For the Love of Sin

by Leanne Banks

  “And I’ve been told I’m brutally honest.” He deliberately looked at her mouth, then back at her eyes. “It wasn’t meant as a compliment.”

  She resisted the urge to lick her lips but couldn’t produce a quick retort.

  “I’m gonna be brutally honest right now. You make me curious, Senada. Sometimes I wonder if you’re a witch. Sometimes I’m sure you’re just a scared little girl in a woman’s body.”

  Senada flinched. That last observation was too close for comfort. “I’m not—”

  He lowered his head, blocking out the light and cutting off her protest. “Seems like the more I learn about you…” He skimmed his mouth against her lips in a taunting movement, and she felt his thighs brush against hers as he stepped closer. “The more I want to know.”

  His hand cupped the small of her back. He drew her body flush against his and took her mouth.

  She stiffened, expecting him to rush, to plunder her mouth. His hands were firm, but his lips were gentle, seeking, asking, wanting.

  Her heart tripped in surprise.

  He was everything she hadn’t anticipated. He massaged her nape with his callused hand at the same time he flicked his tongue on the seam of her lips. Soothing and arousing her.

  A slow, insidious hunger wound its way through her. She instinctively parted her lips and waited for him to explore her mouth, but he didn’t. Instead, he suckled her bottom lip between his.

  His gentleness was at odds with the hard ridge of his masculinity pressing against her. He squeezed her in his arms and gave a low growl. “God, you taste like heaven and hell.”

  He slipped his hand up her rib cage to just below her breast. Senada’s heart pounded. She wanted…his touch. She lifted her hands and slipped her fingers through his hair. He ran his tongue just inside her lips, his fingertips grazing the underside of her breast.

  Her chest hurt to breathe. She wanted more. But still he played with her, his fingers edging close to her nipple then scooting away, his tongue dipping inside her mouth then darting back. Her blood was burning her. Her breasts were aching with arousal.

  He slipped his finger close again, toyed with her tongue again. Her frustration shot through the roof. “Kiss me,” she whispered against his mouth. “Really kiss me.”

  Chapter Four

  “That’s what I’m doing,” he murmured, and his fingertips moved terribly, wonderfully closer.

  “No, you’re not,” she managed. “You’re playing with me.”

  Troy continued to sip at her lips. “Don’t wanna rush.”

  Senada groaned and took matters into her own hands. She rubbed her aching breasts against his chest in search of relief. Slipping her tongue past his lips, she began her own exploration.

  Troy gave an answering moan and covered her breast with his palm. He slid his other hand through the fold of her robe, and when his fingers encountered the bare flesh of her bottom, he broke off and swore. “You’re not wearing a damn thing underneath that.” His hand still cupping her, he sucked in a deep breath of air. “Not a damn thing.” Senada blinked and clung to his shoulders. The kiss had just been getting good. Why had he stopped? “I just took a shower. What am I supposed to be wearing?” She arched against him and took his mouth again.

  She felt his chest expand against hers as he let her take her fill. His hand massaged her rear end, and he lifted her so that his denim-clad hardness fit between the notch of her thighs. Her head was spinning. Her heart was racing. She reveled in the sensations of arousal. It had been so long since she felt this alive, this feminine, this hungry.

  His fingers slipped between her thighs and brushed her moistened femininity, and her arousal turned to undiluted need. She shimmied against his erection, and he shuddered.

  Pulling back again, he took a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m going to take you on the dining room table, if we don’t stop.”

  The room seemed to dip and sway. She stared at him, struggling to focus.

  “And I’m not going to do you on the dining room table,” he told her and swore. “Not until I spend at least twenty-four hours with you in bed.”

  Caught between overwhelming need and heady arousal, Senada didn’t want to stop. For a few mind-blowing moments, he’d given her blessed amnesia. For a few moments, she’d forgotten her diabetes. And she wanted to keep on forgetting. She swayed toward him again, pressing her open mouth against his.

  “Sin,” he muttered, his voice heavy with need, aching with an undertone of protest. His tongue melded with hers. “We’ve got to stop.” Slipping his tongue deeply in her mouth, he shuddered.

  He gripped her shoulders and tore his mouth from hers. “Stop.”

  Frustration shot through her and she met his gaze. “Why?”

  He looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “Because we’re out of control.”

  “So?” She knew she wasn’t behaving rationally, but she hadn’t felt so normal, no, better than normal, in what seemed like forever.

  He pushed his hand through his hair and shook his head. “Are you saying you want to finish?” He gestured toward the table. “On the table? On the floor?”

  “Yes,” she said defiantly. Then reality began to filter through her brain. Did she really want to get into it with Troy Pendleton? “Well,” she amended, looking at his hand on his belt. “I did.”

  Troy narrowed his eyes at her. “You wanna tell me what’s going on, here?”

  Her insides were trembling. She tightened the belt on her robe and looked away. “No need for a cross-examination. You were right. We were out of control. No big deal.”

  “No big deal?” He stood in front of her. “You tell me to go back to Tennessee every chance you get, then I kiss you, and you want to go all the way.”

  “Okay, so maybe you’re better than I thought you would be,” she said, appealing to his ego.

  “Maybe,” he said, “but something else is going on here. You seemed almost desperate.”

  Senada laughed out of sheer panic. “Oh, I think that’s a bit much, Troy. I may have been turned on, but it’s been a long time since I’ve been desperate.”

  She took a careful breath and strode toward the front door. “It doesn’t really matter now, because the moment,” she said, opening the door for him to leave, “has definitely passed.”

  Troy followed but stopped at the door and put his finger under her chin to study her face.

  It was disconcerting, having his violet eyes trained on her, but she made herself withstand it. Senada decided Troy Pendleton was smarter than she’d thought. He had the potential to affect her in a way she hadn’t planned. Even now, his unwavering gaze shook her. The intensity wasn’t purely sexual, there was a deep element of human concern. It was easy for Senada to identify because it was so rare.

  “It’s time for you to leave,” she whispered.

  He dipped his head and pressed his lips to her forehead. “I’ll be around.”

  Senada watched him go, then pushed the door closed and sank back against it. Don’t be fooled, she told her pounding heart.

  “I baked you and your nice Troy Pendleton a chocolate tortilla pie,” Mrs. Rodriguez said in her lilting voice. She beamed as she presented Senada with the dessert.

  “It looks delicious,” Sin said, her mouth watering. She wondered what she could trade for just one piece of the decadent pastry.

  “You will invite him for dessert and tell him I say thank you?”

  “I’ll be sure to tell him,” Sin said. “Let me put this in the refrigerator. I was just on my way out the door to take something over to the new neighbors.”

  “New neighbors?” Mrs. Rodriguez repeated. “I know nothing of new neighbors.”

  Senada smiled at the woman’s indignant tone. She considered herself the official welcome representative for the neighborhood. “A mother and two children. She’s had a rough time.”

  Mrs. Rodriguez clucked sympathetically. “Poor dears. You must let me come with you.”

&nb
sp; Senada gathered the food and shook her head. The poor dears would be adopted by Mrs. Rodriguez within five minutes. Not a bad thing, she thought. Not bad at all.

  Mrs. Rodriguez chattered as she and Senada walked to the garage apartment. Maria Horge, a petite dark-haired woman with shadows in her eyes, opened the door. She looked young to have two children. Young and defeated.

  Senada’s heart twisted. She smiled gently. “You must be Maria. I’m Senada Calhoun and this is—”

  “I’m Hazel Rodriguez. We’re your new neighbors, and we want to welcome you. Oh!” she exclaimed when she saw the two children, who were sitting at the kitchen bar eating cereal.

  “What beautiful children. What are their names?”

  Rocky scowled, but his younger sister smiled.

  Maria gave a faint smile too. “Rocky is my little man. He’s nine. And Angel is five,” she said, squeezing the little girl’s shoulder. “You’re so kind to come visit us, but the food—” She shook her head self-consciously. “You really shouldn’t.”

  “It’s not much,” Senada assured her, and set the baked chicken and bread on the counter. She glanced at Mrs. Rodriguez as she moved closer to the kids. “Just a little neighborhood tradition. Here’s my phone number,” she said, pulling out an index card with the information written on it. “If you need something, call.”

  Maria seemed to be holding her breath.

  Senada gazed at her thoughtfully. “Are you okay?”

  “Everyone’s so nice. Troy, you, Mrs. Rodriguez.”

  Senada laughed and tried to put her at ease. “No, no, no. We’re just nosy neighbors. You’ll see. Hope your kids like chicken.”

  “They love chicken,” Maria assured her as a knock sounded at the back door. “Oh, look! It’s Troy!”

  Senada’s gaze met Troy’s, and she felt a ridiculous spurt of excitement. He looked as if he hadn’t slept well, probably a by-product of where he’d spent the night. She wished she had a good reason for why she hadn’t slept well.

  “Good morning,” he said, shifting the grocery bag he carried but keeping his eyes on her.

  “How are you?”

  There was a hint of sexual turbulence in his gaze that caused an answering rumble inside her. Sin ignored it and smiled. “Fine. I was just on my way out the door.” She deliberately looked at Maria. “It was nice meeting you. Do give me a call if you need me. Okay?”

  She managed to get out the door before Troy could add anything. “Bye,” she called, and cursed the breathless sensation in her chest. No good reason for it, she told herself. No good reason at all. Troy Pendleton was not her type.

  Senada was still repeating the mantra twenty minutes later when he showed up on her doorstep.

  “You have something for me,” he said.

  Senada blinked. “That was last night, and since then, I’ve come to my sen—”

  “I’m talking about Mrs. Rodriguez’s pie,” Troy said dryly, and walked past her.

  “Oh,” she said, and fought the urge to kick herself. She quickly went to the refrigerator and pulled out the pie. Giving the chocolate pastry a wistful glance, she made a quick decision.

  “Here.” She thrust the pie in his hands. “You can have the whole thing. Take it back to the hotel with you.”

  Troy looked at her as if she were crazy and pressed his hand to her forehead. “Are you sick? Or nuts?”

  Impatience licked through her. “Neither. Just take the pie. Okay?”

  “But you love chocolate.”

  “I’m turning over a new leaf,” she told him. “I’m curbing some of my basic hungers.”

  “Well, don’t do it on my account.” He gave her a once-over and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Listen, there’s nowhere I can put this in that shack where I’m staying. Do you mind if I eat it here?”

  He looked rumpled, his violet eyes were a little cloudy, and there was a distinct razor cut on his chin. Past her mile-high defenses, Senada knew she had softened toward him for giving his apartment to Rocky and his family. “Sure,” she said quietly. “Have a seat.”

  Troy did a double take. He hadn’t heard her use that tone of voice before. Soft, he thought, even her expression was soft. He sat in a chair and just stared at her.

  She cut a piece of pie and set it in front of him, then lifted her finger to his chin. “Have an argument with your razor?”

  “Dull. It’s been a helluva morning. I talked to Brick.”

  “Problems?”

  “The worst,” he said, shaking his head. “Ethan eloped.”

  Senada frowned, clearly confused. “Did he marry a terrible woman?”

  “Don’t know,” Troy said with a shrug. “Doesn’t really matter. All I know is when one of my brothers elopes, it brings another woman into the family, and I get stuck with crazy assignments. And it doesn’t matter which brother it is, whenever they get married, they start acting loopy.”

  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.

  Senada glanced down at the sleeveless white shirtwaist dress she’d put on. Conservative, classy, Rex Calhoun would approve. After all these years, she still struggled with the absence of his love and approval.

  She barely noticed the on-and-off traffic on the road until the black Mercedes convertible pulled into the lane. A young-looking blonde woman with sunglasses drove past Sin.

  Another mistress, she thought, and a hard knot formed in her stomach. A still harder resentment rose inside her. Rex might be richer, but he hadn’t changed. Shaking her head, she put her car into gear and pulled back onto the road. She just wasn’t ready to face her father yet.