The Sinner (The St. Clair Brothers 1)

“I’m not lonely,” I purred, hardly recognizing my sultry tone. Seb held his breath, gaze locked on my mouth. I navigated around the island as I slid a single fingertip along the slick granite. “At least, I won’t be once we get to the real reason you brought me here. Or did you think you’d have to talk me into it?”

The flush on Seb’s throat and cheeks was satisfying in a way I’d never known. I felt powerful. I did that to him. I made Sebastien St. Clair blush, something I doubted happened that often. Eyes glazed, lips parted, Seb’s mouth hung slack, but only for a second. One second was all it took for him to blink away the haze of lust. Without missing a beat, he put his glass on the counter behind him and closed the remaining distance between us in two large strides. His expression was feral and in looking at it, I chalked up my first attempt at seducing a man as a success.

Seb struck first. He crashed into me, his strong arms wrapping around my waist to keep me on my feet. Before I could gather my scattered wits, his lips descended. We came together in a desperate meeting of mouths. Teeth and tongues clashed. Seb dominated the kiss, owned it. It was messy and uncoordinated, slick and hot, and I loved every moment of it. In fact, I leaned into Seb and willingly gave up control. He sensed the moment I surrendered and growled as he reached down to palm my ass. Large hands splayed across my backside. He tugged sharply and our groins collided. The friction added fuel to the already roaring fire.

“Bedroom,” Seb whispered when he released my mouth and shifted to nip his way down my jaw.

Seb didn’t wait, and we were moving before I answered. He walked me backward through his suite and effortlessly maneuvered us around furniture and other obstacles without missing a beat. Too caught up in the way Seb sucked, licked, and bit my mouth and throat to pay attention, I handed over the reins, trusted Seb to get us to our destination in one piece, mostly because there was no way I was going to be the one to end the hottest kiss of my life, especially not for something as silly as tripping over furniture.

As with everything else about the man, Seb didn’t disappoint. Faster than I thought, the backs of my knees hit the soft edge of a mattress. I shifted my weight to sit, but Seb wanted nothing of it and dug his fingers into my backside, effectively forcing me to remain upright. Satisfied I would stay put, Seb let go and took a step back.

“Clothes first.” The words were barely out before Seb reached o

ver his head. In one graceful motion, he grabbed his collar and yanked off his shirt to reveal a torso that was so perfect, it could have been chiseled out of stone and put on display in the Louvre. While I ogled every flawless dip and hard ridge, Seb got to work on me. His hands were surprisingly dexterous as he made quick work of the tiny buttons on my blouse. The silky fabric scarcely had time to flutter to the floor and Seb’s mouth was on my skin.

“Oh god.”

I moaned, arched my neck, and threw my head back as Seb licked a path from my shoulder to my clavicle. He worked his lips and teeth against hidden bundles of sensitive nerve endings while I clutched at his biceps and reveled in the feeling of hard muscle beneath my fingertips. He kissed his way further down and stopped between my breasts. Seb sucked at the thin, tender skin. Hard enough that it stung.

I flinched. “Hey!” I was supposed to sound annoyed, but it came out more like a wanton moan. I pushed ineffectively at Seb’s head and pushed words out between heavy breaths. “You're going to leave a mark.”

Seb smiled against my breastbone and sucked the spot one last time. He straightened to his full height and I gulped. Ohmygod. He is so, so much taller than me. So much bigger… all over. There’s just so much of him. His eyes were wild and dark, face and throat ruddy, and lips red and swollen. He was the sexiest thing in the history of ever.

Seb grinned at my indignation. “That's the idea.” He nuzzled my ear. “I want to mark you all over.”

My dignified response was to shiver and practically hump his leg. The thought of Seb staking his claim appealed to my baser instincts.

Seb flicked open the button on my jeans. I did the same. We worked together to shed the rest of our clothes. Once we were naked, Seb hauled me against him like he did in the kitchen. Again, his hands went straight to my backside and he kneaded my ass in a sensual massage. It was the dead of winter and the room slightly cool, but Seb’s body was a furnace. Heat radiated off his skin and kept the chill away.

He dipped his head and sucked my earlobe into his mouth. My cries bounced around the bedroom. I scrabbled for something to hold onto, and clung to his broad shoulders for support.

When Seb let go and stepped away, I whined at the loss. He leveled a look so stern, I pressed my lips together and squelched the urge to pitch a fit.

“I’ll be right back. I have to get something.”

I nodded and the tense lines around Seb’s mouth disappeared and his eyelids went back to half-mast. He was clearly pleased by my easy capitulation. He stared at me, gaze filled with raw hunger and promises of things to come. It was so hot I wanted to reach between my legs and touch myself.

“By the time I get back, I expect you to be on the bed, hands over your head and legs spread.” A shockwave blasted from my scalp down to my toes and the subsequent rush of blood made me lightheaded. Apparently, bossy and dominating really turned my crank. The second Seb left the room, I climbed onto the mattress, determined to do exactly as instructed.

Never had I felt so exposed, completely naked, splayed out and exposed on Seb’s bed, amongst the buttery soft white sheets and fluffy duvet. My fingertips stretched to the headboard and my feet were positioned shoulder-width apart. Like that, Seb would be able to see everything. The thought both thrilled and embarrassed me. I had to close my eyes, as if not seeing meant I wasn’t acting like a complete nympho, all but begging for Seb to do whatever he wanted to any part of my body.

I waited for what seemed like forever. Okay, maybe not that long, but long enough that I mentally took note of everything I felt with my four remaining senses. Eyes still squeezed shut, I focused on the wild hammering of my heart, the slight chill in the air that made goose bumps prick along my skin and hardened my nipples into peaks, and the slick, needy ache between my thighs. The air tasted faintly of woodsmoke, the sheets held the light scent of sandalwood. I exhaled shakily, mortified yet beyond excited.

Over my head, I fisted the sheets and relaxed. I needed to get it together before Seb returned. There was nothing as unsexy as finding a trembling, nervous wreck in your bed, and it significantly raised the odds that Seb would take one look, wrinkle his nose, say, “ew,” and send me packing.

“Sorry about that.” My eyes flew open and I let out a startled squeak. Seb gave me an adorable crooked smile and a shiny glint caught my eye. I looked at Seb’s hands, er, the items in his hands, to be specific. When I realized what he held, my face grew hot, but I vibrated with arousal. “Had to get these.” He gestured to his collection of steel-linked chains and leather cuffs, taunting me by casually dangling one from a fingertip.

I swallowed thickly. “Okay.”

Sebastien cocked his head and studied me. “You sure you want this?” He held up a pair of studded leather cuffs. They swung over the bed, and I couldn’t tear my gaze away, hypnotized as they rocked back and forth.

“Yes.”

More than anything.

Seb’s lips slowly unfurled into a wide grin, one that held no amusement. No, it relayed every filthy intention he had in store for me. I shivered as my imagination went wild. One at a time, Seb wrapped a pliable leather cuff around each of my limbs. To those he attached a short chain between a D-ring on the cuffs and an identical one fixed onto the bedposts. A light went off in my head and, though I was still excited, my insides spasmed with anxiety. The reason Seb wanted me at his place had nothing to do with me being special. He bought me there so he could utilize his personal BDSM equipment.

My brief boost in confidence faltered and I clenched and unclenched my fingers as doubts assailed me. After he secured each arm and leg, Seb rounded the bed and stood back to admire his work.