Page 20 of Lakeside Longing
Quinn nodded. “I think you might be the first person I’ve ever felt comfortable around who wasn’t in the business.”
“Oh,” Rebecca said quietly. And then she remembered the way that Chloe had acted, and it made sense. That was probably a completely normal interaction for Quinn.
“Sorry, that was probably a strange thing to say.”
“No. Don’t apologize.” Rebecca left her glass on the coffee table. She had to slow down. “I should be the one saying sorry. I’m here complaining about online dating, and you can’t really do that at all.”
“No, but Piper already has someone she wants to set me up with,” Quinn said with a half-smile.
“Okay maybe you don’t have it that bad then,” Rebecca said with a laugh. “You’ll be dating a very talented actress or singer in no time.”
Quinn looked away, an almost sad expression on her face. “Maybe, but I’m interested in someone else. Someone I shouldn’t be, but I guess that’s my luck right now.”
Rebecca mentally ran through her limited knowledge of out actresses, but as far as she knew, they were all in relationships. Unless, there was someone new. She wasn’t great at keeping up with celebrity news.
Maybe it was someone who wasn’t out. Maybe it was someone Quinn knew through a friend.
And then she remembered the way Quinn had looked at her by the fire.
No. Quinn couldn’t mean her.
For a moment, time seemed to stand still as they gazed into each other’s eyes.
“You know who I’m talking about,” Quinn said softly, “Don’t you?”
Rebecca felt her breath catch in her throat as Quinn’s words registered. This couldn’t be happening. This was not something she could give into.
She knew she should say something, anything, to break the spellbinding silence that had descended upon them.
Quinn smoothly moved a little closer to her, and Rebecca mirrored her movement without thinking about it, and now they were mere inches apart.
Rebecca licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry, as she grappled with the torrent of emotions swirling within her. She knew she should resist, that this would never work, but her eyes flicked to Quinn’s lips, and she saw the slightest hint of a smile play at the corners of her mouth. It was all the invitation she needed.
Leaning forward, Rebecca closed the distance between them, her lips brushing softly against Quinn’s. It was a gentle, exploratory kiss, a question rather than a statement. But as Quinn responded with a whimper, her lips parting slightly, Rebecca felt a wave of desire wash over her, threatening to overwhelm her senses.
She pulled Quinn closer, her hand on Quinn’s cheek, as the kiss deepened. All thoughts of resistance melted away as she lost herself in the sensations flooding her body. It was as if every nerve ending was awakened, every touch and taste magnified. But even as she surrendered to the moment, a nagging voice of doubt whispered in the back of her mind that she shouldn’t have kissed her, no matter how much she’d wanted to.
As if sensing her hesitation, Quinn pulled back slightly, her eyes searching Rebecca’s face. Rebecca saw the desire and confusion swirling in her eyes, a reflection of her own conflicted emotions.
“We shouldn’t,” Rebecca murmured, even as her hand caressed Quinn’s cheek. “This is a bad idea.”
But even as the words left her mouth, Rebecca knew she didn’t truly want to stop. She wanted to keep kissing Quinn as crazy as all of this was.
13
Quinn stared into Rebecca’s eyes, her own wide with disbelief. She had just shared her first real kiss with a woman. A kiss that wasn’t for the cameras or an audience. A kiss that had ignited a rush of desire, leaving her wanting more. But it was also a kiss that felt wrong, forbidden even.
“We shouldn’t,” Rebecca murmured, her hand gently caressing Quinn’s cheek. The tenderness of the gesture conflicted with her words. “This is a bad idea.”
Quinn’s heart hammered in her chest as she struggled to process the whirlwind of emotions swirling within her.
But as Quinn opened her mouth to speak, her words failed her. Instead, she leaned forward, craving another taste of Rebecca’s lips. The kiss deepened, and a flood of sensations washed over Quinn, both familiar and entirely new.
Her hands found Rebecca’s hips, pulling her closer, longing to feel the warmth of her body against her own. It was madness. She knew that. Yet, in that moment, all rational thought escaped her.
Rebecca pulled back slightly, a hint of hesitation flashing across her face. “Quinn, we can’t?—”
Before she could finish, Quinn’s thumb brushed across her bottom lip, still tingling from the kiss. “Don’t,” Quinn whispered. She didn’t want to hear the reasons why this was a mistake. Not now, when all she could think about was how right it felt to be in Rebecca’s arms.