Shadow of Sin(13)

Caleb bit down on his tongue. Hard. It was either that or strip off his jeans and come along with her. He was not going to jack off in the middle of his own kitchen.

Was. Not.

Jesus fuck, she was going to kill him. When they’d first met, she’d been too young, too pretty for her own good. His family had been grieving the loss of their parents and Caleb had just returned home, still recovering from his own wounds. Amanda wouldn’t speak to him; Alec and Brandon weren’t much better. Samantha—with her smart mouth and penchant for trouble—had been the key to his family’s recovery. Instead of being grateful to her for bringing them together, Caleb had resented her for doing something he’d been unable to do.

The truth was, she’d intrigued him, made him hard when he’d had no business thinking about her, and that had pissed him off too. He’d actually tried to convince himself he didn’t like her. It hadn’t worked, but he’d treated her as if it had.

Tonight had cured him of that particular ailment.

Seeing her blood on her hands had been an event of the life altering variety. He’d fought the urge to touch her from the moment they’d gotten into the truck. But, as she’d slapped him away, he’d seen the shadows around her eyes, the frown lines around her mouth. She hadn’t fooled him for a second. She’d been hurt and scared, and too proud to admit it.

He wanted to throttle her, hold her, protect her—all at the same time. He could deny it, but it wouldn’t change anything.

He wanted her.

The implications made his head spin. It’d be a colossal mistake to get involved with her. Samantha valued control as much as he did. Caleb had stopped resisting his dominant nature years ago. It was part of being a Marine. It was part of who he was.

He was old enough to know his sexual boundaries and he’d had enough partners to know what he liked and what he didn’t. He didn’t feel the need to use restraints in the bedroom. He preferred to use his hands or his voice to hold a woman where he wanted her. It was much more satisfying to know the woman followed his command, while having the capability not too. He’d enjoyed using various sex toys with his partners, but he drew the line at anything that caused pain. He’d seen enough pain; he didn’t have any desire for it in his sex life.

It wasn’t some manly, macho bullshit with him. His own pleasure came from the level of pleasure he gave his partner. And both were under his complete control.

Control.

Something Samantha would never give him.

Caleb slid from his barstool and dug around in the cabinet until he found the bottle he sought. He poured a healthy dose into a glass and brought it to his lips. He couldn’t resist inhaling the delicious scent before he took a drink, hoping it would settle his nerves … and his libido.

God, how long could one woman masturbate?

When he’d promised it wouldn’t be a quick fuck, he’d only been trying to get a rise out of her. Give her back a little of the crazy she’d given him. Yet, from the sounds of it, she was the one getting satisfaction while he sat here with the erection from hell and drank from his favorite two hundred dollar bottle of scotch.

Son of a bitch, that woman would be the death of him.

He understood Samantha more than she knew. She used sex to release stress, Caleb used sex as an escape. Maybe that made him an asshole, but he’d never lied to the women he’d had sex with. He made it clear up front that he wasn’t interested in a relationship … and they’d come to him willingly.

He didn’t judge Samantha for getting what she needed; it was her method of obtaining it that pissed him off. She trolled the bars as if she didn’t have any concern for her own personal safety.

Caleb wouldn’t fool himself that he had any sort of tender feelings for her. No, his feelings at present were much more primitive. He wanted to storm into the bedroom and finish what she’d started. He wanted to fuck the shit out of her, exhaust her until she didn’t have the strength to fight with him. Because if she thought she was going home, she had another thing coming. She wasn’t getting out of his sight, or the sight of someone he trusted, until this mess was over.

End of story.

Caleb drained his glass as the sounds from the bedroom grew more insistent.

Amanda would be pissed if he had sex with her best friend. Brandon and Alec wouldn’t let him hear the end of it, either. He didn’t care how bad he wanted to shove his dick past those gorgeous lips of hers and have her suck him until he lost his mind. He wouldn’t do it.

Because once wouldn’t be enough. Yet another realization he’d come to in the last hour.

“Caleb,” Samantha cried out.