Page 398 of The Sinner: James

“I’m a mess, too,” I say stubbornly.

Another smile tilts his lips.

“Do you expect me to argue with you?” he asks, humor lining his voice.

I grin.

“I’m not always like that.”

He brushes strands of hair away from my face.

“No, you’re not. You’re a strong woman,” he says, his words killing my smile. “And you have to stay strong by my side,” he adds, stroking my jawline with his knuckles. “Don’t let your emotions get in the way, all right? We will have the life that we want, just not now. Okay?”

I nod mechanically, his words pulling me into a trance.

Mesmerized, I look at him, realizing that he could ask me to postpone this thing forever, and I would do it for him without the slightest hesitation, and that’s a scary thought.

He takes me in, aware I’m in his power, before leaning closer and kissing my lips.

“Okay, baby?” he asks again.

“Yes,” I breathe.

He tips his gaze down, dragging it over my body, his hand descending too, cuffing the root of my neck, sweeping over my collarbones and chest before cupping my breasts, one by one.

I push up on my toes, loop my arms around his neck, and breathe against his lips.

“Let me do to you what I wanted to do the entire evening.”

A smile sits on his lips when I break away and read his eyes.

He props his shoulders against the glass, his eyes taunting me.

I grin at him.

Tenderly, I slowly slide my palms across his shoulders and his chest.

I plant the first kiss between his pecs. And then the second one. And the third one. Gently, I begin to knead his muscles while covering him with kisses.

One hand pulls away from his chest, moving down again, trailing his abs, heading to his groin.

I wrap my hand around him, relishing the feel of his hard flesh against my touch.

I look down, filling my sight with him––his perfectly chiseled hardness, his skin soft like silk, his veins plumped, coiling around his girth.

I look up this time, getting drunk on his features, hooded eyes, slightly curved lips, and the absolute power breathing through his pores.

He has me wrapped around his finger, even now, after all this time. He’s still my King, my drug, and I can’t have enough of him.

Warmth surges through me as I hang onto that thought.

Smiling, I slide my fist up and down his length, kissing his chest and kneading his pecs.

Hardening even more, he brings his hand to the back of my head and fills his fist with my hair.

I start to slide down to my knees, but he has a different plan for me.

Forget about what I wanted to do to him the entire evening.

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