As You Turn Away (The Walker Boys) (22 page)

Her quick intake of breath was her only answer. Jonah kissed her neck, and readjusted his position on the couch, then reached for Quinn. He pulled her into his lap and she straddled him without hesitation, placing her hands on his chest. Jonah swept Quinn’s hair off her neck and fastened his mouth on her soft skin, but her fingers on the button of his shirt distracted him.

“You’re so amazing, Quinn. I’ve dreamed of this.” He almost didn’t recognize his own voice.

“You aren’t the only one who’s thought about us, Jonah.” She moved down the row of buttons and twirled her fingers in a “hurry-up” gesture.

Jonah grinned and obliged his girl, taking off his shirt. She huffed at the sight of his undershirt, and he raised his eyebrows, leaning forward to kiss her again. He reached under her dress and cupped her ass, his fingers brushing against unexpected lace. “Oh,
you
wanted this as much as I did. Lace panties, Princess?”

Quinn made a humming sound and leaned into his touch, which was fine with him. He hooked his thumbs into the waist of her panties and the feel of her skin against his made him harder.

Her hands went to his chest and Jonah let Quinn tug his undershirt over his head. “Never hurts to be prepared,” she responded.

The cool air kissed his bare chest, and then her lips followed. The pressure of her mouth on his skin tore a groan from his mouth, and Quinn’s hands trailing down his chest made him grit his teeth. She paused at his abs, and nothing about her was tentative as she reached down for his belt buckle.

“Quinnlan.” His voice was little more than a growl when he embraced her and half-stood. She wrapped her legs around his waist without him having to ask, and Jonah strode to the hallway. He wasn’t going to be satisfied with kisses. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he was buried deep inside her, and she was calling his name.

Jonah was never so grateful he’d left his bedroom door open. He walked through with Quinn still twined around him, and then kicked the door shut behind him.

Gulping water, Jonah swallowed, and raised the hose. He let the water pour over his head for an instant before he let it drop, and shut off the hose. He shook his head, spraying Reece, then shrugged.

“Dunno really. I’m starting to get letters back from schools—couple rejections, couple acceptances.” He fell into step beside Reece; their chores were done, and he was looking forward to relaxing for the rest of the afternoon. “I’m not really sure what school appeals to me yet.”

“I know how that goes. Ma is still bugging me to apply, but…” Reece rubbed at his throwing arm, wincing. The injury was as healed it would ever be, but they all knew he couldn’t pitch anymore, and the family couldn’t afford to send him to college. “I think that time has passed.” He rolled his shoulders.

“Well, you’re with Hannah, so that’s at least one good thing.” Jonah glanced at his brother, not liking the set to Reece’s jaw.

“Yeah. Reckon so.” Reece shoved his hands in his pockets, and strolled into the house.

Their conversation over, Jonah slouched into the old tire swing. No one used it anymore, but there was a time when they were always on the thing. Now it was a relic of a time long gone; even Ethan was too old for it. His younger brother was a full-fledged teenager now, and Jonah didn’t know what to think about that. About any of it.

He felt like all the things he’d once held onto so tightly were slowly drifting too far for him to hold onto any longer. Reece was a stranger these days, in his own apartment now, and they rarely saw him. Half the time he showed up for dinner, he was hung-over, or fighting with Hannah. Ethan was making new friends at school, and Jonah was about to graduate, and he had no idea what to do with his future. Or who would be in it.

Since he and Quinn argued a few weeks ago, things between them were tense. They’d never fought before, until now. They’d made up, talking long into the night after their row, but neither of them had any answers for what life after high school would hold. The future was speeding toward them, and Jonah for one was not at all ready. He missed the way things were months, or a year ago, but that time, like the old tire swing, was a part of the past.

Jonah lowered her slowly onto the bed, and Quinn reached for his hands; now that she had him this close, she didn’t intend to let him get away. As his fingers wove through hers, Quinn shuddered at the simple but powerful contact. He straddled her and brought his lips to the hollow of her throat. She didn’t even try to hold back the whimper rolling off her lips like a wave. Tipping her head back to allow him unlimited access, she gloried in the feel of his lips on her skin.

Being here with Jonah was surreal after so long apart; what was even more mind-blowing was although this was their first time together as adults, his hands were already setting her on fire. He tugged her dress over her head, and cool air surged around her, followed by the juxtaposition of his warm lips on her chest. Jonah’s mouth traveled into her cleavage, and as he palmed one of her breasts then touched it with his mouth, Quinn arched toward him.

“You still like that?” He was smiling against her skin now. She felt hot all over as she thought of how she’d purposefully dressed in pretty lingerie. Some part of her had known this would happen the moment she set foot inside his apartment. They’d been building to this for so long.

Jonah bit down gently on her breast, and Quinn rolled her hips against him. Air left him in what might have been a gasp, and Quinn laughed quietly. “I’m not seventeen anymore, Jonah.” Flush with him as she was, she could feel his erection straining in his pants, so she undid his belt and pulled it free of the loops. “And neither are you.”

This was different from their first time—clumsy, a learning experience, and nothing like the movies—or the ones after that, when they’d begun to learn what the other liked. There was no awkwardness or shyness, no fear of anyone walking in on them, or that they’d do something wrong. Quinn felt confident as she unzipped Jonah’s pants. He rolled away from her and stood long enough to shuck them and his boxers. The moonlight streaming in through his curtains highlighted his muscles, silver-tinged, and she sat up to take a better look at him. She’d forgotten how broad his shoulders were, and about the song lyrics tattooed across his ribs. The script curled lovingly across his skin, and Quinn ached to touch the ink with her mouth.

“We aren’t.” He climbed on the bed with her, and this time when he straddled her, Quinn let her eyes travel downward. He watched her study him, and a grin hovered at the corners of his mouth. “Like what you see, darlin’?”

He was bigger than she remembered, and the thought of him inside her made her wet; without meaning to, Quinn bit her lip. “I might,” she answered, trying for a mild tone. “Do you know how to put on a condom this time?”

Jonah’s laughter was startled and loud, and Quinn giggled as he ducked his head. Dark strands of hair fell into his face, and she reached out to push them away. “I’m fairly certain I’ve gotten better at that since our last time.” His stare pinned her in place. “I’ve gotten better at a lot of things.”

“Oh?” Quinn raised an eyebrow. “What sort of things?”

His lips touched her neck and he inhaled deeply. “This.” His hand touched her through her panties, and she was the one to gasp; Jonah slowly slid them down, and off of her. Quinn’s entire body tensed as the seconds melded together, and then Jonah’s fingers slid into her.

“Oh.” Quinn’s breath hitched. “That?” She tried to keep their banter alive, but Jonah’s thumb rubbing against her clit made stringing words together difficult. He eased another finger inside her, and the friction he was creating made her feel like she was being enveloped in warmth. “T-that is—”

“Good?”

He increased the pressure with his thumb, and Quinn took in a ragged breath. “Yes.” She fisted her hands in his sheets. “So good.” Her hips rose of their own accord, and he put a hand on one, holding her gently in place as he scooted down the bed. “Where are you going?”

“You’ll see, sweetheart.” Jonah parted her legs, kissing his way down her thigh until he paused. He raised his head and smiled lazily at her. “Something else I’m better at now, and I promise, it’ll be amazing. It’s all about you right now.”

He put his mouth on her, and Quinn cried out at the sensation. “You’ve never…”

Jonah flashed her a smile. “I am now.” He dipped his head again and this time, his tongue sank into her folds. Quinn wasn’t new to oral sex—giving or receiving—but whatever Jonah was doing, she’d never felt so much so soon in this situation. He used his mouth, tongue, and teeth in ways that made her head spin. She moaned, unable to hold back, as she spiraled closer to orgasm. His tongue found her clit and flicked the sensitive skin, bringing her so high she felt her stomach muscles clench.

Just as she thought she couldn’t take another moment, Jonah pulled away, and Quinn sat up. “Why are you stopping?” She quieted when she realized he was rolling on a condom, and coming back to her, those eyes so intense.

“You’re so wet for me, Quinn. I need to be inside you now,” he murmured, and she could barely breathe. “Deep inside of you, where I’ve wanted to be for so long now.” He hesitated, still staring at her. “Is that okay? Are we going too fast?”

“If you stop now, I’ll kill you.” Quinn smiled to lighten the words.

“Okay, so
not
stopping then.” Jonah grinned at her and eased himself between her legs.

He was hard against her skin and she shivered, anticipating the feeling of the two of them joined. And she wanted that. She wanted him buried inside her. She wanted it enough to quiet the voice warning her this wasn’t a good idea. She
needed
this, needed to be close to Jonah. She needed to prove to herself again that she
could be
open and loving and alive. She needed to let go of her childhood fears, and banish for good the uncertainties about how she would deal with an adult relationship.

Quinn wanted this. Wanted
them
. And in this moment and this bed? There was only room for the two of them. Not doubt or fear, or old wounds. Nothing but the love they would make.

“I want you to make love to me.” She could barely whisper the words, so overcome with emotion. Four years and no matter who she’d taken to bed, she’d never forgotten how sex with Jonah felt. Never stopped craving his touch, his kisses, his love. “Please.” Quinn inhaled, and Jonah’s first thrust blew her breath back out. She grabbed his shoulders, and he paused.

“Are you okay?” He held himself above her, but his gaze was so warm that she couldn’t say anything for a moment.

“Fine.” She smiled up at him. “It’s been so long since we did this; I need a minute to adjust.” Quinn fumbled, and she could swear she felt herself blushing. “You’re big.”

Jonah chuckled, and eased almost out of her, then slowly—so slowly that she suspected he was doing it to tease her—he glided back into her. “Is this better?” He kept his movements leisurely, even though she knew it had to be killing him. After a few seconds, she was used to the feel of him, so Quinn breathed, and arched her hips against him.

“Fuck.” Jonah’s jaw popped and he shook his head. “I want to take my time with you, Quinn, and love you right. But this time…”

“I know.” She moved her arms from his shoulder to his waist, fingers trailing over his hips. “We have time for slow and sweet. Just give me everything you have, Jonah.”

He lowered his head to the shell of her ear. “I always have.”

He withdrew, and found a rhythm, pushing into her forcefully. Quinn met him thrust for thrust, enjoying the feel of him filling her entirely. She’d been close before, but that felt like nothing compared to this. They fit as though her curves had been made for his angles, two pieces designed specifically for one another. And when he finally let her bear his weight for a minute, stroking into her smoothly, Quinn wouldn’t let him put any distance between them again.

She linked their hands together, urging Jonah on. Lifting her hips, Quinn did everything she could to give him full access, and he growled as he hit her deeper. She could tell he was holding back waiting for her to finish, and the next thrust was hard enough to send spikes of pleasure through her. Quinn dropped her hands to Jonah’s hips, then up to his back, digging her fingernails in just enough for him to feel the impact. Her action seemed to spur him on, because he surged into her again and again, the tempo increasing, and bringing her along with it. She lost track of any sense of time as Jonah filled her entirely.

Quinn came on a long moan, wrapped around Jonah’s name. The orgasm rushed through her, and she felt the shudder everywhere. Jonah’s next thrust prolonged her pleasure, and Quinn’s eyes closed as her head tilted back against the pillow. Jonah’s scent was all around her, and she cried out again. He was still moving inside her and she could tell he was close; knowing that intensified her orgasm, until the quaking inside her increased into something huge, something strong, and she let go entirely.

“Good, darlin’, good,” Jonah murmured. “Come for me.” He was out of breath, but his voice sent another shiver throughout her, and the next, deep stroke brought on another orgasm. Everything in her strained toward him, and she felt like her climax was brushing against her soul. She’d never known or felt anything like this since him. She heard her own voice raised in another moan, felt ecstasy rushing through her.