Page 84 of Breaking the Sinner

“I’m sorry,” was all she could say.

When Cobra looked over at her, she could see the strain of lightheartedness. “That enough for you? Satisfied?”

A laugh escaped her. “Yeah. For now, at least.”

The falsetto notes of a pop singer’s chorus filled the quiet between them. Cobra slid his hand over her knee, squeezing it. The little gesture spoke volumes. Maybe he’d never opened up to anybody else.

And if that was the case, he’d made the right choice. Because although she didn’t know the full story, she recognized the weight and pain behind his façade.

She’d protect his vulnerability.

She’d protect his secrets…and even his sins.

Chapter 34

When Gen pulled over at a gas station in the middle of nowhere, Cobra tumbled out of the car, drawing deep breaths as if he hadn’t truly breathed in hours.

Every inch of his body crawled at the upcoming visit. He’d spent most of the miles between LA and the outskirts of Fresno counseling himself that it would be fine. That this didn’t matter as much as his mind screamed it did.

But the truth was, he didn’t know what to expect. And the question-mark outcome had his nerves jangling.

More than that, the close quarters of the car had him hungry for more than just food. Being so close to Gen but unable to hold her, kiss her, run his hands over his favorite parts of her body, which were basically all parts at this point…he could practically devour her.

“Want me to get the gas?” he asked, slamming his door shut. Maybe the motion would help jostle loose the anxiety that had him in a vice grip.

“No.” She sent him a sweet smile. The fluorescent lights of the gas station buzzed from overhead. Even under the garish contrast of nighttime and bright, white lights, she was gorgeous. “I’ve got it.”

He rested his palms on the back of his head, coming around to the gas pump. He watched as she fumbled with the touch screen, shook her head, then muttered, “Oh, come on, for Pete’s sake.”

“What is it?” he stepped closer, a hand slipping into the delicious curve of her lower back.

“Nothing.” She pushed a few more buttons, sending him a sly glance. “I appreciate the gas station attention, though.”

His hand pushed lower, scraping over the waist of her jean shorts. His fingertips burned with the urge to push inside those shorts. Find the sweet heat between her legs that turned him into a fucking slave for her. “That’s what I’m here for. To help you pump gas.”

She snorted. He knocked his hip against hers. She must have caught on to his subtext, because she arched a brow.

“Remember, no funny business at my parents’ house. They won’t let us sleep on the same floor, much less in the same room.”

He swallowed a groan of disappointment. “So you’re saying we need to squeeze in a quickie now.”

“A quickie?” She held up a palm before he could clarify. “No. I think I get what that’s referring to. But a quickieis impossible. What are we going to do, rent a motel room for an hour?”

He smirked. “It’s been done before. But you realize we don’t even need a bed…right?”

Her brow furrowed as she stuck the pump nozzle into the car.

“We can have sex anywhere we want,” he murmured into her ear, trailing a hand up the side of her body. He pinched a breast briefly through the conservative button-up blouse she wore. “Even on the side of the road.”

Shock lit up her face. “Where? In the dirt?”

“It’s been done.”

She scoffed. “Or better yet, in the car!”

“Why not?”

Realization made steps across her face. “You seriously want to have sex in the car?”

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