“I wish I could’ve gotten the license plate.”
“Kind of hard to think of that when you’re running for your life,” he said gruffly.“You should probably have that bath.I can warm up the ramen while you soak.”
She flicked her gaze to the window.“I’ll call the sheriff first.I don’t want one of the officers to come while I’m in there.”
She knew Quin wouldn’t hide inside and avoid the police.Had she not needed his assistance, he wouldn’t have lasted the day without getting arrested.
Her phone buzzed on the table.She leaned forward.Privatecaller.A teeter-totter of unease tossed inside her.“This might be the police now.”Or someone else...She swiped to answer and pressed the device to her ear.“Hello?”
“Josie?”She recognized the sheriff’s old, rumbly voice.“It’s Hank.”
The muscles in her back released.She was going to need one of McKenna’s acupuncture treatments when all this was over.“Yes, it’s me.”
“I’m sorry to hear about what happened on Palliser Road.Sure makes you wonder what the hell people are thinking.The storm’s getting really bad.I thought you’d be okay with giving your statement over the phone instead of having me drive out to your place.”
“Of course.That works better for me.”
“Great.Start at the beginning,” he said.
She filled Hank in on everything she could remember and could hear him tapping on a keyboard.
“And you didn’t recognize the driver at all?”
“No.It happened so fast.”
“I understand.Sometimes things come back to you that you’ve forgotten, so if you think of anything else, don’t hesitate to call me.In the meantime, I’ll see if I can find out who owns that make and model.”
“Thank you, Hank.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He disconnected and she laid her phone on the table.“I’m glad that’s over with.”
Quin’s warm hands covered her shoulders.He gently squeezed, kneading the muscles there.Her insides turned to liquid and she let her head drop forward as he rubbed her neck.This was her kryptonite.If she had a love language it was definitely touch.
Only she shouldn’t be thinking about love languages or relationships when it came to Quin.The pads of his thumbs worked the flesh on her neck and her toes curled.
“Go have a bath.”Quin’s deep, soothing voice made her want to roll into a ball and just listen to him talk.
She snapped her eyes open and shifted in her seat.“I’m fine.I think I’ll change and then eat and have a bath later.”
He moved his hands from her skin, probably at the tension in her tone.“Suit yourself.”
She went to her bedroom and changed into warm sweats and a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt.The clock on her nightstand read 1:58 p.m.Rain pattered on the window, warning her that it wouldn’t let up soon and the odds that Quin was going to stay another night were looking more and more likely.
Not that this was a bad thing.
There was something comforting about having him here.Well, having someone here period was nice.The melancholy that clung to her was less piercing when she wasn’t alone.Plus, after what had happened this morning, she was grateful for his company.
Her attraction to him, on the other hand, needed some reining in.Nothing she couldn’t handle.All she had to do was think about Liam and how hurt he’d be that she’d moved on so quickly—that she could even think about another guy while still in mourning.
Except Liam was the most understanding man in the world, and he wouldn’t want her to hurt.Or to be alone.But that didn’t matter.What mattered was the guilt, and that getting caught up with a guy right now, their friend no less, would make her a hussy.
She’d just have to keep her distance.At least Quin could pick up on subtle hints.But damn his hands had a way of calming her stress.His embrace absorbed her pain like a sponge—it didn’t make it go away but easier to bear.
She tugged her hair out of the ratted ponytail and returned to the kitchen.Quin stood at her stove, and the scent of vegetable broth and ginger reached her nose, making her salivate.He’d laid out the sushi on the table with two plates and the wasabi divided between them.“That looks yummy.”She sat as he dished out the soup into two white bowls.
He’d shed his long-sleeved shirt for a white tee that fit snug around his biceps and chest.Butterflies swarmed inside her belly as he sat in the chair next to her.A strand of his sandy blond hair fell across his forehead and her fingers ached to dust it aside.He blew on a spoonful of noodles, his brow puckered, and his skin smooth, tanned and even.So hot.Quin was every girl’s fantasy.Kind, affectionate, and the type of guy who’d give a stranger the shirt off his back.
