Page 39 of Sin for You

Quinn looked my way, a secret smile on her lips that squashed the dream idea. That smile, shit, had anyone looked at me like that before? I didn’t think so. It was sexy and knowing and…beautiful.

There was also the fact I’d made a run to the pharmacy in Springhaven this morning, after reluctantly leaving the warmth of Quinn’s bed, unfolding her soft limbs wrapped around me to make the thirty-minute drive to our neighboring town rather than the one just down the street.

The last thing we needed were tongues wagging, making more of this than it was, right? Someone at the pharmacy would talk, and then everyone would want to know who I was fucking. We didn’t need that shit.

“While I’m here, until I go back to Portland, we should keep what we’re doing a secret.”

Because she wasn’t staying, she would leave eventually, and she’d made a point of reminding me last night.

“When one of us wants to end it, that’s it, it’s over. No harm, no foul, we move on and go back to the way we were…just friends.”

That’s what Quinn wanted. I mean, I did, too, of course. That would be a lot harder if the whole town knew we were sleeping together.

“Orange juice.”

I glanced at Dane who was sitting in front of me. “Yeah,” I said and poured him his drink.

He took a sip then glanced over his shoulder at Quinn. “So it’s all on, then?”

I shook my head. “You need to forget what you saw. Nothing’s going on.”

Dane shrugged. “Wasn’t going to tell anyone.”

“Nothing to tell.”

“If you say so.” Dane looked down at his phone clutched in his hand and frowned, then typed something out quickly.

“What’s up? That Everly?” Everly had lived in the same foster home as Dane for three years, and they’d gotten tight, until an aunt no one knew about came and took her away.

Dane nodded distractedly. “Yeah.”

The only time he took anything seriously was when it involved that girl.

My younger cousin didn’t talk much about what went down when he was taken away, but he’d opened up a little and told me a few things after one too many. None of it good. I got the feeling he’d spent a lot of his time there protecting Everly, taking care of her, and they still texted each other every day.

It was hard on him, though, having her live several hours away on her aunt’s ranch, not being able to see she was doing okay with his own eyes.

He’d worried about her almost constantly when he finally came home. I wondered if that had ever changed.

“She all right?”

Dane’s head came up and his eyes looked flat, something in them that made my stomach knot. “Some asshole asked her out.”

Ah hell. “That’s a problem?”

Dane shoved his fingers through his blue hair. “Nope.”

He was totally lying. “So why the anger?” Sometimes you needed to get Dane to talk shit through and he’d calm down, take a breath, and see things differently.

“She won’t give me his name. I want to look this fucker up.”

“Why would she? She’s what…nineteen, right?”

Dane scowled. “Why won’t she is more the point.” He was shaking his head, fingers curled into a fist. “I don’t like this.”

Fuck. I knew when Dane was close to spiraling and he was right there on the edge. When that happened a whole lot of self-destructive shit usually followed.

“Dane?” He didn’t hear me, too busy texting her back. “Dane,” I said with more force.