Page 56 of Made to Sin

Maybe I was going crazy because he didn’t appear to feel the tension. He drove with the same dark confidence he walked with, laid back with one hand on the wheel as if the road was waiting for him. Oddly, I couldn’t help but notice he was driving how Arnold would drive: relaxed and deliberate. It was so unlike him to follow the laws of the road, but I guess even Made Men wanted some safety in their lives.

“You’re staring again, sweetheart,” he chastised, bringing me away from my thoughts.

A blush ran up my cheeks from getting caught as I turned my head to look out the window. I didn’t mean to stare at him, but he was hard not to stare at. Anyone who had met the man would agree. Not only did his demeanor speak volumes, but his pretty face practically demanded attention.

“Please, women stare at you all the time.”

On top of staring, I bet women did whatever this man wanted, whenever he wanted it. How it must do wonders for his never-ending ego.

“I’m not talking about other women,” he countered.

Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at his sly implication of only noticing me.

“Doesn’t make the statement any less true.”

“Careful, you sound jealous.”

“Careful, you sound like you like me,” I retorted.

From the corner of my eye, I saw him smirk.

The crowded city was left behind as we entered the freeway loop. It was just last week when I committed the same foolish act, not knowing the beating for that was the last I would receive from Marco. It didn’t matter if I read his eulogy an hour ago, I couldn’t believe he was gone for good.

“Where am I staying anyway?” I asked, not expecting to know anything he listed anyway.

“My place.”

I whirled my head back so fast, I almost got a neck cramp. I scanned his side profile, questioning if he was being serious or not. His face remained impassive, no sign that he was joking.

The thought of staying under one roof with this man scared me more than I would have liked. I could hardly stay ten minutes in a car with him before he said something that made my body all confused. There was no way I was going to last living with him for God knows how long.

“What? Why? I can stay at a hotel or something.”

At this point, I was saying anything I could in an attempt to save myself. It was pathetic of me to try, considering I didn’t have enough money to last a month.

He turned to me for a second. “No.”

No? I asked two questions, and neither had yes-or-no answers.

“Why not?”

“You asked for a place to stay, so I’m giving you one.”

“You let strangers live in your house on a normal basis?”

He gave me an unamused look. “I’ve known you for months, Katarina. Not to mention I had my tongue down your throat the other day. I wouldn’t consider us strangers.”

The redness returned to my cheeks at his crudity. For the millionth time, did he not feel any social awareness when he said stuff like that out loud?

My fingers awkwardly fidgeted. “Yeah, but we’ve only really talked a mere handful of times. What if I was an axe murderer?”

I winced as soon as the words left my mouth. It wasn’t the best thing to say to someone who was housing me, but I never claimed I was eloquent.

“I think I’ll live,” he responded dryly.

“Well, I want to stay at a hotel.”

He scoffed. “One night is fifteen thousand dollars. Do you have money?”

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