Page 4 of Sin for You

“She’s busy,” a deep voice rumbled from behind me.

I spun around and Bull was standing there, scowling.

I frowned. “No…hang on—”

“Need you to help with cleanup. Nancy called in sick.”

Nancy cleaned the bar in the mornings, the floors and bathrooms mainly. If she was sick, we’d all have to pitch in and do it tonight.

“Oh.” I turned back to Ezra.

“What about tomorrow night?” he said.

“She’s busy then, too,” Bull cut in.

I spun back to him. “What?”

“Nancy,” he muttered by way of an explanation.

She must be really sick if she’s off all weekend. Crap. I turned back to Ezra again, actually disappointed. I kind of liked the idea of having a drink with him. Yes, my last relationship had cut me in ways I was still recovering from months later, that I didn’t think I’d ever recover from, but then I wasn’t looking for another relationship.

A girl went off the concept when she’d been cheated on four times by four different guys. It had to be some kind of record.

The last time was by a man I thought I was going to marry. The tan line from wearing his engagement ring was still visible on my finger. I was a failure at love, and I’d accepted that. I didn’t want it, not anymore. It hurt too much.

Ezra had been coming here regularly since I came back. Which meant he wasn’t some complete stranger. And it wasn’t like Bull was ever going to make a move. I wasn’t sure he even saw me as a woman. I might not want a relationship, but I wasn’t planning on living like a nun either. I liked human contact, craved it. I liked to touch and be touched. I loved sex—even if I obviously sucked at it. I’d been cheated on four times; that was proof enough in my book. But why not have some fun with Ezra? No one expected fireworks with a one-night stand, right? Honestly, I had no idea. I’d never had one. But I was willing to give it a shot. “I’m sorry…maybe we could—”

“Still got customers,” Bull said to me, interrupting again.

“Right.” I frowned at him. Man, he was grouchy tonight. I turned back to Ezra.

“Another time?” he said before I could say anything.

“I’d like that—”

“Tables to clear, Quinn,” Bull ground out.

Oh my God. What was his problem?

Somehow I managed to scream that in my head and not directly at him, which was a good thing going by the surly expression on his face. I offered Ezra an apologetic smile and got back to work.

If I hadn’t known Bull so well, I’d have thought he was jealous. I snorted. But that was an impossibility. Bull saw me as a responsibility, one he took extremely seriously. And unfortunately, he knew how my last relationship had ended. Had seen the shell I was when I came home.

He thought he was protecting me, like all good big brothers should. Nothing more.

I sighed. It sucked, but I’d never fooled myself where Bull was concerned.

Finally, the bar cleared out, and the other waitresses and I finished collecting the empties.

When we were done, I grabbed my stuff, but Bull wasn’t in his office when I went to say good night. I assumed he was down in the cellar or busy with something else, so I headed out, wincing when my boots sunk into snow, a lot more than I’d anticipated.

In fact, it was still snowing. Shit.

Then I noticed some of the small parking lot back here had been shoveled clear.

I looked over at Old Blue, expecting it to be covered in snow.

It wasn’t.