Page 43 of Sinful Pleasure

Prove you’re not a coward.

This is a game I refuse to lose. Not with Maddox King.

Before I could second-guess myself, I leaned forward, grabbed his face, and kissed him like my life depended on it.

And that kiss—it delivered everything I was terrified it would.

I had hoped it would be awful. So bad it would shatter every thought I’d ever had about this man. So bad I’d be disgusted, left with nothing but disdain for him.

But it wasn’t.

No, it was the most soul-breaking, heart-melting kiss I’d ever experienced. The way his mouth moved against mine made the world vanish. Every stray thought I’d ever had was consumed by how he tasted, how he felt. His low, guttural groan vibrated through me, pulling me deeper into the moment.

The way his tongue slid against mine—challenging, teasing, syncing to a rhythm so sweet it left me breathless—was enough to make me lose my mind.

If a soul orgasm exists, I am having one right now.

Butterflies swarmed my stomach the moment our lips synced, his hand tangling in my hair as though he was just as desperate for this kiss as I was. We kissed like we had no concept of time, no need for air. I’d rather suffocate than stop. My fists clenched his shirt like a lifeline, while his gripon my hair mirrored the same intensity.

Heat coursed through my body, pooling low, igniting every nerve until I moaned against his lips. He seized the sound, tugging my hair to slide his tongue into my mouth again, claiming me.

Maddox groaned—a deep, raw sound that was hands-down the sexiest thing I’d ever heard. It did things to me I didn’t know a simple kiss could.

I was drenched, my body betraying me, soaking the leather seat of his stupidly expensive car. And he hadn’t even touched me properly.

Maddox was the first to pull away, shoving me back slightly as if he’d flipped a switch in his brain. My lips stung, suddenly cold, already missing his warmth.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath, his voice rough and uneven.

He looked wrecked—his hair disheveled, his face flushed, his chest heaving as he fought for breath. His lips were red and swollen from ourkiss, and the fogged car windows looked like we’d done far more than kiss.

“Just go, Allyn,” he snapped, his tone sharp and distant. He didn’t evenlook at me.

Ouch.

I bit my lip, swallowing any retort, and grabbed my things. What was there left to say?

My legs wobbled as I stepped out of the car.

Even as I walked away, I could still feel his lips on mine, like he’d branded them with his touch.

With each step toward the gate, reality pressed harder against me, its weight growing impossible to ignore. Panic surged through me, flooding every corner of my mind.

I had just kissed my future husband’s brother.

I kissed Maddox King.

The worst part?

I couldn’t bring myself to regret it.

CHAPTER12

ALLYN

“Mr. and Mrs. King are expecting you to join them for breakfast, Miss Delgado.”

I had just finished applying my pink lipstick when Lara entered my room. I turned toward the door to face her.

---