Page 550 of The Sinner: James

I wait, hoping to see him again.

There.

I spot him.

He climbs the stairs, heading to the beach, and I turn to stone. Eyes trained on me, he walks toward me, wearing white linen pants and a matching shirt, untucked and unbuttoned at his chest.

“It’s him...” I murmur, not believing my eyes.

He keeps walking, a bright smile glinting across his lips.

“James...” I say.

Oh, my.

My hands start shaking.

“James...” I call out louder.

He’s not even close, and he opens his arms for me, his face beaming with a grin that tells me everything I need to know.

I run to him, the space between us only getting bigger as I can’t seem to get to him soon enough to quench my thirst for him and feel him close to me again.

A soft light threads through his gaze as I crash into his arms.

His lips meet mine, and we dive into a hot, hungry, ocean-scented kiss.

He lifts me up, and I loop my legs around his waist, the salty smell of the ocean transferring from me to his skin.

We break the kiss before I pull back a little and look at him, my fingers trailing his face.

“You’re here...” I murmur, a lump in my throat. Still having a hard time believing it. “Are you only visiting me? Do you have to go back?” I ask, glancing over his shoulder, looking for his people, a ship or a plane, anything that could take him away.

“What do you think?” he asks, amused.

My smile fades as my feet meet the ground.

“No way...” I say, struggling with disbelief. “Are you here for good?”

Smiling, he brings his hand to my face, brushes off a few specks of sand, lowers his mouth again, and kisses me slowly.

My arms wind around his neck as I press my chest against his torso, eager to feel his body, hungry to absorb his scent.

“You’re not leaving, are you?” I ask as we break the kiss again.

“Not unless you want me to,” he says softly.

And only then it all sinks in, and a scream of joy falls from my lips, making him laugh wholeheartedly before I lock him in a tight hug.

A second later, my hands slide up his chest and follow the contour of his shoulders, peeling his shirt off.

He tugs at the strings of my bikini and my bra.

They both fall to the ground, as does his shirt.

Our lips are locked, and my back hits the sand as I push his pants down.

Within seconds, he’s buried inside me, and my arms are looped around his neck, my eyes linked with his.

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