Sins from Her Past (Scandalous)

by Jules Bennett

  “You’re an amazing man, Vincent Hawk. I can’t believe a woman hasn’t scooped you up.”

  He covered her hand with his and smiled. “Maybe there’s only one woman I’ve been waiting on.”

  Her heartbeat sped up as the lump of fear formed in her throat. She swallowed it, refusing to let her past enter into her decisions, her future.

  Gathering courage she could only feel radiating from Vin, she leaned forward and slid her lips over his. Softly, tenderly. He didn’t reach for her, didn’t take over the kiss.

  Evelyn eased back, looked into his eyes and when she saw desire beneath those heavy lids, she moved back in to taste him again.

  She could do this. She wanted to do this. She reached for him, thrilled when he met her halfway and took her hand in his. The comforter eased down her shoulders and pooled around her waist. Their intertwined hands rested in her lap as she coaxed his mouth open with her tongue.

  Vin’s soft moan aroused her even more. His gentle touch, his willingness to let her set the pace, only proved she wasn’t making a mistake with him.

  “I can’t think past this moment,” she told him against his lips. “I want to, but I—”

  He kissed her, a full-on attack, wrapping one hand around her waist, one sliding up into her hair and easing her back onto the bed. When he lifted his head, he was smiling. “I don’t care about tomorrow or even this afternoon, Evie. Right now, the fact that you’re willing to give me something so precious is all that matters.”

  The weight of his strong body didn’t scare her like she’d imagined it would, but rather it thrilled her, excited her and totally turned her on.

  “I want you, Vin. You deserve more, but that’s all I can offer right now.”

  “I’ll take anything I can get.” He glanced down between their bodies and laughed. “Can we get rid of the bulky comforter?”

  She pulled the bed cover away from where it had wrapped around her legs. Finally she was wearing only the cami-and-panty set she’d slept in.

  “Much better,” he told her, trailing a fingertip up one bare thigh. “I nearly came in my pants when you opened the door dressed like this.”

  “I was in the middle of dreaming—” her body trembled beneath his featherlight touch as his finger continued up over the silky material to her breast, “—about you.”

  His hand still at her taut nipple, he slid his thumb back and forth over the silk barrier, making the sensation even more erotic.

  “What were you dreaming about?”

  “This,” she told him, looking into his eyes. “In my dream I was fearless, I let you do anything you wanted. But you interrupted when you knocked on the door.”

  He eased the strap down her arm until the material fell away from her breast. “So you were left aching? Ready to come?”

  Evelyn bit her lip and nodded.

  “I’m sure I can finish where the dream left off.”

  She placed a hand over his on her breast. “I can’t let you have complete control, but I can let you do what you want. I just need to know you’ll stop if I tell you to.”

  His eyes closed, then opened. “Evelyn, I would do anything for you. I just want you to be comfortable and I guarantee, if you’ll let me, I’ll make you very, very comfortable.”

  She smiled because everything about him put her at ease. She wouldn’t be lying on a hotel bed wearing nearly nothing if he didn’t.

  “I trust you,” she told him. “Just go slow. Please.”

  “I’ve waited for you for years.” He came to his feet, took her hand to pull her up too. “And if we’re going to go slow, we better not start out on the bed.”

  He’d waited for years. God, all that time she could’ve been…

  No. She wasn’t even going to go to that place in her mind. Today, right now, was all about Vin and all the wonderful ways he was going to make her forget the ugliness in her life.

  He took the hem of her cami and slid it up and over her head. Silk in hand, he looked directly into her eyes.

  “Okay?” he asked.

  Evelyn nodded. “You don’t have to ask with every step. I promise, you’ll know if I’m going to freak out.”

  A flash of hurt shot through his eyes a moment before he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against his hard, bare chest. God, the feeling of being skin to skin with him was better than her dream, beyond arousing.

  He tipped her face up and took her mouth, plunging his tongue in and sweeping it along hers. The crisp hair on his chest tickled her nipples and she arched against him, wanting, needing more.

  Feeling braver by the minute, she slid her hands down his chiseled abdomen and to the top button of his jeans. When she unsnapped it, he brushed her hands aside and unzipped his jeans. He broke the kiss and was out of his pants in record time.

  “Now, no more touching or this will be over before I can really enjoy myself,” he told her.

  But that didn’t stop her from stepping back and taking in her fill. Oh, she’d seen him in swimming trunks, but what this man did for a pair of black boxer-briefs was so much more intoxicating than trunks.

  She hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and looked up at him. Knowing he was physically holding back told her she had all the power here. He might be a foot taller than her, with many extra pounds, but he wouldn’t hurt her. Ever.

  The silky panties slid down to puddle at her feet and she kicked them aside. Vin’s eyes gave her body a visual lick as his nostrils flared, his eyes darkened.

  “You’re the most beautiful woman, Evie.”

  Crossing her arms around her chest, she tried to smile. “I’m not built like those models you like to date, but I won’t apologize for my body. I’m just…bigger. It’s who I am.”

  “I love who you are.”

  Shock filled her. “You—”

  He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her again, cutting off anything she was about to say regarding his declaration. Did he love her? Was he trying to tell her that? He couldn’t be serious. He was just saying that to make her feel better.

  His hands cupped her ass, pulling her against his bulging erection. Evelyn gripped his broad shoulders. God, those muscles were bigger than they looked.

  Vin kissed his way down her neck to her breast and Evelyn arched into his touch. His hands seemed to be everywhere—roaming over her back, her waist, her ass. When he moved to suck the other breast, his palm came up to cup the one he’d just thoroughly loved.

  “Vin,” she panted.

  How could something so simple feel so damn good? Moisture pooled between her legs. She’d never been turned on like this before, never craved feeling a man slide into her.

  As if sensing her thoughts, his hand slid between her legs at the same time his mouth traveled back up to hers.

  “Step out wider,” he muttered against her lips. “I want to feel you.”

  She eased her legs apart and nearly buckled to the floor when he eased a finger between her damp folds. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, he rubbed back and forth. Her hips jerked, her breath quickened.

  Vin’s warm breath against her face, his strong hand being so gentle between her legs and his soft whispers had her nearly going mad.

  “I need…”

  “Tell me, baby.”

  “I don’t know,” she told him as her hips picked up speed. “It just feels so good.”

  He backed her up until she dropped to the bed. When he went to his knees between her open thighs, she gasped. “Vin, you can’t.”

  “Oh, I can. And I will.”

  “But I’ve never…”

  He grinned. “Good. I like being first.”

  Evelyn kept herself propped up on her elbows as she watched Vin move closer to her aching spot. And then with one quick, very well-placed swipe of his tongue, she groaned and fell back onto the bed. Mercy…

  He slid his arms behind her knees and tossed her legs over his shoulders. At this point he could do what he wanted with those legs because
they’d turned to rubber.

  She fisted her hands in the sheets at her sides when he spread her apart and made love to her with his mouth. Flickers of anticipation spread through her. Instinct had her placing her feet on his shoulders, letting her knees fall to the side.

  Vin slid his hands beneath her butt, tipping her up higher. When he groaned against her, Evelyn couldn’t hold back the rush of the climax that slammed through her. Her body arched as Vin continued to thoroughly love her body. Hands, lips, tongue… God, he was good at this.

  When her tremors died down, he crawled up her body with a wry smile on his face.

  “You’re so damn sexy,” he told her as his hands slid up her sides. “I can’t get enough of this body, those soft moans.”

  She cupped his face. “I can’t believe…I just…”

  He smoothed the hair from her face. “I know. I feel the same.”

  When he eased back and came to his feet, Evelyn sat up. “You’re leaving?”

  “Hell no.” He scooped her up, one arm behind her back, one under her knees. “We’re going to my room where we can continue and where the condoms are.”

  A bit of fear spread through her at what was to come, but excitement quickly took its place. She nestled her head against his warm neck, surprised at how easy he was to trust, to feel secure around…to care for on a level she wasn’t ready to identify.

  He took her into his room, his bed was still rumpled from his night of sleep. When he lay her down, he stood over her, a look of desire filling his dark eyes.

  She couldn’t believe she was doing this, couldn’t believe after all this time she was letting down the steel wall she’d erected. But this felt right and she knew Vin would be gentle, loving.

  Surprisingly, right at this moment, she had no fear. Nerves had settled in, but fear was totally absent.

  “No thinking,” he told her, smiling. “This is just me and you.”

  “I know. That’s what makes this so special.”

  Placing a knee beside her hip, Vin eased onto the bed and stretched out beside her. All that glorious, toned skin pressing against hers made her ache in places she thought were already satisfied.

  “Tell me if I do something wrong,” she told him.

  Vin’s fingertips trailed across her collarbone, down between her breasts and continued to her lower abdomen. “There’s nothing you could do that would be wrong, Evie. Nothing.”

  Her eyes sought his and her breath hitched. His fingers kept traveling in a pattern across her stomach, over her rib cage and back down, but his gaze never wavered from hers.

  “I’ve never wanted to make a man desire me,” she whispered. “But I want you to find me attractive, desirable.”

  Vin reached up, cupped her face and leaned closer. “I’ve wanted you for so long, Evie. You have no idea. I’m barely hanging on here, but I’m not going to rush you. You matter too much to me and I can guarantee you that there’s no man who has desired you more than I do right this very moment.”

  Evelyn smiled, sliding her hand up Vin’s well-defined bicep and over his sculpted shoulder. “Then why are we still talking?”

  “Because I don’t want to pressure you.”

  “All I feel right now is excitement and an ache that only you can fix. I want this, Vin. I want you.”

  He hesitated for about a second, but Evelyn couldn’t wait any longer. She’d put her life on hold long enough. With a hand on his shoulder, she eased him back on the rumpled bed and captured his lips.

  Taking control wasn’t something she’d planned, but the feeling was almost liberating. Not to mention she felt like the vixen she wanted to be for Vin. He was such a…man. He wouldn’t want some weak, vulnerable woman in his bed.

  Clutching both of his shoulders, Evelyn thrust her tongue into his mouth as his hands roamed up and down the dip in her waist. She loved the feel of his hands on her, loved the feel of his body beneath hers.

  She truly never thought she’d enjoy this so much…or crave more.

  Vin reached down, clutched her ass and tilted his hips.

  “I need you, Evie,” he murmured against her mouth. “You’re killing me.”

  “Where are the condoms?”

  “In my bag.”

  He eased from her as he hopped off the bed and reached into his black travel bag on the dresser. In no time he’d torn open the foil and dressed for the occasion. And the longer he stood there, the more anxious Evelyn became.

  She lay back on the bed and reached for him. “I’ve waited for this, Vin. I didn’t know who I was waiting on, but it was you. All this time, it’s been you.”

  The muscle in Vin’s jaw ticced, his eyes held hers as he crawled across the bed and rested a hand on either side of her head. He lifted a leg and straddled her body before slowly, gently, kissing her.

  Little by little Vin lowered his body against hers. Evelyn spread her legs, pulling her knees up and letting him get comfortable. His erection brushed against her, sending shivers throughout her body.

  “Wrap your legs around my waist,” he told her. “Unless you want to change positions. I want you to be in charge.”

  She grinned. “I’m pretty happy right where I’m at.”

  Evelyn gasped as he eased into her, filling her. Her back bowed as she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

  “Am I hurting you?” he asked.

  “No,” she panted. “Feels so good.”

  She’d barely adjusted to his size when he began to move, pumping slowly, purposefully. He captured a nipple in his mouth, causing her to forget finesse. A scream tore from her lips as she locked her ankles and gripped his shoulders.

  Vin palmed the other breast as his mouth came back up to hers, capturing it as his hips jerked faster. Another orgasm built within her and Evelyn relaxed her body, waiting, wanting the euphoria to take over. Never before had she welcomed such abandonment.

  “I’m not going to last, Evie.”

  Her knees tightened against his waist. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  He pumped again, kissed her lips, her neck, back to her lips. She’d never seen him so…restless, so out of control. And she loved knowing she’d rendered him powerless.

  Tilting his hips just enough to hit that perfect spot, Vin’s body stilled just as her orgasm consumed her. She cried out, but her vocal ecstasy was swallowed by his mouth as it claimed hers once again.

  Chill bumps spread all over her body as her climax came to an end. When Vin stopped trembling, he looked down at her, nipped at her lips and grinned.

  “I knew you would be worth the wait,” he told her. “But now that I know how good you feel, I don’t plan on waiting much longer to have you again.”

  Evelyn couldn’t believe how happy she was, how content and perfect her world seemed right at this second.

  “So I shouldn’t get dressed?” she asked.

  He raked his thumb across her nipple. “I prefer you just like this.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Evelyn’s cell blared through the open doorway connecting the two rooms. She jumped out of Vin’s bed and ran to get her phone. She always made herself available in case a new client was calling.

  Of course she couldn’t really pride herself on professionalism, considering she’d just spent the entire morning in the bed of her highest-paying client.

  “Can’t you let it ring?” Vin called after her.

  Ignoring him, she grabbed her cell where it had been charging on her nightstand. Unplugging it, she hit the button to turn it on.

  “Hello.”

  “Happy birthday, Evie.”

  Evelyn sank down on the edge of her bed and smiled. “Thank you, Dylan.”

  “Hope I didn’t interrupt anything.”

  Evelyn smiled as she spotted Vin lounging in the doorway between their rooms, wearing nothing but a grin.

  “I’m a little busy, but never too busy to get birthday wishes from my big brother.”

  “Little?” Vin whispered. �
�Nothing little here.”

  Evelyn couldn’t help but laugh as she tried to shoo him away.

  “Sounds like you’re having fun,” her brother told her. “You and Vin still getting along?”

  Flashes of what they’d just experienced together flooded her mind. “Getting along perfectly. I can’t wait for you to see this resort.”

  “I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” he told her. “While I have you on the phone, did Alan call you about Rick’s party coming up?”

  A shiver rippled through her at just his name…especially since she was sitting naked. She refused to allow any ugliness to creep into the beauty that had just transpired.

  “Yes, I’ve talked to him. I’ve got the caterer covered and Rick’s assistant has the invites ready to send.”

  “Alan wanted me to ask if you’d be willing to meet him at the house about an hour beforehand. I’m getting Rick out of the house and I’ll see if Vin will come with us.”

  That sixteen-year-old living inside her shrank back in fear, but the woman she’d become, the woman who’d just overcome a huge hurdle only moments ago emerged and took control.

  “Fine,” she told him, knowing she’d never be the victim ever again. “Anything to surprise Rick.”

  She chatted a few minutes more before hanging up. When she placed the phone back on the nightstand, she sighed. Alan may think he was being slick, but she knew how he worked. How many times had he manipulated time alone for the two of them? Did he honestly think that after all this time she’d fall prey to him again? Did he truly believe that she hadn’t taken control of her life, moved past that innocent, naïve, vulnerable teen she’d been?

  “You okay?”

  Evelyn focused her attention back to Vin. She hadn’t even noticed he’d come to stand right beside her. His hands were fisted on his naked, narrow hips, his brows drawn together.

  “Um…yeah.” She forced her eyes to stay on his face and not on his already impressive erection. “That was Dylan and… Are you just going to stand there like it’s normal to walk around like that?”

  He laughed. “Well, it is normal considering you’re sitting there naked. Did Dylan say something to upset you? You got this look on your face like, I don’t know. You were scared.”