Page 138 of Chandelier Sin
“You mean nothing to me, Atticus. You’re no one.”
“Then why are you aroused?”
She drew in a sharp breath. “You only develop relationships with women you can’t have.”
“That was true in the past.”
Her eyes conveyed the question, “What changed?”
You came into my life, and nothing feels the same now.
“I want to trust you,” she whispered.
This was her negotiating with herself.
Reaching out, I offered my hand, a gesture I’d stand beside her. Our future together was uncertain but at least she’d know I’d protect her.
“Atticus, I can’t give you what you need.”
“You already have.”
She raised her chin. “You think I’d fall for a man like you?”
Cruelty, the only language she understood.
There was only one way to defeat those who dwelled in Hell. Confront them head-on. I’d seen the light, the power of love overcoming hatred, but that wasn’t how you wrangled evil.
Here, sin ruled, the kind of debauchery few experienced. The only way to overcome Pendulum was to become it.
Embrace it.
The obstacle was clear. These dark desires of other men threatened Eve. They couldn’t be permitted to reach her.
If she refused to leave, then I would stay.
I focused on her stunning face, trying to find a way past the walls she’d constructed, needing to reach her amid the pain.
“Please, go,” she said softly.
“You don’t get it, do you?”
“Have you no pride?” She forced a smile. “Can you not see I belong here? This place offers a fulfillment you can only imagine.” She blinked at me beneath long lashes.
God,her beauty could tempt a priest. A saint, even, or anyone caught in the eclipse of her gaze.
“On your knees,” I ordered sternly.
She looked uncertain. “What?”
“You heard me.”
She shuddered and closed her eyes against my order to kneel.
Entranced, her need for my affection was reflected in her hesitation. The bourbon would have soothed her a little, dulled her nerves and perhaps made seeing me again a little more bearable.
Drawing in a sharp breath she said, “Are you about to prove I was right?”
“About what?”
