by Sam Mariano
Shrugging and tucking her hair behind her ear, she scoots back in her seat. “Why not? You’ll probably feel better if you get it all out.”
“You don’t even know me. Why do you care if I feel better?”
Again, she shrugs. “Just being nice, I guess. Sometimes it helps to talk to someone you don’t actually know and you don’t have to see all the time, because you can say whatever you want. If you don’t want to talk, I can get you a drink instead. Try to level up my waitressing skills.”
“That’s probably a better idea,” I tell her.
Accepting that easily, she nods and stands. “Sure thing. What would you like?”
An image pops up of Mia at Ben’s house last year, walking toward me in a bikini with a drink in her hand. Laurel follows, cheeks flushed prettily as she leans in and pours me wine at Easter dinner. Cassandra’s memory is right on their heels, sitting at a bar in a tight red dress back when we were together. She dips a finger into my drink, then brings it to my mouth and shoves her finger inside, her gaze heating with desire.
Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck.
“My cousin’s wife. And the girl I may have impregnated. And maybe my ex.”
The woman’s eyes widen, her expression vaguely horrified, then she drops back into the seat. “Oh, wow. Maybe we should start at the beginning.”
I shake my head, not interested in putting my life under a microscope with this stranger. “It doesn’t matter. My head is just a fucking mess right now. Ever since she told me she’s pregnant, I feel like I’m in a tailspin that I can’t steer out of.”
“It sounds like it,” she says, her face a mask of sympathy. “It seems unlikely you really want all those women though, right? I mean, you’re one man. What do the women represent to you? Let’s start there, figure out if they all have something in common. Let’s start with the pregnant one—that seems most pressing. What’s the problem with her?”
“When she told me she was pregnant, I didn’t believe the baby was mine. I’m still not sure. Long story short, I was an asshole and now she doesn’t like me anymore.”
“Maybe it’s not that she doesn’t like you, it’s just that you hurt her feelings. I know that would hurt my feelings. Have you tried talking to her since?”
“I have. She doesn’t want to talk to me. She’s also fucking one of my employees now.”
“Oh, dear,” the waitress murmurs. “So, you can’t have her. And the first one you mentioned is someone’s wife, so you can’t have her, either. Let me guess—the ex is also unavailable?”
I shrug nonchalantly. “I could have her, but I probably couldn’t keep her. And even if I did, she would make me absolutely fucking miserable. She’s a terrible person.”
Nodding like she understands, the waitress says, “Okay, so you just want what you can’t have. You don’t really want to break up two relationships and get back with your ex—”
“They’re not in a relationship,” I snap.
The waitress pauses.
“Laurel and Sin. They’re just fucking, it’s not… No. Sin doesn’t even date, so I don’t know why he’s doing this shit to begin with, but it is not a fucking relationship. I’m going to steal her back from the motherfucker. He deserves it for putting his hands on what rightfully belongs to me.”
Her brow furrows, like she doesn’t approve. “You’re going to steal her back because you actually want her, or just because you don’t want him to have her?”
An image of Laurel holding a baby comes back to me—it’s from Easter, her holding Mia’s son, Dom. She did look sweet with a baby; it’s just that I don’t want any babies. The mere thought causes me to break out in a cold sweat.
Flicking a glance at the waitress, I ask, “You have kids?”
Pointing at herself, she asks, “Me? No. I have a hard enough time keeping myself fed right now. I’m only in college.”
“So is she,” I murmur. “I don’t even know if she wants to have a baby. I didn’t even ask her. Man, I am an asshole.”
The waitress doesn’t disagree with me, but she shrugs. “You were surprised. It’s alarming news if you don’t expect it.” Missing a beat, she says, “So, she’s young.”
I nod my head. “My cousin has kids and he seems to like it, but he was never scared of it to begin with. That’s not the kind of thing you want to attempt and fuck up. You can’t just have a kid, realize you don’t like parenting, and change your mind. Once it’s done, it’s done. That’s a permanent fixture in your life, for better or worse. I probably wouldn’t be any good at it.”
“I think if you’re worried you wouldn’t be good at it, you probably would be. Men who aren’t going to be good at it wouldn’t care.”
“I did not sign up for this,” I state.
“Doesn’t sound like she did either. Maybe she’s only with this other guy because she doesn’t want to do it alone,” she suggests.
I think about how cozy they looked at my restaurant and jealousy boils in my gut. Normally if I lose my hold on a woman who belongs to me, I lose all interest in her. The thing with Laurel is, she was never actually mine. As she so adamantly pointed out at the restaurant, she isn’t mine, never was, and never will be.
Well, I’m not so sure about that last one, but the first two are true enough. Laurel was a hook-up, not a girlfriend. Her loyalty never belonged to me, it just seems like it should now.
At least, if she’s having my baby she damn well belongs to me. There is no surer stake of my claim than that.
I need to find out if the baby is mine, and that’s that.
20
Laurel
My body shifts, but I don’t open my eyes. Sin is rolling over on his side, shifting me since I’m nestled in his strong arms. Mm, that’s nice. His body slides against mine and he draws me into his chest. The hand that isn’t trapped beneath me moves around my bare waist and drifts down my side, coming to rest on my hip.
I feel something kick against my inner thigh, then I consider our leg placement.
That was his dick.
I open my eyes to look at him, but he doesn’t look remotely apologetic. “Good morning to you, too,” I tell him.
“Your fault,” he states.
My eyebrows rise. “How is that my fault?”
“You snaked your knee up my thigh just a second ago—what do you mean, how is that your fault? What do you think happens when a naked woman lying in my bed snakes her knee up my thigh like that?”
“I didn’t snake my knee—” I pause, trying to recall my exact movements. I guess I was shifting around, but only because he rolled away briefly and woke me up. “Okay, I might have.”
“You did,” he states.
“Stupid, slutty knee.”
His lips curve up faintly. “It’s trying to cause all sorts of trouble.”
I’m sort of in the mood to cause trouble, so instead of showing even a hint of repentance, I slide my hand down between our bodies. Through hooded eyes, he watches me, but he doesn’t speak. Taking that as encouragement, I keep going until my fingers brush the rock-hard shaft between his legs. Excitement shoots through my veins at the verification of his arousal. Since he doesn’t object, I stroke him. The smooth hardness pushing against my hand fills my tummy up with flutters. I curl my fingers around him and tug. His eyes drift closed. I want to taste him, since he didn’t let me last night. After stroking him for a moment, I ease out of his embrace and move my face toward the delicious hardness I want to lick from base to tip.
That’s my plan, only before I make it past his belly button, Sin grabs a fistful of my hair.
My stomach sinks and rocks with a mix of nerves and excitement as he drags me backward and cocks an amused eyebrow at me. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Since it was pretty clear where I thought I was going, I say bluntly, “I want to taste you.”
He’s clearly insane, because he shakes his head no. Then he drags me onto my back and climbs on top of me. My heart pounds in my ch
est as his erection presses into my lower belly. I try to wrap my arms around him, but he stops me. Instead of allowing me to hold him close, he releases my hair. His fingers lock around my wrists, and he presses them into the pillow beside my head.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” he tells me, looming above me. “Whatever happens between us, it happens on my terms—not yours.”
Throbbing with need, I nod my understanding.
“If you want a taste, you ask nicely.”
The flames of my desire have already been ignited, but those domineering words from his sensual mouth act like gasoline; they set me on fire. “Please?”
“Nicer,” he demands.
All right, fine. If he wants me to beg, I’ll beg. “Please, Sin? I need your cock in my mouth. I want to make you feel good. I want to get you off.”
He leans down and brushes his lips across my forehead before murmuring, “Well, fuck, that’s pretty nice.”
I bite back a grin and flash him big, innocent eyes. “See? I’m a good girl. Good girls deserve treats, don’t they?”
“Mm, I really like your mouth,” he informs me.
“You’re gonna like it even more when it’s sealed around your cock.”
Apparently convinced, he releases my wrists and sinks back into his spot. I get on my knees and push my hair back over my shoulder, but before I can bend to take him in my mouth, his phone starts vibrating on the bedside table. Since there’s a blow job on the table, I’m hoping he ignores it, but it catches his attention and he reaches for it. His expression turns irritable and he climbs off the bed, muttering, “Ah, Christ.”
I sit back on my heels. “What’s wrong?”
“I gotta go.”
My eyes widen in disbelief. “Seriously? Right this second?”
“Duty calls,” he says, but I’m too distracted to pay much attention. While I just had my hand around his dick, this is the first time I’m actually seeing it, and damn, do I like what I see. Thick and long with a swollen head I desperately want in my mouth, Sin’s cock is a beautiful creation. I want it even more now, and yet again, he’s denying me.
Crawling closer to the edge of the bed, I say, “Will anyone die if you get there five minutes later?”
It shouldn’t be so sexy when his mouth curves up and he answers, “You never know.”
He’s such a tantalizing tease. “Just one little taste? Please?” I beg, reaching a hand out and grasping his cock. Since I’m pretty sure he likes the good girl shtick, I flash him big, innocent, pleading eyes as I stroke him, reminding him of all the fun he can have if he stays a little longer.
His intense brown eyes meet mine for a moment, then he fists his hand in my hair and shoves me down. My heart sinks, then soars, and I open my mouth, greedily taking the smooth tip of him between my lips. I taste the salty evidence of his arousal on my tongue as I swipe it over his head. I know I only asked for taste, but now that I’m here, I want his cum. I want all of it, not just a taste.
Sin’s hand in my hair reminds me he can take it away at any moment—and he might, because he’s a terrible tease—but that just makes me all the more desperate to do a good job, fast. To convince him to give me just a few more minutes of his time.
The way Sin denies me is something new. Rafe teased me with making me wait and making me beg for it, too, but not like this. I knew he ultimately wanted it. With Sin, I’m not sure. Even naked in his bed with his rock-hard cock pressing against me, I still feel like I need to win his interest—but in an exciting, sexy way, not in a way that makes me feel shitty about myself.
When I think of a tease, Sin is not the image that comes to mind, but he damn sure is one.
Disappointment rocks me as he pulls me off him, but before I can fall too far, he keeps my head level with his cock and demands, “Lick it.”
Obediently, I lean forward to start at his base, running my tongue along the underside of his shaft. When I get to the tip, I swirl my tongue over him, then I lick my way back toward the base.
“You like that?” he murmurs.
“Mm, I love it,” I tell him, running my tongue along him. “You taste so good.”
With a faint growl, his fist tightens and he drags my head back to the smooth head. “Suck.”
I do, greedily. I love the feel of his head brushing the back of my throat as I take him deep, the way his fist tightens in my hair and his hips pump forward to fuck my mouth when I don’t take him deep enough. I love his taste, his texture, the sound of his cock moving in and out of my mouth. I especially love the groan of pleasure I wring out of him as he comes down my throat. I give him one last little suck and he groans, slowly pulling out of my mouth so I can get every last drop.
I can feel the wetness between my thighs as I sit back on my heels and look up at him. As if in approval, Sin leans in and presses his lips against my forehead again. I like these forehead kisses, but God, I want a real kiss. I just had his cock in my mouth—surely his lips brushing mine wouldn’t be too intimate.
“Go to the bathroom if you need to. I’ll grab you a bottle of water.”
I frown, mildly confused. “What?”
Raising his eyebrows expectantly, he says, “I have to leave. I need to cuff you.”
My jaw drops open. “Seriously? After that, you have to cuff me? Where do you think I’m going?”
“I think you’re going to the bathroom like I just told you,” he states, walking away to grab clothes.
I huff, climbing off the bed. “Ridiculous. This is ridiculous. Can’t you leave me uncuffed today? I won’t leave.”
“I left you uncuffed last night,” he states.
“Yes, and look how much fun that was,” I point out. “Let me roam free. I promise I’ll be here when you get home later.”
“Not gonna happen,” he informs me. “If you think sucking my dick is how you get me to put my guard down, you’re sadly mistaken.”
“That is not why I did that.”
“I don’t have time to argue with you, Laurel. You’re wasting time. Keep stalling and you’re gonna miss your window.”
Since I don’t know how long he’ll be gone, I stop arguing and go to the bathroom. I can’t believe he doesn’t trust me to stay put. I guess I should be able to believe it, but as much as I do need to return to my real life soon, I wouldn’t leave without saying goodbye. I like Sin. I like him a lot. If not for him being a criminal on the other side of the country, I could see myself ignoring all the reasons it’s a bad idea and attempting an actual relationship with him. I enjoy his company, even when he’s being a jerk, and I very much like the peek I’ve gotten of him as a lover. It doesn’t hurt that he’s drop-dead gorgeous and has an air of danger that is completely legit—just not for me. I don’t know why I’m so sure, but I know Sin would never hurt me.
Mmmm.
So lethal in the world at large, yet with me he uses padded cuffs.
I’m starting to forget why I’m annoyed with him, but then I walk back into the bedroom. Sin is fully dressed and waiting with my wrist cuffs and a bottle of water. I sigh, shooting him a sullen look as I climb back on the bed.
“This is lame,” I tell him.
“Not as lame as leaving you loose, then coming home to find you gone.”
“I wouldn’t be gone. I want to make you dinner tonight. If you leave me uncuffed, I’ll have more freedom to get it started.”
A dark eyebrow climbs his forehead and he flicks a glance at me as he fastens my first cuff. “Dinner?”
I nod. “We’ve been ordering out. I want to cook for you. If you stop for chicken, asiago cheese—actually, it might be easier if I made you a list.”
This seems to amuse him. “You’re going to send me grocery shopping?”
“I just finished sucking your cock and now I want to cook for you; try not to feel too emasculated.”
Sin shakes his head, turning my other wrist and putting the cuff on. “I’m not emasculated by grocery shopping. I just forgot I married you�
�when was the wedding?”
“Hey, we’re in Vegas, it could have been anytime,” I point out.
Sin finishes securing and checking my cuffs, then he hands over his phone with the notepad open. “Give me your damn shopping list.”
21
Rafe
I am about to leave for my meeting with Lorenzo when Sin shows up. Juanita answers the door before I get there, and she immediately fusses over him. I’m not sure why until I see his hands are busted up. The envelope he collected for me has red smears all over it, so it clearly didn’t come easy.
“All good?” I ask.
“All good,” he verifies, crossing the foyer and holding it out for me.
“I’m not touching that,” I inform him, flicking a glance at it. “Let Juanita clean you up, then take it to my study. Put it in the drawer safe—not that filthy fucking envelope, just the cash.”
His arm drops to his side, and he stares at me. “The safe? I thought you needed it before you met Lorenzo about the fight.”
I withdraw a thick, clean envelope from the breast pocket of my suit jacket and hold it up for him to see. “I’m giving this to Lorenzo. I just needed that to be collected.”
Sin frowns, staring at the envelope like he’s sure there’s been some mistake. “You said it was urgent. You said it had to be done now.”
I wander back into the other room, looking for my cell phone. “It was. I wanted it done; that makes it urgent.”
He follows me, but I can feel his mood darkening. “You knew I would take care of it later. There was no reason for me to rush out like that if you didn’t need the fucking money for your meeting.”
“Was there something more important you needed to do?” I ask mildly.
“Yes, as a matter of fact, there was,” he replies. “Look, you wanna be an asshole to me personally because of Laurel, that’s fine, but this kind of shit cannot bleed into our business relationship. I’m not fucking okay with that.”
I smile ever so slightly, tucking the envelope away and fixing the fold of my left sleeve. “Doesn’t really matter if you’re okay with it, does it?”