Page 19 of Hot Lovin'

My heart clenches. This man has never known the love of a family. He’s been the guardian and protector of this town, but who looks after him?

Chapter 8

Quinn

I avert my gaze, not wanting to see Lottie’s expression as she absorbs what I’ve told her.

“Look at me, Quinn.”

I grit my teeth. Pity is the last thing I need, especially from this woman who’s captured a part of me I thought no one ever could. I don’t want to be the reason her smile falters.

“Please, look at me.”

Sighing, I turn my head to see her face in the dim light. Instead of seeing the pity I expect, I see compassion and… love.

In that second, I break. My walls crumble at the feet of this incredible woman, and I mourn for the child who was never a child, and for all the years I felt alone.I mourn for Aiden and all the kids like him. I’ve always ensured I didn’t get emotionally involved, but a woman with sunshine in her soul and a little boy with nightmares in his eyes crashed through my defenses. They called to parts of me I thought were dead. I never stood a chance.

Lottie gathers me close, wrapping herself around me as the first tear falls. I’m thirty-two years old, and this is the first time anyone has hugged me, ever touched me in a non-sexual or non-violent way, offering comfort for comfort’s sake. Pure. Unselfish. Nothing demanded in return.

“I promised myself I wouldn’t dwell on my past anymore,” I murmur, embarrassed at my lapse.

Lottie cups my face, kissing the wetness from my cheeks. “We carry our past with us, Quinn. The good bits and the bad. The hard part is making peace with it.”

I laugh harshly. “I’m the big, bad sheriff. I’m not supposed to cry.”

“Bullshit. I don’t want to hear that toxic crap,” she snaps, and I almost laugh at her flash of temper. My woman is a firecracker beneath those angelic smiles. “True strength includes the ability to be vulnerable. It shows you’re in touch with your feelings. You never have to be afraid to show them in front of me, Quinn.” She pauses, smoothing my sweaty hair back from my forehead. “I’m sorry you never had anyone to love you. To hold you and tell you how important you were. But you do now… if you’ll let me.”

Lottie has just seen me at my most vulnerable, yet I feel more of a man in her eyes, in her arms, than I ever have.

I push my hand through her hair, cupping the back of her neck and pulling her in for a kiss. “Thank you,” I murmur against her lips.

She nuzzles her nose against mine. “Back at ya, Sheriff. Thank you for being there for Aiden. For me.”

“Wouldn’t be anywhere else, sweetheart.” My thumb traces circles on the sensitive skin behind her ear, raising goosebumps across her shoulder.

Snagging my hand, she moves to the edge of the bed, tugging me with her. “Come with me, big guy.”

I frown. “Where are we going?”

“Not far.” She smirks as she leads me to the adjoining bathroom, reaching into the shower cubicle to turn on the shower.

I raise a questioning eyebrow. “Is this a not-so-subtle hint that I smell bad?”

Laughter bubbles out of her. “No. You always smell amazing. Like cedarwood and big, bad manly musk.” She steps under the spray and holds out her hand. “Come here. Let me take care of you. You’ve been carrying so much.”

I take her small hand and step under the hot spray. The bathroom fills with steam as the water cascades over us, cocooning us in an intimate, misty world. Lottie gently pours shampoo into her palm, rubbing it between her hands to create a lather.

“Bend down a little,” she urges.

I do as she says, and she raises on her toes to reach my head. Her touch is firm as she massages the shampoo into my hair. I close my eyes with a groan, leaning into the soothing sensation of her fingers working through the strands. Guiding me under the spray, she rinses my hair clean, her expression is focused yet tender, her movements deliberate and caring.

“Relax, Quinn. I've got you,” Lottie murmurs, the water a comforting rhythm around us.

I exhale heavily as if releasing a weight I’ve been carrying on my shoulders. Lottie's hands move down my neck and shoulders, massaging my muscles so the stress melts away with each stroke. She takes a sponge and moves behind me, gently tracing it over my back, ass, and thighs, cleansing away the day's tension.

Her touch is a balm to my lonely soul, and her presence is a reminder that I’m no longer alone in facing life's challenges.

I turn to face her, my heated gaze running over her naked form and drinking in her abundant curves. My cock gets hard so quickly that I’m almost lightheaded from the loss of blood to my brain. She reminds me of the actresses from the 1960s who epitomized feminine beauty and sensuality. Wide hips, rounded stomach, luscious ass, and truly magnificent tits. I’ve never seen anything so lovely on the damn planet.

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