Page 155 of Awakened by Sin

“For always being there when I need you.” She stroked his cheek. “I cried during our first hookup, and you still came back for more.” She chuckled and kissed him, soft and sweet. “I pulled a gun on you, turned you into a teacher, fucked you in a laundry room, and just now you gave me something you’ve never given anyone else.”

He stared at her for a long minute. “What’s that?”

She rested her forehead against his. “The real you.” He tensed, and she wrapped herself around him. “The one you don’t show people, the one you’re ashamed of.” She looked deep into his eyes. “I love that guy.”

He closed his eyes and shook his head. “You’ve got me all fucked up.”

She laughed and nuzzled him. “You’re fine; you’re just freaked because you lost control.”

He fixed her with a bad-tempered look. “I did. That can’t happen again.”

“It will,” she predicted and gave him another kiss. “I’ll make sure it does.”

She dropped her cheek on his shoulder and sighed. He slipped off the bench while she clung to him. He bounced around the Jacuzzi with his arms holding her close.

“What happened tonight?” he asked.

“I had a dream.”

“About Vinny.”

It wasn’t a question, but she answered anyway. “Yes.”

She was so sated that she didn’t feel even a flicker of pain. She girded herself to collect her thoughts and show her cards. After going to war with her, he deserved to know why. “I made a lot of mistakes. I have a lot of guilt.” Her chest tightened fractionally, but she soldiered on. “I don’t know how to handle the pain, so I obsess about other things. Food, shopping, volunteering, taking care of others, sex. Nothing satisfies me for long before I’m on my next bender.”

Marcus said nothing, and for that, she was grateful. She was glad of her position since it allowed her to confess without seeing his expression while she spilled her guts. In her current state, there was no embarrassment, guilt, or sorrow—only still waters.

“I needed something more tonight. Seeing Angel finger fuck that chick in Lux didn’t help. He goes through the same manic episodes that I do, but we handle them differently. He thought I would submit to him, to let him do whatever he wanted to me to get my fix, but I gave Carter a lap dance instead.”

Marcus tensed, but that could have been her imagination.

“I needed something more tonight. I needed a fight, and I didn’t know how I would get one.” She tightened her arms around him and kissed his shoulder. “You gave me exactly what I needed. Thank you.”

“I didn’t scare you?”

“You did, but in the best way.” She smiled against his skin. “A good guy with major kink. I love it. You make me happy, Marcus Fletcher.”

He pulled away slightly, forcing her to raise her head and look up.

“Is there something going on between you and Angel?” he asked.

“We’ve had … encounters,” she admitted, “but we haven’t slept together.”

He cocked his head to the side. “But you were close to it?”

“Yes.”

He collared her throat. “I don’t want anyone else touching you.”

She beamed and wrapped her arms around him. “Really? That’s sweet!”

“I mean it.”

“We’re exclusive,” he said in a rough voice that said his beast was still near the surface.

She liked the hand on her throat, the possessiveness in his voice. It made her feel wanted and cherished instead of lost and alone. “I’m good with that.”

“It means no lap dances for other men too.” She smiled as his thumb feathered over her pulse. “Is there anything else I should know?”

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