1
JOAN
The thick,wrought-iron swings open like the jaws of a great whale, swallowing me whole as I pull through and park in front of the enormous mansion.
I still can’t believe I’m here. I’m out. Momma sent me to the convent, but after only a few months, I couldn’t take it. I know it’s wrong, but I feel like I’ve just been released from prison.
When I turned eighteen, I bought a single lace thong—just to try it out. Momma found it and exploded. She told me Satan had a hold on me, and if we didn’t quell my sinful urges, I’d end up ‘one of those hussies out on the street.’
Especially without having a daddy around to straighten me out.
I still can’t get over just how big the house is—like something from an old Hollywood film where a great family would hold extravagant balls for high society.
Then again, my new familyishigh society. Mom just recently re-married John Bleakson, a stock trader who runs his own hedge fund…whatever that is. Quite an upgrade from my biological father, who worked steel until he died in a fire.
Sometimes I wonder what kind of gal I’d be if he was still around.
I park and step out of the car, shielding myself from the rain. A single light glows from a room on the second floor. But who could it be?
Momma and John are on vacation in Florida, along with my new step-brother, Amon.
Must be just one of their household staff. A house this big? I’d bet they have tons.
I race inside and shake off the wet. My footsteps echo across the foyer. I’d reckon you could fit my entire old house in here with no problem.
So this is how the other half lives.
It’s quiet, uncomfortably so. Like I’m not supposed to be here. The lights are dim, but a presence hangs over me like a dark blanket—blacker than the fabric of my habit.
The back of my neck prickles, causing me to flinch like there’s a spider on me. I hear the floor creak above me and look up, only to find myself staring into the stern eyes of temptation itself.
“Amon…” His name falls from my tongue, barely a whisper.
I clutch my cross, trying to fight back the wickedness inside. I have to be good for Momma. For the Lord.
But heat spreads through me, forcing thoughts into my mind that I know I shouldn’t have. That I know are wrong.
Maybe Momma was right about me...
I stare up at Amon—his broad shoulders, dark hair, and piercing eyes that seem to peel me like an orange.
My body is covered, head to toe. Even my hair is hidden. But the way he looks at me…it’s like he can see through it all, right down to my skin beneath.
My hips twist on their own as a tingling sensation spreads between my thighs. I’ve felt it before while lying alone in bedat night, staring up at the ceiling, cursing myself for my own desires.
And as I look up at this dangerously handsome man towering above me, I feel those desires again. Growing and swelling, like something I can’t control.
A thick bulge shows in his pants. Is that what I think it is?
The thought steals my breath away, and I scold myself. Amon is my step-brother. He’s ten years older than I am. I should be introducing myself. Entering into the bond of a new family.
Yet the way he’s looking at me now—it’s like he has plans for me. Like he wants to take me somewhere—some place private…
…What would happen next? Images of things I don’t even understand yet invade my mind. I start to feel lightheaded and swallow hard.
“You’re a sinner.” His words boom down like thunder, causing me to shake as he slowly descends the stairs. “The nuns knew. That’s why they sent you away.”
How does he know about the convent? Did Momma tell him?
