Sin frowned, the fingers tugging on her hair gentling until he was actually massaging her scalp, his clever fingers easing tension she desperately needed to maintain if she was going to be strong enough to resist him.
“First off, you don’t know me as well as you think you do.” Some fleeting thought showed in his gaze but disappeared again before she could analyze it. “I won’t lie and say I haven’t been with a lot of women,” he told her point–blank. Just like a gunshot. BANG! to her heart. “But I wasn’t with anyone but you this weekend.” Sinful lips curled into a slight smile, although the intensity in his gaze never wavered. “I didn’t come after you right away because if I had, I’d have spanked your ass until it glowed in the dark.”
Taylor snarled. Not just because of the threat, but because of what it did to her body. She was wound tighter than a piano wire at the thought of his rough hands tapping her ass, then dipping between her legs and… She shook her head and struggled against his hold. “I’d like to see you–”
Then his mouth was on hers and Taylor cursed herself even as she melted against him, helpless to deny everything he’d said because he owned her. Mind, body and soul.
He was going to go fucking crazy if he didn’t get inside her soon. That had been Sin’s only thought since she took off Saturday morning. And he hadn’t lied. If he had come after her any sooner, in a more private location, he’d have put her face down over his lap and paddled her ass and fucked her right after. With his anger–and okay, a dash of hurt–coloring his good sense, he would’ve savaged Taylor for leaving the way she did. It wouldn’t have been pretty and it probably would’ve cost him any hope for something else.
Which was exactly what he’d decided he wanted from her. She wasn’t like other women he’d been with and he shouldn’t have thought to treat her like them. Taylor was…everything outside of his experience and he wanted more of her. Simple as that. Was this the start of a relationship? He didn’t know for sure, but he sure as hell wasn’t ready to see her walk out of his life.
Her kiss was just as wild and sweet as it was two days ago, causing Sin’s body to respond like a well–trained dog. Harder than a fence post and ready to drive into the soft haven of her body. How she managed to get him so worked up with a simple kiss was anyone’s guess, but Sin wasn’t going to question it any longer. He’d spent six years doing his best to resist her. She’d sealed her fate when she propositioned him Friday night. Sealed both their fates. And he wasn’t going to let her think this would go down any way but his way.
Which was why he pulled out of the kiss even though he didn’t want to stop fucking her mouth with his tongue, didn’t want to stop hearing those whimpering moans as she met his thrusts with her own, didn’t want her to stop rocking against his dick as though she couldn’t wait to ride him to completion. But he had to. Denying himself wasn’t normal for Sin, except when he had an end goal in mind. Success came from sacrificing when needed and wild risks when all else failed. Right now, he was sacrificing his aching balls for the chance to get Taylor right where he wanted her.
Her mewl of disappointment was music to his ears and he had to close his eyes to keep from just taking her right then and there. End game. Remember the fucking end game. She didn’t know him because there were secrets he’d kept from her and everyone in Grand Terre. Secrets he wasn’t exactly ready to share with anyone yet, not even Taylor. So no, they couldn’t do this until he’d had a chance to find out if she’d even be open to accepting those parts of him, the parts of his life that he refused to alter for anyone, not even a woman who twisted him up inside.
Right.
Opening his eyes once more, he stared into her passion–misted gaze and wanted to take back his plans for the end game. But no, she was still under the misbelief that they were simply a one–night stand.
“You and I are not finished,” he said when her eyes began to clear, some of her spunk coming back. Those formerly hazy brown orbs suddenly darkened with anger. Whoa, something has seriously pissed her off. And since Taylor had to be one of the most easy–going women he knew, he knew it had to be big. “We have a lot we need to talk about if we’re going to try to…”
He paused because he wasn’t even sure what he wanted. To fuck her when he wanted, in a monogamous kind of relationship? To still be friends with her, friends with benefits? Even thinking the phrase friends with benefits made him feel like an idiot. He fucked, but he didn’t fuck his friends. Until Taylor. But then she wasn’t like any friend he’d had before.
“If we’re going to what?” she pressed, when he was still trying to figure out what they were. She poked him in the chest. “To have some sort of friends with benefits relationship?” Shit, how did she know that’s what I was thinking? She snorted, clearly reading it on his face. She pushed at him and he let her, not sure what else to do. “You know, when I went after you on Friday, all I could think about was finally experiencing passion for myself,” she stated, as she hopped off the table and adjusted her clothes. She stopped to look him dead in the eyes. “No. You know what? I’m tired of lying to myself.”
Sin watched warily as she sucked in a deep breath and let it out nice and slow.
“I–”
The door to the break room burst open and a feminine squeal splintered the air. Sin and Taylor whirled around just as a tall woman charged into the room, throwing herself into his arms. Reflexively catching her, the way he had thousands of times before, Sin met Taylor’s gaze across Megan’s shoulder and watched all hope die in her eyes.
Chapter Seven
It was her. The woman in the picture. And all Taylor could do was watch as Sin held her tenderly, accepting the enthusiastic kisses she sprinkled all over his handsome face. He wasn’t impatient with her, didn’t thrust her away and give her the scowl he usually gave to women who approached him after their time was over. No. Instead he smiled at her, with love shining on his face; a look she would’ve given her life to see aimed at her.
“I saw Betsy parked out front and asked the ladies up front if you were here,” the woman said, in a voice that rang as clear as bells. Annoyingly perfect and happy. “I don’t think they wanted to tell me where you were, but when I told them who I was, they showed me the way.” She threw her arms around his neck and squeezed him tight. “Surprise!”
“Megan,” Sin murmured as he hugged her back, his eyes closing for a moment as though savoring the moment. “I missed you, honey girl.”
The woman’s name was Megan and Sin had a special nickname for her. Taylor’s stomach rippled as nausea threatened. They looked just as perfect together in person as they had in the picture. As though they belonged together. Two sickeningly attractive people who had so much love for each other, it practically lit the room.
“I missed you too,” Megan sighed, as she relaxed into his bigger body. “And I know I said I wouldn’t be able to come out here until next month, but I decided not to take that summer class after all.”
Taylor began to inch away. Not because she wanted to give them privacy, but because if she had to watch anymore of this, she’d throw up all over Megan’s beautiful, expensive wedges. But she hadn’t made it more than a foot when Sin’s eyes opened, that hard silver gaze pinning her place like a butterfly to a mounting board.
“Taylor,” he said in a voice that radiated tension and something else, something powerful enough to have Megan turning in his arms to look at her with frank curiosity in her silvery–blue eyes. “Megan, this is Taylor Guillory.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she studied Taylor from the top of her short hair to the tips of her ratty sneakers. She stepped forward with her hand outstretched and a huge smile blossoming on her beautiful face.
“Oh my god, you’re Taylor!“ Megan exclaimed, as she waited for Taylor to shake her hand. “I’ve heard so much about you!”
Taylor looked from Megan’s sparkling eyes to her hand and back again, gore rising in her throat. Sin had told this woman about her but hadn’t had
the courtesy to tell Taylor about her? She wanted to shun shaking Megan’s hand, wanted to scream at her and kick Sin in the balls for putting her in the position of being polite to his…lover? His girlfriend? Who was she exactly?
But as much as she wanted to be rude, Taylor reached out and shook Megan’s hand, trying to keep it short, except Megan had other plans. She actually tugged Taylor closer and hugged her with one arm. For being a girlie type of woman, Megan was surprisingly strong and the embrace she wrapped Taylor came close to cracking her spine.
“I can’t even count how many stories I’ve heard about you,” Megan bubbled, as she leaned back to look Taylor in the face. “Did you really challenge Eli Tucker to a quarter mile race and win?”
Looking from Megan’s glowing face to Sin, who appeared uneasy and a little shifty–eyed, Taylor nodded dumbly. “Yes. It’s nice to meet you,” she said weakly. “Um, I’ll just–”
“You have to tell me about the work you’re doing with the girls’ recreational soccer team,” Megan cut in, looping their arms together. “Dad was telling me about it and I thought I could help. I played for about ten years and–”
But Taylor wasn’t listening. She shook her head, shock making her slow. “Dad?” she croaked as she looked at Megan. “Who’s your dad?”
Megan blinked those gorgeous eyes at her before throwing her head back to let out a tinkling laugh. “Oh my god, that’s hilarious!” She released Taylor to take a step back and hold out her hand again. “Let’s try this again. Hi Taylor, I’m Megan Rivas, Sinclair’s daughter.”
Taylor’s gaze skittered from Megan’s amused face to Sin’s more impassive one and back again. The similarities were glaringly obvious when she wasn’t blinded by extreme jealousy. They had the same hair color, although Sin religiously shaved his head bald, the same high cheekbones and eye shape. Back and forth her gaze bounced between Sin and Megan and back again, unable to really grasp that Sin had a daughter… Well, Megan had to be at least twenty, unless she was an extremely mature sixteen year old.
“Wh–What?” she stammered, feeling like an idiot for not seeing the similarities before. Even more, she was hurt, felt betrayed that Sin hadn’t shared something this important with her.
Now that she thought about it though, the more she realized Sin had never really told her much about his personal life before moving to Grand Terre. All she really knew about his life in Dallas was what he’d learned about cars while there. He’d never sat down and talked about his family, about himself in all the time she’d known him. And now, faced with his daughter, her brain sort of blanked as she turned to him.
“You’re married?“ she screeched.
Megan’s eyes widened and it was only then that she seemed to really look at Taylor and her father, at the rumpled state of Taylor’s hair, her kiss–swollen lips and the red marks around her mouth. “Uh–oh,” she muttered softly. “Did I come at a bad time?”
… … … … …
“Men are idiots,” Megan announced, as she trailed into Sin’s house behind him. He grunted a response and carried her bags to the bedroom he’d set up for her when he bought the place, not wanting to get into it with her. But of course she followed him and kept up a running commentary. “This is nice, Dad. Very bachelor chic. I especially like the blank walls.”
Despite his temper, Sin couldn’t help but smile a bit. It’d always been that way between them. Of course, she was his baby girl and could get away with teasing him out of his bad mood. She was also one of the few people who could get him riled up with only a look. The only other person who had that power over him was Taylor. Probably why he loved her so much. And he’d fucked. It. Up.
Shaking his head, he entered Megan’s room and dumped her bags on the bed. “Are you moving in for the rest of your life or is this supposed to last you through the week?”
She rolled her eyes at him as she looked around curiously. Unlike the rest of the house, which was plain and unadorned except for some classic car pictures he’d hung up on the walls, Megan’s room was perfectly her. He’d painted the walls a light purple shade the salesperson at the home improvement store had called “Lavender Sunset”. The furniture was all white and whimsical, ordered directly from the same store whose magazine Megan had earmarked a year ago as wanting to try when she got her own place. Everything in it was feminine and delicate and all for his baby girl.
She turned in a circle, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping before she stopped to stare at him in stunned amazement. “Dad?” she warbled, tears filling her eyes.
Sin smiled and held out his arms. “Welcome home, honey girl.”
When she flew into his arms the same way she had from the first moment she learned to walk, Sin hugged her to his chest, the love he felt for her almost enough to smother him. This girl was his miracle, her smile the light in his life, the only person he could truly say he loved with all of his heart. Well, until Taylor charged into his life.
Some of his happiness faded as he recalled the hurt and betrayal on Taylor’s face as she stormed out of the break room after Megan explained their relationship. His heart actually fucking hurt as he thought about how he’d fucked things up. He should’ve told her. He’d had so many chances to tell her over the last six years, but he’d jealously guarded his daughter, not wanting to put her through the same hell she’d gone through with each of Maria’s boyfriends and men.
Closing his eyes, Sin inhaled the baby powder and lilac scent of Megan, wishing he could’ve done things differently. Not just with her, but with Taylor. Of anyone in Grand Terre, Taylor was the only one he considered a true friend, the only one he knew who wouldn’t have condemned him for not marrying Maria. He hadn’t realized it at the time, but his instant attraction to Taylor had to be due to how different she was from Maria.
Taylor would’ve never purposely gotten pregnant to hold onto a boy who was drifting too far away from her, and she definitely wouldn’t have threatened to file rape charges when she didn’t get her way. Maria had. She’d wanted the life of luxury she thought Sin could give her. She’d taken one look at the house he lived in and thought for sure she’d found her ticket to the better life.
Sin buried his face in his daughter’s soft hair and forced himself to relax. Maria couldn’t have made a bigger mistake when she set her sights on him. She’d have realized that Sin’s parents were self–righteous religious freaks who’d see her bastard child as a direct violation of their beliefs. When she’d shown up at their house to inform them of her pregnancy and threaten Sin with incarceration, his parents had kicked both of them out. And thus began a very long sixteen years of his life, as Maria did everything she could to squeeze every dime out of him.
Money he’d willingly given for his daughter to have the best of everything. Moving to Grand Terre had been the hardest thing he’d ever done, leaving Megan with Maria for two long years. He hadn’t left her completely alone, taking frequent trips back to spend time with her when she was out of school, but it’d been difficult driving away from her each damn time. But Sin had known he needed to get financially stable and have a home for his girl to come to when she went to college.
And if he hadn’t come to Grand Terre, he wouldn’t have met Taylor. She’d been an unexpected bonus, one he hadn’t even appreciated until he fucked things up to the point she hadn’t been able to look at him.
“You’re such a man,” Megan sighed against his chest. She pushed back to look him in the eye. That’s what he admired about his girl, she didn’t take shit from anyone, especially her old man. “Every time I’ve seen you since you moved to Grand Terre, all you do is talk about what you and Taylor have done together, and you didn’t tell her about me?” She rolled her eyes. “You’re still trying to protect me and, because of that, you had that lady thinking I was your girlfriend.”
Sin gaped at her. “What?”
Megan scowled and pulled away from him to fold her arms across her chest in a move he recognized as one she used when she was part
icularly irritated with him. “Dad. I know you still see me as a little girl with pigtails and braces, but I’m almost twenty years old. If you never told her about me, of course she’s going to think I’m your girlfriend.” She shuddered and dropped her arms. “I swear, sometimes you’re so clueless.”
“I don’t talk about Taylor all the time.” He defended himself for a lack of anything better to say because, really, Megan was making more sense than he would’ve liked.
His loving daughter laughed and began to unpack her bags. “Really? How is it I know she works at that store with her sisters, plays wide receiver for a women’s full–contact football team, can tune an engine just by sound alone and makes you laugh more than anyone else you’ve been with?”
She picked up a stack of something that made Sin decidedly uneasy as it was all lacy and black. He averted his gaze. No way his daughter wore lingerie. No way in fucking hell. She didn’t even notice. Sin stiffened and stepped back to the door, not to avoid the discussion, but to avoid accidentally looking in her suitcase again. He’d seen something…that didn’t belong in there. Sweat broke out along his forehead and he thought he might hyperventilate.
“I was twelve when Maria broke up with Hank,” she continued, not in the least bit concerned that her father might have seen something that had to be a sexual aid. But it couldn’t be, Sin thought, almost wild with panic. She was only nineteen for god’s sake! “I was upset, but that didn’t mean you had to avoid letting me meet any of your girlfriends.”
“I didn’t have girlfriends,” he said through stiff lips, the upper one already coated in a fine layer of nervous sweat. Was he having a heart attack?
Brought to His Knees-Tough Guys Laid Low By Love Page 43