by Leah Brooke
“Sin!”
Bending toward her, his eyes glittering in shadow, he slipped an arm around her back, holding her so tightly that she felt his erection against her belly.
“I can’t let you go without just one taste.”
Before she could do more than suck in a breath, his head lowered, his lips hard on hers.
At the first touch, Veronica’s knees buckled, his kiss unlike anything she’d ever experienced.
Hot. Passionate.
Overwhelming.
He took her mouth with a thoroughness that left her reeling, her already heightened senses going into overdrive.
She never knew that a kiss could be so all consuming.
His lips moved over hers with a possessiveness that made all rational thought impossible.
Lifting his head, he stared down at her as if he’d never seen her before.
Straightening to his full height, he slowly released her, watching her closely as if to see if she needed him to steady her.
His features hardened, along with every line of his body.
“Get in the car, Veronica. We’ll follow to make sure you get home safely, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Chapter Three
Washing the dishes, Veronica stared unseeingly out the window into her grandmother’s backyard, the image of Sin’s face burned into her mind.
She hadn’t slept much the night before, and when she had slept, she’d dreamed of Sin holding her the way the Dominant at the club had held his submissive and looking at her with that same adoration in his eyes.
“You seem distracted today, Veronica. Is something wrong?”
Blinking, Veronica smiled. “No. Of course not.”
Grinning, she finished another plate and set it in the drainer.
“Do you know that only you and Aunt Martha call me Veronica. Everyone else calls me Roni.”
Except Sin.
Her grandmother frowned. “You’re changing the subject. Are you still upset that you didn’t get a chance to meet Sinclair Majors?”
Looking away, Veronica rinsed the last glass.
“Actually, I did get to meet him.”
“You did? I thought you said—”
“I met him last night.”
“Really? Where?”
Gulping, Veronica dried her hands and turned away to wipe the already immaculate counters.
“I took a chance and went to the hotel. The desk clerk told me where to find him.”
Her grandmother grinned mischievously. “And when you told him about Esmerelda, he told you that it was entirely possible and that such contact does exist. That’s why you didn’t say anything. You knew I was right.”
“No, Grandma. Sin and I—”
“Sin, is it?”
Her face burning, Veronica shrugged.
“He asked me to call him that. We didn’t get a chance to talk last night so I’ve arranged to stop by his hotel to ask him to come with us to check out your fake psychic.”
“She’s not a fake, something Sin will find out for himself. Then you and Martha can leave me alone about it.”
Veronica’s stomach clenched at the hurt in her grandmother’s tone and she rushed to her side, hugging her.
“Grandma, you know that we’re just trying to protect you. I know how much you miss Grandpa.”
To her alarm, her grandmother’s eyes filled with tears.
“No. You don’t. Until you love like that, you can’t possibly know.” Smiling through her tears, her grandmother patted her hand.
“I just hope that, one day, you’ll see for yourself. Now, if you’re going to meet Sinclair, you’d better get going. Martha and I are going to watch a movie together.”
* * * *
Back in the house she rented, Veronica went through her closet, unable to decide what to wear.
As she’d done several times in the past, she decided on her favorite pink dress. She knew she looked good in it, and it always bolstered her confidence.
It was gone.
Frowning, she searched again, looking on the floor to make sure it hadn’t fallen.
Had she forgotten to pick it up at the dry cleaner?
She looked again, in vain.
She’d lost several other things in the last few weeks and was beginning to wonder if she was losing her mind.
Her favorite scarf had disappeared, as had a pair of sunglasses, a pair of earrings, and a belt.
Glancing at the small clock on her nightstand, she pushed thoughts of her missing things out of her mind and grabbed a pair of jeans and a blue sweater, tying another scarf around her neck.
Her mission wasn’t to impress him but to get him to help her.
It didn’t matter what she wore.
* * * *
Walking through the hotel lobby, Veronica wiped damp palms on her jeans, slowing when she spotted the two security men who’d stopped her the night of the show.
To her surprise, they gestured for her to proceed to the elevator, one of them smiling faintly and inclining his head as if to acknowledge that she’d gotten the best of them when she’d used her heels on them.
The other man glanced down at her feet, his lips twitching when he saw that she wore flats.
“Top floor. Penthouse.”
Letting out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding, she smiled her thanks and made her way to the elevator.
Once inside, she pressed the button to the penthouse, her finger shaking.
Closing her eyes, she leaned against the back wall, closing her eyes as she remembered his kiss.
If his kiss could turn her insides to jelly, she could only imagine what his lovemaking would do to her.
The ping of the elevator brought her back to the present, and taking a deep breath, she straightened.
When the doors opened, Sin waited for her.
His blond hair, always tied back during his shows, hung loose around his face, appearing darker than when he’d been on stage.
His welcoming smile did nothing to put her at ease, the sexual tension in the small curve of his lips making it difficult to breathe.
Dressed in black trousers and a loose dark gray sweater that appeared to have been tailor made for him, he looked sophisticated and rich.
And smelled divine.
“Good evening, Veronica.”
Taking his proffered hand, Veronica swallowed heavily.
“My friends call me Roni.”
“So you’ve said. Would you like some wine?”
He led her past a huge unsmiling man and into the penthouse suite, sharing a look with the other man as they passed him.
“Veronica, this is Sam Walsh. Sam, this is Veronica Sands.”
Sam’s lips twitched. “It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, ma’am.” He lifted his gaze to Sin’s. “You won’t be disturbed.”
Keeping her hand in his, Sin led her across a wide foyer and into a large living room. “Have a seat, Veronica. I’ll get the wine.”
She stared at the long sofa but knew it would be dangerous if Sin decided to join her.
Choosing one of the chairs across from it, Veronica dropped her purse to the floor and lowered herself into it, watching him as he poured their wine.
“This is nice.”
To her surprise, Sin shrugged. “It belongs to a friend of mine.”
“The penthouse?”
Sin’s lips twitched. “The entire hotel. He keeps the penthouse for himself. Did you have a nice dinner with your grandmother?”
“Yes. I did. The three of us get together every Sunday.”
Turning back with their glasses, Sin paused, his eyes narrowing, a dangerous glint in them she didn’t understand.
“The three of you?”
Uneasy, she played with the ends of her scarf. “My grandmother’s sister, Aunt Martha, lives right next door to her, and she joins us.”
She could almost feel the tension leaving his body as he came forward and offered her a glass.
To her surprise, instead of sitting on the sofa, he lowered himself to the heavy coffee table, leaning forward to stare into her eyes.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there to pick you up. An emergency came up that required my attention.”
“Did you take care of it? Am I interrupting?”
She started to get up, but Sin held out a hand.
“It’s done, at least as much as I can do tonight. You’re not an interruption. I’ve been looking forward to seeing you since we parted last night.”
Remembering his words, Veronica sat back and took a sip of wine. “Are you still mad at me?”
Sin sipped his own wine and set his glass aside, taking her free hand in both of his.
“I think the word I used was furious.”
“My mistake. Furious then.”
Sin’s lips twitched, and to her surprise, he stared into her eyes as he lifted her hand to brush his lips over her fingers.
“I’ve had some time to cool down and think. I’m just grateful that nothing happened to you and that I found you.”
Shaken at the effect his touch had on her, Veronica took another sip of wine, forcing a smile. “I think I’m the one who found you.”
Sin’s slow grin set loose thousands of butterflies in her stomach. “So you did.”
Suddenly, Veronica couldn’t breathe.
Getting to her feet, she took another sip of wine and made her way to the wall of windows, watching the snow flurries that had started just as she’d pulled into the hotel parking lot.
“Are you going to help me with my grandmother?”
“Yes.”
Startled that his voice came from right behind her, she almost spilled her wine.
“Thank you.”
His nearness had currents of electricity racing through her.
She hadn’t drawn a steady breath since stepping off the elevator.
“Don’t thank me until you’ve heard my conditions.”
Suddenly she couldn’t breathe at all.
* * * *
Sin’s first instinct was to crowd her, but the wary look in her eyes warned him that he would do a lot better if he made her feel comfortable.
There was a time for intimidating her, but now wasn’t it.
Turning slowly, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Conditions? What conditions?”
Holding out a hand again, he waited while she stared at it for several long seconds before placing her much smaller one in it.
“Come back and sit down. I just want to ask you some questions.”
“What kind of questions?”
Hiding a frown when she stiffened, Sin refilled her wine, hoping that it would help her relax. Sitting on the sofa to give her the space he suspected she needed, he watched as she took her seat across from him again.
“I’m just curious about the woman who got scared that I wouldn’t make it out of the tank and was mad enough about it to call me an asshole.”
Veronica’s blush did things to him that stunned him, the image of her face flushed with passion rising in his mind.
“I should have known you’d get out of it, but the woman sitting next to me told me that you’ve been doing more dangerous illusions with every show. I guess I really didn’t see them as dangerous. I knew you were good at what you did, but I suppose its scarier seeing it in person.”
“Is that why you were running out? You didn’t want to watch me drown?”
The flash of fear in her eyes humbled him.
“I wanted to get out to follow your limo, but when you stayed in there so long…”
“Sam said that you were on your way back down the aisle toward the stage and almost ran straight into me.”
Taking another sip of wine, he let his gaze rake over her, taking in her curvy hips and full breasts, his hands itching to touch her.
“And when I looked at you again, you called me an asshole.”
Looking up at him through her lashes, Veronica blushed again.
“You scared me.” Sitting forward, she grinned. “How did you get out of that tank, anyway? They couldn’t have drained it because it was still full of water.”
Amused, Sin sat forward as well, stilling when she stiffened and sat back again.
Determined to get her to relax, Sin smiled. “Magic.”
“There’s no such thing.”
Concerned by the sadness in her voice, Sin leaned back and studied her. “Magic comes in many forms.”
She took a sip of wine, and stared down into the glass, her sad smile ripping his heart to shreds.
“So my grandmother tells me. She loved my grandfather very much and misses him every day. That’s why she goes to the psychic. Medium. Whatever she calls herself. My grandmother thinks she’s communicating with him through Esmerelda.”
Her lips thinned in anger, her eyes lifting to his.
“I hate that that bitch is playing on my grandmother’s emotions to rob her blind.”
His own anger rose. “We’ll put an end to that. I promise.”
Her eyes closed briefly, her relief palpable. “Thank you.”
He would do it no matter what, but he had the strange feeling that this might be the only way to get the answers to the questions he wanted to ask.
“Being at the club last night aroused you.”
“No!” She jumped to her feet, turning right then left as if she wanted to escape but didn’t know which way to go. Finally deciding, she made her way to the window again, taking a big gulp of wine. “I wasn’t aroused. Just curious.”
Getting to his feet, he bit back a surge of anger at the outright lie.
“You promised to answer my questions. I don’t appreciate being lied to, Veronica. You ask me for help and then lie to me. That’s not very nice, is it?”
Needing to see her face, he took her hand in his and turned her to face him.
Delighted by her blush, he kept her hand in his and led her to the sofa, keeping it in his to keep her from escaping again.
Veronica gulped her wine. “No. It wasn’t nice, but that was a very personal question.”
“I know it was, Veronica.” Leaning forward, he refilled her glass, intrigued by her sharp intake of breath.
“That’s why I had to make a deal with you in order to get the information I want. Besides, don’t I deserve it after you called me an asshole?”
Tilting her head, Veronica stared at him for several long seconds, a hundred questions in her eyes.
Refilling his own glass of wine, he waited her out.
Running her fingers up and down the stem of her glass, she gave him a sideways look. “Yes. And no.”
“Well, that’s definitive. Would you care to explain?”
“No.”
Keeping his distance cost Sin dearly, but he did it, knowing that if his instincts were right, his patience would be rewarded.
“Do it anyway.”
Her eyes flew to his, her blush deepening. “It’s…fun, for the lack of a better word, to see and imagine, but…”
“But?”
She shot to her feet again. “But I’m sure the reality is far different from the fantasy.”
Intrigued, Sin rose, not crowding her, but staying close as she slowly paced back and forth in front of the windows, the near darkness keeping her in shadow.
He thought briefly of turning on a light but suspected she’d be more inclined to confide in him in the darkness.
Keeping his voice low—soothing—he watched her as she sipped her wine and continued to move.
“It can be. It can also be better.”
He barely caught her smile before she turned again.
“You’re a Dominant. Of course you’d say that. You have all the power and don’t have to endure any of the pain.”
Anger made his voice harder than he’d meant it to be, and before he knew it, he stood at her side, gripping her arm and whipping her around to face him.
“Did someone hurt you?”
To his horror, she pal
ed. “No.”
He let her tug her arm away, not wanting to scare her further.
Moving away, he picked up a remote to illuminate the room in a low light to enhance the intimacy but also allow him to see her.
Staying across the room from her, he leaned back against the bar, hating that she moved so stiffly, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
He wanted to see the stunning woman in red—the one who’d gotten angry and called him an asshole.
“You said that you’ve read about Dominant and submissive relationships. If you have, you should understand that the submissive has all the power. All she has to do is use her safe word.”
“And trust that the Dominant will respect it.” Her voice lowered to a husky whisper, so low that he had to strain to hear her.
She took another sip of wine and started her slow pacing again.
“And if he does accept it, things are probably over between them. He’ll throw her away and get someone else. Her feelings and fears won’t count for anything at all. Why are you asking me all these questions?”
“You intrigue me, and as a Dominant, I’m curious about your opinion on submission.” Sin took a step toward her, stopping abruptly at her look of panic.
“I’d also like to know what the hell you’ve been reading. It’s obviously scared you.”
She took another sip of wine and waved a hand in the air, an effect of the alcohol.
“I mean, how’s a woman supposed to know what she likes until she’s tried it? What if she’s afraid of disappointing him? Why would he be so mean if he really cared about her? No. It’s nice to fantasize, but the reality would suck.”
Sin moved slowly toward her, not wanting to startle her or to halt the words pouring from her.
“Why would a man who cared about a woman expect her to kneel? Why would he hit her? Why would he want to scare her?”
The fear in her voice and the odd combination of sadness and yearning shimmering in her eyes had Sin speaking without hesitation.
“It’s not like that—at least it’s not supposed to be. Let me show you, Veronica. Let me show you how good it can be.”
Spinning, she dropped her wineglass, staring at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“What?”
Taking a step closer, Sin held out a hand to her, grateful when she placed hers in it without hesitation. Steering her around the broken glass, he wrapped an arm around her, his chest nearly bursting when she leaned into him.
