Beautiful Sinner: a standalone forbidden romance

by Sara Cate

  “Put your head between your legs, honey. Deep breath in and deep breath out.”

  “It smells back here,” she whines.

  “Yeah, it’s an alleyway behind a tattoo shop, and we’re fresh out of candles.”

  The blonde girl laughs to herself as she pats Natalie’s back. I lean back against the cool bricks and reach for my cigarettes, but then she looks at my hands reaching into my pocket, so I stop. It’s weird for me, but I don’t want to smoke in front of her. I smoke in front of everyone, and I normally don’t care who knows it.

  Her eyes meet mine, and I feel myself get lost again in her soft features. “Are you sure you don’t want one?” I ask, wanting to fill the silence with her voice.

  “I’m sure. There’s nothing I want on my skin forever. Nothing that means that much to me.” She says as she shrugs her tiny shoulders.

  “That can’t be true. There must be something you love.”

  The corners of her mouth lift into a tricky smile.

  “Let me guess,” I say, feeling more flirtatious than normal. “You like music. You play the piano…” she shakes her head. “Okay...tennis?” Her face twists into a scowl, like I’ve offended her. “Cheerleading?”

  “Okay, you’re terrible at this,” she teases me.

  This small talk banter between us feels natural but also strange. Like we’re both ignoring the fact that we’ve seen each other from afar for years, but this is the first actual encounter between us.

  I laugh back. “Sorry.” Looking at her another long moment, I take another guess. “I bet you love to read.”

  “There you go. I do love to read.”

  “A-ha. I knew I’d get it.”

  “You’re a little harder to guess,” she says, squinting her eyes at me.

  “Not really,” I say, wanting a cigarette again.

  She’s about to say something else when Natalie sits up. She has a little more color than before. “I think I can do it this time. I promise.”

  “Let’s try this again.” I lead the two of them back into the shop, but I don’t miss how Blondie has a shy smile on her face as she passes me through the doorway.

  Logan

  The shop quiets down a little after midnight. Murph is still working on an arm piece, but there haven’t been any new walk-ins since the girls. Natalie actually sat through the rest of her dolphin but not without crying and whining the whole time.

  My phone buzzes in my pocket as I sweep the floor around my station. I already know who it is.

  Step outside. Let’s chat.

  My shift is technically over, so I sneak out the back door without Murph even noticing. Hale is already out there, leaning against the wall across the alley, seemingly playing a game on his phone. Hale doesn’t look like your usual drug dealer. Maybe that’s how he’s gotten away with it for so long. He’s a trust fund brat like the rest of them, but instead of pursuing stocks and bonds or whatever it is that these kids do for money, he found something much more lucrative.

  His shaggy blond hair is hanging over his eyes as he stares down at his phone.

  “Spring break, bitches,” he jokes in a high-pitched voice. “There’s a crowd at the bonfire now. I figured you might want to go check it out.”

  I pull out a cigarette and light it. The small bag in my pocket is still burning itself into my skin, but I don’t want to touch it. It’s not something I’m comfortable doing in front of Hale. Considering I still owe him over four hundred, it feels like a punch in the face to smoke my debt right in front of him, so I settle for a cigarette.

  This is how he corners me into selling for him. It pays off my debt, and it keeps his image clean. And in a small community like Wickett, it’s pretty flawless. Well, not for me. I tend to wrack up my debt more than I pay it off, and he knows that. Hence why he sticks with me. That and the fact that I have a way with these kids, especially the girls.

  No, I’m not proud of myself, but these punks show up once a year, trash our beautiful beach, use and abuse us, then leave. What the fuck do I care if they get a little kick while they’re here. At least they can afford to get hooked. Unlike the rest of us.

  “I’ll have to go down there and say hello,” I say with the cigarette hanging from my lips. I can barely smoke it. I’m just in a funk tonight. I agree to go to the beach, but my heart isn’t in it. All I can think about is that Sandra Dee blonde with her perfect white shoes and soul-piercing blues, and I just don't give a shit about smoking or bonfire bitches. I suddenly wish I was the kind of guy who could cozy up to her on a night like tonight. And I’ve never thought like that before.

  “I figured you would want to. They’re just getting started, so you might want to hustle. And you know...hustle.” He laughs at his own lame joke, and I’m reminded that this kid is still clean as fuck.

  “Yeah, let me just clean up around here, and I’ll head down there.” I reach my hand out toward him, keeping an eye on the alley way to make sure there isn't anyone watching or walking by. He hands me a plastic bag full of smaller bags. It isn’t much, but with what these kids will pay, it doesn’t need to be much. I shove it into my pocket and clap his hand before turning to walk back into the shop.

  “I’ll catch up with you tomorrow,” he calls to me as he walks away. I don't think he looked up from his phone once during our entire conversation. But I don’t really care. I’d rather not have a relationship with him. Or anyone for that matter.

  Sierra

  There’s a crowd around the fire, and they're all getting so drunk it will be a miracle if they make it through this night without anyone falling in. I’m sitting on the wooden log that acts as a bench. Natalie is showing off her tattoo to anyone that will listen. She's already pulled off the plastic even though Logan told her to keep it on for eight hours.

  “The boys will be here soon,” she says as she sits next to me. She hands me another beer, but I’m not even half done with the one I’m holding. I don't bother to tell her that there are already a hundred boys at this bonfire, but apparently she’s waiting for two specific boys. One of them I know she hooked up with last year and apparently he was into it, because he wants to hook up again.

  And she said he’s bringing a friend for me. Or I guess it sounded more like she needed me to come with her because he said that she needed a friend for his friend. Whichever way it went down, I’m not feeling really into it. It’s past midnight, and I don’t know where two guys could be up until midnight that doesn’t sound shady and two-timing, but I don’t think she really cares. That's what spring break on Wicked is all about. Bang as much as possible, no repercussions. No hang ups. Start on Sunday. End on Sunday.

  I haven’t told Natalie that I have not and will not be hooking up with anyone at any point this week. She may be okay with losing her virginity to a drunk frat boy under the docks or in the back of dirty truck, but I am not.

  “Hey baby!” a voice bellows from behind as he practically lands on my lap. This must be Natalie's friend. He has his arm around me as she jumps into his, and I can’t get him to let me go as he starts kissing her. When he pulls away, he looks at me, and all I can smell is the beer on his breath.

  “Oh my god, you whores. Who is this?” he says as he leans in toward me. I lean away, trying to fake a laugh, as Natalie tries to pull him off of me.

  “That’s Sierra. Where is your friend?” she asks.

  “Oh! Tyler!” he screams across the crowd of people around us.

  God, I just want to go home. This is the definition of pure hell.

  “Grant, get up. I want to show you my new tattoo,” Natalie whines at the drunk boy still hanging on me.

  He stares into my eyes as if he thinks we’re actually making some deep connection. It’s disconcerting, but I finally stand, just to get him to back off a little bit.

  Tyler—I’m assuming—comes up behind Natalie and high fives Grant. “Hey man, this party is lit.”

  “Yeah, man. This is Sierra,” he says putting his arm back aro
und me, and I sigh feeling more and more frustrated. Just by the way he says my name tells me that they’ve been talking about me already, and the thought sends chills down my spine.

  Tyler looks at me and winks although he’s so drunk it makes him teeter to the side and nearly fall into the fire. Please let him be the idiot who does it, I think to myself.

  “You have a drink?” he slurs as he leans in toward me.

  “Yep,” I answer, holding up my beer.

  “Let’s go for a walk,” he says as he closes in. His hands caress my hair but he’s actually kind of pulling it when I think he means to just brush his fingers through it.

  “I’m good here,” I answer. Grant and Natalie are fully making out on the log behind me now, so it’s just me and drunk Tyler.

  “Come on,” he says and his hands snakes around my waist and pinches my hip. He’s leaning in, and although he’s not quite as drunk as Grant, he still reeks of beer and something skunky.

  He pulls me toward him, and he’s surprisingly strong so that I sort of stumble. I didn’t expect it so when he’s not balanced enough to support himself or me, we both fall. I manage to catch myself before I completely hit the ground, but he doesn’t and he lands in the sand spilling his beer.

  “You fucking whore,” he says with a laugh.

  “I’m gonna go,” I answer and turn to walk away.

  As soon as I turn, I spot a familiar face across the fire. Piercing sky blue eyes and wavy brown locks. Even in this dark night, I can see the colorful designs on his skin, and they are the only beautiful thing in this scenario, like they truly do not belong here. I stop in my tracks as our eyes meet. His expression is harsh. Every feature of his face seems tight and laser focused on me.

  Just as I’m about to take another step around the fire, I feel an arm around my waist again and warm breath in my ear. “You’re mine tonight.”

  I shove away from Tyler, and again he pulls me closer, this time trying to pull me out of the crowd and toward the darkness of the beach. A moment’s panic sets in when I realize that if no one helps me, he might actually be strong enough to pull me away. He’s twice my size, and even drunk he’s far stronger than I am. My heart hammers in my chest as I try to squirm out of his grasp.

  “Where are you going?” he slurs as he pulls harder.

  I’m about to scream for help, but the panic makes me freeze up. What if no one cares? What if they’re all so drunk or just so used to this kind of behavior that they do nothing at all? What if this guy actually pulls me into the darkness and has his way with me?

  But before I can even react, there is a hand fisted in Tyler’s collar. It forces him away so quickly, that he lets me go instantly. I watch as Tyler crumples to the ground like wet rag. It happens so fast that I don’t even notice who the angry fist is attached too. I’m suddenly overwhelmed by the buzz from the beer, the crackling fire, and the noisy thrumming of my pulse in my ears.

  “She doesn’t want to go with you,” the voice booms as I turn to see Logan standing next to me, a furious sneer on his face.

  Tyler jumps up surprisingly quick to face Logan. “Who asked you, bro?” he says, huffing his wide nostrils in Logan’s face.

  “I see you push around any girl here like that again, I’ll bury your ass in the fucking sand.” Logan isn’t as heated as Tyler. In fact, he seems cool, yet stern. The look of sheer intensity in his eyes is enough to make Tyler hesitate.

  “You’re just a piece of local trash,” Tyler argues.

  Logan ignores Tyler’s lame insult as touches the back of my arm and says, “Let’s go.” I turn my head to look at him, still surprised that he’s here, that he defended me and possibly saved my life.

  He must notice my frozen hesitation. “You don’t want to stay here...” He says it like a question, and it doesn’t take me long before I’m silently shaking my head.

  “I’ll give you a ride, let’s go.” His hand is touching the back of my arm again, not grabbing or pushing, but protecting me. Guiding me through the crowd in a way that says, “She’s with me.” And even though I was just in what could have been the worst scenario of my life, I can’t help but feel almost excited about his subtle touch.

  “You’re going with him? Then you must be a piece of shit too!” Tyler calls after us.

  “Keep going,” Logan whispers as we walk.

  Natalie is nice enough to come up for air long to ask me if I’m okay as I pass her. I don’t even answer. She must notice Logan because she breathes a surprised “hey” toward him.

  As soon we’re out of the crowd, it feels instantly silent and cold. I wrap my arms around myself as we approach the motionless street. Something warm covers my shoulders as I glance toward Logan. He’s setting his black leather jacket across my body, instantly covering me in warmth.

  “It’ll be even colder on the bike,” he says, but his words don’t register.

  I look back toward the party, but no one even looks toward us or comes after me. No one here cares about me at all. The thought chills me, so I squeeze his jacket tighter around me.

  “Are you okay?” he asks.

  “What was I thinking? I should have never been out there with him in the first place. This is all my fault.” I press my face into my hands, letting the words tumble out of my mouth. I feel like such an idiot.

  “Hey, hey,” he says as he places his large hands on my shoulders, putting his face in front of mine, forcing me to look at him. “Can I call someone for you? Take you home?”

  “No.” I answer in a rush. I’d rather go back to that party if we’re being honest. My parents wouldn’t notice anything was wrong or if they did, they would find some way to blame it on me.

  “I only have my bike. Do you want me to get you out of here?” His voice is steady and full of confidence and concern. I look into his eyes and latch onto the intensity like a life raft and let the security I find there pull me to shore.

  “Yes, please.”

  I let him guide me farther up the street toward where a motorcycle is parked in an empty lot. The shaking in my bones won’t subside, and the anticipation of sitting on the back of a motorcycle only makes it worse.

  He holds me by the hand and steadies me as I straddle one leg over the bike. “Be careful. The exhaust right here is really hot,” he says as he points to a big silver pipe on the side.

  “Thank you,” I mumble.

  He holds the handlebars of the bike as he steps over in front me, straightening it and making me latch my arms around his waist. My breath hitches as the deafening roar of the engine rumbles through my body.

  And suddenly we’re moving. I’m still holding tightly to his waist, but the more we move, the more my body relaxes against his. Leaning through the turns and accelerating down the street feels like we’re flying together. The humming power between my legs ignites a heat there that makes me suddenly feel powerful and alive.

  We ride for longer than I expect, and it doesn’t take me long to realize that I don’t need to hold so tightly to his waist. Our bodies move together as the bike carries us, our balance meeting in the middle keeping us in place through the stops and turns.

  This is surreal. I’m on the back of his motorcycle. My boy, the one I’ve waited years to finally talk to. He’s here, and my body is pressed up against his.

  I lean my cheek against his back and let my arms ease their grasp. My fingers are gentle against his stomach as I feel his tight muscles through his thin T-shirt. I can feel him tense under my touch as we glide along together through the night, and it starts to feel as if with every mile we take together, we’re erasing the darkness of what just happened on the beach.

  Go back to Wicked Beach with Logan and Sierra.

  Free with Kindle Unlimited!

  Get Delicate now!

  Also by Sara Cate

  Wicked Hearts Series

  Delicate

  Dangerous

  Defiant

  Age-gap romance

  Beautiful Monster


  About the Author

  Sara Cate writes contemporary romance about bikers, bad boys, hunks, and softies--all rolled into one. She has a soft spot for redemption stories and forbidden romance.

  You can find more information about her at

  www.saracatebooks.com