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"You ready for this?" he asked standing in front of a rusted out, faded red door.

"I'm not sure what "this" is, but show me what you got," I smiled.

He flashed me a grin and pushed open the heavy metal door. I stepped past him and out into the humid summer air and stopped short when I saw what was waiting for us. The rooftop had been transformed into a magnificent garden. It was beautiful. Someone had taken a lot of time to turn this ordinary rooftop into something that felt magical. I walked slowly out into the open space after glancing back at Keaton as if to ask permission. The space felt too perfect to disturb. He just smiled wide, appreciating my reaction.

There were large wooden planters that had been built up to varying heights each containing brightly colored flowers and shrubbery. They covered nearly the entire space. In one corner I noticed that there was an actual herb and vegetable garden with tomatoes and strawberries. I walked among them all taking in the mix of floral scents.

"This place is amazing. Is this yours?" I asked as Keaton joined me.

"Technically it belongs to Anne, one of the ladies downstairs. She's older now, but when she was young she always had a thing for flowers. She lived out in the suburbs until her husband died. She was only in her early sixties then so she moved to the city and bought her apartment to be closer to her daughters. She had it put into the contract that she could have access to the roof and plant a garden. So she did. She used to come up here all of the time and tend to it. But now she hires someone to keep everything going. She gave me a key to the door," he smiled.

"She gave you a key?" I asked suspiciously. Keaton was always charming his way into things.

"When she got to where she couldn't make it up here on her own I offered to help her. I bring her up here so she can enjoy it. She's an amazing lady. We'll sit here and talk for hours. She's led a very interesting life," he said.

I smiled at the visual it conjured in my mind. It made my heart full to hear it. I imagined that it meant a great deal to Anne. And from the way that he spoke about it, I knew it meant a great deal to him as well.

"So who else has a key?" I asked curiously as I leaned in to smell a dahlia that bloomed in a wave of colors.

"Just me and Anne I guess. I've never seen anyone else up here," he shrugged. I followed him over to a clearing towards the edge of the roof. There was an arbor with walls that were weaved with ivy and little white flowers that dotted the greenery. They snaked their way up, creating a curtain. The top had been left free of greenery. It would have been perfect for stargazing if you could actually see stars in this city. Still, it was peaceful, just being able to stare up into the darkness surrounded by all of this color. Beneath the arbor was a double chaise lounge. One of those where you could lift either side up to recline. I smiled as I imagined the two of them up here talking. What I wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall during those conversations.

"Come sit with me," he said as he made his way over to the clearing and sat back on the chaise. He offered his hand out to me and I took it. I curled up against him and we both stared up into the night sky.

"It's a little piece of magic up here," I sighed.

Keaton ran his fingers through my hair, twirling it around his fingers and combing through it nonchalantly. It soothed me. This whole moment felt pretty close to perfect. Things with Keaton always felt that way. The voice that kept telling me to be careful was easier and easier to shut out.

Well, it had been until we ran into leggy Miss New York with her blond hair and shorts that looked more like bikini bottoms. The memory made me shift uncomfortably.

"What is it?" he asked, completely in tuned to my movement. He was so observant that I couldn't get away with anything.

"Nothing, you'll think I'm being a snotty, jealous girl," I said.

He laughed, "Are you being a snotty, jealous girl?"

"A little," I admitted laughing.

"Please, I need to hear this now," he said.

I sighed, "Miss America-I-don't-wear-real-clothes-when-I-parade-down-the-street," I said. Keaton laughed and I felt it vibrate through his chest. That reaction alone put me at ease.

"Pretty sure she was just a runner-up in Miss Rhode Island. It’s a tiny state, they had to pick someone," he said, still laughing.

"Whatever," I huffed.

He was still laughing beneath me, "You're kind of adorable when you are jealous."

I looked up at him and scowled. "Is she an ex girlfriend?" I asked, glad my voice sounded matter-of-fact and not shaky and weak.

"I didn't really do girlfriends before you, Quinn," he said, his laughter gone.

"Still," I said resigned to the fact that he had slept with her. I wasn't about to ask that question. I knew Keaton's past. I'd known about it from day one and I had accepted it, but seeing it in front of me like that poked at my insecurities. I couldn't help it, I was human.

Keaton rolled me over until I was lying beneath him and staring up into the deep blue of his eyes.

"No one compares to this. Nothing has ever come close."

The sound of his voice was pure seduction as it caressed my body and left it humming beneath him.

I reached up and traced his cheek with my fingers; the stubble beneath my touch was sexy. It hinted at danger while his eyes promised safety. The contradiction of him continued to surprise me, continued to take me under. I gladly surrendered to him.

"Do you even know how beautiful you are? How insanely sexy you are? I am drunk on you, Quinn. Completely addicted to everything about you."

I didn't have words, so I pulled him to me and kissed him. He let the weight of his body join my own, his hands cradling my face as he kissed me deeply. It sent need directly to my core. My hands began to explore his body, sliding beneath his shirt so I could feel the warm, hard skin underneath.

He let out a soft moan as he ground his hips against mine. I let my hands drift higher taking his shirt with me. He broke the kiss and helped me get rid of the fabric. I smiled at the sight of him. Hard, tanned and cut with precision. He watched me watch him, his eyes hooded and filled with the promise. My teeth sunk into my lip as I fought the whimper that wanted to escape. His gaze held mine as he returned the favor with my shirt, lifting it away from my body. The breeze in the air drifted across my bare skin, warm and sticky.

"I'm going to take you. Right here." His intensity pulled at the growing need in me. The wind rustled through the plants that surrounded us.

His fingers found the button of my shorts and slowly released its hold and I held my breath as he slowly tugged them down my thighs. I surrendered to him, anxious for everything he had to offer. Out here on this rooftop, with the distant sounds of traffic and the peacefulness of this unexpected paradise we shut everything out. Everything but the two of us. And when the sky opened up and the rain began to slide across our skin, joining in on the movement between us, my world felt as close to perfect as I could imagine.

I CAME OUT
of the bedroom, still rubbing the towel against my hair. The apartment was dark. I was learning that Quinn never turned on the lights. I saw the glow from the refrigerator and moved towards her. She was wearing a white t-shirt and nothing else. Her legs teased me in the soft shaft of light that bathed her as she searched the contents for something. She bent over, moving things among the shelves and even though it hadn't been long since we'd come down from the rooftop, and even less time since we had warmed ourselves in the shower until the water ran cold, I still felt the stirrings of anticipation. The thought of those legs wrapped around me always left me wanting more.

I walked up behind her quietly and leaned back against the counter and waited. She finally emerged with a bottle of water and stood up. Catching sight of me she jumped and let out a tiny squeak before laughing.

"You scared me," she smiled. Fuck, her smile. It lit her up from inside. I set my towel down on the counter and took a step towards her. Taking the bottle from her hands I unscrewed the top and took a long drink, my gaze locked on hers. I swallowed hard then slid my tongue across my lips. I watched her shift from foot to foot as she gripped the open door to the fridge. I held the bottle out to her and she took it from me, taking several long drinks. My eyes drifted down her body, noticing the goose bumps that covered her legs. I wondered how many of them belonged to the cold draft from the fridge and how many of them belonged to me.

When she finished her drink I took it from her and put it on the counter. Neither of us spoke. The quiet and darkness of the room didn't allow for it. I pulled her to me, one hand gripping her waist, the other taking her hand and holding it to my chest.

"What are you doing?" she whispered. I smiled at her, brushing a kiss across her forehead.

"Shh, dance with me," I offered. She gave me a curious look before giving into my whim and moving to the imaginary music. I loved this feeling. The stillness, the quiet--and her pressed against me, so close that she became me. She laid her head against my chest and I felt her contented sigh against me. It felt natural, being like this with her. It was unexpected. Together, we were unexpectedly perfect.

THREE DAYS WERE
gone too fast. Especially when we barely left the house or the bedroom. I felt like I needed three more days, then three more after that.

Quinn was waiting until the last moment to go through the security point. I was glad; I wasn't ready to let her go. Not at all. I pulled her to me and kissed her, slow and soft. I didn't care that we were in the middle of the airport. I didn't care about the crowds of people pushing through each other all around us. I was going to miss the taste of her and I was taking in as much of her as I could before she was gone.

"Don't go. I don't want you to go," I said against her lips. My words made her smile. I ran my tongue across her bottom lip before covering her mouth again. She made me feel like a teenager, I didn't want to keep my hands to myself. She let out a soft moan on an exhale and my dick stiffened at the sound. Damn this airport and these people, I wanted her. I always wanted her.

"Let's go," I said my voice gruff and thick. She looked at me surprised, but I simply took her hand and pulled her down the busy corridor.

"Where are we going?" she asked, walking double time to keep up with me.

I didn't answer her until we’d reached my destination. I stopped and smiled down at her when she bumped into me.

"What?" she asked, still confused, still adorably sexy.

"Inside," I said.

Her eyes squinted, "Inside what?"

"Inside where. Family bathroom. Let's go."

Her eyes widened. "You’re serious?" she asked.

I opened the door to the small bathroom meant to give families and nursing mothers some privacy. It might be a dick move to push my girlfriend inside, but ask me how many fucks I gave.

I gave her a push and then followed her inside, locking the door behind us. She stood against the wall and gave me a shy, but amused smile. "Now what?" she asked. I took a step towards her, closing the space that separated us. I braced a hand on either side of her head, against the cold cement bricks of the wall.

"Now I do what I needed to do out there," I said. I leaned into her further and kissed her. I started slow then moved so my body was pressed against hers, her back against the wall with no space to escape.

Her hands wrapped around my neck, her fingers tugging at my hair. The sensation sent a jolt straight to my dick, which was already throbbing against my jeans.

"Don't go. Stay here with me," I tried again.

"Okay," she said against my lips, encouraging me to go deeper, I had a feeling she'd agree to anything right now.

"I need to touch you," I said as I ran my tongue across her throat. She sighed and I felt the shiver that ran through her body at the promise of my words. I loved the way she responded to me. It was sexy as hell. It made me want to find every single thing that would bring her to her knees. I wanted to learn every part of her body and know exactly what would make her crumble beneath me. I wanted to hear my name on her lips; I wanted to erase her thoughts, replacing them only with me and the things that I could do to her. I wanted to own her, devour her, make her beg me for more only to then beg me for mercy.