Awakened by Sin (Crime Lord Series Book 4)

by Mia Knight

  “You don’t give him anything because he can’t give you what you need,” he whispered in her ear.

  Her eyes nearly rolled back in her head as he began to move. Hell, yeah.

  “Carmen?”

  “Yeah?” she huffed.

  “Hang on.”

  He straightened, gripped her hips, and began to thrust. She splayed over the teacher’s desk, vaguely aware of the fact that she was on a chart which listed the student’s name and tasks with smiley face stickers. She gripped the other side of the desk for leverage and moaned as she stared at the classroom of empty desks. She imagined that she really was fucking a teacher and got even wetter.

  “Fuck me, Mr. Fletcher!” she moaned.

  He ground against her. “Carmen.”

  “Yes, fuck me!”

  He sped up, and she held on for dear life. The taboo environment sent her over the edge. His thrusts became erratic and frenzied as she rode her orgasm. Her teeth clamped together to hold back a scream as he gripped her hard enough to bruise. He slammed deep and came in one gush.

  “You’re so bad for me,” he muttered into her hair as he rested on top of her.

  She laughed weakly as she stared out the windows at the crowd in the distance. The door of the classroom was wide open, and anyone could find them like this, but she wasn’t concerned. Even if Frederick and Mickey weren’t guarding the hall, she would have seduced Marcus to see how far he would go. She loved pushing boundaries, and she was pleasantly surprised to find that he kept matching her.

  “That shouldn’t have worked on me,” he grumbled as he pulled out and collapsed in the teacher’s chair.

  She slid off the desk and found some paper towels to clean herself. He didn’t move. He sat in the chair with his eyes closed, utterly drained. She smiled as she sat sideways on his lap and wrapped one arm around his neck. Straitlaced Marcus was bending his rules for her.

  “You played the teacher part perfectly,” she praised.

  He opened one eye. “You have these urges often?”

  “Urges?”

  “Fantasies.”

  “All the time.”

  His eyes closed. “I figured.”

  She wanted to pet and stroke, but she rested against him instead and floated in the aftermath of great sex. Marcus seemed willing to bust it loose anytime, anywhere. He was a man after her own heart. Too soon, he shifted and tapped her butt.

  “We better go,” he said.

  She reluctantly slipped off his lap and then did the schoolgirl pose while twirling her hair around one finger. “Do I get an A, Mr. Fletcher?”

  He paused in the middle of straightening his clothes. “I’ll give you an A, but I have to reevaluate for next quarter.”

  She giggled as they cleaned up the teacher’s desk and walked out of the school. The adoption event was winding down. From this distance, she couldn’t see how many animals were left, but she knew they had saved a lot of lives today. That fact combined with her orgasm made her feel as if she was emanating sunshine.

  “We had a great turnout today,” she said.

  “Alice said you had a big hand in that.”

  She shrugged. “I just told a few of my friends.”

  “Is one of your friends the manager of Petco?”

  She grinned. “He was a sweetheart.”

  “I heard you donated over ten thousand dollars’ worth of items for the new owners as well.”

  “It’s not a big deal.”

  Marcus stopped and turned to her. “It is a big deal. Alice says you’re a big reason these events have become such a success.”

  “All I do is talk and donate where I see fit. Alice is the one that spends weeks preparing and making sure they turn out amazing. They’re for good causes, and I love Alice.”

  His gaze shifted over her shoulder. “Can I help you?”

  She turned and saw Mickey and Frederick standing nearby. “They’re with me.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “They’re watching over me.”

  Marcus tensed. “Why?”

  Reality was coming back with alarming speed. She wrinkled her nose as she tried to think of a delicate way to put this that wouldn’t scare him off.

  “Why, Carmen?”

  “I kind of …”

  His brows rose, and she realized there was no nice way to put it. Actually, if threatening to shoot him didn’t make him run for the hills, he could handle anything.

  “I killed someone.” No change in his expression. “Gavin and Angel are taking care of it, but I’m laying low at my soon-to-be stepdad’s house. When I go out, I have my guards.”

  “Who did you kill?”

  No inflection in his voice. He had the best poker face she’d ever seen. Control personified … unless she provoked him with sex.

  “The leader of the Black Viper gang.”

  He cupped the back of her neck and drew her against him. “You killed Blaine?”

  “Blaine?” She was confused by the question and the smell of her cotton candy perfume mixing with classy sin on his suit.

  “He was Blaine Carter before he became Maddog.”

  Hearing Marcus say Maddog sounded wrong on so many levels. “How do you know that?

  “We went to the same school. He dropped out in seventh grade.” His hand tightened on the back of her neck. “You need a place to stay where no one will find you?”

  “No one knows my mom is engaged.”

  “The Black Vipers could track you after a public outing like this one.”

  She rocked her hand from side to side. Possible, but unlikely. The Black Vipers were bound to be more worried about Gavin and Angel than her.

  “Why don’t you move back in with Gavin?”

  “Gavin and I don’t see eye to eye. Besides, I need my own space. I’m going house hunting next week.”

  “If you need a place to stay, I have one.”

  “What?”

  “I have a house I don’t use since I stay in the suite at the hotel. I didn’t even unpack, and it’s in a gated community.”

  “You’re offering to let me stay at your house?” she asked, just to clarify.

  “Why not?”

  “Wouldn’t that be weird?”

  “No. Come, you can see it now.” He grabbed her hand and towed her toward a silver Audi.

  “Um, okay.” She turned and hollered, “You have my keys?” to Mickey who gave her a nod as she ducked into the passenger seat of Marcus’s car. This was an interesting turn of events.

  “Why are you involved with the Black Viper gang?” Marcus wasted no time asking as they left Cimarron Elementary.

  She hesitated and then said, “Wrong place, wrong time.” She didn’t want to bring up the fact that Angel took her there. She was sure Gavin and Marcus would both be pissed about it. They wouldn’t understand that in his own fucked up way, Angel had been trying to help.

  “Why’d you kill him?”

  It was only a matter of time before someone gunned him down. She tried to hang onto the bliss of climax and not the slap of rage that threatened to blow her high.

  “He said something about Vinny, and I snapped.” She felt his quick glance and stared straight ahead.

  “Blaine never respected women. Not surprising that he underestimated the wrong one.”

  She didn’t like hearing that his name was Blaine. It made him sound more human and less like the leader of a violent, notorious biker gang. “My dad killed his. We have history.”

  “Your dad’s the one who shot Cannon?”

  She stared at him. “How do you know all this shit?”

  “I grew up in Conklin.”

  She straightened. “The housing projects? Are you serious?”

  He flicked her an amused glance. “You didn’t think I was born into this, did you?”

  “I did, actually.” He wore power like a second skin and had the manners of a fine gentleman. She couldn’t imagine him in a rough neighborhood. Not even cops wanted to a
nswer calls in that area. It was gang infested and poverty-stricken. “How is that possible?”

  “Long story,” he said and reached for his phone when it began to ring.

  She sat back as Marcus drove. Unlike her and Angel, he was cautious and controlled. It made her grin. She closed her eyes and listened to the rumble of his voice as she basked in the afterglow of great sex.

  Twenty minutes later, they entered a private community with its own shopping center. There was a massive golf course and lake that the homes were built around. Marcus drove up a picturesque street lined with trees and generous properties before he pulled up to a house with a stone front. He parked in an empty three-car garage. She got out of the car as Frederick and Mickey parked in the driveway. Marcus unlocked the front door and waved her in as he continued his conversation on the phone.

  She wasn’t sure what to expect. She paused in the foyer and surveyed the space. Directly before her was a nice living room filled with light. A short staircase led to an upper level where the kitchen and dining room were. From where she stood, she could see everything, including a short hallway on the second floor that must lead to the bedrooms. There was no furniture or decorations. The only room had anything in it was an office. Marcus kicked aside some boxes to get to the computer as he talked.

  She walked up to the second level and looked out at a surprisingly well-maintained backyard with a bench, trees, and shrubs. The house had three bedrooms, two bathrooms. The master had a bed, nightstand, and not much else. The closet held a handful of suits, workout clothes, and shoes. The second bedroom was filled with boxes, and the third was empty.

  Carmen looked out at the views of the lake and golf course. The house had been designed with beautiful stone accent walls, built-in shelves, and a corner bathtub in the master that invited her to take a load off and soak. This place had a sense of peace and tranquility about it. It wasn’t something she would have considered in the past, but at this point in her life, it was perfect. Charisse expected her to choose a super luxe home comparable to what she had with Vinny. This… this felt just right. Both she and Marcus could afford something much grander, but maybe he had felt the same sense of calm well-being embedded into the walls.

  She walked back to the dining area and leaned on the metal railing and surveyed the first floor. She was already mentally decorating when Marcus walked out of the office and pocketed his phone.

  “I’ll buy it from you,” she said immediately.

  “Buy?”

  “You said you’re never here.”

  “My stuff is,” he said as he climbed the steps.

  “I can put it in storage and help you find another place.”

  “You like it,” Marcus surmised.

  “Yes, it’s perfect for me.”

  “You don’t have to buy it from me. I told you, you can stay here.”

  “I know, but I want it, and I have to settle somewhere. I looked at twenty-six houses in three days, and I hated all of them. Besides, who knows how long it’ll take Gavin to kill all the Black Vipers?” She cocked her hip. “And if you think I can live here without decorating, you’re crazy. Let me buy it from you. I’ll pay you double what you bought it for.”

  “You want it that bad?”

  “Yes!”

  Marcus went to the fridge and pulled out two bottled waters. He handed one to her and drank from the other. “I’m not selling.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I like it.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he held up a hand. “If you still want it after you’ve been here a while, maybe we’ll negotiate.”

  “But you’re a businessman! You’ll make a profit!”

  He leaned a hip against the railing. “I don’t need the money.”

  “Hard ass,” she muttered.

  His mouth crooked at the corner as he sipped his water. He studied her silently as if he was waiting for her to say something.

  “What?” she asked and looked down at her dress to make sure she didn’t have cum stains or something.

  “You got your head sorted out?”

  Her head snapped up. “Excuse me?”

  “You’ve been on a wild bender. I want to know if you’re done or still going.”

  “I haven’t been on a bender.”

  “Carmen, you fucked my brains out three times, twice in public, once in front of our goddaughter.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he added, “I caught you pole dancing in the penthouse suite, kissing Kody Singer, and now I hear you killed the leader of the Black Vipers, all in two weeks.” He crossed his arms. “And I’m sure I’m missing a whole lot of other stuff.”

  She tossed her hair. “What’s your point?”

  “My point is, I want to know if you’re done trying to cheat death.”

  “I’m not suicidal,” she said even as she had a flashback of reaching for the gun in her bedroom.

  “The night Gavin went to Hell, you told me you wanted to live. You told me to wake you up.” He moved in close and put his hands on the railing on either side of her, caging her in. He leaned down and tilted his head to the side, so their lips were mere is inches apart. “You’re awake, you’re alive, and I want to keep you that way.”

  Her heart thudded in her ears as warmth spread to every part of her body. “I’m fine.”

  “You’re far from it, but you’ll get there. Are you done with your bender?”

  “I haven’t been—”

  He kissed her, and she sank so fast, everything around her ceased to exist. One hand sank into her hair and gripped while the other cupped her face to hold her to him. Classy sin. His taste tempted, teased, and calmed her all at the same time.

  Marcus lifted her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and kept his mouth busy. She didn’t care where they were going or why. He settled her on her back on something as soft as a cloud. She broke the kiss to press a hand against the mattress.

  “This bed is amazing. I’ll buy this from you too.”

  “We’ll share it,” he said as he grabbed her face and turned it back to him so he could continue ravishing her.

  She grinned as he shrugged off his suit jacket and lay on top of her. They made out like teenagers while they explored through their clothes. When she couldn’t take the teasing any longer, she thumped his shoulder.

  “I want your dick!” she demanded.

  Marcus buried his face in her hair and laughed. She hit his shoulder again and tried to roll him on his back, but he was too heavy.

  “I’m serious!”

  Marcus slid off her and began to undress. She came up on her elbows to watch the show. Despite the fact they had hooked up several times, she hadn’t seen him completely nude. She waited with bated breath as Marcus bared his body for her delectation. Marcus Fletcher was fine. He had a sculpted body with hair on his chest that led straight to his moneymaker. He had broad shoulders and muscles in all the right places—arms, abdomen, thighs. His hip bones were prominent and made her mouth water with the need to trace them with her tongue. She sat up and stripped off her jacket.

  “No, let me.”

  He pulled her to the edge of the bed and pulled off the bomber jacket. She worked the dress over her hips and held her hands in the air so he could pull it off. He stilled when he saw her matching black lace lingerie set. She grinned, enjoying his bemused reaction. When thirty seconds passed without a word, she decided to speed things up by widening her legs.

  “Mr. Fletcher, I’ve been soooo naughty,” she said in her high-pitched schoolgirl voice.

  Marcus visibly stiffened. She was about to muster up a girly giggle, but that wasn’t necessary. He launched himself at her. Her back hit the mattress even as he ripped her flimsy string bikini off and sank into her.

  “I told you about that voice,” he growled.

  “You like it,” she whispered as she ran her nails down his back.

  He cupped her breast and thumbed her nipple. “I finally have you in a bed. I wanted to take my time—”


  He broke off as she rocked beneath him.

  “Carmen.”

  She ran her hand through his damp hair. “You can take your time next round.”

  He took her at her word and got to work. He did her missionary style. Rough, hard, and deep. She urged him on with her schoolgirl voice until she was too lost in the moment. He came first, but she didn’t mind. She rolled him onto his back and rode him until she found her own orgasm. She flopped on top of him, cheek pressed against his heaving chest.

  “Twice today without a condom,” he said, “You been with anyone else besides me?”

  “No,” she murmured sleepily.

  A hand cupped her cheek. She opened one eye to see him smiling and looking extremely smug. “That’s good news, babe.”

  “I’ve had a slow week,” she joked.

  He chuckled as he tipped her to the side and curled himself around her. One arm wrapped her close as he buried his face in her hair and took a deep breath.

  “You have anywhere to be?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Then sleep,” he said and twined his leg with hers.

  He rested heavily against her. She closed her eyes and absorbed the feel of a man holding her close. She could feel the incremental differences between Marcus and Vinny and immediately stopped trying to compare them and just let it be. It hadn’t just been a long week; it had been years of stress and heartache, but right now, she was at peace, and she wanted to savor it.

  “You’re safe here,” Marcus murmured into her hair.

  “I know.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and let it all go.

  16

  Carmen cracked open one eye and surveyed her bare surroundings for a full minute before she remembered where she was. She was with Marcus in her future house. She stretched beneath the sheets and found that she was alone in bed. She padded into the amazing bathroom and gave the bathtub a longing glance before she stepped into the shower big enough for four people.

  Her mind was cloudy from sex and sleep, but she felt better than she had in days. Sex had always been her drug of choice. She liked sex with food, sex with alcohol, sex with costumes … She wasn’t picky. Sex made her feel alive, wanted, powerful, sensual. Marcus was doing a damn good job of keeping her topped up.