Page 7 of Awakened by Sin

It’s gonna be okay, baby.

She dropped her face on Kody’s chest to hide the way her face crumpled. It wasn’t going to be okay. It would never be okay. She took a shuddering breath and then another, trying to get a hold of herself.

“Did someone do something to you?” Kody asked in a low rumble.

She shook her head and couldn’t hold back the hitch in her breath. The sound of the festive crowd clashed with her devastated state. Grief drowned out everything around her, filling her world with black loneliness.

Kody wrapped her close, and she let him. She wasn’t sure how long they stood there, and she didn’t care. He pressed a kiss to her temple.

“Vinny?”

Would there ever be a day when she would hear Vinny’s name and not be affected by it? She nodded because there was no sense in denying it. Kody stroked the line of her spine.

“I’m sorry, Carmen.”

For some reason, his condolences didn’t have the same impact that Marcus’s had, and for that, she was grateful. She ran a finger under her eye to brush away the last bit of wet and looked up. “Thanks. I’m—”

“Still hurting,” Kody finished and trailed a finger over the curve of her chin. “Lucky bastard.”

She let out a choked laugh, and he grinned. During a break with Vinny, she had hooked up with Kody after seeing Vinny in a club with some bitches. She decided to give Vinny a taste of his own medicine and went on a trip with Kody, which had been highly publicized. Even after she broke off the affair and got back with Vinny, Kody continued to call her and let her know how willing he was to replace Vinny.

The yearning in his eyes made her inwardly grimace. She’d known he wasn’t the type for a wild weekend. He might be a Hollywood leading man, but he wasn’t a playboy. He was a good Southern boy at heart and apparently, a one-woman man. Kody was a great guy and not for the likes of someone like her. She would drive him insane.

Belatedly, she realized what a spectacle she had made of them. Kody always had paparazzi following him. She glanced around and didn’t see anyone snapping photos, but she spotted Marcus. He was still perched on the edge of a table, unabashedly staring. She resisted the urge to flip him off. That was probably what he wanted, the fucking bastard.

“I was hoping to see you tonight,” Kody said, drawing her attention back to him. “It’s been a long time.”

“Yes. A lot has changed.” Too much in too little time. She felt like life was giving her the beating of a lifetime. She got knocked down and managed to get on her hands and knees only to get kicked in the face. She brushed a hand over his bicep, which was definitely larger than the last time she saw him. “You’re doing superhero movies now?”

“Yeah. You a fan?”

She hadn’t indulged in a superhero movie, but maybe she was due. “I haven’t seen your latest movies, but I’ve seen the posters. Your career is really taking off. Good for you, Kody.”

“Do you want to get out of here?”

She was here to forget her reality for a few hours, but hooking up with Kody would be a disaster. When she broke her self-imposed celibacy, it would be with a guy who knew the score. She didn’t have anything to offer anyone, and Kody was a relationship man. That was the last thing she needed in her life. “No, I think I need to get drunk and dance.”

“I’ll come with you.”

She cupped his cheek. “I don’t want to see my face all over the internet tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

No.“Yes.”

“If you need to talk, I’m here for you,” he said seriously.

That warmed her shattered insides. She went on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. “I’ll catch you later, okay?”

She eased out of his hold. She came here tonight to take a break from life, and that was what she would do. It was time to do what she did best—party her ass off and leave her troubles behind. Even though she didn’t feel the beat in her bones, she lifted her arms in the air and shimmied through the crowd. She made her way to the bar by squeezing two men’s asses, did two shots off a beautiful redhead, and downed two more before she headed to the dance floor.

She focused on the fist-pumping beat and let it fill her. The alcohol did its job. The pain in her chest evaporated, and she reveled in the smell of sweat, alcohol, and perfume. The press of people was comforting. Hands played over her sweat-slick body as she danced. A guy who couldn’t be older than twenty-three grinded against her. She didn’t discriminate. She wrapped an arm around his neck and swiveled her hips against his erection. His eyes went blind with need, and he kneaded her ass. His touch didn’t evoke a spark of anticipation or excitement—nothing. Had Vinny ruined her for all men? The stranger’s hands slid over her midriff and then traced the waistband of her leather pants.

“Hey.”

Marcus stood in front of her, and he didn’t look so smiley and easygoing now. He looked irritated, and for some reason, that made him more interesting than the guy grinding against her. The boy toy’s hands stopped an inch from her breasts.

“She’s married,” Marcus bit out.

---