Free DarkestSin by Mandy Harbin

with a shrug, clutching
her wineglass. She seemed to be waiting for something, but trying to act casual
about it. Xan was too good at reading people not to notice.
    “Mmm-hmm. And that was about it.”
    “Ugh. You’re no good at this, hon. Fine. Anna Sue overheard
him apologize for locking lips with you the other day.” Xan gasped in horror.
She didn’t want the town thinking she was seeing him, or any man for that
matter. “Oh, now none of that. Although, I should’ve gotten the gossip directly
from the source. You could have told me yourself.” She gave Xan a disappointed
frown. “But you can make up for it by telling me when you are going to suck
face with him again.” She giggled.
    Xan needed a subject change, like right now. She shouldn’t
be talking about this with anyone. Her life was supposed to be as private and
uncomplicated as possible. The last thing she needed was the town gossiping
about her, regardless if the talk was true. That whole there’s no such thing
as bad press didn’t apply to her situation. She needed no attention. At.
All.
    Roxie put her glass down and leaned toward Xan. “I get the
feeling you don’t have many friends,” she said softly. “If you want to talk
about this, you have my word I’ll keep it between just us. I know I like
getting the goods on everybody, but I do right by my friends.”
    Her head was spinning. She had a strong urge to jump up and
run to her bedroom, get away before this conversation got out of control. But
she had another urge, one stronger than the need to flee.
    One that insisted she embrace this friendship and enjoy it
while she could. She wasn’t getting any younger, and there were only so many
things she could talk to her son about. If she kept the important details of
her life a secret, why couldn’t she talk to Roxie about her feelings, her
confusion about Brody?
    “I’m not sure what to do about him,” she finally mumbled.
    Roxie sat back and took a deep breath. “What happened?”
    Xan recounted the kiss in the office, the order to stay
away, and the encounter today while she downed the rest of her of wine.
    “Whew, girl. It sounds like y’all have some serious
chemistry goin’ on, and neither of you knows what the hell to do about it.”
    “That’s putting it mildly, though I can’t be sure about his
side. It’s just been a long time since I’ve been attracted to a man. I’m not
sure how to go about dealing with it.”
    “You need to march right over to his house and tell him to
quit jerkin’ you around. Damn, girl, he’s a man, not an alien. They all squeal
like piggies when you grab ’em by the balls.”
    “I don’t even know where he lives,” she said, defeated.
    “Honey, you’re new here, so I’ll forgive you for that, but
in small towns everybody knows everything about everyone. Addresses are the
first thing, right before marital status.”
    Either it was the wine or the surge of estrogen swarming in
the atmosphere with the girl power talk that was making Xan see the rightness
of Roxie’s argument. Really, why didn’t she just tell him off? She didn’t need
to mope around here and avoid masturbating because of that SOB. Just thinking
about it made her eyes narrow, her blood heat, muscles tense.
    “You’re right.” How stupid had she been?
    “Oh, I know I am, honey. And judging by the look on your
face, I’d hate to be one arrogant mechanic right now.”
    Xan jumped up, pacing the kitchen. “That jackass told me to
stay away from him. Me away from him . Who the fuck does he think
he is?”
    “Go on, girl!” Roxie raised her glass in salute, laughing.
    “Okay, so I started that kiss.” She leveled a stare at her
friend. “Started. He jumped into it and took control of it like a man
dehydrated, gulping water after being stuck in some godforsaken desert.”
    “Right on, sista!” She slapped her hand on the table, riling
up Xan even more.
    This was exhilarating. Liberating. Freeing. “What gives him
the