Hope on the Rocks (Rainbow Cove)

Halfway through the job, I’d texted Quinn to go ahead and have some brownie without me. And before I left the rental place’s driveway, I sent another message.

Still awake? I’m heading back to my place to shower for reasons we won’t discuss, but if you’re up for it, I’ll call you right after.

He replied before I could get the truck in gear. Nice. He must have been waiting for my text. I’m up. Going to tell me a bedtime story?

Hell yes.

His texts were flirtier than he’d managed in person and sober, and I had a feeling I might be able to get him to relax more on the phone than in his condo. Anticipation had me rushing through the shower so I could stretch out on my bed in a towel. I hit Call, and Quinn picked up on the second ring, sounding too awake for someone who had to be up first thing in the morning.

“Hey. You need help getting sleepy?”

“Yes.” He gave a little self-conscious laugh. “The brownie was amazing, but I should have known better than to eat chocolate so late at night. Even a small amount of caffeine can mess with my sleep.”

“You’re like the princess and the pea. Or maybe Goldilocks.” I’d clearly been reading too many of Teddy’s books, but Quinn laughed along with my jokes. “You gotta have everything just right to sleep.”

“I don’t know about being Goldilocks, but you sure make a good Daddy bear.” His voice went soft like he was trying out the Daddy, seeing how it felt.

“Think so?”

“Mm-hmm.” He purred like he was stretching, and I wished I was there to see. “Even when you make me talk about difficult things. Maybe especially then. I still can’t believe I said yes to your idea. I’ve never…”

“Never?” That, I didn’t believe. I found myself wanting to know all his naughty secrets—what were his fantasies, what were the new experiences he craved? “Not once?”

“Well, when I was in college, I had a few one-night stands with older guys that had some Daddy dynamics. My grades started to dip, and pre-med is brutal, so I stopped going out as much.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Well, it probably kept me out of trouble. Kept my GPA up, at least. Later, I had this boyfriend, and we used to switch, take turns exploring fantasies. We did a little fooling around with spanking and bondage, but then his grades were the ones faltering, and he ended it.” Quinn’s tone was wistful, but I didn’t press, choosing instead to make a sympathetic noise and wait for him to continue. “Then I put my sex life in deep freeze to make it through med school, and by the time I was ready to thaw out, I was too old—”

I cut him off with a clucking sound. “What did I say about that ‘too old’ nonsense?”

“Sorry.”

His contriteness made my pulse thrum, that eagerness to please mellowing me out more than a shot of whiskey. “Good boy.”

He took a sharp, quick breath that had my cock pushing against my towel.

“But I did feel too old to go back to the bar scene and one-night stands. Seemed more sensible to find a stable situation, even if the sex was bland.”

“Fuck sensible. And fuck bland sex.” I liked his answering laugh, but I was serious. “Stable isn’t a bad goal, but not if it means locking up the best parts of you.”

“You’re really smart.” Quinn made another stretching noise that made me want to kiss his belly. “You should charge for all the advice you hand out because it’s usually spot-on.”

“Yup, that’s me, the bartending philosopher. I’ll tell Mason I’m gonna start putting counseling fees on the drinks menu.” I chuckled and yawned at the same time.

“Oh, you’re tired. Now I’m the one keeping you awake.”

“In a good way.” My laugh took on a husky edge. “Figuring you out is way more fun than sleep. But feel free to tell me how you’d like me to wear you out.”

“Shouldn’t I be the one doing things for you?” There was a rustling noise as if he were getting more comfortable in bed. Good.

“Nope. I’m way more interested in what turns your crank. I already know what does it for me, and trust me that getting you off epically is top of the list.”

“Epically, huh?”

“That’s a promise.” I ran a hand down my still-damp torso. “However, the chances of success go way up if you tell me your favorite way to get off.”

“Hmmm.”

“It’s not a test, Quinn. There isn’t a wrong answer here.” I already knew how his overly academic brain worked and could hear him searching for the answer that would make me the happiest.

“I like giving oral. Like really like it, maybe too much. I’ve been accused of having an oral fixation before.”

“No such thing as too much.” Tweaking one of my nipples, I let the towel fall open. “And you’re sidestepping the question.”