I STOOD IN THE small bedroom doorway, holding a pizza box as I watched Quinn's steady breathing and listened to the gentle pattering of rain that continued to fall.

It was definitely calm enough outside to head home, but I hadn't wanted to wake Quinn. Or burst the bubble that seemed to surround us on this boat.

So instead, I'd untangled myself from Quinn's sleeping body, ordered us a pizza for dinner, and then walked a few steps outside to grab it from the delivery guy.

I'd crossed a big fucking line when I'd carried her into this bedroom earlier, but I hadn't been thinking about anything other than how badly I needed her. And I was still struggling to think about anything else. For Christ's sake, she was lying before me naked, covered only in a flimsy bedsheet. How was I supposed to think of anything else?

She was incredible. Every inch of her was incredible, and I wish I'd had enough restraint to fully explore every inch of her before losing it. Because I didn't have much hope that I'd get to touch her again the way I wanted to. She might have been enthusiastic about it earlier, but I was sure she'd come to her senses.

The bottom line was that Quinn was here on a job, a job she really liked and was really good at. And once she thought through what I'd said earlier, she'd realize that being with me would jeopardize that job.

"What are you doing, Fletcher?"

Quinn's murmured voice broke through my thoughts. Something twisted in my stomach at the sound of her sleep-coated words.

I let my gaze rake over her. That pretty brown hair draped over the stark white pillowcases, and an equally pretty blush spread across her cheeks when she realized what I was doing.

"Just memorizing the image. Of you...like this."

"I'd be happy to recreate it for you whenever you want," Quinn said, rubbing her eyes adorably.

I knew she meant well, but her statement was impossible.

For me, whenever I wanted was all the time. Next week, next month, next year.

I cleared my throat and pushed off from the door frame. "That's a pretty bold promise for someone who lives hundreds of miles away."

She rolled her eyes at me as I sat on the edge of the bed. "You know what I mean."

"No," I said, shaking my head. "I'm not sure I do."

Quinn tugged the bedsheet up to her chin in an almost contradiction to what she'd just promised–like she was hiding from me. Although, in reality she was covering very little of anything, considering how thin that sheet was. The outline of her curves was very much visible, and my cock twitched in my shorts, remembering how fucking good it felt to be squeezed between her tits.

As I said, lines were crossed.

"I mean...for however long I'm here, I can recreate it for you," Quinn clarified.

I gave a slow nod.

For however long she was here.

Because she was going to write an article about me, and then when she got what she needed, she would leave. Of course. I couldn't logically expect anything different, and yet, my stomach sank a little bit lower.

I sighed, realizing we really did need to talk this through more than we already did.

"I know what you want from me, Castle. And fuck, I want to give it to you. You have absolutely no idea. But what happens if someone finds out that you were sleeping with me while writing this article?"

I knew what women in the sports industry went through, and I'd be damned if anyone said anything about Quinn. Anything at all that undermined her ability as a sports reporter.

Quinn cocked her head to the side. "Who's going to find out?"

I pressed my lips together while I considered her words. Words that inexplicably made something inside me twist.

"Anyone who sees us on Evergreen Isle," I grunted. "Because I wasn't kidding earlier. If I'm fucking you and someone so much as looks at you a little too long, which I'm sure someone is bound to do considering you're you, I'm not going to be shy about letting them know you're off-fucking-limits."

Her eyes did that cute little roll they always did, even as her cheeks brightened with even more color. "I think you're being overdramatic, Fletcher."

I stared at her until her eyes landed back on mine. "I think I care about you, Castle."

Her expression softened. "I care about you, too, you know."

Something about the way she said those words made me believe them. Quinn had such a good, pure heart. But I worried it was too good. Too pure. Too naive. And I didn't want this–whatever this was–to ruin her. I didn't want her to return to New York and have the Warriors and the rest of the world turn their back on her.

I cleared my throat again. "We shouldn't have done what we did today, and I'm sorry."

Her brows furrowed as she sat up in bed, tugging the sheet up with her to cover herself. "August....do you really wish we hadn't done it?"

I tipped my head back because looking at her right now was really hard. Especially when she looked like she did right now.

"No," I admitted hoarsely, staring at the wooden ceiling of the cabin. "I don't think I can regret kissing you, Quinn. I can't regret tasting you, feeling you. But shit, it wasn't a good idea."

"Stop." Her firm tone made me lower my gaze again, just in time to see Quinn release the sheet from her grasp. It fell to reveal her naked top, making me groan internally. Especially considering how her nipples peaked, waiting to be pinched and licked and touched. Fuck me.

And then, to make matters worse, Quinn leaned forward, crawling across the bed toward me. God help me. What a fucking sight. I stared, transfixed, as she slid the pizza out of the way and slipped onto my lap.

Holy hell. This was a million times worse than earlier when she was sitting on my lap in the captain's chair. Because now she was naked. And I knew what she felt like. Knew what she tasted like. And I wanted so badly to touch her.

"August," she said, her voice like velvet as she slithered her hands up my chest and wrapped her arms around my neck. Her touch burned through my shirt. "I heard you earlier. I heard what you were saying and what you need this to be. And then you said you'd give me tonight to think about it, so don't push me away just yet."

I couldn't help but settle my hands on her waist, moaning her name as I tugged her closer to me. What the fuck was she doing to me?

"I don't have the strength to push you away. Not really. But–"

"No buts." Quinn put a finger to my lips, effectively silencing me. "You wanted me to think about it tonight, so let me think about it. Even though I already know what I'm going to tell you in the morning."

I couldn't help but ask. "What?"

She leaned in, breathing the words over my lips. "That for as long as I'm here, I'm yours."

"Mine," I murmured, closing my eyes and letting the word soak in.

It might just be temporary, and she might just be saying it, but damn, did it sound good.

I'd fucking love to make Quinn Castle mine. I'd be incredibly thorough about it, too. I'd take my time making her mine, and I'd enjoy every single second of it. My hands nearly shook with the need to move, to do it now.

"Mhm." Quinn leaned forward, bracing her bare chest against mine, and I lost the fight, letting my hands roam up her sides, tracing her curves. "August's Castle."

Holy hell.

"I hope you know it's going to be impossible for me not to name this boat after you now," I rasped, opening my eyes again to see her smiling softly at me.

She raised a brow playfully. "Are you trying to tell me you haven't gone down on other girls in this boat, Fletcher?"

"You're the only one, Castle. I told you I don't sleep around."

Quinn shook her head as she bit down on a grin and looked me up and down. "Are you even real?"

I chuckled. "You tell me, baby. How real did my cock feel between your tits?"

Tits that were teasing the hell out of me right now. I could feel her pebbled nipples rubbing against me through the flimsy fabric of my shirt.

Her breathing picked up as she melted into my body. "You can't call me baby and tell me we shouldn't be doing this in the same conversation," she argued.

"You're right," I groaned. "I know you're right. But you just said that you're mine. And you have to understand what that does to me."

She rocked against me, clearly trying to feel what it did to me, and I was sure there was absolutely no doubt. I was once again hard as a fucking rock. No surprise there.

"Am I making it hard for you?" she teased.

"You always do."

She had no idea how far that statement stretched and how wild it was to me that we were now in this position.

Quinn grinned, but then her smile faded as her eyes met mine.

"I don't want to make your life harder, August. I showed up here and burst into your home and your life, and I...I promise I don't want to make your life harder."

"I know," I acknowledged, leaning back to brush a hair out of her face. "And you don't." It was only a half-truth. She both made my life feel like a dream and also made me feel like I was going to lose my goddamn mind. But still, I couldn't help my lips from twitching. "You don't make my life harder, Castle. Just my cock."

Her sparkling laugh washed over me, making me feel like a million bucks.

"Well..." she started, poking me in the chest and dragging her finger down. "I can either do something to help you with that, or I can give you some space."

"I can't believe I'm fucking saying this," I said with a sigh, "but I think right now I need you to go get back in that bed."

"Oh?" Her brows rose.

"So I can feed you some pizza, Castle."

Her face fell again, but it didn't keep hopeful words from leaving her mouth. "And then you can feed me your cock for dessert?"

"Christ." I dragged a hand over my face. "Do you ever let up?"

She shrugged. "You'll find out tomorrow, I guess."

"Tomorrow," I promised before tossing her back onto the bed and wrenching my attention away to look out the window instead. I didn't need to torture myself anymore by watching her crawl back under the covers while naked.  

"Are we sleeping here tonight?" she asked, and I dared to peek back to find her all situated again. This time, she pulled the blanket over her, too, giving me the tiniest bit of relief.

"We can if you want," I said. "But I'll probably sleep on the couch out there if we do."

She frowned, disappointment written all over her face.

"Tomorrow," I repeated. "Not tonight. Tonight you're off-limits, and I can't fucking be that close to you."

Quinn nodded, accepting my statement and terms.

"Then let's eat and go back to the house."

I flicked the top of the pizza box off as I took a deep breath, wishing I was hungry for pizza and not the gorgeous reporter in the bed beside me.

It was going to be a long night.

☀️

a/n:

do you think they'll both give in in the morning? 👀

thanks for reading!!
xoxo amelie