Page 54 of Love Marks
“You bet.”
Quinn makes a sound from next to me and I glance at her, where a blush is blooming on her cheeks. A strand of hair has fallen in front of her face and I want to reach out and tuck it behind her ear.
“Should I get ice cream or cotton candy?” Luna asks Quinn.
“Definitely cotton candy. You can get ice cream anytime,” Quinn answers with a small smirk. Luna nods, considering her answer thoughtfully.
“Okay! I want the cotton candy. But Ferris wheel first!” Luna announces, grabbing my hand and pulling us towards the ride.
“I hope you aren’t scared of heights.” Quinn raises her eyebrows.
“Terrified. But I think I’ll survive.” I give our tickets to the snot-nosed kid working the ride and usher the girls inside, stepping in behind them. “You do realize I live on the 50th floor, right?”
“How could I forget?” She rolls her eyes. “You always have to be on top.”
Her words go straight to my dick. Jesus Christ, woman. She glances away as the ride starts, completely oblivious to her effect on me.
“We’re moving! We’re moving!” Luna cheers.
“Yes, we see that, sweetheart.” I smile conspiratorially at Quinn. We’re close to the top and she glances around in soft wonder, her hair blowing behind her with the wind.
“Uncle Wes, look! You can see everything from up here!” Luna points around but my eyes are glued to Quinn. I swear if Luna weren’t here, I’d reach over and kiss her right now.
Suddenly, the ride jolts and we stop at the top. Of course.
“What’s happening?” Luna asks. “We stopped! Uncle Wes!”
“It’s okay, they just stop it sometimes.”
“I’m scared. I wanna go down,” Luna cries, starting to tear up. “I wanna go down now!”
“We’ll be down real soon, Luna. I promise.” I reach out and console her but she keeps crying, wailing even louder. Her eyes are closed, and her hands are balled into fists as she bounces up and down, shouting.
Quinn reaches out and puts her hand over Luna’s. “You know what helps me sometimes when I get scared?”
“What?” Luna sniffles.
“Imagine your happy place. The place where you have the most fun in the world. Your favorite place in the whole wide world. The place you feel safe.”
Luna opens one eye and sniffles again, her tears stopping. “Like Paris? I wanna visit the iPhone Tower.”
Quinn chuckles. “The Eiffel Tower? Sure, it could be that. It could be anywhere.”
“Or Disneyland. I like Disneyland.” Luna says.
The ride jolts, starting again and Luna cheers, but I’m still stuck staring at Quinn, marveling at how effortlessly she handled that. At how warm and comforting her presence feels. At how I can’t believe how wrong I was about her. Completely, utterly wrong.
Chapter 25
Quinn
I am on a Ferris wheel with Wesley Marks. Nine words I never thought I would utter in my lifetime. Yet here we are. Wesley has been nothing but a gentleman since I woke up this morning. I feel like I’ve woken up in an alternate dimension, one where Wesley and I eat hot dogs and share intimate details about our families.
Wesley doesn’t seem at all terrified by this development. In fact, he’s happy as a clam. Besides Luna’s occasional outburst or tantrum, the day has gone smoothly, and Wesley has been close to outright smiling at least four times that I’ve counted. Every time one dances across his lips, even the slightest suggestion of a smile, I feel like I’ve won some grand prize.
It’s the way his lips tug upward and his white teeth break through his soft lips. I’ve been trying not to stare at them for this entire ride. Thankfully, it’s almost over and I’ll have other distractions from Wesley’s perfect lips. Like his sculpted torso and his sharp, piercing eyes.
Get it together!