by Lee Piper
Temple’s slaying me. When she marched up to the car, shooting sass like a boss, I almost lost my shit. How the fuck can someone so small be that fierce? Her hair was fucking everywhere, her skin was flushed pink, and her top was glued to those luscious tits, begging to be ripped from her body.
I had to touch her.
She’s lucky I didn’t yank her tight as shit jeans down and claim her cunt right the fuck there. No shits to give about the others nearby. I’d give them a show, prove to fucking everyone that Temple’s mine. She’s baggage I don’t need and trouble I don’t want, but fuck if I’m going to deny myself any longer.
I press my foot on the gas, the engine roaring to life. Pissed and horny, I speed from the parking lot, wanting her far from here.
“Who taught you to fight?” I growl, needing answers.
“Why do you care?” she throws back.
Fierce as fucking always. Fisting the wheel so I don’t wrap my hand around her throat, I steer us through a tight corner. “Who taught you?” My damn heart nearly explodes waiting for her answer.
She doesn’t give me one. Stubborn as hell, she stares out the window.
Always making me work for it. “Temple.”
Crossing her arms, she ignores me.
Her tits are pushed up and together, making me hard as fuck. I don’t bother adjusting myself. No point when she always makes me like this. “Answer me. I need to know.”
She glares. “You told me not to read into anything, so that’s what I’m doing.” Looking out the window, she mutters, “Take me home. I don’t want to see you again.”
Since she won’t give me shit, I drop it. But there’s no fucking chance I’m letting this go. I want to know everything about my firecracker: the good, the bad, the fucking violent. Every secret she’s trying to hide, I’ll uncover.
Even if it kills us both.
Chapter Twenty-One
Temple
The remainder of the drive back to Bayside is silent. Sin doesn’t turn on any music, and I don’t have it in me to care. Needing something to do other than stare at his chiseled jawline and full lips, I look out the window. My reflection stares back. There’s only so long I can ignore the confusion in my eyes before I question why it’s there in the first place.
I start reciting the principles of creative writing instead.
By the time I’ve repeated them for a fifth time, Sin pulls up in front of my trailer.
“How do you know where I live?”
With the push of a button, the engine stills. “I know more than you think.”
For some stupid reason, I like the sound of that. “Careful, big guy. You’re entering stalker territory admitting that.”
He faces me. “Not denying it, babe.”
It’s the weight of his words and the certainty in how he delivers them that has me glancing up from beneath my lashes. Even in the darkness, his eyes are clear, and the intention behind them clearer.
“I don’t understand you,” I admit. “One minute you’re pushing me away, and the next you’re wanting to know everything about me. Pick a side already.”
He looks from me to my trailer, his jaw tightening.
As much as I try to fight our connection, I know I can’t. Not anymore. I need to protect myself and put as much space between us as possible. “Thanks for the ride. I’ll see you around.”
The words sit heavy in the air.
Maybe if I say them enough times, I’ll believe them. Maybe then, my heart won’t call his name like it’s welcoming him home.
The cool air is a welcome reprieve as I get out of the car. Only, before I reach my front doorstep, his body heat is behind me.
I fight back a small smile. “What did I tell you about stalking? It’s not a good look on you, big man.”
“Give me your keys.” He’s so close, his breath teases my nape.
Reaching around me, he holds out his hand. It’s so big. The palm is wide, and his fingers are strong. I don’t believe in heaven, but if I did, those fingers caressing my body, skimming my curves, and gripping my flesh would be it.
I don’t voice my thoughts though. There’s no way in hell I’ll admit to wanting a man like him.
His chest brushes my shoulders on each inhale. Strangely, rather than set off my memories, the proximity has my eyes fluttering closed and my head threatening to fall back against him.
What the hell?
Shocked and confused, I drop my keys in his hand before moving away.
Within seconds, he opens the front door and steps inside.
When lit, the single bulb in the middle of the small room casts more shadows than light. It barely illuminates the third-generation furniture, secondhand appliances, and yellowing walls.
Sin pauses, his perceptive gaze sweeping my place.
I cross my arms, not wanting to feel self-conscious but finding it next to impossible. There’s a reason I don’t bring people back to my place. Several, if I’m honest. And seeing shock in people’s expressions when they take in my decrepit trailer is one of them.
“Is there something you need? Or are you passing stalker mode and entering creeper territory now?”
“Neither.” He pauses. “Where’s all your stuff?”
I shrug, because what’s the point in collecting things when you’re going to move across the county?
Spotting the patched-up wall behind me, he points to it, his muscles tense. “Was that you?”
Not looking at it, I move into the kitchenette. “Maybe. There are so many holes in this place, it’s hard to keep track of who made them.” What I don’t say is, every crack in the wall, every mark left by a fist, boot, bottle, or worse, is ingrained in my DNA.
This trailer was never home. There are ghosts walking the floors and nightmares haunting the rooms. Since I’ve made keeping to myself an art form and don’t earn enough money to afford another place, it’s where I crash. But other than to sleep, I stay far away.
Sin’s expression turns thunderous. He curses under his breath, then storms down the short hallway. “Your bedroom this way?”
“What are you doing?” I chase his retreating form, trying to brush past so I can stop him. But he’s so damn huge, I can’t get around him. “Get out of my room.”
He stops on the threshold, and I imagine how it must look through his eyes.
Threadbare blanket, double mattress, and crates on either side. A lonely set of drawers pushed against one wall, and a worn sheet that doubles as curtains hanging opposite.
It’s not a palace, but it’s clean.
Silent, Sin grabs the only bag I own and throws it on the bed. “Pack your shit. We’re leaving.”
My eyebrows shoot to my hairline. “Leaving? I’m not going anywhere.”
He stalks to the set of drawers and yanks it open. “You’re staying with me.”
I scoff. “Are you out of your mind? I’m not going anywhere with you.”
Back to me, he pauses. “Yes, you are.” Then he scoops out an armful of clothes and holds them in the air. “You wear these?”
I glance between my clothes and his tense bicep. “What kind of idiot question is that? Of course I wear them.”
With a nod, he shoves them in my bag.
“What the hell? I told you, I’m not going to your place.” Marching over to him, I snatch the bag away.
“Stupid isn’t a good look on you, babe.” He yanks it back. After opening another drawer, he grabs more clothes and thrusts them inside.
“Sin, you can’t go around taking my stuff. There are laws against that.” Shoving him away, I plaster myself in front of the drawers.
His sardonic stare meets mine. “You going to report me?”
The air shifts. It turns to smoke, swirling around us like camouflage.
“You know it’s pointless. Your family would have you acquitted, and I’d end up dead.”
He stands over me, gorgeous, fierce, and strong. “Then quit fighting me.”
It’s pointless lying any lon
ger. “I can’t.”
We’re a perfect storm, he and I.
Inevitable destruction.
And, if the way he’s eating my curves with his predatory gaze is anything to go by, the tempest is about to break.
But I won’t back down. “You might snap your fingers and your boys come running, but it doesn’t work with me. I don’t answer to you. I don’t answer to anyone. The sooner you accept that, the better.”
Sin’s tall frame fills my vision “You’re coming with me, even if I have to throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of this shithole.”
For some reason, I want him to do just that. “No. Now get out of my trailer.”
His voice is rough, like sand scratching sensitive skin. “Not a chance in hell, babe. You’re my property now.”
My property.
Whoa.
Sin’s words should set off alarm bells. They should have me kicking him out of my trailer and ordering him to stay away. I should be cutting all ties so I can pull together the remnants of my life.
Only, I don’t.
Acting against every shred of logic, I grip his hoodie in my fist. “In what parallel universe would I agree to that? You’re a criminal and the son of a mob boss. You start fires, steal cars, and break into offices.” I mean to push him away, but somehow end up drawing him closer. “You use people, not caring about how it impacts them. You’re bad news, Sin Brandt.”
Sin takes a strand of my hair and wraps it around his fingers. “You fucking love it. You don’t want to, but you do.”
This man. He’s killing me. “I’m not going with you.”
He tugs, forcing my lips to his. “You don’t have a choice.”
I want to steal the strands back, if only to prove that I can. But my body doesn’t listen. Instead, it craves more of his touch.
The urge to wrap my arms around his neck and lose myself in his kiss is overpowering. It takes nearly all my strength to stay where I am. “That’s where you’re wrong. There’s always a choice.”
“Jack’s a shady fucker.” Sin brushes his thumb across my cheek. “He shouldn’t have been in Dad’s office. If he gets caught, and he will since you fucked his leg up real good, who do you think he’ll blame?”
Through the desire-filled haze, reality forms. I’ve had my fair share of unhinged men in my life. I don’t need any more. Though I can take care of myself, having to watch my back every second of the day is exhausting.
It’d be nice having protection.
As quickly as the thought comes, I push it away again. Relying on someone else, especially when they’ve already proven to be untrustworthy, is insanity.
“We’ve been through this already, big guy. You put me in this position. None of this would have happened if you hadn’t run the second Jack showed up.”
Sin’s eyes roam my features, both heating and darkening at the same time. “None of it would have happened if you hadn’t rocked up tonight. Like you said, there’s always a choice, and you made the wrong one.” He smirks. “I’m going to prove it to you.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Temple
Rather than scare me, his words have the opposite effect. My breasts crush against his torso, and my breath fans his face. “I didn’t make the wrong choice. I did what was right. I wasn’t going to stand back and let you get away with burning my garage.”
“And look where it got you.”
I take in every smooth line and sharp angle of Sin’s face. “I know what you’re doing. You’re twisting the facts to make me out to be the villain, so I’ll be forced to accept your help. It’s not going to work.”
Sin’s nose brushes mine. “You keep telling yourself that, babe.”
He’s so beautiful, it hurts.
“And now you’re using your body against me,” I breathe, wanting to fight off his allure but falling victim to it instead.
He gives my hair a sharp yank. “Those hard as fuck nipples don’t lie.”
I hiss, my eyelids fluttering closed as I savor the sting. But then I remind myself that vulnerability leads to hurt, so I blink them open again. Don’t trust him, Temple. You know what happens when you do.
Sin takes my bottom lip between his teeth and bites down. “Why are you fighting this? You know it’s going to happen. It was a done deal the second I saw you.”
Damn, I hate how good that sounds. “Just because you say it’s going to happen, doesn’t mean it will.”
“Wrong.” He skims his mouth along the length of my neck, his lips pausing over my raging pulse.
“Screw you.”
“Planning on it. But I want you screaming my name first.” He bites the juncture between my neck and collarbone.
I hiss, try to chase it back, but it’s too late.
He smirks. “You ready to beg for my cock?”
My breasts grow heavy, craving the abrasion his fingers promise. Visions of Sin stripping my clothes from me before taking me hard and rough against the wall fill my mind. I want him to tease and taunt me. I want him to take and take until I’ve got nothing left to give. I need him to empty me of every thought, feeling, and emotion so I can emerge reborn.
I moan.
Sin grins. “You can do better than that, babe.”
Staring at the ceiling, I beg for control that’s quickly slipping through my fingers. “That’s as good as you’re going to get.”
“Cute. But I know you can’t resist me.”
Dammit. He’s right. Acting on impulse, my hands delve into his hair before twisting themselves in the soft strands. Even though I know I should pull him away, I hold him closer. “Did I say you could touch me?”
“Did I ask your permission?” He smooths the bite mark on my skin with the swipe of his tongue. Straightening, he admires his handiwork. “Looks good on you.”
Rather than be fraught with memories of bruises, burns, cuts, and abrasions, I’m instead flooded with questions. What would it be like to have Sin mark every inch of my body like this? Would the tremors flooding my veins erupt in pleasure?
No idea.
Hatred and anger, I’m old friends with. Punishment, I understand. But sensual worship? I wouldn’t know what to do with it.
Caught between muscle memory telling me to escape and desire demanding I stay, my limbs lock in place.
Sin ghosts his mouth across my lips. “I won’t take what you don’t want to give, babe. Tell me to stop and I will.”
Choking on words I need to say and drowning in those I can’t, I remain silent.
Sin licks the seam of my mouth. “Tell me to back off. I dare you.”
Even though I know I should tell him why I’m wired this way, the words sit at the back of my throat, waiting for direction from someone other than me.
Sin straightens. He tips my head back, his gray eyes searching mine. “Babe?”
“I—” Glancing away before he has a chance to see the truth, I try to gather my thoughts. It’s a waste of time because they’re as convoluted as ever.
Sin lets go and moves away. Despite my room being tiny, it feels like he’s on the other side of the world. He gestures to the space between us. “You want me to back off?”
My hands to drop to my sides, lost and empty. It’s not until I’m no longer touching him that I realize how much I want to. Driven by an impulse I can’t control, I need Sin’s hands, mouth, and body to claim every part of me.
Consequences be damned.
With renewed clarity, I push the ghosts of my past back to where they belong. “No.”
His expression turns predatory.
“Come here,” I murmur.
Sin’s smirk is dark and devious. “That’s not how it works, babe. I don’t take orders. I give them.”
Sweet God.
My pussy throbs in time with my heartbeat. Arousal seeps from my center, coating the lace of my panties until the soft fabric sticks to my slick skin.
“Get your sweet ass over here.” It’s the slight rasp that does
it. The rough tone shimmies over my curves, causing tingles to chase after them.
I’m in front of him before I realize what’s happening. Like a naive sacrifice kneeling before a deviant god, I wait.
“I’m going to own your mouth.” Sin’s knuckles skim my cheek. “I’m going to thrust my fingers deep inside your cunt until you come all over them. I’m going to suck your juices clean and get high on your taste.” He cups my nape, drawing me against him. “Then, I’m taking you home to do it all over again.”
Holy. Shit.
I want to tell him that everything except the last part sounds like a great idea. No matter how good being with him will feel like, there’s no way I’m going to his place. But, before I have a chance to open my mouth, his lips silence me.
Like a man possessed, Sin devours me. His hands cup my cheeks, holding my head in place. His tongue thrusts inside my mouth, tangling with mine in a dance as old as time. For minutes, hours, hell, it could even be days, we stay locked in each other’s arms, trying to bury ourselves beneath each other’s skin.
With greedy hands and aching hearts, we drown together.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Sin
Fuck me.
She feels like home and tastes like heaven. Temple’s body comes alive in my hands, her soft curves and hot as hell moans destroying me.
I bite her tongue, lick away the sting, then do it again because I’m a dick like that.
She gasps, wraps her arms around my neck, and pulls me closer.
Her sounds make me want to blow my load, but there’s no fucking way I’m losing control. This isn’t about Temple. It’s about making a damn point. She’s going to learn who’s calling the shots, and it sure as shit isn’t her.
Picking her up, I throw her on the bed. Her tits bounce, a fucking sensational sight. Watching them, I scrape my teeth over my bottom lip. “I want you naked. Now.”
“And I want you to say please, but we can’t always get what we want.”
Jesus. She’s fucking killing me. My dick isn’t even coated in her juices, and I already know I’ll never get enough of her.