by Leah Brooke
“You heard what I said, Veronica. Come to the island with me, and I’ll show you how good it can be to explore your fantasies.”
Veronica lifted her head and shook her head sadly.
“You’re a kind man, Sin, but I tried sex once and learned it isn’t for me.”
Sin frowned at that. “Tell me about it.”
She opened her mouth as if she’d been about to answer him but snapped it shut again. “I’d like to go home now. I have to get up early to go to work. What about this thing with my grandmother?”
Sin was determined to take her to the island with him, relishing the opportunity to get to know her better and show her the sensuality inside her that he suspected screamed for release.
Inclining his head, he went to get his phone to text Sam.
As soon as he finished, he turned back to her, taking her hands in his.
“I’ll see you home, but this isn’t finished, Veronica. I’ll come see you tomorrow. We’ll talk more about your grandmother then. What time do you get home from work?”
Chapter Four
As she waited for her lunch to heat in the microwave, Veronica reached into the pocket of her suit jacket for probably the hundredth time that day, fingering the card that Sin had given her. She should call him and tell him not to come.
Let me show you, Veronica. Let me show you how good it can be.
His eyes had glittered with promise, the confidence of a man sure in his abilities.
They’d also held a compassion that she hadn’t been able to forget.
“You’ve been distracted all day, Roni. Does it have anything to do with the man in the limo who picked you up and brought you home late?”
Stiffening at the accusation in Robert’s cold tone, and the feel of him pressed against her back, Veronica jerked away, the counter not giving her the room she needed to escape.
Thoughts of Sin had distracted her, and she’d let her guard down.
Chilled, she glanced sideways, hoping to see Karen but knew that her friend would stay at her window until Veronica finished her lunch.
“Get away from me, Robert.” The strong scent of his cologne made it even more difficult to breathe.
She couldn’t help but think about Sin, remembering his clean, fresh scent.
Robert’s hands went to her hips. “No. I want you, Roni.”
The ding from the microwave startled her, and she started to move toward it, pushing his hands away.
“I said to stay away from me. This is your last warning. I’ve tried to be patient, but I’m going to file sexual harassment charges against you if you bother me again.”
“There’s no need for that. Let me take you to dinner tonight and we can talk.” Robert leaned back against the counter, giving her what she assumed to be a seductive smile, but it left her feeling cold and slightly nauseated.
“I know what you need, Roni, and I’m just the man to give it to you.”
Backing her into the corner, he leaned close. “And when you’re mine, I’m going to make you pay for making me wait.”
* * * *
Ignoring her boss’s speculative looks, Veronica spent the rest of the afternoon avoiding Robert, annoyed to find herself still shaking by the time she left for the day. She couldn’t put it off much longer. As soon as she finished with the issue of her grandmother, she would have to file a complaint against Robert.
Rushing to her car, she got in and locked the door, glancing in the rearview mirror as she started the engine.
Relieved to see that Robert had been taken aside by Jacob Henderson, her boss and bank manager, Veronica hurried out of the parking lot.
Hopefully, after Mr. Henderson had a talk with him, Robert would back off.
She drove home faster than normal, her thoughts jumbled.
Her run-in with Robert made her more nervous than ever at seeing Sin. Both had the Dominant personalities she’d read so much about.
How could one terrify her and another keep her awake at night with thoughts of surrendering to him?
Frowning to see a car parked in front of her house, Veronica got out, sucking in a breath when she saw Sin get out of the back and come toward her.
“Veronica. You’re right on time. I ordered dinner to be delivered to my hotel room. We can talk there with no interruptions.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she watched Robert’s car slow, seeing the anger on his face before he took off, his tires squealing.
It appeared that a talk with their boss had only made matters worse.
Sin followed her gaze, stiffening. “Who the hell is that?”
Her sleepless night and the nerves she’d been running on all day finally snapped.
A sob escaped, and her legs turned to rubber, buckling under her.
“Whoa! What the hell?” Sin caught her, gathering her against him and lifting her high against his chest.
Embarrassed and shaken, Veronica pushed against his chest. “I’m sorry. I’m okay. Put me down.”
“No.” He turned to glance over his shoulder.
“Sam, lock her car and get her purse. She dropped it.”
“Got it.”
Sin was already striding to his car, his expression hard. “Did you get his plate?”
“No. He was already taking off when I realized he was a problem.”
Veronica shivered at the anger in Sam’s voice and the tension in Sin’s muscular frame.
Keeping her in his arms, he slid into the back seat of the luxury car, holding her securely on his lap.
“You okay, sweetheart?”
Mortified at the scene she’d caused, Veronica fought to sit up. “Please. I’m fine. I just had a rough day.”
“A rough day at the bank that makes you damned near pass out when you get home?” Settling her on the seat next to him, Sin fastened her seatbelt before fastening his.
The sarcasm in his tone and the concern in his eyes didn’t escape her.
Forcing a smile, she accepted her purse from Sam. “I didn’t sleep much last night, and I had a disagreement with a coworker today.”
“Did that coworker happen to be the man who drove past? What did he want, Veronica? Has he been harassing you?”
Looking away, she pulled her coat more firmly around her, uncomfortable under Sin’s penetrating stare. “Of course not. I thought we were going to talk at my house.”
“I told you I ordered dinner to be delivered at the penthouse.” His voice lowered. “I thought it would be better to make sure that we aren’t interrupted.”
Veronica’s face burned, but she had to admit that getting away where Robert couldn’t find her sounded good.
“What happened to the limo?”
“The limo seemed to make you uncomfortable, so I bought this today.”
Stunned, Veronica gaped at him. “You bought this to make me more comfortable?”
Sin shrugged, his lips twitching faintly.
“I hadn’t planned to spend so much time in Washington D.C., but it looks like my plans have changed.”
Veronica’s breath caught. “Have they?”
“Yes. It appears that they have.”
Once in the hotel room, Sin removed her coat and scarf before removing his own.
Placing both over the back of one of the low chairs, he took her hand in his and led her to the sofa.
Wearing black trousers and a dark green sweater that made his eyes appear even greener than they’d looked the night before, he oozed sexuality.
“Sit down, Veronica. There’s no reason to be nervous.”
She dropped onto the sofa without hesitation, grateful to get off of her rubbery legs.
Sin lowered himself to sit next to her, his body turned to face hers as he opened a bottle of wine and poured two glasses.
Sam stood across from them, his gaze sharp as he watched the waiter came through the door and set out their food while Sin ignored both of them, his gaze focused on hers.
Sam signed the paper the other m
Sin took her hand in his. “Sam, I don’t want to be disturbed unless the hotel’s on fire.”
“Understood.”
When the door closed behind Sam, the sexual tension rose in the room, becoming sharp enough to cut with a knife.
Leaning forward, Sin took the lids off of the plates of steak and potatoes, handing her one, along with silverware and a napkin. “So, Veronica Sands, tell me about yourself.”
Accepting the plate, she shrugged, relieved that he didn’t ask about Robert. “My life is pretty boring. I’m twenty-eight years old. I work as a bank teller. My father took off before I was born, and my mother took off a few years after that. My grandmother raised me, and when I went away to college, her sister, Martha, moved in with her.” Smiling, she took the glass of juice he offered. “They’re good company for each other but occasionally fight like cats and dogs, so Aunt Martha moved next door.”
Sin sipped his wine and sat back, watching her. “You didn’t mention any boyfriends.”
The butterflies in her stomach took flight again, and after taking a sip of wine, she scooped a bite of her baked potato, hoping it would calm her stomach. “That’s because I don’t have any.”
He sat forward and took off another lid, leaning toward her to scoop several shrimp onto her plate. “Why not? I’m sure you get offers all the time.”
Veronica bit into one of the shrimp, almost choking when she realized that he was staring at her lips. “Maybe I wasn’t interested in what they were offering.”
Thoughts of what had happened that afternoon with Robert made her stomach roll, so she set her plate aside and got to her feet again. “I don’t know.” Wrapping her arms around herself, she went to the windows. “Maybe I just don’t meet the right men. Maybe I just don’t go out enough to meet them. I don’t go to bars or clubs anymore.”
“Why not?”
Veronica shrugged again, knowing how boring she must sound to him. “I got bored. I hated being hit on by men who had no interest in knowing me. They wanted sex.” Forcing a smile, she turned to him again, unsettled by his sharp gaze.
“I can’t blame them for that, but it’s hard for me to give myself to someone who just wants a quick lay.”
Shaking her head, she went back to the table and picked up her glass of wine, already feeling its calming effects.
“What about you? I would think a man like you would have any number of women clamoring to go away with you for an island vacation.”
“I don’t want to go with anyone except you.”
Veronica stilled, her heart pounding nearly out of her chest. When her legs started to feel wobbly again, she lowered herself to the sofa again.
Holding her glass on her lap, she stared down into it, feeling his gaze. “Oh God.”
He took the glass from her and set it on the table, cutting into his own steak and offering her a bite, holding her gaze as he slid it between her lips.
He stared at her for several long seconds, his eyes narrowed in thought.
“Tell me—how long ago did you start fantasizing about having a lover dominate you?”
Thankful that she’d already swallowed her bite of steak, she reached for her glass of wine again, her face burning. Her heart pounded so furiously that she had trouble catching her breath.
“Never. I never did. I haven’t. Just seeing those people at the club made me curious about it.” She got to her feet again, the tingling heat at her slit making it impossible to sit still.
“I’ve read things, of course. I think I told you that.”
Irritated that he’d flustered her so much that she couldn’t remember what she’d told him, she went to the windows again, staring out into the darkness.
Taking another sip of wine, Veronica felt his approach before seeing his reflection in the glass.
Their eyes met in the glass, and her world tilted.
He stared at her for several long seconds, and although his expression didn’t change, something in his eyes chilled her to the bone.
“I guess now is a good time for you to learn that I won’t tolerate lying from you. Ever. On any subject. I can see it, and it just pisses me off.”
Too stunned to realize that, despite his cold tone, she didn’t fear him the way she did Robert, Veronica averted her gaze and took another sip of wine.
“How did you know I was lying?”
“I’m very observant. Now answer the question.”
With a shrug, Veronica turned, leaning back against the window. “A long time ago, my grandmother got me addicted to the romance novels she devours like chocolate. I buy them all the time at the bookstore. I rarely date and don’t watch much television, so they helped pass the time at night.”
Glancing at Sin, she smiled, her breath hitching under his sharp stare. “I accidentally bought one about a Master and his submissive.”
After the one unsatisfying sexual encounter she’d had, she couldn’t help but fantasize about having a man who took such time with sex instead of rushing through it.
“Of course, I’d already heard about that kind of sex before, but this was a romance…”
She let her voice trail off, embarrassed that she sounded so desperate.
“And then you went to the club and saw your fantasies in person. You saw Dominants that obviously adored their submissives.” Sin took a step closer, his near whisper drawing her in.
Her breath hitched again, and closing her eyes, she once again saw the look on the man’s face as he looked down at his submissive. “Yes.”
She didn’t hear a sound but felt him, the heat from his body and the electricity surrounding him making her warm and tingly.
Opening her eyes, she found him standing over her, only about a foot of space between them.
Sin inclined his head, smiling his approval of her honesty.
“Good girl. What about it excited you?”
Veronica swallowed heavily, stunned at the effect his softly spoken good girl had on her senses. “I don’t know.”
Sin reached out, bracing a hand on the glass next to her head, effectively blocking her in.
“Yes. You do.”
The irritation and disappointment in his voice made her feel foolish and immature, so she forced herself to meet his gaze, struggling for a sophistication she wished she possessed. “I told you that I like the way they look at their submissives.”
Like was too mild a word for the yearning inside her to have that sort of closeness with a lover.
Bracing his other hand on her other side, he leaned closer. “And how is that?”
The way you’re looking at me now.
Need clawed at her, the strength of it so unexpected she panicked and pushed away. “Stop it.”
* * * *
Sin straightened and turned to face her, irritated that she wouldn’t meet his gaze.
“Stop what, Veronica? Stop you from facing what you want?”
Nodding, she moved farther away, something he wouldn’t allow for much longer. “Yes.”
“Why?”
Spinning, she slammed her glass down on the table, her eyes a combination of anger and misery.
“Because reality and fantasy are two different things!” She spun away again, moving to the windows as far away from him as she could get, her arms wrapped around herself. “Because I don’t like to be touched.”
Her voice was so low that he had to strain to hear her.
He stared at her, wondering what had made her think such a thing.
Or who.
Her next words, though, sent a chill through him and sent his protective instincts into high alert.
“Because reality is terrifying.”
Without thinking, he rushed to her side, stopping abruptly when she whirled, her eyes wild.
Keeping his voice low and soothing, Sin smiled tenderly despite the anger raging inside him. “Tell me.”
Her eyes widened briefly, and tilting her head, she studied him, her eyes narrowed.
Straightening again, she shook her head and turned back to the window. “No. It’s my problem.”
Giving her a steely stare, Sin took a step closer.
“If you were mine, you’d be over my lap right now getting a warmed ass.” Smiling coldly, he took another step closer, stopping again.
“Or a hot one, depending on how long it took me to get the truth out of you.”
He hid a smile, filled with satisfaction that, although she appeared slightly alarmed, her eyes held a curiosity and a slight trace of hunger.
A hunger that grew right before his eyes.
Hiding another smile when her hands whipped around to cover an ass he couldn’t wait to get his hands on, he raised a brow.
“Let me assure you, Veronica, that if I intend to spank you, you’re not going to cover your ass. You’re going to come to me willingly.”
Turning away at her gasp, he went back to the sofa and settled back, giving her some time to think about his threat.
He could tell that her own response to his threat intrigued her and decided to bide his time, knowing that rushing her would ruin everything.
Watching her stare out the window again, Sin leaned forward and helped himself to a plate of grapes.
“So when does your grandmother go see her psychic again?”
Blinking, Veronica turned abruptly to face him, her confusion at the change of subject obvious.
“Um. Tomorrow night. Eight. My grandmother goes to bed early and wants to be home by nine.”
Inclining his head, Sin broke off a grape. “I’ll pick you and your grandmother up at six. We’ll go out to eat before we go. It’ll give your grandmother a chance to see us together. My vacation starts on Saturday.”
Wrapping her arms around herself, Veronica moved away from the window, pausing next to the arm of the sofa. “Okay. Um, Sin?”
Biting into the tart grape, he turned slightly, giving her his full attention. “Yes, Veronica?”
Sifting restlessly, she dropped her arms, almost immediately wrapping them around herself again. “Are you …?” She tilted her head again, blushing furiously.
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