Page 25 of The Fall of Sin (The Sins of Saint 2)

“Liar.”

“Stop trying to get inside my head.”

He smirked. “That’s something I’ll never stop doing. Your mind is an interesting place.”

“How so?”

“There’s a war raging inside that head of yours, Mila.” He leaned his head to the side, the flicker of the candle flame casting shadows on his face under the night sky. “And I, for one, cannot wait to see who will win. Your mind…or your body.”

I swallowed hard and reached for the champagne, taking a few sips, then decided I needed the whole damn glass if I wanted to try to ignore the way he affected me. The flames were on the verge of consuming my strength as if it were oxygen, burning brighter, fiercer, and it was only a matter of time before it turned me into nothing but ash. I didn’t know how to stop it. I didn’t know if Iwantedto stop it.

Saint stood, and I watched without blinking as he moved my way, reeking of confidence and certitude. “Temptation on its own is a powerful thing. Paired with the darkness, it’s a force to be reckoned with. Unstoppable.”

His scent enveloped me the second he stilled next to me and leaned down, bringing his cheek to mine, the stubble of his five o’clock shadow brushing against my skin. I closed my eyes and exhaled, a rush of warm air passing my wet lips.

“Tell me, Mila. Am I the God who helps you defeat temptation, or the devil who forces you to your knees…right before you succumb?”

I bit my lip, my body now a raging inferno of sexual impulses that burned brighter with every word he spoke into my ear.

He dragged a finger over my naked shoulder, leisurely tracing it up the side of my neck, leaving a trail of heated flesh in its wake. A single fingertip traveled down my throat, and I craned my neck backward, unable to stop myself from surrendering.

“This thing between us, Mila, is stronger than you realize.” His hand settled around my neck, his fingers increasing the pressure on my throat. “It’s been proven so many times, this attraction between us is undeniable. Unstoppable.” He tightened his grip. “And here’s a little secret for you.” His lips touched my earlobe, and shivers rippled down my body. “I might be a powerful man. A man who can lie, manipulate, and kill in order to get what he wants.” His hand slipped from my throat and traveled down my chest, easing inside my dress to gently cup my breast. I sucked in a breath that didn’t reach my lungs. “But when it comes to you, I’m powerless against the lust that consumes me when you look at me with those innocent doe eyes. Incapable of ignoring your plea for release that silently lingers on your lips.” His palm squeezed, and my nipple hardened, the desire that pooled between my legs an intense reminder of how my body kept betraying me over and over again when it came to this man.

Saint eased his warm lips against my heated skin below my earlobe. “I should hate you for becoming my weakness. And I probably would have if I weren’t so fucking addicted to the euphoria that destroys me every time I fuck you.”

Unable to move or breathe, I remained frozen, captive to his touch, his words, his mere presence. “Saint—”

His hand slipped out and eagerly moved down to my hip, causing me to stiffen. Not because I didn’t want him to touch me. Because my body had turned into nothing but sensation, ripples of jaded lust moving through me, like the ocean teasing the sand by merely kissing the shore.

“I’ll tell you what,” he started, his fingers pulling at the fabric of my dress, slowly revealing my legs as he kept bunching the red material in his fist, “I’ll be generous tonight. I’ll let you decide.” His lips teased along my jaw, and my body was already at the edge, waiting to tip over. “Do you want me to be merciful and allow you to retire to your room without taking you?” The hem of my dress reached my hip, my thigh exposed to the cool summer breeze, and I whimpered as his fingers snaked inside my panties. “Or do you want me to be the monster you and I both know I am, and fuck my pretty, defiant wife?”

A single finger slipped through my slit, and I heard him inhale sharply when he felt how ready I was for him. God, I was so tired of fighting this. To constantly be at odds with myself, trying to fight the desire that possessed me whenever he was this close. To be able to give in and accept whatever the hell this was between us would be liberating. The fall of sin.

9

Mila

I rolledmy head to the side as his lips continued to pepper kisses across my skin, until I launched up, his hand tearing from my panties, and the dress falling down my legs. “This is fucking exhausting.”

He smirked, like a devil who knew victory was only moments away. “What is?”

“This. You. Us.” I stepped closer until my chest was flush against his, my neck craned so I could look him in the eye. “I’m tired of fighting this, a battle you and I both know has already been lost.”

“And what battle is that?” His hands were on my hips, busy winding the fabric up the sides of my thighs.

“As you said, the battle between my mind and my body. It’s a battle I’ve lost so many times, and it’s getting tiring trying to keep levelheaded around you when the truth is I’ll never win. It’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight.”

I settled my hands on his chest, feeling the rhythm of his heartbeat against my palm, and his fingers laced into the sides of my panties, the summer breeze kissing my naked legs.

“Are you saying you’re willingly succumbing to the demands of your husband?”

“For now,” I whispered, and he flicked his wrist, my panties slipping down to the ground, pooling around my feet. “But the laws of war can change at any time.” My hands explored down his front, eager fingers working to unbuckle his belt. The sound of his zipper sliced through the moment of silence, and I slid my hand inside his pants, watching as his eyes darkened, his mouth slightly parted as I wrapped my fingers around the girth of his cock. “And when they do, I can’t promise I’ll be this compliant.”

“Oh, dear, sweet Mila. The only way the rules of war will change is when I say they will. Not you.” Abruptly, Saint crossed his arms around my waist and lifted me off my feet, slowly moving forward while his eyes never left mine. My legs wrapped around his waist, and I weaved my fingers through his hair, arms resting on his shoulders, the heat from his body penetrating mine.

“Never make the mistake of forgetting who’s in control here, Mila.” The edge of the stainless steel piped barrier pressed against my ass, his arm snaking up to my back as he steadied me. For a second, I glanced back, and fear carved its way into me, twisting my insides as I watched the turbulent waves crash against the side of the yacht, darkness painting the ripples with only the shimmer of moonlight highlighting the tide. Instinctively, I tightened my hold around his neck. If he let go, nothing would stop me from plunging into the endless depth of the ocean. No one would be able to save me.

“Saint, what are you doing?”

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