Snowed In by Teodora Kostova Page B

Nate in his arms like this, completely relaxed and peaceful, was a far cry from the usually high-strung, snarky – and more recently angry – Nate. Quinn loved him in any shape or form, but this Nate, he’d decided, was his favorite.
    “Don’t fall asleep on me,” Quinn whispered in Nate’s ear, wrapping his arms around his waist. “You’re too slippery for me to carry you to bed.”
    Nate huffed out a laugh. “I’m not falling asleep.”
    “You’re never this still or this quiet unless you’re falling asleep.”
    “That’s because I’ve been thinking,” Nate said, turning effortlessly in Quinn's slick embrace and raising his wet, clustered eyelashes to look at him.
    “Uh-oh,” Quinn said, earning himself a playful slap on his ass.
    “I had a lot of time to think today, when you locked yourself in your room,” he began, the playfulness in his eyes from a moment ago completely gone. “I hate that we lost all that time. I hate that you had to go through all this alone. I hate that I resented you for so long, making my soul shrivel and slowly die.” Nate took a shuddering breath, looking away for a second as if searching for the right words. The water beat on his back and ran in graceful trails down his chest, his stomach, his arms. Quinn drew him closer, sharing the water between them. “But, in a twisted, fucked up way, and despite losing you for so long, I think what you did for Kai makes me love you even more.”
    Nate’s eyes shone with unshed tears as he looked at Quinn, the naked, raw vulnerability in them making Quinn's heart constrict painfully. He didn’t know what to say, any words he might have come up with would have gotten lodged in his throat anyway.
    “No more leaving, Quinn,” Nate continued, the emotion in his eyes hardening to new-found determination. “No more protecting me from the big, bad world. No more making choices for me. No more secrets.” He stared at Quinn, searching his eyes for confirmation, his hand stroking the Aiden tattoo on his ribs absentmindedly. Quinn knew that right now, right this moment, was when he’d win Nate back or lose him forever. “From now on it’s you and I against the world. Together.”
    “Yes,” Quinn managed to say past the lump in his throat. “Together,” he whispered before claiming Nate’s mouth in a fierce kiss that sealed his promise.

Chapter twelve
     
    WHEN QUINN woke up the next morning, Nate was curled beside him, his arm thrown across Quinn's chest. It was a sight Quinn had imagined many times, but his imagination had nothing on the real thing. Nate’s hair was dishevelled, even more so than usual as he’d gone to bed without drying it first. His mouth was red and swollen, slightly open as he slept. In the light of day, Quinn noticed the beard burn on his jaw and the red marks on his neck and chest where Quinn had bit and sucked on his skin.
    The rational part of Quinn's brain felt a stab of guilt for hurting Nate, even if he’d loved every second of it. But the bigger, primal part, loved seeing his mark on Nate.
    “Mornin’,” Nate said without opening his eyes. His red lips spread into a lazy smile. “I can hear you thinking, Quinn. Whatever it is I’m sure it’s not important, so stop it and let’s go back to sleep.” He snuggled closer, throwing his leg over Quinn's thighs.
    “Not important, eh?” Quinn said, his hands sneaking around Nate. “Well then, if it’s not important I guess I can do this.”
    With his hands around Nate’s ribs Quinn started tickling him, making Nate squirm and shriek, his laughter bouncing off the walls. Quinn rolled completely on top of him, caging him with his bigger body as he continued his assault. Nate could barely breathe when he started to beg Quinn to stop, tears trickling down the side of his face.
    Quinn took pity on him, stilling his hands and leaning down to kiss him instead. Nate panted into his mouth, unconsciously spreading his legs wider, his fingers digging into