Page 64 of The Arrangement

"Just get in bed and stop being weird," Quinn suggested, going back to his book as soon as he had spoken.

"I'm not being weird," I muttered but got into the bed regardless and immediately turned over, switching off the light.

"What, no pillow talk?"

Rolling my eyes, I didn't even bother to turn over. "Goodnight, Quinn." The light on his side of the room went out.

"Night, Clark, get some sleep."

I could not,in fact, get any sleep. I lay there for hours, which surely in reality was not even thirty minutes, but it didn't matter because I could feel the heat radiating from Quinn's body. He was lying on his side, and I could tell he was doing everything in his power to keep his larger body away from my side of the bed. Feeling the bed shift, he switched positions again, this time with his face towards me. A fact I knew because I could feel the heat of his breath against my hair.

"Stop moving around and go to sleep!" I hissed, pulling at my shorts beneath the covers as I felt them ride up again. Why did I even grab these, for God's sake? It was nearly November!

"I hardly ever sleep on my side; I'm trying to get comfortable!" Quinn breathed back as he fidgeted with his pillow, rocking the bed even more so.

Rolling my eyes, I turned around to face him, immediately regretting my decision as he was far closer than I had anticipated. "You're doing this on purpose to annoy me."

He made a face at my accusation. "Why would I be trying to annoy you, Clark?"

"I wouldn't know because I am being a perfectly polite bed neighbor." It was his turn to roll his eyes and stare at me indignantly.

"Bed neighbor? That isn't even a thing. Go to sleep."

"I'm trying!" I spat, rolling over once again. A small shift behind me was all the answers I received. "How do you normally sleep in that stupid, big bed of yours?"

"You love that big bed of mine," he huffed. "The thread count is immaculate, and you know it."

I paused because, to be honest, his bedwascomfortable, but of course, I had only been on it for…different nocturnal activities. "I haven't slept in a bed with someone else in years."

Silence fell over us, and the only sound was the heater switching on again, rustling the overstretched blackout curtains hanging over the window, which opened up to a marvelous view of the downtown skyline.

"Just stop moving," I commanded, pushing my body over to the very edge of the bed to give him more space.

"Jesus, I don't want you on the edge of the bed all night, Clark," he replied as he mimicked my move to the opposite corner. "Just push me over if you're not comfortable. I'll move even if I'm sleeping."

And with that, he turned over, and the feeling of his body so close to my own immediately made my heart begin to race. Had we been this close physically before? Of course, we'd fucked and gotten each other off multiple times now. But lying together in bed? That was intimate.The other stuff was just for show, just for the views and the cash. I had grown intimately aware of his body and how it felt, the small scars left over from childhood or the way his whole body tensed when I would kiss down to his navel.

I swallowed hard and hoped he didn't feel me moving even closer to the edge, even as I heard his breathing evening out; stupid men and their stupid ability to fall asleep immediately. I resisted the urge to move again, and even as my body was responding to his proximity, I felt the slow cloud of sleep begin to take over me. With the harmony of his gentle breathing behind him and the warmth his body exuded, I began to drift off.

Or I wasaboutto before I moved a little too close to the edge and yelped as I nearly toppled over the side and onto the unforgiving hotel floor, saved only by Quinn's hand, which grabbed my waist and pulled me back.

"Fuck’s sake, Clark," he whispered sleepily and pulled me up against him, and I froze as I felt our skins connect where his t-shirt had ridden up. My ass was firmly pushed against his waist while his large hand lay over my navel. My body was no longer languid but on fire with the heat of his touch and the way his muscular body lay against mine.

"This okay?" he murmured sleepily, his breath moving my hair as he spoke.

"Yes," I whispered back because even as my blood ran hot, I was the most comfortable I had been all night. It was silent between us, but I could tell he wasn't sleeping. I could feel the thumping of his heart as my back lay cradled against it, and his breathing had lost the even rhyme that sleep provided.

"Do I still annoy you?" he asked suddenly and to my surprise. I was, in fact, so surprised that I turned around, coming face to face with him.

"Yes, especially when you don't go to sleep, and it's after three in the morning." I went to turn back over, but he stopped me by holding my waist.

"I'm serious—business arrangement aside, I mean," Quinn clarified,his big golden eyes staring at me in the dark space, the only semblance of light coming from the illuminated buildings outside the large window.

Licking my lips, I considered my answer, trying to ignore the way his hand felt pressed against my belly. "No. I don't think you're annoying, Quinn. I think you're very nice actually. However, that does annoy me."

He huffed a laugh. "It annoys you that you think I'm nice?"

Nodding and pushing my hair out of my eyes, I considered him. "You're just different than what I had expected." He seemed to accept my answer, staying quiet as his eyes mapped my face and a lock of hair slipped in front of my eyes once more. I swallowed hard as he pushed the errant strand of hair back behind my ear, his hand lingering there for a moment.

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