Page 50 of Sin

A dark surge of protectiveness takes hold of me, twisting my gut and making my hands clench into fists.

Lily’s eyes flash with a hint of annoyance as she spins away from him. She twists her hips and ducks under his outstretched arm. She’s not amused.

My feet pull me forward as if they have a will of their own. When I make it to the stage, I clamp my hand around the metal pole, using it to vault myself up beside them. Lily’s eyes meet mine, wide with surprise.

With effort, I smile lazily at the guy. “I hope you don’t mind if I steal my girlfriend back.”

He frowns in what looks like disbelief and maybe a hint of anxiety.

With that, I grab Lily’s waist and lift her into my arms. The crowd roars again, this time mixed with gasps and whispers.

Lily’s weight is nothing as I jump off the stage. Her arms drape over my shoulders. “Cheater!” she shouts. “You only did that because you wanted me to lose our?—”

I crash my mouth against hers to silence her. For a moment, the world fades away, and there’s nothing but the softness of her lips pressed against mine.

Fuck, I want to take her home. I want to crawl into that bed with her and assuage this unbearable ache inside.

It takes all my willpower to pull back and break the kiss. Her eyebrows shoot up. She bites her bottom lip, her cheeks turning a delightful shade of pink. “You kissed me.”

I smile. “I did.

She stares at me for a long moment. “I thought you… You said you were never going to do it again.”

My whole body grows tense. Holy shit. I vowed I would never kiss her again, and I just did it on a whim.

Why the fuck don’t I feel bad about it? If Noah were here, he would kill me, and I don’t even care.

I’m changing. Becoming someone I don’t know.

My sole connection to God has been a strong inner sense of right and wrong. If I don’t have that, what does my faith even mean?

“I like it when you kiss me, Ethan. I wish you’d never made that promise.”

My gaze snaps to her face, my pulse pounding against my throat. “Really?”

When she nods, an overwhelming warmth washes over me. I’m never as light and easy and joyful as when I’m with her. Would it be so bad to sin a little for a single night? I won’t go any further than kisses, and I can go back to my normal, principled self tomorrow when I’m sober.

I lift my hand and brush my thumb over her full bottom lip. “If you’re okay with it, I am too. You were the one who told me promises to ourselves don’t matter.”

She smiles mischievously. “Especially stupid promises.”

I touch the tip of her nose. “Especially those.”

A while later, we’re sitting at the bar, and I ask the bartender for two waters. When I glance over my shoulder at Lily, her gaze is fixed on her phone. Her brows are knit together, and her mouth is slightly open.

“Everything okay?” I ask.

Her gaze flickers to mine, and something that looks like wariness creeps into her eyes. “Remember Jake?”

“Yep.” The word comes out tight, clipped. I lean against the bar and tap my fingers against the wood.

She pauses for a beat, as if considering her words. “He asked me to go out with a group of friends tomorrow night. He wrote me almost an entire novel, telling me he knows it’s last minute and his feelings won’t be hurt if I say no. I think he was nervous, which is…kind of cute, actually.”

A prickling sensation crawls up my spine, and a molten heat surges in my chest. I’m not jealous that she called him cute. That would be stupid.

She already told me she likes him. There’s nothing new about this.

“Yeah?” I say tightly.

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