Sinner (Shelter Harbor #1)(150)

At least, that’s how I’ve rationalized not telling her, even now, a few days after.

For now, I’m giving her the space I guess she needs. And I get it - I get that things may have moved a little past casual when I start inviting her to dinner with my daughter. That might not have been smart, but it felt easy.

It felt natural.

It felt like something I hadn’t felt in a while when we were all in that kitchen, laughing and making guacamole, or sitting at the table cracking jokes and scarfing down tacos. And it definitely felt like something I’ve forgotten about later that night, in my bed. There’ve been a hundred faceless women since Sarah. A hundred utterly forgettable, utterly single-purpose nights. I don’t “connect.” I don’t “feel that deeper feeling” people in scripted television or movies moan about.

I fuck.

I make them come.

I leave.

And I sure as shit don’t repeat the process.

Somehow, Serena Roth is shattering my rules. She’s breaking down my walls without even trying. Hell, she’s doing it while actively running away from me.



“This is so cool!!” Emily shrieks as she bolts across the sound stage along with the three friends of hers from school who’ll be part of the commercial shoot today with her. It’s a fantastic idea Serena had - four eight-year-old girls playing tag football with the push being teamwork and empowering young girls to do whatever they want, regardless of it being a “guy thing” or not. Rocky Mountain Soap is going to eat it up, too, which is a huge win for us and for the board.

She should be here for this.

Serena begged off earlier with some flimsy excuse about looking over contract stuff back at the office, but I know it’s a bullshit excuse to try and distance herself from me.

Fuck that.

She should be here. She should be part of this thing she came up with, and my being here shouldn’t have any bearing on that. I know we went further than we should have. I know we flew a little too close to something we shouldn’t have the other night. But I need her to understand we’re on the same page about it. I need her to understand she can just be normal around me, even with the sex.

Hell, I just need her here.

“Hey,” she answers the phone brusquely.

“You should really be here, you know.”

“Oh, yeah, I’ve got a lot of-”

“Leave it,” I say coolly. “What are you going to do, fire yourself?”

I grin as I hear her snort a small laugh over the phone. “Look, just come down. Emily and the other girls are here, the rep from Rocky Mountain is on the way down, and you really should see this idea of yours come to life. It’s a win, Serena.”

She sighs. “I don’t know.”

“I do. Stop being stubborn and get your ass down here.”

She laughs. “Yes sir.”

She says it sarcastically, but I growl at the words coming from her lips.

There’s a pause before she laughs quietly. “Don’t get used to me saying that, by the way.”

“Too late. Get over here, now.”

“Someone’s bossy today,” she says with just a hint of flirtation in her voice.

“I have my moments.”

“You certainly do.”

There’s another pause, neither of us sure what to say next, before she sighs. “Okay, okay. I’m on my way.”



A win is putting it lightly. When we cut for the last shot of the day, I know one thing about the commercial pitch: it’s a home run. The girls had a blast doing it, Don loved it, and the ad rep from Rocky Mountain had freaking stars in her eyes watching it.

We needed this win, and Serena delivered.

“Not bad.”

Serena jumps a little at the sound of my voice right behind her, turning to smile at me. “Yeah it was pretty good.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “We need to work on that, you know.”

“Work on what?”

“You taking credit for things you should take credit for. You honestly killed it with this one. Own it.”

Her lips curl at the corners. “A little free lesson in boardroom power moves?”

“Free? No, I’ll be billing you.”

She grins.

“Serena!” We both turn at the sound of Emily’s voice. She comes running over, beaming and still wearing her peewee league shoulder pads and Rocky Mountain Soap jersey as she comes crashing into Serena, flinging her arms around her.

“Hi!”

Serena flashes me a grin before leaning down and giving my daughter a squeeze. “Hey, Emily!”

“Hi Dad, so great to see you,” I say flatly, raising a brow at Emily. She gives me a look before turning back to Serena with a conspiratorial eye roll.