Delivered in Sin
Page 28
A sharp smack to my behind silences me and stills the fight within. He did not just spank me.
The door slams shut, and the world is righted once more. I’m madder than a wet hen, but Luca’s red face speaks volumes as well. Good. Time to hash this shit out.
I open my mouth, ready to give him a verbal beatdown, but the close proximity of our bodies as well as how he cages me in against the wall strikes a deep chord within my body. The air around us silently crackles with something I’ve never felt before with him. “You really wanna go there? Getting poor Tommy’s ass beat gonna be what satisfies you?” His athletic body pins me in, something that I would typically never allow, but for some reason makes me feel alive, down to every single nerve ending.
“Well, what’s wrong with him?” My tone is firm, but my resolve starts to fray at the ends as I stare into those intense hazel orbs. My God, did the heat crank up ten degrees in here? I wait on his answer, the ticking of the old wall clock the only sound surrounding us other than our breathing. With no answer, my anger notches higher. “See. You can’t even think of a bad word to say about him.”
“Not the point. Kieran will kill him, and I’ll help.” His gaze flicks momentarily down to my lips, which are no doubt pursed and look like I’ve been sucking on a lemon. A sharp exhale leaves him. “Why do you have to be so damn stubborn all the time, Ev?”
“Oh, Luca…” I lick my lips, which draws his attention once more. “You haven’t seen stubborn yet.”
“You’re a pain in my ass sometimes, you know that?” His words have no bite and sound more like he’s stating a fact to himself rather than posing a question to me.
I cock my eyebrow and smirk. “So I’ve been told.”
“Well, if you’re hellbent and determined to get rid of your little ‘problem,’” his voice drops to a low rumble as he volleys, “You can come over Friday night and we’ll take care of that.”
His words twist themselves around my emotions, which are all over the place at the moment. He can’t be serious. Right? I work up the nerve to ask him the obvious question I need answered before I speak another word. “We?”
“We. As in you and me. Friday night.”
My eyes dart around the room, looking for something to focus on other than the way I feel at the moment. The closed door across the way steals my attention. “What about—”
“Kieran’s going to some festival over the weekend and won’t be back until Sunday evening.”
My brow furrows, wondering what the angle is here. There’s gotta be one somewhere. “Why are you doing this?”
His face morphs slightly from anger to seriousness. “Because you get one chance to give away your innocence. You deserve for it to be with someone who cares if you enjoy yourself or not. There’s a lot of assholes out there and I may be one of them, but I’ll do right by you, Ev. You know I will.”
He’s right. I know deep in my heart he would. But insecurity drives me to further scan the room, if only to escape his gaze.
“What are you looking for?”
“The hidden cameras. I’m pretty sure I’m being punked.” That or Kieran’s hiding somewhere to use this as blackmail for years to come.
His hand leaves the wall beside me, and he cradles my chin, prompting me to return his watchful stare. “Your brother would murder me if he knew what I was suggesting.”
All the anger leaves my body and the teenage girl inside who’s only ever wanted this gorgeous guy to look at her the way he is right now takes charge. “Why would you even want to?” Vulnerability is evident in the slight quiver in my voice.
“Why wouldn’t I?” he questions, a softness in the way he poses it.
Those better not be fucking tears prickling at my eyes. “Stop answering my questions with more questions.”
“We’ve been friends for a long time. Besides, it’s just one time, right?”
And there it is. “I don’t want to be a pity fuck.”
His hand leaves my chin and reaches for mine, bringing it to a huge bulge in his joggers. I slightly gasp, my soft sound earning a cocky grin from him. “You feel this? This isn’t hard as granite because I want to screw you out of pity. This is because I’m turned on as fuck by that sassy mouth and that fire in your eyes.” His voice drops to a low whisper. “It’s because I’m thinking of all the filthy things I’ve been dreaming of doing to that gorgeous body of yours.”
He’s been dreaming of this. My heart soars wildly at his words. “Like what?” I ask before I realize my thoughts slipped out of my mouth.
The whiteness of his teeth grows more prominent before he reigns them into a cocky grin. “Guess you’ll have to come by Friday night and find out for yourself. Won’t you, Evergreen?”
My thumb traces over the engorged tip as I palm his length, eliciting a groan from him. “If this is some sick prank…”
His hand stills mine. “Do you really think I’d risk your brother murdering me for a stupid joke?” Fair enough. Kieran really would. He removes my hand from his body and holds it in his. “Friday night. 7 sharp. Ball’s in your court, Ev. You let me know if you’re game.”
The sharp jamming of a key in the door slot shatters the moment, and sending Luca flying behind the island and me standing there in a stupor.
The door flies open and my brother, along with his flavor of the day, stands there, looking at me like I’ve grown a second head. “Evergreen. What’re you doing here?”
Luca’s face is tight, almost like he’s panicking. “I, uh…” I clear the haze away and gather my thoughts. Why the hell was I over here again? Oh, yeah. I grimace to hide the way Luca has knocked my world off its axis and adopt an agitated facade. “I came over to tell you that I don’t appreciate you butting into my business.”
“That’s it?”
I knit my brows together. “What do you mean, that’s it?”
He laughs and makes his way to the fridge as his guest starts to shed her winter layers. “You’re a broken record at this point, Ev.”
A thought occurs, a terrible thought I should just ignore, but he deserves a healthy dose of his own medicine. “Just remember, you asked for this,” I whisper to him as he passes by me with a beer in his hand, confusion knitting itself all over his face. Turning to the pretty blonde—Larrah, if I’m correct, I give her a mega-watt smile. “Oh my gosh! It’s so great to finally meet you!”
She looks between me and Kieran, obviously unaware he’s mentioned anyone to me. “It is?”
“Of course, girl! This lughead talks about you nonstop,” I throw a punch onto his shoulder that’s harder than it looks, causing him to slosh some of his beer onto the counter.
“He does? Awww, Kieran. That’s so sweet!” Her eyes sparkle with the prospect of meeting some of his family. Unfortunately for him, this is going to be one meeting he’d rather forget.
“Isn’t he, though? I get a toothache every time he mentions your name and how much he worships the ground you walk on.” The fear in Kieran’s eyes is evident as he wipes off the spill and takes another swig. Good. It should be. “I’ll never forget the first time he told me he was falling for you. There were practically hearts in his eyes.”
She gushes as Kieran chokes on his drink.
Yeah, we’re going for broke today. “He told me about all the things that make you amazing, and how you’d make such a great mother to his children one day.”
“Okaaaay, Ev. You’re embarrassing me now,” he grits out as he bares his teeth in what I’m sure is supposed to be a grin, except it looks pain-filled and angry more than anything.
“Nonsense! Look at how cute y’all are together,” I point out as she wraps her arms around his waist, and he glares at me over her head. “In fact, this is a moment that needs to be treasured forever. Let’s take a picture, shall we?”
“Sure!” she gleefully agrees as Kieran gives me “the eye.” Being an eternal bachelor is much easier when you have no record of the hearts you’ve broken along the way.
“Hannah?”
I try to stifle my laugh at Kieran’s comically large eyes. “One.”
“Ev’s confused, babe.”
“Two,” I drawl in singsong.
“Are you screwing another girl, Kieran?”
Jackpot. “Three!”
Thank God I remembered to switch my camera to video because I could have never captured all these precious moments…
Larrah not appreciating Kieran’s hesitance on an answer.
His shocked face as she squirms out of his hold.
Kieran trying to do damage control.
Larrah slapping the shit out of Kieran, then shoving him away.
Kieran running after her as she storms out the door, calling him everything but a milk cow.
An empty doorway as the harmonious sound of another slap rings out somewhere in the hall, my brother’s face no doubt the end of the line for Larrah’s hand, and her high-pitched voice telling him to go fuck himself.
Ah, sweet memories. Kodak doesn’t have jack shit on me.
Tucking my phone safely away after quickly sending the video to my cloud, I look up to see a pissed-off brother standing in the door with not one, but two red handprints on his face and his best friend bent over, dying with laughter.
“What’s the matter, K? Don’t like it when someone sticks their nose in your private business?”
The door slams shut, Kieran’s nostrils flaring and his eyes ablaze. He points his finger to me menacingly. “This is war.”
“Oh, Kieran, Kieran, Kieran… You need to wave that white flag because the death knell just rang out on your evening.” I nod at the door. “Such a shame… Larrah seems like a nice girl. Someone should’ve warned her about players like you.”
He grabs the doorknob and flings it back open. That poor door’s taken a beating today. “Out.”
“Sour grapes aren’t a good look for you, K.” I note, grabbing my keys off the counter.
“Fuck. Off.”
“Love you too, big brother. Toodaloo, assface.” Blowing him an air kiss, I make my way to the exit, Luca still dying with laughter, even after Kieran shoving him. “Maybe your friend here will help you lick your wounds,” I call out over my shoulder as I leave, satisfied with today’s visit.
I feel so sorry for poor Larrah, but she’d kiss my toenails if she knew the giant clusterfuck I just saved her from with my hot mess of a brother. My shoes squeak against the freshly waxed tile stairway on my way down, my jumbled mind still fixating on what went down at that apartment. Still unable to wrap my mind around Luca’s offer, I shake out the nerves that come flooding back to me as my Jeep warms up for a moment.
Was he serious?
Nah, he can’t be.
Right?
I look up to their apartment, Kieran and Luca’s separate bedroom windows in view, with no movement from either. More than likely, K’s trying to figure out how to make a voodoo doll of me out of dryer lint and dust bunnies. Luca’s window is dark, but the curtains sway slightly, as if they’ve been rustled.
Shaking my head at the ridiculous thought that my best friend’s brother could actually want me, I put the Jeep in reverse and make my way out of their parking lot. The Righteous Brothers belt out about losing that loving feeling as I come to a red light, still trying to tamp down the absurd hopes that Luca might have been seriously considering it for a moment. I mean, he wouldn't have had me touch him while he was aroused unless he was interested. Would he?
The sharp ping of a text message comes through, breaking me from my thoughts. As I read the short message, that stupid inkling of hope takes root again and grows once more.
Luca: Don’t forget. Friday @ 7. Ball’s in your court.
The goofy grin on my face stays plastered on my face until I pull into my parking space at the dorm.
I don’t reply to him that day or even that evening, still mulling it all over and asking myself if I’m willing and ready to cross that line with Luca.
It wasn’t until later when I saw Eden and Addy dragging a couple of guys back to their rooms at RISE and Magnolia giving a guy a lap dance on the floor, a sly smirk in place as the man turns to putty beneath her silky-smooth moves that I decided. They’ve all embraced that sensuous side of their nature and have taken control of their lives within these walls and outside of them.
So why can’t I?
I hover my thumb over the send button before hitting it and dropping my phone like it’s hot with a two-word answer that I might live to regret.
Game on.
Star-Crossed Secrets premieres January 13, 2021
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Did you enjoy meeting Magnolia’s friend, Jolie Palmer?
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She’s getting her own story in Until Thor, a book in Aurora Rose Reynold’s HEA world, coming in 2021.
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About Nicole Rodrigues
Nicole Rodrigues is a former High School English teacher turned romance author. She lives in NY with her own bearded, tattooed Portuguese bookhusband, three little minions and fur baby.
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She loves to read, attempt Pinterest projects and lives on coffee or Red Bull. She has published eleven books from baseball players to "undercover bosses".
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www.nicolerodriguesauthor.com
Also by Nicole Rodrigues
Saddler Series
Saddler’s Secret
Saddler's Start
Saddler's Sacrifice
Saddler’s Surprise
Saddler’s Scandal
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The Double Play Series
Curveball
Going, Going, Goner
Ballers With Benefits
Changeup
Walk Off
Last Round
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Layla & Hudson Duet:
Always in Your Corner
Pinky Promise
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Cocky Hero Club
Bestselling Bastard
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Aurora Rose Reynold’s HEA World
Until Thor
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Sin and Secrets Collection
RISE
Delivered in Sin
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www.nicolerodriguesauthor.com
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Make sure to follow Nicole on social media for new release updates, giveaways, sales, etc!
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