Page 157 of The Young & the Sinner

I didn’t want to make him suspicious any more than he already had been, though I knew I would have to tell him sooner rather than later, seeing as I was expecting movers to help me bring my stuff here next week.

I took my time walking over to her, taking in her small form. Her long brown hair was down today, the ends curled slightly inward.

I knew without looking at her that she didn’t have a lot of makeup on.

Though she had been doing better, I still hadn’t seen her with her face fully made. Not that she needed it, but I knew the bubbly girl I fell in love with liked playing with makeup. And now that wasn’t the case anymore.

She shivered slightly when a strong gush of wind picked up, swaying her hair a little to the left. I took off my jacket as I neared her and put my jacket on over her shoulder.

She startled a little before turning to me, a wide smile already on her face.

“Hey, where did you come from? I didn’t even hear you.”

I bent down and kissed her neck, and she tilted her head to the side, giving more access to the soft skin there. We shouldn’t do this here, I knew that. Anyone could see us. But I couldn’t help myself. Especially when she let out a tiny whimper when I brought her sensitive flesh between my teeth, giving her a gentle bite.

I was always careful not to mark her in any way. Olivia could be careless at times, even if she didn’t mean to be. I didn’t want Max to see a hickey on her neck. No matter how badly I wanted to mark her.

“Let’s get you inside,” I told her.

“Okay. But you should know, Max only went out to buy groceries.”

“That’s okay, sweetheart. And I want us to tell Max soon. But before we do, there are some things I need to tell you first.”

And hopefully, these things won’t be the thing to break us. Please, let us be strong enoughnot to break.

I pulled her a little tighter against me as I lead her to the new house. I knew she was expecting me to bring her back to her house, but she didn’t say anything when I led her to the house next door.

Once inside, I closed the door shut behind us and locked it. It was still daytime outside, although it had been cloudy all day, so the house wasn’t as lit as I had hoped when I showed it to her for the first time. I knew she’d been here before, but this would be the first time she saw it as a potential place for her.

I let go of her and watched as she silently took it all in.

It wasn’t big by any means. There were four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths, an open floor plan with a family room, a dining room, a living room, and a huge kitchen on the first floor, along with a small home office. The basement was finished, and this house had been updated recently with dark hardwood floors, stainless steel kitchen appliances, and a Swedish red patio in the backyard.

It was a family home.

And I wanted to build my family here with her… next to my brother’s house.

I had long since accepted that Max and Olivia would always be close. That as much as she needed him, he needed her as well.

“Would you like a tour?” I asked from where I stood by the front door. I hadn’t moved from that spot since we got in, wanting her to take in the whole house without my input or interference.

She turned to me; her expression closed off. “You brought the Jenkins’ house?”

“Yes,” I answered slowly. What would I do if she hated this?

“It’s right next door to Max.”

“I know that.”

“Why did you buy a house, Mason?” she asked quietly.

Didn’t she know? Could she not see how desperate I was to keep her? To build a life with her? To possessed her in every way possible.

“Can’t you guess?”

She gave a tiny shrug. “Perhaps. But I don’t want to sound presumptuous.”

I walked over to her, grabbing both shoulders and turning her around until she was facing me. She wouldn’t meet my eyes, and in one of those rare occasions, I didn’t know what she was feeling or thinking.

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