Sinners & Saints (Sinners & Saints #1)

by Ballinger, Chelsea

  “The Onami twins!” Henry, that drunken brute, yells raising his hand and everyone laughs and roars. Having a threesome with the Onami twins was a great accomplishment in high school for all the young boys.

  “Yeah,” Hugo laughs a little. “That’s up there, but… but that wasn’t the worst thing I ever did. As you all may know, my twin brother August is different. Sometimes he can be very hyper. When we were younger, he kept trying to get me to come with him so he could reveal a big secret. Usually his big secrets are things like I found a new door or…” He finally looks up. He looks up to Juliet. “Or he met a really pretty girl. But this day I didn’t have time for it. I was so angry at everything and everyone. He kept pushing me and tapping me on my head and I just lost it. I socked him right in the face. I kept hitting him and hitting him in the face and called him all kinds of retard and stupid and nothings. I called him bad names because I felt horrible about myself. I just wanted the pain to go away. I wanted… I wanted my father to just… like me. I wanted my brother and mother to… to not have left me. Finally, I stopped. All there was left was his blood on my hands.” His eyes come round to me. “But someone was there to tend to my wounds. They were the ones to calm me down and tell me that it was okay and that it was just blood. Blood always washes away. It forever changed me and made me the brilliant and pointless man I am today.” He raises his glass. “So a toast to the redundant and pointless. They are the things that keep us from being anything better than a poisonous serpent.”

  26

  HUGO

  “Um… okay,” Matt says something in the midst of silence. “Well this is getting rather depressing so everybody in the lake!”

  I’ve never seen Scarlett hurt before. I wasn’t even expecting her to look hurt, but she does. Her lips are pressed tightly against each other and her eyes filled with moist liquid begging to pour out. Scarlett doesn’t cry and I can’t help but to feel special that she is almost willing to do it for me, but she shouldn’t waste her tears on me because I won’t waste mine on her along with everything else I have yet to give. I just want to give it to someone who doesn’t want me to be toxic, someone who makes me want to be different, better. That someone is Juliet. Jordana and Cody drag Juliet away because I suppose they figure we need some alone time to process what the hell just happened. It’s kind of my way of making things clear to people. Telling them a secret. A secret that is so painful for me to tell. I’ve never told anyone about the day I attacked August. It was the last time I felt like a monster, which is ironic because since that day I have only acted as one.

  “Well,” Scarlett manages to speak out. Her voice dry and raspy. “You still manage to surprise me.”

  “Myself included,” I say.

  “You have broken my heart, Hugo.” Her confession takes me by surprise. I don’t know if I should believe it or not. Her eyes say it’s the truth, but with Scarlett you never know.

  I sigh, shaking my head. “Your heart’s always been broken. I just broke your ego, Scarlett.”

  “So that’s it… you’re done with me? After everything we’ve been through?”

  “With you it’s either what is best or what is not and you… you are not what is best… but, then again, that doesn’t matter either. You’re just not what I want.” I drink the last of my drink and set the glass back down. “I’m going to go now and I’ll either fail at this whole love thing or I’ll just succeed beyond expectations. Nevertheless, I suggest you go to your fiancé.”

  I walk away. Taking one last look before completely turning my back.

  JULIET

  “Jordana, can we talk?” Margaret whispers to Jordana. Everyone is preoccupied down the hill near the water so they don’t take notice. Jordana rolls her eyes at Margaret’s plea but looks at me to make sure if I’m alright.

  “Go,” I tell her.

  “Come on,” she says grabbing Margaret’s arm, taking off. I keep watching everyone take off their tuxes and gowns, laughing. Some of them even nude. Poppy is definitely nude. Everyone will probably talk about everything in the morning while nursing their hangovers. Talk about me and my self-harming. Wonder if I still do it. I must still do it, yeah? They will all wonder. I just don’t want it getting back to Mum and Dad. They may be in another country, but you never know knowing these people. They’ll wonder about Hugo and why he said what he said. They will put it together. They will see the truth and that truth is… I think… I think Hugo chose me over Scarlett. He did something no one knew was possible since knowing him. He denounced her. He told one of his many sad truths and in his own way let go of her so he could be with me? God, my heart is beating so fast. I’m so excited and scared at the same time. I think I’m more scared. I told him I loved him and basically… in his own way he said he loved me too. I won’t rush the words. You can’t rush someone to do what they do not know how to. He does not know how to love and all I want to do is teach him. Show him. Learn more about it with him.

  I’m pacing back and forth until I turn around and see him, staring at me with that love. I stop and I don’t think either one of us can move.

  I feel a raindrop. I think I do. It might just be the night heat making me sweat. Nope, there’s another raindrop. And another. Rain falls hard and it starts to awaken our bodies. Slowly but surely we walk to each other, meeting halfway. We hear everyone screaming. Their running for shelter is all but a blur to me. All I see is him. All I ever see is him and now finally he’s letting me.

  “You knew she would do that.” Finally speaking, his voice full of so much regret.

  “I think I just wanted to see if you would… I guess protect me. Save me.” It hurt. It hurt like hell. I can’t stop the tears.

  “I had to… I wanted to. Needed to, even, because… I need you.” He practically forces it out.

  “Well, who knew you could be the hero type?”

  “I’ll probably get bored with you.”

  “Not possible.”

  “I know I don’t mean that. I just said it. I have a tendency to try to fuck these things up. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t have one last rude thing to say to you.” He laughs and so do I.

  “I can take it.”

  “Yeah, cause you have a strong heart.” He comes forward. “A beautiful, magnificent, extraordinary heart.”

  “It’s yours if you want it.”

  He doesn’t say anymore. He just reaches for me, sliding his hand around my neck and kissing me. Thunder and lightning appear. This might be an omen, but again… I don’t care. I grab the collar of his tux and inhale the taste of him along with the rain and his tears. I devour everything. Nothing can be better than this. We break our lips away from each other, our foreheads pressed together. I’m trying to catch my breath. The rain is so hard and ferocious like my heartbeat. He grabs my hand and I quickly pick up my heels. We run through the soaked grass. It’s so wet I feel my feet getting stuck a couple of times. The grass is sinking, but I won’t. Not tonight, I won’t.

  We finally reach a boathouse, as the thunder and lightning become furious. It’s huge and dark, the only light is the lightning. The rain hits hard on the windowpane. There are three garages and open water in each section where the boats are supposed to be.

  I can’t observe anything else because Hugo pushes me against the wall by the door. He glances next to us. There’s a table full of tools and fishing equipment. He swipes his arm across—everything just falls to the floor. He lifts me up, my legs wrapped around his waist. I laugh as he sits me on top of the table. He hikes up the bottom of my dress to my thighs. Gently he places his hands on them.

  “Show me where you think you are the ugliest and I will show you you’re not,” he whispers and I’m no longer smiling. I’m only crying.

  “You know already,” I answer.

  He takes his hand and slowly slides it between my thighs, pressing it on the left. I grab his wrist. “Don’t,” I beg.

  He sadly smiles at me and moves the wet hair from my face. “It’s amaz
ing how someone with so much courage could be so frightened by something that isn’t really that big of a deal.” He rubs his thumb across my cheek. “Half of the people out there have worse scars than you.”

  “It’s not about other people, Hugo. It’s about my parents knowing. It’s about what I felt when I did it,” I confess. “I felt good and that scares me more than anything in the world. Feeling good while doing something so horrible.”

  His eyes show his understanding. He licks his lips and kisses me gently before speaking again. “I’m going to kiss you there. I want you to let me.”

  I don’t say anything. I just softly nod my head.

  Slowly, he lowers himself. He moves the dress up some more. He blows against my thigh and it tickles, but I can’t laugh. He presses his lips on my bare knee. He works his way up my thigh and each kiss sends shivers through me. He moves my dress higher up and opens my legs wider. I gasp in worry and excitement as his tender lips press the jagged lines on my left inner thigh. I press my hand against my eyes as I cry. I breathe in and out as he kisses them with so much love and compassion. Finally, I stop crying as the rain gets louder. I don’t panic anymore. If there’s a word to describe this feeling, it’s rejuvenation. The scars are no longer broken. They are healed by his kiss. They don’t even exist anymore.

  I comb my fingers through his wet hair, holding onto it with one hand and the edge of the table with the other as he kisses my right thigh. He peers his eyes up at me. The ocean looks beautiful in this weather. The lightning allows me to see the colors clearly. He slides his hands up as he watches me. His fingers are at the top of my panties. He starts to slide them off. I raise up so they can come right off. He’s still watching me and I’m still watching him. Something different is in his eyes now. Hunger. My breathing goes rapid. He dives further between my thighs and my eyes practically go to the back of my head as I feel his tongue start to caress. I can’t wait any longer. I grab his face and bring him back up to my level. Our arms and tongues wrap around each other. I moan into his mouth as he slides his hand farther between my thighs. Foreplay is over. We have been doing foreplay since we met.

  I break the kiss and practically rip his bow tie off of him. My hands move to unbutton his vest and shirt. He leans in kissing my neck as I feel his bare chest rise. I slide my hand around his waist and pull him closer against me. He grabs my bottom and slides me further to the edge. I moan, begging him to just be inside me. I unbutton his pants and reach in feeling how hard he is. He pulls me closer and positions himself between my legs. He grips my thigh and holds on tight to my waist. My hands on his shoulders. My heart almost explodes as he thrusts inside me. I scream at the fulfillment. My scream matches the sound of thunder and I like that he wastes no time sinking further and deeper in me. I feel so whole and now I feel so good as he begins moving inside me. His tongue travels from neck to cleavage. I gasp every time he dives in and whimper every time he pulls out. I want him to stay inside me forever. I bend my leg, holding my knee up and move my hips faster. He kisses my lips, moaning into my mouth as he picks up the pace. I didn’t think he could go deeper but he does. He grips my ass and I hold onto the collar of his shirt as he moves faster. The faster he goes, the more I think I’m going to die from the powerful sensation.

  I come. My god, do I come. My entire body trembles to the max and I watch as his breath quickens, his gasps become heavy, and his beautiful eyes look my way allowing himself to come. He moans and leans his head into my chest. His hard breath hits my skin and his lips press against my breast that is covered by my dress. I comb my fingers through his wet hair and giggle.

  “That’s not all, right?” I ask.

  He catches his breath, chuckling and stares at me with intense hunger. “Not even close.”

  He looks to the side and sees what seems to be a large dark blue sheet. Probably for the non-existent boat. He pulls out and I wince, now realizing how sore I’m going to be tomorrow. He pulls out the sheet, lays it out just enough for our bodies to lie. My head still against the wall as I watch him take off his shirt. His chest wet from rain.

  “Take off your dress.” I bite my lip and smile. I lift off the table and do what he commands, pulling my straps down my arms. My dress drops down to my ankles. I am completely naked. His eyes rake over my body. He stares at me like I am the face that launched a thousand ships. He kicks off his shoes and removes his socks. He pulls down his pants along with his underwear. I have to say his penis is a beautiful one. Like you don’t see many of those, but Hugo Mandrake has a marvelous looking one. He falls to his knees on the sheet. I meet him there. I reach for his chest, but he stops me, grabbing my wrist. He takes my other hand in his and locks our fingers together. He raises our hands together and we watch as our hands coil.

  “I think I’ve realized something,” he says, staring me into my eyes. “I want to say it to you. I want to say it just once… but I can’t. I don’t think it’s entirely for the reason you think. I think I need to say it to the one person who has always been entitled to those words from me. You understand, right?”

  He looks worried that I don’t. But I do understand.

  HUGO

  She smiles at me and cups my face. “Yeah… I do.”

  I grab her bare waist and pull her into me. I want to feel her skin against mine. It’s so warm and wet from the rain. I begin kissing her again. She stops me now. She flashes that mischievous grin and pushes me down on the cover. I reach for her, but she takes my right arm, placing it over my head. She straddles me, smiling. I bite my lip wanting her to just ride me, but she does something better. She bites my chest and I hiss at the pain and pleasure. She slides her hand between my thighs and strokes my hard on as she bites my nipple. Fuck.

  She works her way down. She looks up at me and gently covers me with her mouth. I moan and lean my head back as she savors me.

  “Fuck,” I hiss out. “Juliet,” I whisper as everything begins to blur out. I grab hold to the sheet and then comb my fingers through her wet hair. Her tongue moves into circles on the tip and her mouth moves in a slow but conquering rhythm. I begin to shake feeling my body begin to erupt, but she stops and I let out a frustrated laugh. I’m too fucking hard now.

  “What?” she asks coming back up and kissing me. “I knew you were good at that,” I whisper catching my breath.

  “A girl’s got to have talents.”

  I kiss her and flip her over onto her back. I raise both her arms up over her head. “If you move your arms… I’ll stop,” I warn her seriously, and she giggles, not realizing the situation she has gotten herself in. I kiss her neck, then I devour her petite breasts that do not bother me at all. Wiggling my tongue over nipples, she moans and then kissing her down her stomach and to my paradise. I look at her as I blow on it and she gasps. She bites her lip watching me and grins.

  “Do it again,” she whispers in demand.

  I softly blow again and she gasps again. I proceed with my tasks, using every technique my tongue will allow. She moans, even stutters out my name, “H-Hugo.”

  God, when she screams it is like Mozart to my ears. I grab hold of her thigh as I press my mouth against the most sensitive and exhilarating piece of the female anatomy and watch as her hands hold on tightly to the cover. She arches her back and begins to shake. Quickly, I remove my mouth and lift her hips up. She gapes at me as I thrust into her without warning, holding her waist and legs up so there will be nothing but her head and shoulders for support. She moans louder as I sink deeper. I moan at her warmth covering me. I watch as her body clenches and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. I rest my head against her ribs as I keep moving my hips against hers. Perfectly in sync. Her screams return only louder. I almost forget about the storm outside. I slide my hand down her back and lift her up, pressing her chest against mine. Her hair whips around and I lift my hips as she straddles me, thrusting faster and harder. She moves her hips against me and she becomes wild, moving her head back and forth, her nails digging i
nto my shoulder. I press my lips against her throat. I lick the sweat and rain off of her. She pushes me down and begins to grind on top of me. She leans back, resting her hands on my legs as I meet her rhythm. My hands are comfortable on her breasts and I love watching her on top of me. She is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I press my lips tightly together as I feel my body begin to tremor. I can’t let that happen. Not until she gets what she deserves. I flip us back over onto her back and look into her eyes as I continue thrusting and moving my hips in a circular motion, slowing it down. Her eyes widen every time I do that. It’s like life is getting drained out of her. Or maybe she’s drowning? Drowning in my ocean. That’s what she says about my eyes. I’ve never told her, but I like that. Her hand slides down grabbing hold of my ass, pressing me deep inside her. She’s close and the thought of her coming makes me want to just die because it can’t get any better than this, but it will. It will. I lean my head in the crook of her neck and close my eyes, determined, rolling my hips harder. Her scream gets louder and louder and louder until, finally...

  JULIET

  I scream in pure pleasurable, amazing, magnificent agony.

  “Oh my God,” I can barely get out as I come all over him. He moves a few more times before coming and his body shatters on top of mine. I hold onto him as he shakes and moans. I think my life flashed before my bloody eyes. That was the most glorious moment of my damned life. Soft whimpers escape through his lips. I feel them vibrating on my neck. His tongue caresses my skin in hunger. He moves his hips again and I gasp. God, seriously? I comb both my hands through his hair and smile to myself. I catch my breath so I can tell him.

  “You were right,” I tell him. He lifts his head up and stares at me. “You really are amazing at that.”