by Pam Godwin
Raina lies on her side with her back to Maybe. No response. Not a twitch.
“I’ll be in the room at the end of the hall if you need me.” Maybe rises from the bed, looking uncertain.
“She lived here for a month.” I grip her hand and guide her into the hall. “She knows her way around.”
“But you’ve remodeled this wing since then, right?”
“Yeah.”
Probably a good thing. Reminders of my father are exactly what she doesn’t need right now.
I should’ve killed him when I had the chance. But if I had, Maybe might not have shown up on my doorstep two years ago.
When we reach our bedroom, I lead her to the bathroom. After our reunion in the rain and on the filthy stairs, we could both use a shower.
I undress her slowly, kissing every inch of her skin as I unveil it. Then I remove my clothes and follow her under the warm spray.
I wash her, touch her, and reacquaint myself with her breathy noises and ticklish curves. I didn’t intend to fuck her in here, but when she backs against the tiles and opens her legs, I’m a goner.
Holding her up against the wall, I sink inside her with unhurried strokes. I love her gently, tenderly, relishing the connection, the feel of her clamping around me, the taste of her lips, and the devotion in her eyes.
When we come, it’s a powerful tide of fulfillment and wonder, slow kissing and spent bodies. Limbs intertwined and reluctant to separate, we sink deep into each other, gazes locked, lost in the best way possible.
Later, she falls asleep with her head on my pillow, her breath against my lips, and her leg hooked around my hip.
I watch her sleep, unwilling to close my eyes, refusing to erase the sight of her.
During my darkest moments, my love for her kept my mind from sinking into the mire. As deep as I fell, she was my solid ground, steadying me, lifting me back on my feet.
The feelings I harbor for her will never end. Not when my body ceases to function. Not when my soul releases for whatever comes next. Even in death, I won’t let her go.
She’s my serenity and my fire, my first and last breath.
Lying beside her is my favorite place, and for the rest of my life and into the next, she’s all mine.
The next night, Maybe stands naked in the stable with her forehead against the wooden support beam. I prowl a circuit around her, fingers clenching the crop, heart thumping, and adrenaline coursing through my veins. This must be what a cat feels like while waiting to pounce on a mouse.
My belt binds her wrists in front of her, preventing her from pushing me away. My rope binds her ankles, restraining her from running. Not that she would. She wants this badly, evidenced by the wetness glistening on her inner thighs.
“Tell me why we’re here.” I pause behind her.
“Because it pleases you.”
Goddamn, I love this woman. “Not a lie, but it’s the wrong answer.”
“Because you’re cruel.” She shifts her weight, wagging that gorgeous ass at me.
I burn to welt all that pristine skin. It’s been so fucking long since I played with her.
Leaning over her back, I put my mouth at her ear. “Try again.”
She shivers and rolls her brow against the post. “Because I risked my life when I went to your dad’s house.”
“And…”
“I didn’t call you for help.”
I kiss her shoulder, igniting more shivers. “You’re independent and remarkably brave. I will never try to suppress that. But we’re a team, Maybe. You and me. We’ll face every battle together from now on.”
“As equals.” She shoots a narrowed glare over her shoulder.
“Yeah.” A grin pulls my lips, loaded with affection. “As equals.”
She straightens away from the pole, squaring her shoulders. Nothing restrains her to it except my will. She’ll stand there and submit to my mouth and teeth, my hands and words, and my pleasure and punishment.
“Tell me your safe word.” I step back, flicking the crop against my leg as blood rushes to my groin.
“Stop.”
“What happens when you use it?”
“You untie me.” She twists her neck and gives me a foxy smirk. “Then you’ll take me to bed and love me forever.”
Excitement glows on her face and in her voice, and my cock jerks against my zipper.
No more waiting.
She gulps when the first strike lands. By the sixth swing, her ass blooms with pink welts.
I check on her expression between hits, and it doesn’t take long for her eyes to drift. With each added whack, she stiffens slightly, then falls into a deeper calm, a softer peace, waiting to obey me.
Ten minutes in, her body sags with a peaceful energy. Some people need pain to be free. Others need to deliver it to harness a sense of control. We’re not those people. We simply enjoy walking along the edge of our comfort zones, challenging each other, and flirting with endorphin-induced pleasure.
When we’re playing, it isn’t about sex. It’s about expression, discovery, and catharsis. But after?
We have the best fucking sex in the wake of a good beating.
I drop the crop and tackle my fly. Then I take her, slamming into her tight, hot cunt from behind and losing my ever-loving mind. I thrust and bite and squeeze her tits, rutting against her like an animal.
She loves it, and I love her, any way and any chance I can have her.
A hard fuck, a vanilla tumble, a red welt, a tender kiss—I love her in all the colors and levels of intensity, and she lets me.
I’m a lucky son of a bitch.
The anticipation is a nervous kind of energy. It tingles through the four of us like an electric current, jolting my heart and lifting the tiny hairs on my arms.
We stand shoulder to shoulder outside Oklahoma State Penitentiary, awaiting Lorne’s release. I’m so fucking giddy I want to run, shout, and tell the world how momentous this day is. I can’t even fathom how Jarret, Jake, and Conor must feel.
They stare at the gate, as if their brains are on fast-forward without an off switch. Lorne will walk out of that hell any second. He’ll climb into Jake’s truck and go home for the first time in eight years.
Eight goddamn years.
Conor talked to him yesterday, updating him on everything that transpired in the past couple of days. Raina is still holed up in his room, refusing to speak, eat, or leave the bed. Lorne said to leave her alone and he’d deal with it when he got home.
With regard to me, he learned about Rogan Cassidy and my relationship to him months ago, but I haven’t seen him since I left.
Jarret assures me Lorne holds no ill feelings toward me, but I’ll be the judge of that. He has every right to resent me, and I’ll do everything in my power to prove my rightful place in his family.
I love Jarret, his best friend and brother, and I’m not going anywhere.
“You okay?” Jarret gives me a sidelong glance and tightens his hand around my fingers.
“Me? How are you doing?”
“Never been happier, Maybe.” He leans down and brushes his lips against mine.
A mechanical noise sounds at the gate, and he straightens. Activity stirs beyond the glass door of the building.
It’s happening. Lorne’s finally coming home.
My heart takes flight. My knees bounce, and…
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I grit my teeth.
Jarret glances at me. “You need to answer that. If it’s your landlord…”
“I know.” I’m trying to close up everything I left behind in Texas, including my lease on the apartment. “Terrible timing.”
I remove the phone and glance at the screen.
Private number.
He reads it with me and arches a brow. I shrug and connect the call.
“Hello?”
“You took something of mine.” John Holsten’s voice growls through the line. “I want it back.”
My pulse whooshes in
my ears, and my eyes dart to Jarret’s, widening.
He yanks the phone from my hand. “Hello? Hello?”
His jaw sets, and he glances at the screen.
Disconnected.
“Who was that?” He searches my face, registering my alarm.
Conor and Jake lean around Jarret, giving me the same inspection.
“John Holsten.” I clear the lump in my throat and tell them what he said.
“He knows we’re here.” Jarret hooks an arm around my shoulders and wedges me against him.
“I agree.” Jake turns back to the gate as it slides open. “He’s trying to ruin this moment.”
“We won’t let him.” Conor stands between the guys, chin raised and eyes straight ahead.
Just like that, all worry and fear lifts and sweeps away with the warm breeze.
Together, we stand in a unified line as Lorne emerges through the gate. His eyes lock onto his sister, and she breaks into a run, arms outstretched and a shriek pealing from her lungs.
When she leaps into his embrace, I feel it.
It bubbles out of me in a burst of laughter. It circulates through the unbreakable bond of the four people around me. It glimmers in the golden eyes of the man at my side.
Love.
The most powerful healing force in the universe.
TRAILS OF SIN series concludes with:
BOOTED, Book 3
Lorne’s story
CLICK HERE
Join my reader group, Read Between the Wines:
CLICK HERE
LOVE TRIANGLE ROMANCE
TANGLED LIES TRILOGY
One is a Promise-FREE
Two is a Lie
Three is a War
DARK ROMANCE
DELIVER SERIES
Deliver #1-FREE
Vanquish #2
Disclaim #3
Devastate #4
DARK PARANORMAL ROMANCE
TRILOGY OF EVE
Heart of Eve-FREE
Dead of Eve #1
Blood of Eve #2
Dawn of Eve #3
STUDENT-TEACHER ROMANCE
Dark Notes
ROCK-STAR DARK ROMANCE
Beneath the Burn
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE
Dirty Ties
EROTIC ROMANCE
Incentive
Legends by Kelsea Ballerini
Hell On Heels by Pistol Annies
Wine & Vinegar by The Wild Feathers
Whips and Things by David Allan Coe
Get Along by Kenny Chesney
The Cowboy in Me by Tim McGraw
From The Ground Up by Dan + Shay
Hurricane by Luke Combs
Might As Well Get Stoned by Chris Stapleton
Just A Fool by Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton
Fuck You Bitch by Wheeler Walker Jr.
Furnace Room Lullaby by Neko Case
Love Hurts by Melinda Schneider & Beccy Cole
Love Heals by Levi Hummon & Alison Krauss
To my readers, bloggers, street team, beta readers, and author friends - I love you with every character I create, plot I outline, and word I write. You make up a powerful, unique, energizing community of book lovers, and I’m so lucky to be a part of it. Your encouragement keeps me going. Your passion feeds my inspiration. Your endless support helps me in ways I’ll never be able to repay. I wouldn’t have the courage to publish my stories without you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author, Pam Godwin, lives in the Midwest with her husband, their two children, and a foulmouthed parrot. When she ran away, she traveled fourteen countries across five continents, attended three universities, and married the vocalist of her favorite rock band.
Java, tobacco, and dark romance novels are her favorite indulgences, and might be considered more unhealthy than her aversion to sleeping, eating meat, and dolls with blinking eyes.
EMAIL: [email protected]
Website - Bookbub - Goodreads
Facebook - Twitter
Pinterest - Instagram - Books2Read
Don't miss out!
Click the button below and you can sign up to receive emails whenever Pam Godwin publishes a new book. There's no charge and no obligation.
https://books2read.com/r/B-H-QKN-BGKR
https://books2read.com/r/B-H-QKN-BGKR
Connecting independent readers to independent writers.