“You won’t.” She kissed my jaw and then ran her lips down my throat. I bent my face over her and growled.
“Keep that up, and I’m going to drag you under the slide and act out some of those dreams. God, you drive me crazy.” I let my hands venture up her sides, my thumbs teasing the soft undersides of her tits. The curve there made my mouth water.
“Are we horrible people, Leo? Making out on the playground right after—you know. Your mom.” She searched my eyes. “And am I even worse, because I’m happier right now than I’ve ever been?”
I sucked in a breath. “I don’t think we’re horrible. I think I’m the moron who’s been fighting what I feel until now. So no. On both fronts. No one’s going to be more excited to hear that we’re together than my mom, believe me. It’ll probably be good for her. Give her something positive to think about.”
Quinn raised one eyebrow. “Are we together? Like, out in the open together?”
“Did you think I was going to say we should hide? Sneak around?” I snaked my hands around to her back and cupped that firm ass again. “Nope. Sorry, babe. You’re stuck with me now, and I want—” An unexpected lump rose in my throat, and I swallowed it down. “I want everyone to know it.”
She smiled and then right before my eyes, the glow on her face began to fade a little. “But you know, Leo, there’s going to be a ton of people who won’t understand why you’d want to be with me. What if the guys on the team give you a hard time?”
A twinge of unease strummed through my chest, but I ignored it. “Won’t happen. We support each other. Anyway, if they did, it wouldn’t matter to me. They don’t control my life. I’m the one who gets to decide who I date.” I snugged her close to me again, just to watch her eyes go soft and hazy. “Who I kiss.” I touched my lips to hers. “And I’m finally getting smart and kissing the one I want. Nothing and no one’s going to change that.” I opened my mouth a little over hers before I came up for air, pressing my forehead against Quinn’s.
“You’re mine. And I don’t want anyone to doubt that. Least of all you.”
She sighed and laid her head against my chest. “If I’m dreaming right now, don’t wake me up. I like this dream. I could live here.”
“Maybe real life is going to be better than dreams now.” I threaded my fingers through her thick hair. I was such a confusing mix of emotion right now. Worry about my mother battled with a heady kind of relief that I’d finally come clean with Quinn, that she was wholly and unequivocally mine. The only ripple interrupting my smooth sea of happy was the worry that I’d somehow fuck it up. But I wasn’t going to give up a chance to be with this girl because I was scared. I’d never been afraid to take chances in any other part of my life. Why should I let fear stop me now? Fuck that shit.
“Leo ...” The timber of her voice vibrated over my chest. “We have to talk to Nate.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed her back. “Should we do it together?”
Her forehead wrinkled, and she bit her lip. “Maybe I should talk to him first. He’s—he might be a little upset.”
I gave a short laugh. “You think? The last conversation we had before he got hurt wasn’t exactly friendly. And ...” I wasn’t sure if I should point this out or not. “He’s kind of got a thing for you, Mia.”
She groaned. “I know. It’s just because we’ve been friends so long, and he feels like I’m ... I don’t know. Safe? I think he’s talked himself into believing he wants me to be his girlfriend.”
“Oh, baby, I think it’s more than that. He’s in love with you. This isn’t going to be easy for him.”
“Thanks for pointing that out.” She pushed her hair out of her face. “Maybe it would be a good idea for me to tell him by myself. I can break it to him gently.”
“Well, tell him fast.” I pulled her up for another kiss. “Because otherwise he’s going to figure it out when he sees you with me in school tomorrow. I don’t plan on a hands-off policy when it comes to you.”
“How about I drive Nate to school tomorrow? I’ll text him tonight, and then I’ll pick him up in the morning and tell him on the way.” She was grim, as though talking about her own execution.
“Hey, Mia.” I tilted up her chin. “It’s going to be okay. Nate might be unhappy at first, but he’ll come around. Come on, how could he not? Even though things have been a little rough lately, we’re still the trio, right? We can make this work.”
“I hope so.” She blinked, sniffing. “I don’t want to lose my friends. Either of you.”
“Baby, you’re not.” I spoke with more conviction than I felt. “Nate might need some time to get used to the idea, but you’re not going to lose him. And me—I’m not going anywhere.” I held her face between my hands and leaned down to kiss her lightly.
“From now on, it’s you and me. Us.”
