Wicked as Sin (Wicked & Devoted 1)

Like he was her destiny.

Ridiculous. God had a plan for her. And as much as she was loath to leave Pierce’s arms because this would probably be their last few moments alone, He wouldn’t curse her to lose her heart to a man her family and community would shun, right?

Pierce pulled her in, kissing his way up her cleavage, her collarbone, her shoulder. “Stay tonight.”

She shouldn’t. She couldn’t.

But she was so very tempted.

The truth was, her father would go to bed early because, even if he wasn’t giving the service tomorrow, he would want to be well rested for his first Sunday back in the church since his surgery. Cutter wasn’t leaving the hospital tonight. It was already past visiting hours, and he wouldn’t expect to see her until he was officially discharged in the morning. So the two people most likely to care where she spent the night would have no idea she wasn’t at home, tucked chastely in her bed.

This might be her only chance to stay with Pierce, indulge her need for him…and purge him from her system for good.

Still, she had one question. “Why?”

“Want me to keep being honest with you?”

“Please.”

Pierce looked at her as if he never wanted to let her go. “I’ve never felt about a woman the way I do about you.”

Brea’s breath caught. A wave of pleasure washed over her. Another rush of it flushed her cheeks. “I’d have to be up really early.”

“Any time I get with you is better than none.”

His words softened her heart. She felt the same. It probably wasn’t smart but… “I’ll stay.”

A smile stretched across his face, transforming him, before he nuzzled his face in her neck. “I’ll make sure you don’t regret it, pretty girl.”

Normally, she’d suspect he meant something sexual. And she didn’t think for one second that he’d keep his hands off her the rest of the night. In fact, she hoped he didn’t since the thought of him inside of her again made her whole body flash hot, as if she wasn’t already spent. As if he hadn’t utterly satisfied her minutes ago. But something about the way he watched her or touched her—Brea couldn’t exactly put her finger on it—convinced her he wasn’t simply wanting to hook up again.

If she were honest, she wasn’t staying strictly for the sex, either. She more than liked him, despite all the reasons she shouldn’t. But everyone in her life behaved as if she was a girl; Pierce alone treated her like a woman. Didn’t she deserve one night with a man who made her feel good?

Maybe Pierce wasn’t her sin but her reward—albeit temporary—for always being everyone’s dutiful friend and helpmate. And maybe she was fooling herself. Even so, Brea resolved to pack as much pleasure as she possibly could into this one night and leave tomorrow with no regrets.

She smiled. “Are you going to feed me before you take advantage of me again?”

“I could.” He nuzzled her. “Or I could just chain you to my bed and fuck you all night.”

That should not turn her on so much, but it sounded both forbidden and wonderful. “How about both? I can fry eggs in less than five minutes.”

Pierce cradled her face, and the way he looked at her again—as if she meant the world to him—had her stomach flipping over and upside down with a giddiness that spread through her body. If she wasn’t careful, she would fall for him.

He pressed a passionate kiss to her bruised lips, something slow, urgent, and thorough. Something that told her what the rest of her night was likely to be like. Something that excited her almost more than she could contain.

When he finally lifted his head, he brushed his thumb across her tingling lip. “As long as I get to watch you cook naked, hell yes.”

Sunday, August 17

Predawn darkness surrounded Brea as she slowed her car and killed her headlights. She wished she could turn off her guilt half so easily after creeping from Pierce’s bed and tiptoeing out of his house. What would he think when he woke to find her gone?

Nothing polite. He wouldn’t care that people had expectations of her—that her father required her in the front row at church or that Cutter needed a nursemaid after his release from the hospital. He wanted her all to himself. And if she could have been selfish for a bit longer, she would have stayed.

But that wasn’t her reality. She had responsibilities and, unlike Pierce, she enjoyed people relying on her.

It was just frustratingly inconvenient today.

Shoving aside that reality, Brea brought her car to a complete stop in front of her house and let out an exhausted sigh. Since she didn’t see any lights on inside, thank goodness, she figured Daddy must still be asleep. Hopefully, she could sneak in a shower and a power nap before they left for church.