Page 69 of Forbidden Sins

The motel is dimly lit, clearly in the middle of nowhere, with a neonvacancysign flickering in the darkness. There’s only one streetlamp in the parking lot, and Sebastian parks very far away from it, as far from the road as possible, before killing the engine and giving me a tight, tired smile.

“We’ll sleep here tonight,” he says, almost as if waiting for me to protest. “It’s going to be a lot different from what you’re used to, Estella. But we can get some rest here. It’ll be unlikely that they’ll be able to track us to this particular spot so quickly, after switching cars and getting out of there as fast as we did. Plus—”He gives me an apologetic look. “I need to sleep, and you can’t drive.”

“It’s fine,” I assure him quickly. “I don’t mind that it’s not luxurious. I really don’t. It’ll be an adventure.” I give him the bravest smile I can muster, and if it wavers a little, it truly has nothing to do with the accommodations and everything to do with the fear and exhaustion clouding my own senses right now.

From what I can see as we get out of the car and Sebastian collects the duffel bag, the motel looks like the kind of place that probably won’t ask too many questions as long as the guests pay cash. It’s definitely seen better days—a two-story row of rooms with doors that open directly to the parking lot, the entire place silent and dark. It’s a little eerie, if I’m being honest, but at this point, I truly don’t care. I want to sleep—although my body is humming at the thought of sleepingnextto Sebastian. At finally sharing a bed with him, even if we don’t do anything other than rest.

“Put the hoodie on,” Sebastian murmurs as we approach the window. “Put your hood up and stay a little behind me. I don’t want anyone getting a good look at your face.”

It feels a little overprotective, since a description of him that leads my father or Vito to our trail will also lead to me, but I acquiesce without question. I definitely don’t know any more about being on the run than Sebastian does, so I might as well follow his lead. He seems to have some confidence about what he’s doing, at least.

Sebastian hands some cash to the bored-looking clerk on the other side of the window, who fumbles at a corkboard for a moment before handing Sebastian a key. “Room sixteen,” he says. “At the end.”

“Thanks,” Sebastian says with a nod, before turning quickly away. I follow him without question, eager to get inside. Thequiet out here is a little spooky, with no traffic and the flickering streetlamp in the parking lot.

The motel room is exactly what I would have imagined—faded wallpaper, a firm but worn queen bed with a dubious floral bedspread, a bathroom that's clean enough but has seen decades of use. But it has a lock on the door, curtains that close completely, and a bed that we can sleep in—and right now, that's all that matters.

Sebastian secures the room methodically—checking the bathroom, the closet, the windows, drawing the curtains tight, and placing the duffel bag on the small table by the window. I stand in the center of the room, suddenly unsure what to do with myself.

"You should get some rest," he says, not quite looking at me. "Take the bed.”

“Where are you going to sleep, then?” I argue, and Sebastian gestures to a worn-looking armchair near the desk.

“That’ll be fine for me.”

“That’snotfine.” I shake my head. “You’re the one driving, and you’ll be driving for hours tomorrow. You need a better night’s rest.”

Sebastian looks at me, a hint of frustration in his eyes. “I just kidnapped you from the mansion you’ve lived in all your life, princess. It’s bad enough I’ve brought you to a shitty fifty-dollar-a-night motel room. I’m not going to have you sleep in an armchair that’s been there since 1995 while I sleep in the bed.”

“We can both take the bed.” I narrow my eyes at him. “Afraid I’ll threaten your virtue?”

The sharp, hot look that darts through Sebastian’s eyes sends a shiver down my spine, all the way down to my toes. “It’s not my virtue I’m worried about.”

The words hang in the air between us, electrifying it. I swallow hard, my pulse fluttering in my throat as I take a stepcloser to him, and then another. The tiny motel room feels even smaller now, the air thick with tension, and all my exhaustion has vanished in an instant.

There’s nothing I want more than this. Thanhim.

“I was going to give it to you before,” I whisper, standing so close to him that I could reach out and touch. “Remember? Before we were interrupted? Nothing has changed, Sebastian.”

“Except for where we are.” His voice is taut, rough with what I now know is desire. It makes a heat pool in my belly, flooding out through my limbs, my body turning soft and malleable, aching for his touch. “What kind of man would I be if I took your virginity in a shitty roadside motel, Estella?”

I swallow hard, taking another step closer. I see him tense, his gaze dark and hot as he looks down at me. “The kind that knows we have no idea how many more nights we’ll have together,” I whisper.

Another step. “The kind that knows that we can’t waste any of them.”

Another step, until my body is nearly brushing against his, the heat and scent of him filling my senses. “The kind of man who can’t wait another second to take what he wants.”

I lean up, pressing my hands lightly against his chest, and I feel his muscles flex under my touch. “I’m yours, Sebastian,” I whisper. “I already was. But I want you to be mine, too.”

“I am.” He reaches up, his hand closing over one of mine. “Christ, Estella, I’ve been yours for longer than you could possibly know.”

I swallow hard, arching against him so that we’re pressed together, chest to thighs, and I feel the twitch of his cock against me, hardening instantly just from that quick contact. “Then take all of me.”

His eyes flutter shut. With a groan that sounds as if it verges on pain, he leans down, his hand sliding behind my head ashis lips capture mine. My back arches, my hands fisting in his shirt, and I open my mouth for him instantly, welcoming the hot, sweet slide of his tongue as I give myself over to the only pleasure I’ve ever wanted.

Tonight, no one is going to interrupt us. No one is going to stop us.

And Sebastian is going to be the first man I ever take to bed—the only man, if I have anything to say about it.

---