body, she didn’t know what to do. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go. The problem was she really wanted to go, and she didn’t quite know what to do about that. She wasn’t used to wanting a man, much less lusting after one the way she did Daniel. He set her on fire simply by existing in space near her.
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” he said, his eyes glinted with mirth.
“Oh, right. Yes. That was a yes.” Okay, now you definitely look foolish and silly. All you had to say was yes. She fought the urge to shake her voice to silence again.
Several beats of silence passed while Sophia tried to gain control of her body. One look from him, and heat curled through her veins, her belly somersaulted, and her pulse galloped wildly beyond her control. As they stood there, the low murmur of voices in the coffee shop filtered through her consciousness. A laugh from Tommy knocked her out of her stupor. She shook her head—again—and looked back at Daniel. Her cheeks were hot, but she managed to speak. “Any ideas where you want to go?”
“I was hoping you could make a few suggestions. So far, I’ve had the coffee here, pizza with you the other night, and I’ve made one stop at the local grocery store.”
“If you want to get to know Painter, we should go to Quinn’s.”
“What’s Quinn’s?”
“Quinn’s Restaurant and Bar. It’s been here forever. It’s owned by the Quinn family,” she said with a wry grin. “They’ve been here as long as I can remember. It’s impossible to go there without running into plenty of locals, so you’ll get a chance to get to know some people. A friend of mine, Vivi Sheldon, covers extra shifts sometimes, so you might meet her. You said you wanted to get to know the town, so…”
Daniel nodded firmly. “That I did. Quinn’s sounds great. When do you close up here?”
Sophia glanced at the clock above the door. “In about a half hour. If you don’t mind waiting, I need to clean up and do a little prep for tomorrow.”
Daniel nodded with a half-smile. She watched as he walked away, his stride long and loose. His shoulders flexed under his t-shirt as he set his coffee down at a table nearby and slid into the chair. Only when Tommy cleared his throat did she look up.
Tommy grinned. “You’ve got it bad.”
She bit her lip and flushed. Tommy was right. She was in deep.
Chapter 6
Daniel followed Sophia into Quinn’s. Quinn’s was on the edge of downtown in an older building with a classic western façade on the front. The restaurant and bar had clearly been a restaurant and bar for many, many years. A polished wooden bar sat against the back wall, running the entire length of the space. The wood was worn and grooved from years of use. They waited at the corner of the bar for a table to open up. Quinn’s was busy, and Daniel figured the place was usually busy. Beyond the bar, round tables were scattered throughout the center of the large room with booths lining the walls. An archway led into another section that held pool tables and card tables. The place had a rustic feeling with warm touches added through a mix of Native American artwork and sports memorabilia. What could have been an odd mix felt right at home in Quinn’s. The customers ran the gamut from college students to families to just about anyone.
Sophia hadn’t been kidding when she said she knew most everyone in Painter. While they waited for a table, practically anyone that passed by stopped to greet her. Daniel met so many people, he lost track of who was who. Eventually, a waitress tapped Sophia on the shoulder and pointed to a corner booth just opening up. Moments later, he looked across the table at her. Whenever he was with her, his body ran on high idle—lust humming just under the surface. When distractions weren’t present, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Her dark hair was loose tonight, a silky fall around her shoulders. The green of her eyes was vivid even in the
“I’ll take that as a yes then,” he said, his eyes glinted with mirth.
“Oh, right. Yes. That was a yes.” Okay, now you definitely look foolish and silly. All you had to say was yes. She fought the urge to shake her voice to silence again.
Several beats of silence passed while Sophia tried to gain control of her body. One look from him, and heat curled through her veins, her belly somersaulted, and her pulse galloped wildly beyond her control. As they stood there, the low murmur of voices in the coffee shop filtered through her consciousness. A laugh from Tommy knocked her out of her stupor. She shook her head—again—and looked back at Daniel. Her cheeks were hot, but she managed to speak. “Any ideas where you want to go?”
“I was hoping you could make a few suggestions. So far, I’ve had the coffee here, pizza with you the other night, and I’ve made one stop at the local grocery store.”
“If you want to get to know Painter, we should go to Quinn’s.”
“What’s Quinn’s?”
“Quinn’s Restaurant and Bar. It’s been here forever. It’s owned by the Quinn family,” she said with a wry grin. “They’ve been here as long as I can remember. It’s impossible to go there without running into plenty of locals, so you’ll get a chance to get to know some people. A friend of mine, Vivi Sheldon, covers extra shifts sometimes, so you might meet her. You said you wanted to get to know the town, so…”
Daniel nodded firmly. “That I did. Quinn’s sounds great. When do you close up here?”
Sophia glanced at the clock above the door. “In about a half hour. If you don’t mind waiting, I need to clean up and do a little prep for tomorrow.”
Daniel nodded with a half-smile. She watched as he walked away, his stride long and loose. His shoulders flexed under his t-shirt as he set his coffee down at a table nearby and slid into the chair. Only when Tommy cleared his throat did she look up.
Tommy grinned. “You’ve got it bad.”
She bit her lip and flushed. Tommy was right. She was in deep.
Chapter 6
Daniel followed Sophia into Quinn’s. Quinn’s was on the edge of downtown in an older building with a classic western façade on the front. The restaurant and bar had clearly been a restaurant and bar for many, many years. A polished wooden bar sat against the back wall, running the entire length of the space. The wood was worn and grooved from years of use. They waited at the corner of the bar for a table to open up. Quinn’s was busy, and Daniel figured the place was usually busy. Beyond the bar, round tables were scattered throughout the center of the large room with booths lining the walls. An archway led into another section that held pool tables and card tables. The place had a rustic feeling with warm touches added through a mix of Native American artwork and sports memorabilia. What could have been an odd mix felt right at home in Quinn’s. The customers ran the gamut from college students to families to just about anyone.
Sophia hadn’t been kidding when she said she knew most everyone in Painter. While they waited for a table, practically anyone that passed by stopped to greet her. Daniel met so many people, he lost track of who was who. Eventually, a waitress tapped Sophia on the shoulder and pointed to a corner booth just opening up. Moments later, he looked across the table at her. Whenever he was with her, his body ran on high idle—lust humming just under the surface. When distractions weren’t present, he couldn’t keep his eyes off of her. Her dark hair was loose tonight, a silky fall around her shoulders. The green of her eyes was vivid even in the
Similar Books
