Page 15 of King of Sinners

“Look at me.”

I do as he asks, opening my eyes and tilting my chin up. I can’t control my breathing, my blood hammering through my veins. Looking at him like this is making my body hum with a need like I’ve never known. My hands come to his abs, my fingers pressing into the sharp ridges. “Mason?”

“Hmmm,” he lowers his head, placing a light kiss on the corner of my mouth.

With the break in eye contact, my eyes flutter closed again. “I know I told you I haven’t dated very much.”

His mouth moves a little more to center but not all the way, kissing the right side of my lips.

“But I have to tell you that I’ve never…”

He stills, his mouth freezing against mine. “You’ve never had sex?” I feel his mouth moving against mine as he speaks.

I shake my head. “No. Never.”

He’s gone before I can even find my balance and I nearly fall with the loss of his support. I catch myself as I blink my eyes open to find him standing a few feet away looking pissed off.

I grimace as I cast my gaze down again. I should have known. Men like Mason want experience. But what does that mean for my protection? We were bargaining, weren’t we? Had I misunderstood?

“Get ready,” he says before he turns and heads for his bedroom, closing the door hard behind him.

I do as I’m told, going into my room and then straight to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Wrapped in a towel, I find the bag and begin pulling out the contents, carefully lining up the makeup on the vanity, the toiletries in the bathroom.

Picking out a cute skirt and simple top from the bag, I’m relieved to see an adorable pair of slides at the bottom of the bag. Heels are the last thing I want today, and my sneakers do not go with this skirt.

I don’t have time to unpack the rest of the clothes, so I stash the bag on one of the shelves in the closet.

With five minutes to spare, I use a bit of the makeup, a little eyeliner to highlight the sexy tilt of my eyes and some lip gloss, which is the perfect shade of pale pink for my skin.

My door opens and Mason appears in an open button-down shirt and dress slacks.

“Ready?”

I swear his gaze takes in every detail. From the arrangement of the products on the vanity, to the amount of leg the skirt shows—pretty generous—but nothing like my uniform.

I stand from the vanity seat, taking one extra second to return the lip gloss and eye shadow to their proper spots. It just makes me feel better.

Walking toward Mason, he steps back to let me out of the room, but as I start down the hall, his hand comes to my waist, guiding me toward the elevator.

I can’t even pretend his touch doesn’t make me tense, full of a hectic energy that has no release. So I keep my chin up and stay silent.

He said we’d talk in the car. But that was before I mentioned I was a virgin. Should I have not told him? But Mason is not a man I want to keep secrets from, and I’m not interested in upsetting him. Still, in a game where my life hangs in the balance and there is a price to be paid, I feel like I just gave away a major bargaining chip.

I’m about to find out.

CHAPTER SIX

Charlotte

I sneak another glance at Mason as the car we’re riding in creeps down Interstate 15.

The silence is killing me.

Normally, I like silence. I don’t need constant chatter to fill the void. But we’ve left so much unsaid.

We’re not in a limo like last night. This is a sedan, also new, and also amazingly comfortable. Mason isn’t driving, however, we’re both in the backseat as the driver navigates the congested roads.

The older gentleman who is driving catches my eye in the rearview mirror and gives me a kind smile. That’s a nice change.

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