Page 37 of Breaking the Sinner

He tugged, hard, which prompted a gasp from her lips. The next second, she was tight in his arms, spatula still in one hand, his mouth covering hers.

The scent of him consumed her, and revisiting this intimate aspect of him made her knees buckle. He was laundry soap, the outdoors, and a hint of vetiver, something so masculine and inviting she could hardly focus. Alarm bells rang. This was too good. Too intoxicating. His rough palm found the side of her face as he dove in for another kiss. His tongue pressed at her lips; she stiffened.

Cobra eased her back against the countertop, his other hand stroking her back suddenly underneath her shirt, making lazy swirls there. She opened her mouth, begging for the kiss. His tongue surged forward. Found hers. Electricity sparked, and a moan burst out of her. Unbidden.

She jerked back, clamping a hand over her mouth. She searched over Cobra’s shoulder.

“Oh, my goodness,” she hissed. “I shouldn’t have done that. Why did I do that?”

Cobra cocked his head, a dimple flashing. “Because you like it. It’s okay.”

“But Sophie’s here,” Gen said. She couldn’t find a trace of embarrassment on Cobra’s face. He probably liked it, even.

“I’m sure she knows what happens when two people French kiss.”

Gen drew a deep breath. The French kissing must continue—but later. In private.

“We should eat first,” Gen said, turning away from him. Her skin protested the loss of his heat as she stepped back into her position in front of the stove. “And then we can go read books in my bedroom.”

Cobra laughed softly, resuming his position at the cutting board. “Sure. Read books in the bedroom.”

Chapter 16

Gen hadn’t been kidding.

She planned on reading.

“Okay.” She bounced softly as she sat on the bed next to him. He caught another soft whiff of her perfume, something that reminded him of sunny days and flowers. That was Gen, after all. Pure light and goodness. Something that flowers grew toward. “I feel like the Ottoman Empire might be a little boring to start with. The Bible one might be my nighttime reading. Any suggestions on where to start?”

“Yes.” He reached for the book in her hands and tossed it aside. “This one.”

Their dinner had come and gone in a blur of laughter and lighthearted conversation. She was so easy to be around. And damn, the food had been good. He didn’t even admit how good he thought it was.

But after so much time at her side, swallowing the urge to kiss her, to touch her, to yank down her shirt and see a creamy shoulder, he was about bursting.

Gen’s brow furrowed, looking at her empty hands. “Which one?”

Cobra grabbed her by the waist, the dip there seemingly made for his hands. She giggled as he scooped her closer, pulled her onto his lap, her legs dangling off the edge of the bed.

“Oh,” she said. “I get it now.”

He buried his face in the hollow of her neck. Her porcelain skin was fresh, smooth. The definition of untouched. The thought made his mind spin.

How did he get so lucky?

“So what item do you want to complete today?” He ran a palm over the top of her thigh, up around the thick roundness of her hip. Her head tilted away from him, bringing her neck closer to his lips.

“I don’t know,” she said in a small voice. Her eyes drifted shut. “Just keep doing that.”

He didn’t know what “that” was, so he didn’t change a damn thing. His palms made lazy paths across her thighs, up the swell of her hips, fingertips venturing under the hem of her shirt. Gen trembled in his arms.

He could make her a gooey mess.

“Do you like it?” As he stroked her, he thought of the bases, those all-important markers throughout middle school. He should probably go back to that—first base one day, second base another day. He couldn’t rush to home like he was used to. Like hewantedto.

Gen nodded, blinking lazily. “I don’t know why it feels so good when you touch me.”

He smiled into her hair. “Red, we’ve got some chemistry, if you haven’t noticed.”

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