Page 85 of Sinner

It was perhaps the one thing I was least proud of. Well, that and how I’d surrendered to his one demand that I now regretted.

“You’re very much like her. Innocent souls.” Perhaps I was testing her.

She huffed and turned back toward the fire, huddling even more. “You don’t know me that well, even if you think you do. Although I’m certain your background check of me found all my secrets.”

“Evidently not all of them.” I wondered why she hadn’t mentioned her sister earlier, other than that she’d been dead set on deceiving me. Had she really thought she’d be able to act out on her need for revenge? I’d heard they were tight, but given how Michael had felt about me dating Shanna, I’d almost never come to the house.

Another reason Jessica’s identity hadn’t been detected.

“You know enough to scare me or maybe I should say use against me.”

“You already know about my reputation, Jessica. You assume everything you’ve heard is correct. Most is, but I’m not in the habit of using anything against beautiful women.”

“That’s right. You’re a protector.” The words dripped of sarcasm and she shivered again. “I don’t know what I’m doing any longer. I want so much to hate you. Why can’t I continue doing so?”

“Because I’m a great guy.” I grinned to try to break the tension. At least she rolled her eyes instead of showing fear in them as she’d done before.

“Why don’t I run you a bath.” I wasn’t asking a question. I was making a statement.

She sputtered and bent her knees, pulling her legs against her chest, leaning her head on her knees. “A bath? Are you serious?”

“Believe it or not, the house comes with running water.” I placed my drink on the table and stood.

“Stephanie warned me about you,” she said absently, reiterating the point from before. There was no reason to elaborate or grill her on why. Her gaze lifted seconds later. “But she’s wrong.”

We locked eyes for a few seconds and a part of her armor began to slip away. Some of mine did as well. Somehow, after all the years of fighting the demons inside, she’d managed to crawl under my skin next to them. My increasing pulse reflected not only the intense desire, but also emotions I wasn’t used to experiencing.

I wanted to learn more about her, to spend quality time exploring both her body and her mind. The thought was riveting.

“Don’t go anywhere, my sweet Desdemona, or I’ll be forced to keep you in my cage for the night.”

“You have a cage?”

I laughed. Little did she know just how deep the depravity went. “A cage isn’t your style, Jessica. You need to run free to be hunted and captured by a predator.”

“Mmm… Maybe.”

Her laugh followed me to the stairs. I took them one at a time, still questioning my judgment of bringing her into my private space. Everything I’d done over the last two weeks had been outof the ordinary even for me. I could even consider my behavior reckless, which was something I’d fought hard against most of my life.

A smile curled across my lips as I headed into my bedroom and the adjoining bath. While creature comforts were nice, including the hand-selected leather furniture, my favorite design in the house after the kitchen renovation was the master bath. It still carried a gothic feel with fixtures and the walls painted in a rich wine color.

Had I indulged in taking a bath every so often? Yes, but for entirely different reasons than simply relaxation. I’d bathed in the blood from a night of righting wrongs. As I turned on the water, I realized until the asshole in the parking lot, my hunting had been reduced to a minimum over the last year or so.

Why?

I’d been too busy.

Jessica had managed to ignite the darkness that I would never allow to be driven into the shadows again.

I turned on the flameless candles while the tub was filling and moved to the sink as I waited. My reflection told no lies. My eyes highlighted the anguish and retaliation over the years. There was no light indicating a soul whatsoever.

A single solid look into someone’s eyes and they were usually terrified. Not Jessica. The reasons to lay final claim to her were stacking up against those that I should consider releasing my hold.

But I was a possessive man, more so as I’d gotten older.

I rolled one hand down my chest, pleased at what the years of working out had done for my physique. Never again would I be the wimp, the weak boy who couldn’t fight to save himself. I was a lethal killer and proud of it.

Steam was rising, the water the perfect temperature.

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