Page 137 of Seven Lost Summers
“I think you’ve gone lazy,” she shoots back, eyes sparkling. “Or maybe you’ve forgotten how.”
I roll onto my side, facing her, a slow grin pulling at my mouth. “Careful, Quinn. You say something like that, you’re practically begging for it.”
She arches a brow. “Then go on. Hit me with your best. Let’s see what Rockstar Nate’s still got.”
I pause.
And fuck… my mind goes blank.
Because it’s been years since I had to pull one out. Years since I felt the urge to impress anyone. Everything’s been easy and meaningless. But this… Her… There’s weight here. History. It’s different.
My smirk falters just a touch.
She notices. “You really are out of practice.”
“Give me a sec.” I rub my jaw. “I’ve been busy headlining stadiums and avoiding emotional growth.”
“Tragic.”
“I’ve still got it,” I mutter.
She grins. “Prove it.”
I narrow my eyes, before letting them drop to her mouth, and back to her eyes again.
“You know,” I say slowly, dropping my voice. “I was gonna tell you that your smile’s always been my favorite curve on your body…”
She holds her breath.
“But then you showed up in those tights,” I continue, “and I completely lost my train of thought.”
Quinn’s laugh explodes out of her. She swats my arm, shaking her head.
“Oh my God,” she says, breathless. “That was awful.”
“That was brilliant.”
“That was desperate.”
I grin, soaking in the sound of her laugh, the way that sound loosens something in my chest.
“Maybe,” I say. “But it worked.”
“Yeah,” she murmurs. “It kinda did.”
I watch her laugh fade into something quieter. Her eyes linger on mine, and I swear the whole fucking room shifts.
Her fingers are still brushing against mine.
I tilt my head slightly, eyes locked on hers.
“So…” I say. “Does that mean I can kiss you?”
Her lips part, only a little. That spark in her eyes doesn’t waver. If anything, the fire deepens.
“When have you ever had to ask?” she whispers.
That’s all it takes.
