Across The Hall (39 page)

back three generations at Princeton and it was just another one of those things that came with being a Lobato. Dad told me I didn’t need to go

there, but I saw the disappointment in his eyes and knew that would never be an option.”

I shifted in his lap and reached up so I could wrap my arm around his neck. I knew the pressure he had on him, not so much from Alex but from his

Grandpa Lobato. I never once resented his decision to go to Princeton. I wanted to reassure him of that.

“Do you remember the day I offered to help you pay for Princeton so you wouldn’t have to take out loans, or at least not have to work once you

were there?”

I nodded. That was one of the biggest arguments we’d had. I didn’t want Quinn to feel like he had to pay for anything for me. I was perfectly

capable of working and paying my own way. We argued and I pushed him out the door before slamming it in his face. Of course I opened it back up

right away and we worked it out.

“Wel , when you got that scholarship I was afraid that if you didn’t take it you would begin to resent me for taking away that option from you.”

“I...” He shushed me before I could tel him that I would never resent him.

“You would have. As soon as I paid for something, you would have thought about that scholarship. Maybe you would have let it go, or maybe it

would have been in the back of your mind, eating away at you. I just couldn’t live with the risk that one day you would wake up and hate me for taking

that away from you. I see now that I was wrong on it.”

I had never thought about it that way before. I stil didn’t think I would have ever resented him for it.

“Why didn’t you just tel me this in the first place?”

He pul ed me in against him, and I could feel the hardness of his chest against my cheek. “Sylvia, I tried. You wouldn’t hear of it. I was about to

give up. Then during the graduation ceremony, it hit me. If we broke up, you would take the scholarship. At the time it seemed so simple. I would

break up with you. You would go off to the U of M and I would go to Princeton. You would get settled in and start your classes and see that it was a

good idea that you were there. You would meet some friends and be happy. I figured then I could come home for summer break and make it up to

you. That we could work it out and hopeful y get back together. By then you would be established at here and would return in the fal but we could stil

keep our relationship going. I figured we were meant to be and everything would work out just fine.” His voice was so sad and wistful that it tugged

at my heart.

“Why didn’t you come back?” I could lie to myself but I knew that, had Quinn came back that summer, I would have been back in his arms in a

heartbeat.

“At Christmas I saw you walking down the street with Jason.”

I sat up straight and looked at him. The expression on his face was heartbreaking. “It was never like that with Jason. You should have come to

see me.”

Quinn pushed me down against him again. He started playing with my hair, running his fingers through it and twirling the ends around his fingers.

“I know that now. I didn’t then. It looked like you had moved on. I had been so miserable and angry without you, and I knew you had a hard time at

first. But then I saw you with him and I thought you were happy. Sylvia, I would do anything to make you happy. If that meant leaving so you could be

with another guy, then I would do that.” His voice was hoarse, and I imagined he had the same lump forming in his throat that I had in mine.

“I went back early after that, and refused to come home. I just couldn’t bear to be in the same town as you and not go to you. Mom encouraged

Dad to take the job here. I think she knew how hard it was for me. I stil hated coming back, and rarely ever did. I focused my whole life on school. I

didn’t make many friends at first. I didn’t do anything. The second year, I made a real effort to join in. But I never real y enjoyed it. I know Mom was

worried, and she begged me to come home. Final y, when I was done with my undergraduate stuff, Dad talked me into coming back. Mom was

thril ed and she set out to find the apartment. That’s when she found you and decided to play matchmaker.”

“Have I told you how much I love your mom?” I felt Quinn chuckle against me. “So it wasn’t about the money?”

“It was never about the money. It was about your happiness. That’s al I ever want, is for you to be happy.”

We sat in silence after that for several minutes. I played over what he’d told me as I trailed my fingers over the hard muscles of his upper chest

and over his shoulder. I understood now why he chose to leave. It stil stung that he didn’t have faith in me, but I could see why that was. I had given

him little to have faith in. We could never know if I would have resented him for that, but now I needed to not resent him for taking that option away

from me, for taking himself away from me. It was over, and the only thing I could do was go on from here.

I raised my head to tel him I loved him. I looked deep into his eyes. I wanted to see them as I told him.

“Quinn, I love you.” I whispered as he bent forward as if to kiss me. He slowly brushed his nose against mine. I could feel his warm breath against

my parted lips as he slowly grazed his nose along mine. My eyes fluttered closed as I felt him inhale deeply, breathing me in. I tilted my head slightly

to reach for his lips, but he continued with the idle nuzzling.

Just as I thought the anticipation of his lips against mine was going to kil me, I felt the tip of his tongue on my lower lip. He nonchalantly swept up

over my lips with just the very tip of his tongue. It was just a hint of what was to come.

The second pass was slightly faster and firmer. I felt the warm, wet, satiny texture of the broad part of his tongue slide up over my parted, ready

mouth. I licked my lips, tasting him on them. It was a heady mixture of Quinn, the mint of his toothpaste and a slight hint of the hot chocolate we’d

had just before bed. It was intoxicating. I wanted more.

When Quinn came in a third time I was ready for him. He started the same as before, his tongue slid out running al across my lower lip. I felt the

strength of it massaging my ful lower lip. I slipped mine out to greet his, to invite him in, but he resisted. Instead he licked the tip over and briefly

tested the corner of my mouth before circling up over my top lip. As he rounded the opposite corner and came back to my bottom lip, I captured his

tongue and drew it in before he could tease me further.

His hand strayed up my shirt. His finger left tingles up my side as he glided over my ribs. He stopped and just grazed his fingertips around the

outer edges of my breast, barely touching me, making me ache for more. I felt his chest move against me and my nipples hardened under my thin

shirt as my body consumed his heat.

He gradual y slid his sweet tongue out of my mouth, only to lick my bottom lip one more time. Again he traced the outline of my welcoming mouth,

leaving no part untouched. His ful lips momentarily moved against mine, making me long for more. I fol owed his lead, loving the smooth feel of the

inside of my lips as I chased his tongue final y snaring it with my lips.

His slow, sensuous kiss was warming my entire body, awakening every part of me, making me yearn for more. I needed to have more of him but

he continued to taunt me with his tongue, almost bringing his mouth to mine but never quite closing the distance. I played along with him as our

tongues spiraled around each other, savoring each other. We each pul ed back, tempting the other to fol ow, only to join together once again.

Quinn’s hand curved around the swel on my breast, cupping the weight of it in his hand. Softly he kneaded the flesh, tormenting me. I arched into

his hand silently begging him to take more of me. I sucked his tongue into my mouth every chance I got, trying to relay my need, pleading with him to

give me more. He continued to sample my lips, with just his tongue taking leisurely trips around the inside, yet never ful y bringing his mouth to mine.

Just as I thought he was going to give in and deepen the kiss he pul ed back, enticing me once again with just the tip of his tongue as he left me with

quick slight licks at my lips and tongue.

Our noses once again brushed as we moved back slightly to catch our breath. I tilted up, touching my lips to the tip of his nose before moving on

to his mouth. I reciprocated his teasing with my own. I felt his lips part as I flicked just the tip of my tongue over them. I concentrated on the feel of his

fingers circling up to my nipple as I swiped at the corner of his mouth. I relished the softness of his lips with my tongue, particularly the middle of his

upper lip.

Quinn let me control the pace of the kiss. He held steady as I came in time and time again with gentle pleasure-seeking licks. His breath cooled

my wet skin, sending little shivers out around me. I felt myself growing damp in another place and as I stroked Quinn’s tongue with my own I thought

about him tasting me there, too. I wanted the same languid licks lower as he had given my lips. I moaned into his mouth and he once again began

to memorize my mouth with his tongue.

His magic fingers pinched and flicked at my nipple as he began to deepen the kiss. He pressed me to him tighter, and I felt his hardness

pressing against my thigh. I brought my hand down his side to his hip as I turned into him, trying to get closer. I took his tongue into my mouth, urging

him to take more. At last, he caved and brought his lips ful y against mine. By then my need for him nearly consumed me. I moaned again as I felt

more than heard him do the same.

We greedily absorbed one another, our mouths wet and strong, taking and giving, each leaving the other breathless. His fingers only stopped

playing with my nipple long enough to move on to the other one. Just when I thought I couldn’t take any more and I desperately needed to feel him

against me, in me, he stopped devouring me. He left soft little kisses on my swol en, parted lips before pul ing away completely.

He took his hand away from my breast, leaving me longing for its warmth. He wrapped his arms around me and pul ed me into a tight embrace. I

felt his lips curve up into a smile as he rested his forehead against my temple. That’s when I noticed the wetness against his cheeks. I moved my

head away, and in the incandescent lights of the Christmas tree the tears on Quinn’s cheeks glistened.

“I love you, too.”

Sylvia loves me. Sylvia loves me.
It was my first thought when I woke up in the morning, cuddled up to the most perfect girl in the world. It was on

my mind as we kissed good morning. She said it aloud after the kiss. It was the only thing I could think about while she was in the shower.

I thought about it when she answered the phone, first with Kai and then with Kerri. I knew what they were cal ing to tel her and I was so happy that

we were able to share in the excitement of their engagements. Sloane and Reed had it planned out to propose to each of the girls on Christmas

Eve. They decided if they proposed at the same time, then neither girl would be upset that the other was asked first.

I was just as happy as if I had proposed myself. It wouldn’t be long before I did. I remembered what Grandma whispered in my ear the night

before.
“You tell that girl the truth and in the morning come get my ring.”
I knew Sylvia wasn’t ready for that yet. I wasn’t ready either, but we would

be someday. For the moment I reveled in the fact that she loved me.

I wore the goofiest grin al day. Nothing wiped it away. It didn’t go unnoticed by my parents and grandparents, either. Dad teased me mercilessly

al morning about the gift that put a smile like that on my face. Sylvia blushed madly and Mom walked around with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

Yet whenever a comment was made, I smiled wider and thought
Sylvia loves me
.

We al gathered in the family room and opened gifts. First were the stocking gifts. Mom had never gotten over the idea that I didn’t believe in

Santa and stil insisted that she didn’t fil the stockings with little gifts and treats. This year she added an additional stocking for Sylvia and it looked

good there hanging with the rest. It balanced out the family.

Sylvia had been embarrassed with the amount of attention and gifts she received. She shot me a few angry glares as she apologized profusely

for not having brought anything. I should have thought to take her shopping before we came the other day but my brain had been rattled by the

events of the morning. Mom assured Sylvia that she had brought them the best gift: the smile she put on my face. That made the pair of us blush.

The rest of the weekend went by quickly. We stayed at Mom and Dad’s until Grandma and Grandpa left. I love my grandparents, but I couldn’t

wait until they were gone. I real y wanted to get Sylvia alone. During that time, every member of my family pul ed me aside and had a heart to heart

with me. Mom wanted to tel me how happy she was for us and that I needed to bring Sylvia over more often. Dad reminded me that she was stil

grieving and not to push her. Grandma made sure we talked about why I left. I assured her everything was fine with that. She then gave me her ring,

tel ing me that she knew it would be beautiful on Sylvia and that I would know the perfect time to give it to her.

Grandpa’s advice was something I could have done without. It started out innocently enough.

“Quinn, son, come talk to your grandpa.” He was sitting in the study alone. I think he was laying in wait for me.