Page 97 of Hard Hitter

“I don’t really plan on partying much,” Quinn said, grabbing one of his older t-shirts from the vanity drawer and pulling it on.

“That’s what you say now, but when you realize that’s where all the hot babes are, I’m sure you’ll cave,” Rae said playfully.

Well, there’s only one hot babe I want, and right now she’s on my bed.

“I feel like I’m going to be the only virgin on campus next year,” she commented, seemingly out of nowhere.

Every muscle in his body froze as a frequent fantasy of his flashed through his mind. Only this one now featured that new blue bikini. Quinn couldn’t look at her, unsure what his face would do, but he hada feeling he might get a little carried away like he did with the sunscreen earlier.

“I guess there’s a whole year between now and then, though.” Rae continued playing with her hair, twisting it, tousling it, sliding her fingers through it.

“Is that some goal of yours?” Quinn asked finally. “To lose your virginity before college?”

“Uh, yeah,” Rae said, flinging her hand out as though it were obvious. “Quinn, all people do in college is have sex. Between classes you study, and then you have sex. And then you get a study partner so you can act like you’re being a good student, but really, you guys just hook up in bed on top of all your books.”

Quinn let out a bark of laughter, “Rae, I think you watchThe O.C.too much.”

“Those are high school students! So I feel like that really drives my point home.”

“So, what, you want to lose it now so you’re prepared for all the sex you plan on having in the library and on top of books?” Quinn could hardly take this conversation seriously.

“I mean, it would be nice,” said Rae. “Think about it. The first one is a big deal, right? So once that’s out of the way...well, I guess I don’t know. Does it get more casual?”

“Why are you asking me?” Quinn asked, stretching out on the bed next to her.

“Wouldn’t you know?” Rae looked at him with narrowed eyes. “Wait, would you have told me? We are best friends, and that seems like something friends would share.”

“Would you have toldme?”

“Well, yeah. You would’ve been the first person I told,” she replied. Quinn furrowed his brow and made a face. “I probably would’ve come right over to share that we were finally on the same level. Although, by the sounds of it, I would’ve just been bragging.”

“I have never been more glad that I punched Liam in the face the day you two were supposed to have sex,” Quinn said, imagining therevulsion he would have felt if Rae had come over just to tell him she’d just lost her virginity to her piece of shit ex-boyfriend.

Rae looked at him thoughtfully for a moment, and Quinn didn’t know what to think of the look on her face. She bit her lip for a beat, then spoke. “I have a proposition.”

“You’re propositioning me?” Quinn teased.

“That’s one way to put it.”

“Rae, you know what that means, right?” Quinn chuckled. She always managed to say sexual things that she’d never intended to come out that way.

“Yes, I do,” Rae stated. “Would you want to have sex with me?”

Blink.

I, uh...what? I must be hallucinating.

“What?”Quinn stared, eyebrows shooting up into his hairline. His whole body froze, and he no longer had any knowledge of what was going on. Where he was, why he was lying in bed with his best friend, what in the world had led to this conversation? What the hell was Rae saying?

“Not right now,” Rae said, holding a hand up. “I mean, it is awfully convenient that we’re in bed together, but I mean...you’re obviously, ya know, aesthetically pleasing, and I trust you probably more than anyone. What if we make a sort of...pact?”

Quinn’s heart was pounding in his chest, his blood rushing in his ears as he listened to the one girl he’d wanted for four years tell him the reasons she wanted to lose her virginity to him. The image of Rae’s sun-kissed skin as he gave her an overly sensual sunscreen massage clouded his mind, along with all the thoughts he’d had during it. The memory of his first full look at her in that bikini had the beast in his chest stirring with excitement once again.

He cleared his throat, which had suddenly gone insanely dry. His voice still cracked when he asked, “Um...what kind of pact?”

“What if we agree that if neither of us has had sex by the end of the school year. Or prom? The school year? I don’t know,” Rae shook her head and waved her hand. “Whatever. If we haven’t lost our virginityby the end of the year, the date is yet to be determined, then we do it with each other. You'll be my first, and I’ll be yours.”

Holy shit. Yes. One-hundred percent yes.

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