Just Say Yes (14 page)

The kids all muttered their thanks as they passed. It took Tim a moment to realize the teens were even there, but when he finally did, he glared accusingly at Quinn. “We're doing it wrong.”

“What?” Quinn's face reflected her confusion.

Tim pointed at the group in front of them. “We were supposed to be in a herd. Like a group date.”

Quinn rolled her eyes. “You're completely ridiculous,” she said, though the idea appealed to her, and she suddenly wished she'd thought of it. She'd been so wrapped up in Tim and her article, she hadn't even talked to the girls to tell them about her new relationship status. It would've been fun for them to all go out together. However, she had to admit, she also liked having Tim all to herself. “I don't think you're quite ready for outsiders to see your golf skills. It's best that it's just us.”

Tim laughed and walked to her, enveloping her in his strong arms. “You're probably right.” He leaned in closer. “Besides, I like having these experiences with you. Just you.”

Quinn rubbed her hands down his ribs. “See? Romantic.”

“I am good, aren't I?”

“At some things,” she replied, casting a fleeting glance at the course.

“Now, that's just cruel,” he added as he gave her a quick peck before stepping back. “So, our bet. If I win, which I will, you have to watch all of the Rocky movies with me when we get back to my place. In order.”

Quinn forced a shudder. “You wouldn't.”

Tim waggled his eyebrows. “I would. What's the matter? Not so confident in your abilities anymore?”

“Do I have to remind you of your unfortunate experience playing pool against me? What makes you think this will be any different?”

“Because this time I have a bet to win.”

Quinn scoffed. “Dream on. Fine, I'll accept your terms. But if
I
win, you have to watch the Lifetime Movie Network with me for the rest of the night.”

“You drive a hard bargain. But I accept.” Tim offered his hand, which Quinn shook. Then he walked over and placed his ball down, taking time to line up his shot. He swung too hard, causing his ball to ricochet off a stone obstacle and bounce wildly through the course.

Quinn cackled as Tim gave chase. “I'm glad I brought you here when it was still light out. Otherwise you'd never find your ball.”

“I'm just working the kinks out,” Tim said when he returned to line up his shot again.

Unable to resist, Quinn walked up to him, crowding his back. “Hopefully you left a few kinks for later.”

“Are you attempting to distract me?”

“Ha, like I need to. You'd need an act of God to win this game.”

“We'll see,” Tim replied as he concentrated on the task at hand. Tim's gaze traveled from the ball to the hole, from the hole to the ball. Then he made contact, causing the ball to ping gently off the far wall, glide under the windmill, and sink into the hole. He smirked victoriously at her as he strode off to retrieve his ball.

“Did you hustle me?”

“I have no idea what you're talking about. Your shot.”

It took Quinn three strokes to put the ball in the hole, which gave her the same score as Tim since his ball had left the course. She still had a decent lead overall, but there was a prickle of worry in the back of her mind. The threat of having to watch the Stallone flicks had her sweating a little.

The fourth hole only confirmed her fear, as Tim banked his ball off the wedge, causing it to come to rest right beside the hole.

“You totally scammed me,” she accused.

“I did not.” Tim had the nerve to look affronted. “I just had to knock a little of the rust off.”

“You're a miniature golf shark.”

“A what? That's not a thing.”

“It is a thing.” Quinn glared at the cheating bastard. “It's like a card shark, but with mini golf.”

“Did I ever tell you how cute you are when you're nervous?”

Quinn shrugged off the arm Tim had draped over her shoulder. “I'm not nervous. I got this.”

“Then get it.” Tim motioned for her to take her turn.

Quinn came out of the fourth hole with four strokes to Tim's two.
This isn't good.

And things didn't get any better. Quinn quickly lost her lead, leaving her to rely on skill she clearly didn't possess. Tim, on the other hand, was like some sort of golfing savant. They approached the last hole with Quinn needing to score four strokes lower than Tim to win. It didn't happen. Tim putted the ball perfectly, knocking it cleanly through the stupid, swirling helicopter and scoring a hole in one.

He threw up his arms in victory, yelling, “Yo, Adrian. I did it!”

Smug jerk.
“You hustled me. How could you do that to your girlfriend?”

“You deserved it,” Tim quipped, making Quinn laugh at how unapologetic he was.

“Seriously, is this what you do in your spare time? How are you so freakishly good at golf?”

Tim shrugged. “I used to hustle little kids for drug money when I was in high school.”

Quinn was sure her face looked horrified. And a little sad. She hated to think of Tim so hard up for drugs.

Tim looked at her solemnly before breaking out into a raucous laugh. “You seriously believed that? I think I'm offended.”

Quinn playfully slapped his arm. “You asshole. I felt sorry for you.”

Tim doubled over he was laughing so hard. Once he finally got himself under control, he explained. “My dad had one of those putting machines. Scott and I used to play with it all the time, making our own obstacles and stuff. I got pretty good.”

“Thank God. That's a much better story.” Quinn nuzzled into him. “This was fun, even if you are a cheater. Ooh, our next date should be something college kids would do. We can bring you up to proper dating speed.”

“I'd like that,” he said as he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“Okay, you're on deck for planning the next one. I'm spent.”

“I sure hope not.” Tim winked at her as he stepped back.

“You're bad,” Quinn chastised with a grin.

“I know. But for some reason, you like me anyway.”

They both took a turn at the final hole, which offered a free game for a hole in one. Thankfully, Tim missed that time. As they returned their clubs, Quinn looked at him with her best puppy-dog expression. “You're not really going to make me watch all the Rocky movies, are you?”

“Aww, poor baby. Yes. I am.”

Quinn pushed him playfully. “You're so mean.”

“You love it,” Tim retorted.

Quinn had to admit . . . she kind of did.

Exclusive

“So listen,” Tim said, as he inhaled the scent of Quinn's freshly shampooed hair: a mixture of citrus and almond. “I'm thinking for our college date, I'd like you to take me to a concert.”

“Is that right? You'd like
me
to take
you
?” Quinn asked, applying a bit of blush to her cheeks.

“Well, I mean we can
meet
there if it's easier. I just thought it would be kind of pointless to take two cars. Not to mention wasteful. Don't you care about preserving the earth for future generations?” Tim felt the smile he'd been trying to suppress surface.

Quinn threw an elbow into his ribs playfully and laughed. “You're such an ass.”

“Hey,” Tim said, bringing his hands up in feigned innocence, “don't blame me when our grandchildren don't have parks to play in.” He heard the implication of “
our
grandchildren” after he'd said it, and he hoped Quinn didn't read into it. He could have just meant that they'd
each
have grandchildren and there would be no parks in which those respective grandchildren could play. He hadn't necessarily meant their grandchildren
together
. Although the idea didn't seem all that difficult to imagine now that he was picturing it.

Quinn cocked a brow at him in the mirror, and Tim readied himself to explain. “Suddenly going green, are we?”

He shrugged. “Better late than never.”

“Well, then, you should probably start by getting rid of that F150. That thing gets like six miles to the gallon.”

He'd gotten the truck six years ago, and she still ran great. “Okay, so maybe I was less concerned with environmental conservation and more concerned with getting you in the backseat of a car that actually
has
a backseat.” Tim slid a hand around Quinn's neck and swept her hair to the side so he could plant light kisses just below her ear. “You know, since we missed that particular rite of passage during our teenage date.”

She put down the makeup she was holding and leaned in to him. “Well, how can I say no to that? That's kind of been a fantasy of mine ever since I saw Kate Winslet's hand slide across that fogged-up window in
Titanic
.” Tim felt Quinn shiver as he continued to kiss her neck. “I mean, we already kind of reenacted the scene where she poses nude on the couch. We might as well go two for two, right?”

“Never seen it. Though now I kind of want to,” he said, running his tongue down to Quinn's collarbone as his thumb traced the edge of where her towel met the skin just above her breasts.

“You're going to make me very late for work if you keep that up.”

Tim smiled against her warm flesh. “I'm going to make you a lot of things.”

•   •   •

“So you never even told me who the band is,” Quinn said as Tim opened the door to the bar for her.

“They're just a college band. Kind of a mixture of punk rock and metal, if that makes sense. You probably haven't heard of them.”

“What?” Quinn asked, putting a hand to her chest in exaggerated disbelief. “You don't think I'm hip enough to know about some indie band?”

“Well, now I
know
you're not,” Tim said, laughing as he gripped Quinn's hand tightly.

“Shut up,” Quinn joked loudly over the crowd. It was just before ten, and the place was packed with early twentysomethings high on adrenaline and alcohol. “Try me. Remember—I
do
work at a magazine with college interns.”

“I wouldn't have even heard of them myself except that this guy Lennie, who's a waiter at the restaurant, goes to Georgetown, and he's been bugging me for months to check them out. He's the lead singer. They're called Waiting for Someday.” Tim looked over his shoulder as he led Quinn closer to the stage where the band was setting up. “Have you heard of them?”

Quinn smirked. “Nope. I like the name though.”

A half hour later Quinn stood at a small round table, tapping her foot in time with the music. She looked around at the crowd, watching people's bodies moving robotically to the beat. Most of them had large holes in their ears, stretched by metal rings, and a few of them weren't wearing shirts. She could almost picture a younger Tim out there among them, banging into his buddies as they laughed the night away. The image made her happy and sad at the same time.

The music was actually very good, even if it was more alternative than Quinn's usual tastes. Lennie had a great voice, though Quinn couldn't ignore that the whole scene made her feel like she was ten years older than most of the other attendees rather than a mere four or five. Twenty-seven-year-old Quinn preferred songs she could sing and dance to and bars where she could hear herself talk, or at least think.

She remembered back to her days in college, hanging out in places like this and listening to bands she'd sworn were the second coming of Linkin Park
.
And as she looked across the table at Tim, she felt a pang of guilt. She wasn't giving him the experience he deserved. She held out her hand to him as she spoke. “Come on.”

He immediately took her hand but eyed her curiously. “Where are we going?”

Quinn jerked her head toward the crowd. “You're not getting the full college-date experience back here.”

Tim smiled and followed her as she led him to the stage. “Now what?” he yelled over the crowd.

“Now we act like fools,” Quinn replied as she began jumping up and down with the rest of the crowd.

Tim looked unsure at first, but he quickly joined in. Pretty soon the two of them were headbanging with the best of them. With every passing song, they became less and less reserved in their movements, until they were twirling around each other, voguing and roboting like idiots. Their dancing didn't match the timbre of the music, and it didn't blend in with the rest of the crowd, but that didn't matter. Tim and Quinn were acting like stupid, drunk college kids, and the best part was that, since they were sober, they wouldn't have to deal with a hangover in the morning.

Despite the evening being something that was completely foreign to both of them, it was actually a great time. Letting loose, not caring what the world thought of her, gave Quinn a freedom that she felt most often when she was with Tim. Even with her list completed, Tim still had a way of bringing out a side of her she hadn't known she had.

The band played for about two hours or so, and Quinn managed to survive, though not without a few battle wounds. Her pale yellow tank top was splattered with something sticky, which she could only hope was some sort of drink. And she was pretty sure she had sweat on her that wasn't hers or Tim's.

A little past one a.m., after chatting with the band for a bit, they finally exited the bar. Quinn was thankful for the fresh air. Well, as fresh as it could be with the smokers outside. They walked around the corner toward Quinn's Jeep, the humid summer air a welcome visitor in her lungs.

Quinn could still hear a ringing in her ears when she spoke. “I think I'm old.”

Tim laughed loudly, his whole body shaking. It was the kind of laugh that Quinn wished she could bottle up and keep so it would be with her forever.

“I'm serious,” she said. “I feel like I just got into a fight with a zebra and lost.”

Tim raised his eyebrows, obviously confused. “A zebra?”

“Yeah. They can kick harder than any other species. I saw it on Animal Planet,” she said as she unlocked her car.

Tim shook his head and put his hands on Quinn's shoulders, massaging gently. “Come on, old lady. Let's get you to bed.”

“I think I need a shower first.”

“Mmm,” he said, pulling her into a soft kiss. “I think that can be arranged.”

•   •   •

Tim didn't expect Quinn's response—a heady combination of assertiveness and desire—to manifest itself as soon as they got to her car. She grabbed hold of Tim's T-shirt neckline and pulled him hard against her, causing his lips to collide with hers once more. He smiled internally. This was the Quinn he knew lived somewhere inside her. And he was glad he could be there every time she made an appearance.

“I think we have one more item to check off before we head home.”

“Yeah?” Tim asked, a playful gleam in his eye as he hoped Quinn meant what he thought she meant. “What's that?”

Quinn answered his question with a click of her key fob. “Get in,” she said, opening the back door.

Tim smirked. “You're serious?”

“Of course I'm serious. Now, don't ruin the moment with stupid questions.”

“Won't happen again,” Tim said through a laugh, although part of him was tempted to say something dumb again intentionally just so he could hear Quinn boss him around a little bit more. Tim climbed in the back passenger-side door and turned to pull Quinn in on top of him, leaning up to close the door behind her. He let his fingers tangle in her red hair, which looked darker than usual in the soft overhead light that was fading above them.

Quinn moved against him, her body seeming to already respond as Tim's hands massaged her back and then her firm ass with rough pressure. Quinn let out a low moan.

“Feel good?”

She exhaled. “
Everything
you do feels good.”

If Tim's cock hadn't already been pressing hard against his jeans, that comment would have made sure of it. Now he felt like he could fucking burst. Especially with Quinn rubbing herself faster against him. He gripped her hips, helping her move over his length.

Then suddenly, almost as if Tim didn't expect it either, he flipped her over so she was underneath him. His hands pulled her shirt up roughly so he had access to her soft skin underneath. He licked and kissed her hungrily on her ribs and up to her breasts, giving them the attention they deserved. Then he hovered above her for a moment that was just long enough to hike her skirt up above her hips.

“You know,” Quinn said, seeming surprised, “that actually
is
as hot as it looks in the movies.”

Tim laughed. “It really is.” Then he reached into his back pocket to retrieve a condom from his wallet. He slid the wrapper back into his pocket as he pulled his pants down and slipped the latex over himself.

He kept his hand between them, rubbing her clit as Quinn moaned with pleasure. Once he could tell she was close, he plunged two fingers inside her, moving them in a calculated motion until she begged him not to stop. But he pulled them out slowly, knowing their absence would drive Quinn wild. “No way I'm letting you come like that. I want to feel you let go around me.”

“Then fuck me already.”

Tim nearly choked on a laugh at Quinn's boldness. “I think I like you when you're feisty,” he said with a nip to her ear as his cock found its way deep inside her.

“I think I like you all the time,” she replied.

Tim's hips moved slowly at first, and then more rapidly, as if to match their increased breathing. He thrust himself into her over and over again, never tiring of her body writhing beneath him. Quinn's nails dug into his back through the fabric of his shirt, and he loved it.

The two moved rhythmically together, sweat beading between them as their warm breath filled the small space. Finally, when Tim didn't think either of them could wait a moment longer, he reached between them to stroke his thumb against her clit.

“Holy shit, Tim!” she yelled.

Tim followed her over the edge, coming hard into the condom until he was sure he'd filled it. He withdrew from her slowly, pinching the condom and balling it up into a tissue that was in Quinn's console and slipping it into his pocket. When both of them had fixed their clothing, Tim chuckled, gesturing to the window that was streaked with Quinn's handprint. “Couldn't resist, huh?”

“Well, I'm not one to turn down an opportunity when one presents itself.” She smiled at him, letting him know he had something to do with that. “At least not anymore.”

•   •   •

The past week had been better than Tim had imagined. Sure, the sex was fantastic. But more than that, he and Quinn had
fun
together. He'd never experienced that with a woman before. And as he stared into Quinn's bright blue eyes across from him and thought about how gorgeous she looked in a dress of nearly the same color, he wondered how he'd resisted her for as long as he had. For the first time in his life he felt truly happy. It was a foreign feeling, one he still felt undeserving of, but he wanted to ride it out for as long as he could.

Quinn's lips tightened a bit before she spoke, as if considering something. “Why do you look so . . . pensive?”

Tim's mouth turned up into a small smile as he took a sip of his water. She knew him so well. “I was just thinking.”

“Well, yeah. That's what pensive
means
.” She laughed softly and dipped a piece of calamari into the marinara sauce. “I meant what are you thinking
about
?”

Tim shook his head, trying to get all of the stupid comments out of it before they slipped from his mouth. Quinn already had such a hold on him. Sometimes he found himself saying dumb things to her, like an inexperienced teenager. But he didn't
feel
like one. In fact, he felt the opposite. Like the past weeks had given him time that he once felt he'd lost and wouldn't ever get back, given him the “adult relationship” he'd never let himself have until now. “You,” he said simply, finally answering her question.

Quinn's playful expression seemed to transform into one that was more serious. “And just what exactly are you thinking about me?”

Though Tim hoped—and thought—that Quinn had similar feelings to his, neither one had expressed them through the words that lingered on the tip of his tongue. He'd never told any woman he loved her before. Well, any woman except his mother. And he hadn't even told
her
that in probably ten years. Though he was sure that's what he felt about Quinn, he just couldn't bring himself to say it. At least not before she did. There was too much of a chance that those words wouldn't be reciprocated. Too much of a chance that he would feel rejected. He'd had enough rejection in his life, and he wouldn't risk that again. “Just wondering why you only eat the rings and not the whole squid.”