Page 9 of Breaking the Sinner

She mumbled the number and street. About twenty minutes from his place. The engine hummed to life on the second try, and he pulled out of the parking lot, easing into the nighttime flow of traffic.

Red fell asleep almost as soon as they hit the highway. He fought to not look over at her. Her skin gleamed like porcelain under the garish street lights. Like she could crumble under the slightest pressure.

She didn’t look like anyone who had ever sat in this car.

He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he kept an eye out for her street. What the fuck was he doing? He should have left the bar when he had the chance. Let her sleep it off in the ride share.

But something about her made it impossible not to look. She was innocent in a way he was desperate to protect—and beautiful in a way that he knew exactly how to wreck.

He ran his sweaty palm over the top of his shorts as he pulled into a standard white brick apartment complex. Red stirred as the car shut off.

“Red. We’re here.” He pushed out of the car, coming to her side to get her unbuckled. She pushed at him weakly, eyes pinched shut.

“I’m not ready to go to bed,” she mumbled.

Cobra laughed, helping her to standing. “I think you are. Which one is yours?”

“All of it.”

He huffed. She was a rag doll in his arms. He hoisted her over his shoulder, her ass jutting out next to his head. He slapped the back of her thigh. “Wake up. Which apartment is yours?”

A giggle fluttered out of her, and she wriggled against him. The weight of her fit him, like a balance he hadn’t realized he needed.

“Apartment 33A,” she slurred.

He carried her easily toward that block of apartments, setting her down gently in front of her door. She wavered for a moment, eyes going glossy as she looked up at him.

“Thanks for a great night,” she whispered.

A laugh erupted from him. “I didn’t take you out, Gen. I brought you home.”

“It was still great,” she insisted, rummaging in her handbag. She produced a key a moment later. “Aha!”

The exclamation was practically a guffaw. It echoed down the hall. He shushed her.

“I do what I want,” she said, struggling to open the door and failing. “Are we gonna have sex?”

He rubbed at his face, the grin hurting his cheeks. This girl wasn’t just sexy, or awkward, or different. She fit into a category he’d never even realized existed. “No. I’m making sure you go to bed.”

Though he would have loved to bend her over the nearest soft surface, blackout drunk was not the time to try. His roommates would have begged to differ.

“Well, here we are.” She missed the lock on the fifth attempt. Cobra snatched the key from her, and the door unlocked on his first try.

“Go inside.” He pushed the door open as she sauntered through, looking like a sketch comedy performer making fun of a sexy walk. He laughed. “Are you always like this?”

“I should ask you the same thing.” She jutted her chin out, spinning on her heels. The quick turn made her fall over. She faceplanted into the couch.

“Jesus, Gen.” He shut the front door quickly then helped her sit up.

“Don’t take the Lord’s name in vain,” she whispered. The sweet tang of alcohol bathed his senses. But from this close, he could see the startling clarity of her green eyes. Like a gemstone, something so glittering and deep that he felt punctured by the sight.

His stomach clenched. “Which room is yours?”

“I’m not telling you,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. The defiance made him smile. She turned her head away.

“This shouldn’t be too hard to find out,” he said. The apartment was small, a kitchen hugging the overstuffed living room. A shadowy hallway to the left. “Should I go wake up your roommates and ask them?”

“Stop it,” she hissed, pushing to standing. Her tie-dyed tank top had slid out of place, revealing a taupe lace bra beneath. His low belly tightened. This was not the time or the place, but suddenly he was hungry for her. Wanted to taste that smooth shoulder, push her up against the wall.

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