Page 61 of Sin for You

Heat washed over me, and with my head turned toward the bar again, I managed to trip up the curb.

Mason’s arm came around my shoulder, steadying me before steering me toward the diner.

“Easy there, brat.”

I elbowed him in the ribs as we walked in. “How’s the head today?”

Mason dragged a hand through his hair. “Yeah, okay. The pain’s dulled down from a jackhammer against my skull to mind-thumping agony behind the temples. Pretty good, all things considered.”

“Have you considered not getting wasted every night?” We took our seats and I waved to June behind the counter.

“I have, yeah, every morning when I wake up feeling like shit…then I remember that my wife would rather be alone than with me and won’t be my wife for much longer, and what do you know, drinking doesn’t sound that bad after all,” he muttered, voice deep and rough.

I reached over and took his hand. “I’m so sorry it didn’t work out, Mase, but you can’t keep doing this to yourself. You have to promise me when you get home you’ll stop this.”

He gave me a self-deprecating smile. “I’ve got it out of my system. You don’t need to worry.”

I didn’t believe him, not one bit. “Can you take some more time off work? Stay here a little longer.” Yes, I wanted to see Bull, but I also hated the idea of Mason alone in his apartment, drinking himself numb every night.

He tapped his finger on the table. “I need to get back, keep busy, you know?” He sat back in his seat. “Enough about me. I’m more interested in this guy you’re seeing. A guy you open doors for in your underwear.”

His steady gaze made me shift in my seat. I forced a chuckle even as my belly squirmed. “It’s just casual, nothing serious. I’m definitely not ready for serious…or permanent.” And that was the truth. The idea of getting into something more lasting, made me break out in a rash. Being with Bull was easy, fun—God, exciting.

I didn’t think Mase would be thrilled to know my hookup guy was his best friend, or maybe he’d be fine but he’d read too much into it. Either way was a good enough reason to keep it to myself and why he’d never find out. He didn’t need to.

Things would fizzle out between Bull and me soon enough—I thought about kneeling in front of him, making that huge body of his quake with my mouth and tongue, of him lying back on his couch and pulling me up his body, and heat washed through me again. I shoved those thoughts right back out. Of course it would fizzle out. Desire, lust, always did.

Then someone got hurt.

But I didn’t have to worry about that with Bull.

No one would be the wiser. Bull and I would go back to the way we were: friends. Simple.

Mason kept that probing cop stare of his aimed at me. “I don’t want to see you get hurt again, brat.”

“I’m not going to get hurt.” I’d make sure of it. You couldn’t get hurt when you’d sworn off love and romantic relationships, right?

“Are you happy back here?” he asked. “You don’t get lonely?”

“This feels like home, you know? It was what I needed.”

“When are you moving back to Portland?” he asked.

“I’m not sure…soon.” My belly clenched just thinking about leaving. Of going back to my old life, alone. I shook off those thoughts quickly. This was never meant to be permanent.

“You don’t want to?” he said, gaze steady.

I fidgeted with my napkin. “I’m just nervous, I guess, of going back when there’s so many memories, bad ones, you know?”

Mase looked out the window. “Do you ever think about staying here for good?”

I had, a lot, but that had never been the plan. I had an apartment, a job waiting for me when I was ready. “Are you thinking of moving back?”

He shrugged. “No…I don’t think so. I didn’t see any ‘help wanted’ signs outside the sheriff’s office,” he said with a grin. “I’m kinda stuck where I am for now, anyway, but who knows?”

That, I was not expecting. “You’d move back? Really?”

He tapped the table again. “Maybe.” His gaze lifted from his coffee to me. “There’s nothing really keeping me in Portland, not anymore.”