Where Tomorrow Shines

Copyright © Jambrea Jo Jones 2013. All Rights Reserved, Total-E-Ntwined Limited, T/A Totally Bound Publishing. Quinn Nelson finished making the bed, making sure the corners were tight. Being a maid wasn’t all bad. At least it wasn’t shooting insurgents and dodging bullets. Sure, there were some real skanky people out there who left the room in a way he wouldn’t even see in his worst nightmare, but he was happy with his job. It was something mindless that paid the bills. When he went home, he didn’t have to worry about explosions or how close to the enemy line he was. He had a beer or two and relaxed before bed only to start it all over again. It was nice to be back in Atlanta. It had been years, but it was still home. The Meliá Hotel was a nice place and they treated their employees right. All he had to do was be on time and do his job. He could handle that in his sleep. So what if he was a bit lonely? That was life. He’d spent the last thirty years with no significant other—he could last the rest of his life. Maybe he’d go out to eat at his favourite restaurant, Escorpion, after work. The tequila was great and so was the food. Mexican was his favourite. Kasey Adams. Just the name made Quinn hard. Fuck. Nope, no matter how much he wanted a goat taco it wasn’t going to happen. Kasey worked as a waiter at Escorpion. They’d met there one night and had really hit it off, but Kase was just too happy and shiny. Quinn was trying to avoid Kasey, not invite him back to his place for a fuck. Because if he saw Kasey, that invitation would be out of his mouth before he could think twice. Kasey was a sexy bastard and if Quinn laid eyes on him he wouldn’t hesitate to ask him over. Kasey still thought he could fix the world. He’d once told Quinn that ‘everything is a path that leads us to where we need to go’. If that wasn’t glass half full, Quinn didn’t know what was. He was too old, too tired and the shine had worn off him at nineteen when he’d shot his first person in Afghanistan. He still had nightmares. They would be with him forever. He didn’t need to bring that baggage to a relationship, so he was walking off the path and wasn’t where Kase needed to be. Quinn would stick to one night stands. He was good at those. After a month or so of dating, Quinn had to stop all communication. Kase deserved a younger guy who would be able to keep up. Someone who wanted to change the world with him, not a man with a busted leg who woke up screaming on a good night. Quinn wasn’t that guy, no matter how Kase’s long, lean body looked in his bed. How his brown hair would stick up all over the place when he woke up. Or how his green eyes sparkled when he looked at Quinn. He’d done the right thing. He wasn’t meant for relationships and that was that.