Sin’s breath catches. The smallest sign. The crack.
I lean in slowly, giving him time to stop me. Giving him an exit.
He doesn’t take it. His hands slide from my wrists to my waist, firm and careful like he’s still trying to be responsible even as he’s failing at it.
I barely have time to register the shift before his mouth is on mine. It’s not gentle. It’s controlled at first, like he’s testing the edge, like he’s trying to keep it contained. Then my hands rise to his chest, and I feel the hard muscle under his shirt, the steady heat of him, and I kiss him back with everything I’ve been holding in.
His restraint snaps a fraction. His mouth moves with mine, slow and deep, and my whole body lights up like a match struck in the dark. His hands tighten at my waist, pulling me closer.
I make a soft sound against his mouth, and he groans like it costs him something. He kisses me again, harder this time, and my knees go weak. I press closer, needing more, needing him, and he responds like he’s been starving.
Then he stops.
Not because he wants to.
Because he has to.
Sin pulls back just enough to breathe, forehead nearly touching mine. His eyes are dark, intense, and his hands are still on my waist like letting go would be a mistake.
His voice is rough. “Rowan.”
I’m breathing hard, mouth swollen, heart hammering like I just ran a mile.
“Yes,” I whisper, like I’m asking for more and also afraid of what more would mean.
Sin’s gaze drags over my face, and the hunger there is unmistakable. He swallows, jaw tight. “I can’t stop myself from wanting you.”
“I guess the question is,” I smile, “why are you trying to?”
NINE
SIN
I can't believe I'm doing this. My arms are wrapped around Rowan's lithe body as I carry her through the dimly lit hallway of this godforsaken safe house cabin. Rain hammers against the windows like it's trying to break in, but nothing compares to the storm inside me. I've wanted her since that first moment on the runway at the small airport, her hair whipping in the wind, her eyes sharp and unyielding. She was a vision of fire and ice, and I, Sin fucking Hawthorne, the unbreakable bodyguard, felt my world tilt on its axis.
She's my client. My responsibility. Crossing this line could get me killed—or worse, get her killed. But when she laid out that 'no-strings' arrangement earlier today, her voice low and challenging over the crackle of the fireplace, I knew I was done. Toast. Burned to a crisp. My control, that ironclad grip I've maintained through years of high-stakes protection details, through bullets and betrayals—it's snapped. Shattered like glass under my heel. I've never felt this before, this raw, animal need that overrides every rational thought.
Her legs are hooked around my waist, her hands fisted in my shirt as I kick open the bedroom door. The room is sparse. Just a queen-sized bed with rumpled sheets, a nightstand with a lamp casting a warm glow, and the faint hum of the generator keeping the lights on. I don't bother with gentleness. I toss her onto the bed, and she bounces once, her laughter husky and inviting. God, that sound… it shoots straight to my cock, already straining against my zipper.
"Sin," she breathes, propping herself up on her elbows. Her dark hair fans out around her like a halo, but there's nothing angelic about the way her brown eyes devour me. She's wearing that oversized tee, the one that’s been torturing me all evening, clinging to her curves in the humid air.
I stalk toward her, shedding my shirt in one fluid motion. My muscles are tense with every inch of my body primed for this. "You have no idea what you've unleashed, Rowan." My voice is rough, gravelly, and laced with the hunger I've been suppressing since day one.
She smirks, that defiant tilt to her lips that makes me want to claim her even more. "Show me."
Challenge accepted. I grab her ankles and yank her to the edge of the bed, her gasp turning into a moan as I drop to my knees. The carpet is rough against my skin, but I don't care. All that matters is her—the way her thighs part instinctively, the heat radiating from her core. I hook my fingers into the waistband of her shorts and panties, peeling them down in one swift pull. She's bare to me now, glistening and ready. Fuck, she's beautiful. Perfectly shaved, pink and swollen with arousal.
I lean in, inhaling her scent—musky, sweet, intoxicating. My hands grip her thighs, spreading them wider, pinning her inplace. She squirms, but I hold firm. "Stay still," I growl, my breath ghosting over her sensitive flesh. She shudders, and I feel a surge of power, of possession. This is mine now. She's mine, even if it's just for tonight.
My tongue darts out, tracing a slow, deliberate line along her slit. She tastes like heaven. It’s addicting. I flatten my tongue, lapping at her pussy, savoring every inch. Rowan's hands fly to my hair, tugging hard, but I don't rush. I tease her, circling her clit with feather-light touches, feeling it swell under my attention. Her hips buck, seeking more, and I chuckle against her, the vibration making her whimper.
"Sin, please..." Her voice is breathy and pleading. It's music to my ears, this strong woman reduced to begging.
I give in a little, sucking her clit into my mouth, rolling it gently between my lips. She cries out, her back arching off the bed. I slide one finger inside her, then two, curling them to hit that spot that makes her walls clench around me. She's so wet, so tight, coating my fingers as I pump them in and out. My tongue works in tandem, flicking and sucking, building her up. I can feel her climbing, her breaths coming in short gasps, her thighs trembling against my shoulders.
I glance up, watching her face. Her eyes are squeezed shut, her soft lips parted in ecstasy. It's the most erotic thing I've ever seen. I've been with women before, but never like this. Never with this intensity, this need to devour. My control is gone, and I'm operating on pure instinct now, driven by the fire she's ignited in me.
I add a third finger, stretching her, preparing her for what's to come. She moans louder, her fingers digging into my scalp. "Oh God, Sin... don't stop..."
