me.
“Why?”
She hesitated, then grabbed the white napkin in her lap. She swallowed, then took a drink of her water before she spoke. “Because you work your ass off for it. Plus, you’ve already had enough disappointment in your life with your mom. You should get to have good things, Quinn. Believe in yourself.”
A jolt of electricity burned through my chest. She had no idea how much disappointment I’d really had, but she would find out soon enough.
Chapter20
Wynter
The evening sky was filled with twinkling stars as Quinn and I silently walked towards my new home. I wasn’t sure if he would kiss me goodnight or not, but I’d excused myself to visit the ladies’ room before we left the restaurant to brush my teeth with the toothbrush and a travel-size toothpaste I’d hidden in my purse. Just in case. I wasn’t about to deny myself garlic on my potato when a bit of prep made everything fine.
I tried to hide my nerves when Quinn escorted me to my front door. We had stayed at the restaurant until it closed, and the staff asked us to leave, but the conversation had been so captivating that neither of us wanted to end the date. While our discussion had started off deep and serious, it slowly turned into an easy back and forth as we settled into each other’s company. It was a strange feeling, the comfort of being with someone I didn’t know very well. Oddly, I felt as though I’d known him for years.
“It was a great night,” Quinn said, his voice full of sincerity.
“Yes, it was. Thank you for dinner.”
The electricity in the air ignited my body, sending shivers of desire through my veins. Quinn looked at me and my heart skipped a beat when I saw longing fill his hazel eyes. I was lost in the moment, rendered motionless by the intensity of what was happening between us. Nerves twisted in my belly and his fingertips grazed gently along the side of my waist. His lips were soft and inviting as he kissed me. But while our kiss deepened, I became aware of the fear that had been lurking in the background of my mind—fear of losing control and being vulnerable to another person. Fear of what might happen if I gave in to the feelings and let it consume me. Yet despite my concerns, I couldn’t pull away from him—not yet.
Quinn broke our kiss. “Are you busy tomorrow night?”
I couldn’t stop the silly grin that eased across my face. “I’ll have to check my schedule. Can I text you?”
Quinn pressed his lips to mine, his tongue dipping inside my mouth one last time before he stepped away. “Yeah. And if you are, then look at Thursday.” His smile was infectious as he gave me a little wave before walking back to his car.
Lightheaded and deliriously happy, I unlocked the front door and walked inside. I pressed my body against the wall, attempting to catch my breath. How had I worked for Dimitri and rarely been nervous, but a date with Quinn had me giddy like a schoolgirl waiting for her first kiss?
I laughed at myself, then turned around.
A scream escaped me and within seconds the doorbell was incessantly ringing.
“Shit!” Three eager faces stared at me from the living room window, spotlighted by the single lamp. “Spy much?”
I flung open the door, staring at a distraught Quinn.
“Are you okay? Are you safe? I heard a scream.”