For the Love of Sin(15)

Senada bit her lip in amusement.

Troy watched her. He could look at her full mouth for an hour, he thought, but he’d probably end up hard as a rock with no relief in sight. He forced himself to look at the pie.

“So you don’t really think marriage is a good idea.”

“I think men who get married and kamikaze pilots have a lot in common. It’s called a death wish.”

“My, my,” she said, briefly sliding her hand over his shoulder as she stood. “Some women might take that as a challenge to change your mind. Aren’t you glad I’m not one of them?”

He took a quick look at her backside as she walked to the refrigerator, and shook his head. He didn’t want Senada messing with his brain, but he sure as hell wouldn’t mind her working on his body. In fact, his body had bemoaned the fact that he stopped her the night before. “I think I’m safe as long as the local Ladies’ Club doesn’t go after me.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.”

“Why?” he said, watching her curiously as she poured a glass of water for herself and him.

“Well, I’m sure you know you have your attractions.”

“No,” he denied, taking a bite.

“Yes, you do,” she said mildly. “Great body, killer eyes, nice smile when you get around to it…”

“Sensitive as a brick, impatient and tight.”

“Tight,” she echoed with a smile, sliding her gaze down to his rear end. “I thought I’d already covered your body.”

The heat in her gaze made his throat clench around the bite of pie. He coughed. “Tight,” he corrected, “as in cheap.”

“You weren’t cheap about giving up your apartment.”

He shrugged, uncomfortable. “That’s different.”

“Yeah,” she said, her tone full of disbelief. “The waitresses say you give good tips.”

“No big deal.”

“Uh-huh. And you bought me those expensive chocolates.”

Troy resisted the urge to tug at his collar. Damn, it was hot. “I had to try to get back in your good graces. Futile endeavor.”

She shook her head and her face grew incredibly, wonderfully closer to his. “Face it, Troy,” she said in a whisper that held just a hint of bite. “You’re one of the good guys. I can spot them a mile away. The Ladies’ Club will eventually have you for breakfast.”

Too tempting to resist. He caught her hair in his hand and tugged her mouth close to his. “Honey, you have no idea how good I am. Be glad to show you sometime. You might want to keep in mind I like it slow, but I can be fast.”

He took her mouth. She tasted sweet and forbidden, with a touch of resistance that challenged and seduced. He swept his tongue past her full lips into her warm, moist mouth. There was nothing submissive about Sin, even her kiss. At the same time he was conquering her mouth, she was conquering his.

She sucked his tongue into her mouth, and he felt the caress all the way to his groin. Tilting her head, she ran her tongue around his lips again and again until he was searching for breath. Then, she pulled away.

Just a little breathless herself, she tried to cover with a smile. “What a combination. Good guy and forbidden chocolate. Two reasons for me to stay away from you.”

He snagged her hand. “When are you going to tell me why you really came down here?”

A shadow crossed over her eyes. “You’re not going to find what you’re looking for.”

There was something important behind all this. He felt it in his gut. “Then I guess I’ll just have to keep looking.”



Senada downshifted as she drew closer to the sign for the Circle K Ranch. Looking down the driveway that had once led to her home, she felt her heart tighten in her chest. She pulled her little Miata to a stop on the side of the road and reeled from a wave of memories.

When her father first bought the ranch, the drive had been dirt. Now it was paved and the sign was flashier. She peered into the distance and saw a gate at the end of the lane. “My, my,” she murmured to herself. “Dear old dad has done well after all.”

Of course, she wouldn’t be in a position to know since she hadn’t spoken to him in seven years. He’d paid for her college education and attempted to send money for Christmas and her birthdays, but she’d just sent it back. Now, they didn’t even exchange greeting cards.

She’d never forgiven him for walking out on her mother that last year before she died. He’d only made the situation worse when he brought Senada to live with him while he went through mistresses like tissue paper. She’d rocked his world when she was a rebellious teenager. He hadn’t liked her makeup, her clothes or her mouth. There’d rarely been a peaceable moment, and when she left for college, she’d left for good.