Page 51 of Toxic Obsession

Dressed in jeans that clung to his muscular body like a second skin and a black T-shirt that showed off his broad chest, Quinn entered the bathroom. I seized the moment to frantically rummage through my purse for my tube of toothpaste. I twisted off the cap, squeezing out a minuscule amount and smearing it over my teeth in hopes it would freshen my breath in case Quinn kissed me. Struggling to hide the nervous anticipation coursing through my veins, I gave myself a pep talk and firm reminder that I needed to walk away from him. He had the potential to destroy what little life I’d managed to piece back together.

My pulse pounded against my wrist as I tried to make sense of my feelings for him. He was everything I had feared and more. He was kind and gentle, he listened and made me feel valued. The fact that he was unbelievably gorgeous made him irresistible—like an ice cream sundae smothered with whipped cream that I wanted to savor every last drop of.

“Are you ready?” He grabbed his keys, wallet, and phone before he took my hand and led me downstairs.

I suppressed a giggle, feeling a little silly about sneaking out, but from what Quinn had said, Adam wasn’t the best father, and I didn’t want to get him into trouble.

Minutes later, we were in Quinn’s car and on the way to my house.

“Bury a Friend,” by Billie Eilish played softly as he focused on the road.

I didn’t know how to read the silence between us, but I had been the one to say I wasn’t sure how to process our evening together. We’d talked, laughed, and the sex had been mind-blowing. In my gut, I knew it would be disastrous if he knew who I really was. Yet for the first time in my life, I wanted to be with a guy. It didn’t matter, though. When Quinn found out the truth, he would run and leave me shattered again. If I left before he did, the aftermath wouldn’t be as damaging.

Glancing over at him, I sighed, my heart and mind in a full-on war about Quinn.

“I had a good night with you.” He offered me a tired smile.

“I’m sorry I kept you up late. Hopefully you don’t have a big test or anything this morning.” Guilt nudged me, but he was grown and responsible for his own choices just like I was.

“It was worth it.”

And I just melted into a gooey puddle in my seat.

Doing a quick pros and cons list to make sure I really wanted to spend more time with him, I finally reached over and placed my hand on his. I held my breath as I waited for a sign that we were on the same page. Even though Quinn had said he wanted to be with me, that was before we slept together, and I had to make sure. My heart nearly jumped out of my chest as he threaded his fingers through mine and stroked my knuckles with the pad of his thumb.

“Does this mean you’ll give me one more night?” Hope flickered in his hazel eyes as he briefly took his attention off the road and placed it on me.

“One more.” I leaned my head back and looked over at him, smiling.

“One more.” His lips curled up before he placed a kiss to my fingers.

Quinn parked near the curb since the girls had their vehicles in the driveway. Before I could object, he turned off the engine, hopped out and hurried around to open my door for me.

He gave me a small bow. “My queen.”

My hand fluttered to my chest. “My king.”

We laughed softly as I climbed out and he slid his arm around my waist.

“What’s your class schedule like today?” Quinn led me to the front door and turned toward me, tipping my chin up.

“Classes are from ten until three.”

“I have football practice this afternoon, but I’ll text you afterward.” He leaned down and brushed his lips against mine. “Have a good day.”

“You, too.” I remained rooted in place as I watched him stroll to his car, his strides long and powerful.

He waved before he drove away, leaving me with my whirlwind thoughts. I quietly let myself in the house and locked up behind me.

“Morning,” Everlee said from the couch, blowing on a steaming cup of coffee.

“Hey.” I couldn’t wipe the silly smile off my face.

“So, are you in love with Quinn?”

Chapter26

Quinn

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