Page 56 of Sin for You

Chapter Fourteen

Quinn

It was cold, like really cold. My nose was red for sure. But I didn’t care. It was stunning out here on the lake, the sun shining, the sound of water lapping softly against the side of Bull’s boat. From out here, Rocktown and the complete opposite side, Springhaven, looked so small, insignificant. Smoke puffing up from chimneys was the only sign of life.

Snow-covered mountains and white-topped misty pines surrounded us, and the air was fresh and crisp and clean. Unlike the city. God, I was glad to be home.

It’s only temporary. You can’t hide from your life forever.

The thought of going back suddenly made me kind of nauseous, so I shoved those thoughts right out of my head.

Today was a good day, a really good day, and that’s what I was going to focus on. Not that picture of Bevan and Tonya, and not the way I’d freaked out on Bull last night. Instead, I was going to think about the way my body ached in a delicious way, reminding me of what Bull and I did last night. And how I felt more rested than I had in so long. When Bull was with me in my bed, or on my couch, or on the phone all night keeping me company, I slept like a log.

I glanced over at him. He was baiting his hook, frowning as he did it. I grinned. “Another new one,” I said.

He glanced up. “What’s that?”

“I’ve now witnessed the baiting-hook frown.”

He grinned, all white teeth and sparkling brown eyes, and my heart started banging around in my chest. He had the best smile. When Bull smiled, he did so with his whole face, including those gorgeous eyes.

“How’s it different from the others?” he asked.

“Well, the baiting-hook frown comes with a tongue poking out the side of your mouth.”

He snorted. “You make me sound like a Saint Bernard.”

I shook my head. “It’s cute.”

“Cute?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“Fuck, Quinn, I have a rep to maintain. I’m the badass ex-con in this town. Don’t go spreading that shit around, yeah?”

Now it was my turn to grin. “They don’t know you like I do.” My face heated a little when I realized how that sounded. “I mean, I’ve known you a long time…” I glanced up and bit my lip at the way he was looking at me. “You’re frowning again.”

“Yeah? Which one?”

“The I-want-to-kiss-you frown,” I said.

He smirked and held out my rod. I stood and reached for it, and when I did, Bull fisted the front of my jacket and tugged me up against him. He looked down at me. “You said if we were alone and I was feeling it…”

I nodded, because that was all I could manage right then. He wasn’t the only one feeling it.

Our cool lips came together, and he kissed me until they warmed up, until my mouth tingled. Then he set me back and proceeded to give me a refresher course while I struggled to concentrate.

Thirty minutes later, I was getting the hang of things. No, I hadn’t caught a fish yet, but I’d had several nibbles.

Bull, on the other hand, had caught two rainbow trout, and I got the feeling he wasn’t trying that hard, more than likely to save my feelings. I was pretty sure he hadn’t even baited his hook the last time. Of course, that was just another way Bull was trying to protect me. Like he thought my feelings would be irreparably damaged if I didn’t catch a fish.

God, the man was sweet—and sexy. So freaking sexy.

I felt a tug on my line, then another. “Oh! I think I’ve got one.”

Bull put his rod down and came over to me, glancing over the side of the boat. “Looks like another rainbow. Reel him in, sweets.”

Good God, I loved it when he called me that. I started to reel my fish in. “I can’t believe I’ve got one. It’s a big one, I’m sure of it.” I kept reeling and Bull grabbed the net. “This guy is heavy. It’s gonna be a monster.”