Page 9 of Sinful Pleasure

“Whatever you say,” I muttered, turning my back to him. I needed to get away, even if just for a moment.

The last thing I wanted was to stay near him, not when I felt so exposed by his presence, yet irritated by it all at once.

I walked toward the dogs, just to avoid him, to put some physical space between us.

But, of course, he didn’t stay back for long.

I felt him before I heard him—the oppressive weight of his presence closing in behind me.His body was so close that my back brushed against his hard chest, his warmth seeping through the thin fabric of my shirt. My stomach flipped, and my breath hitched, coming in quick, shallow bursts.

He was right there. Hovering. His hot breath spilled across my skin, sending a shiver through me.I didn’t dare move. It was like my body froze, unwilling to acknowledge what was happening.

“Watch your fucking mouth, Miss Delgado,” his voice sliced through the air like a razor, low and deadly. “It’ll get you in a lot of trouble one day.”

I felt my pulse quicken, but somehow, I found the strength to step away from him slowly. I let out a breath, shaky, my heart racing as I tried to think straight again.

We stood there, the silence between us thick and heavy, both of us unwilling to break the stare we had locked into.

“Allyn, we need you inside.”

Tamara’s voice sliced through the air like a welcome relief, and I almost sighed in gratitude.

I needed to get away from him now.

“Okay,” I said, adjusting my shirt, though I wasn’t sure why I did.

It wasn’t like it needed fixing. I was just trying to do something with my hands, anything, to avoid the weight of his gaze.

The way he was looking at me like he was devouring me with those black eyes, made my skin crawl and burn at the same time.

I took a step forward, eager to put distance between us.

But of course, Maddox followed, his footsteps too close, too fast, and I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to face him again.

“Wait here,” I ordered, my voice steadier than I felt.

His eyes narrowed, confused, flicking between me and Tamara, like he was trying to decipher what the hell was going on.

“I promise, she’ll be safe,” Tamara added, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She pulled me by the arm, trying to move me away from him. “It’s just two minutes.”

Maddox’s gaze shifted back to Tamara, and his voice was devoid of humor when he repeated, “Just two minutes.”

It wasn’t a suggestion. It was a warning.

I shot him a look before we left him outside with the dogs as Tamara practically dragged me away. Her smile stretched wide across her face, as if she knew something I didn’t.

“You’ve got a lot of tea to spill, girl,” she grinned, her eyes glinting with curiosity. “Why all of a sudden is a ten out of ten hottie following you everywhere you go?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but the words got stuck in my throat. What could I say to her that wouldn’t sound completely insane?

That my father arranged my marriage to a man in the mafia? That this ‘hottie’ is sent by my husband-to-be as a way to control every aspect of mylife? That my family practically sold me like a piece of property?

I shook my head.

“Long story,” I muttered instead.

******

By the time we got back to my house, it was shortly past eight in the evening.

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