Saved by Sin [Paladin Protection Agency 1] (Siren Publishing Classic) (3 page)

“It’s a long story. Let’s just say my line of work comes with danger pay.” He kept her hand in his as he lifted it from his neck, his fingers moving lightly over hers. “I came over to see if you needed help. If this wind gets any worse, we may lose power.” It was hard to think when he was holding her hand like that, and it took a moment for his words to sink in past the warm tingles that rose at that simple caress.

“I haven’t checked on the generator yet. Thanks for reminding me.”

“Just being neighborly.” He smiled again and her heart did a triple beat. “I wouldn’t like to think of you over here sitting in the dark tonight, all alone. Why don’t we go check on it now?”

“It’s just out back. I’ll show you.” She felt a glow of something she determined was most definitely gratitude and nothing more as she headed toward the front door. After all, she’d never been up here without either her dad or Robert, and the generator was a bit of a mystery to her. He was just being kind. That was all.

“Could you show me what to do with it? My dad never thought to tell me. He always considered it the man’s job, like barbecuing and chopping wood.”

Sinjin laughed and followed her out, somehow still holding onto her hand. “I’m not an expert, but I think I can manage to show you the basics.”

The moment they stepped outside, the wind seemed to blow harder, screaming through the trees above them and sending a shower of leaves and debris down on their heads. “This is nuts! Let’s run for it!” She tugged on his hand and bolted around the back of the house to the small add-on where the generator and water pump were housed. She ducked inside and laughed as he followed her in, his large build taking up most of the room. Grabbing a flashlight from its place on the wall, she flicked it on and ran the light over the generator.

“Perfect, it’s just the same as the one at my place.” Sinjin crouched down and started showing her what he knew as she knelt beside him. The musty smell of the shed couldn’t completely obscure his scent, and she breathed it in, woodsy and subtle. His presence filled the entire space, and she realized she’d lost track of his explanation, distracted by the play of muscles in his forearm and the way his hands moved as he talked.

“—and that ought to do it.” He glanced over at her with a smile that shot straight through her, warming her body in intimate places.

“Thank you.” She looked up and found herself caught in the gaze of two brown eyes, and when his hands rose up to cup her cheeks, her breath caught in her throat. For a long moment, they stayed like that, and then he leaned closer. He lowered his head and brushed a soft kiss to her mouth, sending sparks sizzling through her entire body.

“This is not a good idea,” he murmured before kissing her again.

“Probably not,” she managed to reply before leaning in to kiss him back, her arms around his neck, the flashlight beam shining off into the rafters, forgotten. She felt his hands leave her face to glide over her torso, stroking her lightly through her T-shirt. As his arms wrapped around her waist he stood and pulled her up with him, drawing her in tight to his hard body. She moaned, and her lips parted beneath his. He took control then, deepening the kiss, his lips slanting over hers, laying claim to them. Strong hands curved over her ass, holding her in place.

Her fingers drifted to his chest, spanning muscle and sinew as she worked her way lower, finally finding the edge of his shirt and slipping her hands beneath. His skin was warm, and every part of him felt solid, strong, and huge. She moaned into his mouth and nipped at his lower lip, needing more. After all the chaos and upset of the past few weeks, this was what she needed. He was what she needed. She didn’t know why, but she knew it deep down inside, had known it since the moment he’d appeared at her door.

He kissed her again, fierce and hot. His tongue twined with hers, and his cock rose hard and heavy between them. “Michelle.” He groaned her name and lifted his head at last. “I want you, but not here.”

“Not here,” she whispered in agreement, her pulse racing and her knees weak. “Come with me.” Part of her was stunned by her brazen behavior as she untangled herself from him and then took his hand, leading him back around the cabin. The rest of her was too turned on to care. She wanted him, and for once in her life, she was going to take what she wanted without worrying about the consequences.

He followed behind her, watching her hips sway with every step she took, leading him back to her cabin and hopefully, her bed.
What the hell am I doing?
And then he decided to ignore the question. Whatever this thing was between them, it had come on like a freight train and taken them both by surprise. He’d seen it in her eyes as he’d given in to the urge to kiss her. A mere moment of hesitation and then she’d been wrapped around him and they’d gone up in flames together.

When he’d come up to her cabin, it had been purely a neighborly visit. But the moment he’d seen her standing there, all long legs and honey-blonde hair, he’d wanted a hell of a lot more than to welcome her to the neighborhood. Then there’d been the way she’d looked at him, just at first, that flash of fear that was more than being startled by his arrival. Something had her scared, and in that moment, he’d recognized a kindred spirit. This was someone else who knew how it felt to be alone in the darkness. That called to him even more than her body did, and that was saying something because damn, she was gorgeous. She moved with an athlete’s grace, and even in faded jeans and an old T-shirt she had made an instant and memorable impression.

He wanted to tug her hair out of that ponytail and wrap it around his hands while he kissed her. His cock got harder at the thought, and the last few steps to the cabin door seemed too far, so he scooped her into his arms and carried her, too busy kissing her to do more than kick the door closed behind him. She smelled good, and he couldn’t tell if it was her perfume or her own natural scent, but he liked it.

“Where?” He barely recognized his voice.

“The door on the left.” She lifted a slender arm and pointed down the hall. He kissed her again before carrying her into the bedroom and lowering her down on the patchwork quilt that covered the bed. The old bedsprings creaked as he laid down beside her, the scent of cedar rising up from the quilt to surround them.

“If you don’t want this, say so, Michelle, and I’ll leave.” He kissed his way from her lips to her jaw and down her throat, finally reaching that spot below her ear he’d been eager to taste since he’d met her.
Hell, had it really only been a few minutes ago?

“I want this. I want you. Please Sinjin, don’t go.”

“Believe me, I don’t want to go.” He swiped the tip of his tongue over her skin, needing to taste her. “God, I don’t want to be anywhere else in the world right now.”

She laughed softly, turning her head so her lips were right by his ear. “I’m glad to hear that. I don’t want you to be anywhere else either.”

He nuzzled her neck, his hands working into her hair, snapping the elastic in his haste. Her hair flowed like cool silk between his fingers, and he blazed a trail of openmouthed kisses along her throat, craving her essence. He felt her brush his hair back, and that simple contact made his entire body hum as though he was standing next to a lightning rod during a storm. She gently touched the scars on his neck, tracing them with her fingertips. When her lips grazed over his neck, he groaned with the pleasure of it, letting his hands tangle in her hair, as her soft body curved into his.

When kisses weren’t enough, he sat up and skinned the sweatshirt he was wearing over his head and tossed it aside before reaching down to do the same for her. He wanted her naked, needed to see her, feel her skin to skin. She already had her top halfway off, and he helped her, tossing it on top of his clothing as she reached around and undid her bra. He skimmed his hands over her shoulders, brushing the soft bit of pale fabric and lace aside so he could see her properly. She was breathtaking.

“Beautiful, you’re so beautiful, Michelle.”

She flushed pink and looked up at him with blue eyes full of heat. “So are you, handsome.” She grinned as her hand grazed down his chest, flowing along the lines of muscle he had worked every day to rebuild. She sat up and kissed him, her hands in his hair, tugging him closer.

Her breasts filled his hands as he cupped them, and he could feel her nipples tighten as he brushed his palms over them. Michelle’s breath caught, and he stroked her again, loving the way she arched into his hands. She lay back, taking him with her until they were both sprawled across the bed. Each and every one of her openmouthed kisses was full of heat and the promise of more to come. She coiled one leg around his thigh and rocked into him, an invitation he wouldn’t dare ignore.

He nipped at her lower lip gently before releasing it to kiss his way down her body, nuzzling the gentle curve of her breast before giving into his need to taste her again. His mouth covered one pert nipple, and he was rewarded with a keening cry of need as the sweet taste and scent of her filled his head.

“More, please.” Her breathless plea heated his blood, and he heard himself groan her name against her skin as he nibbled and teased at her nipple, his thumb and forefinger echoing his actions with her other breast. She arched her back, presenting herself as an offering, a succulent feast for him alone. His cock ached, thicker and heavier than he’d ever felt before, and he ground it against the rise of her thigh even though the pressure only made the ache worse.

He lifted his head to kiss her and froze as a shrill chirping filled the bedroom. His cell phone was ringing.
Fuck.

She was grinning up at him as he gave her the most apologetic smile he could manage and sat up, fishing his phone out of his back pocket to check the number.
Remington. Double Fuck. “
I have to answer this. I’m so sorry.”

Those lush lips twitched, and she nodded, barely able to suppress her amusement as she pointed to the hallway. “Don’t be long, okay?”

“Trust me, this is going to be the world’s fastest phone call,” he muttered and headed out the door and hit the answer button as her laughter followed him out into the hall. “I’m here, and this better be good, sir.”

* * * *

Michelle finally calmed her laughter down to a giggle and sat up, all of her attention on the drop-dead gorgeous man currently pacing up and down the short length of her hall and growling into his phone.

“You gave me a month, and I’m taking it. No, I don’t need to talk to Richard. The leg’s fine. I’m fine. No, I am not giving you attitude. I’m just in the middle of something.” He vanished back down the hall, and she slid off the bed and scooped their tops off the floor, folding them both neatly before putting them down on top of an old chest of drawers. Not sure what to do with herself, she hesitated a moment, and then took a deep breath and muttered, “What the hell.” She kicked off her shoes, peeled off her jeans, and ducked under the quilt just as he stalked back into earshot. Her heart was slamming against her ribs as she waited, hoping she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself.

“—so you can just stop worrying, I’ll be back when I said I would be. Is that all? Yes, sir, see you then. Good-bye.” He walked back into the room, dark eyes gleaming with annoyance. “I’m sorry. That was my boss. He was just…” He trailed off, his eyes widening as he took in her lack of attire, and the hottest grin she’d ever seen curled over his lips and made her insides turn to molten honey.

“I want you.” Sinjin’s voice was the low rumble of a coming storm as he prowled across the room to stand in front of her, his hands already working at the button on his jeans.

Michelle swallowed and realized her mouth had gone dry. “I want you, too. Please, stay with me.” She opened her arms to him, letting the quilt fall away and leaving herself open and exposed.

He shucked his jeans off with practiced speed, giving her an ample view of everything he had to offer.
Holy hell, he is hot
. Built like a warrior from another time, muscle and sinew flowed under his skin in a way that no gym could duplicate. His strength and grace were his own, earned and paid for in the real world. She knew without a doubt that whatever this gorgeous man did for a living, it didn’t involve sitting behind a desk.

He slid beneath the covers and wrapped his arms around her, his kiss gentler this time. The passion was still there, but he’d dialled it back, at least for the moment. He drew her down beside him, as his hands drifted over her body, laying claim to every inch of her as his kiss went on and on. The calluses on his hands were rough against her sensitized skin, and it felt so good she wanted his touch everywhere at once. The taste of him was in her mouth, all jumbled with the scent of cedar that clung to the quilt and sheets. Her fingers itched to play with his hair again, and so she did. She wrapped the dark length around her hands and used it to tug him closer, deepening their kiss.

He groaned into her mouth, spearing deeply with his tongue. It was a promise of things to come. She wrapped a leg around his thigh and squeezed, needing contact, craving his body like an addict needed their drug of choice. He broke their kiss at last, lifting his head to stare down into her eyes, his own full of desire. “I need you, Michelle, need this.”

She recognized the need in his eyes, the yearning for companionship, for someone to keep the darkness away. Those needs mirrored her own. She nodded as understanding bloomed between them. “I need you, too.”

His lips brushed her brow for a sweet, tender second and then swept down her cheek and jaw to her throat, leaving a trail of fire in his wake. Every kiss seared and teased as he worked his way down her body, pausing to suck each breast for a glorious minute before moving downward once more. She lay back, releasing her hands from his hair and uncoiling her legs from his, freeing him to do what he wanted. Whatever he wanted, she didn’t care. Not so long as he didn’t stop touching her.