Page 3 of Dirty Little Sinner

Maddy loved spending time with the lions and tigers. Surprisingly, we have one lion who no one can get near except for her. Hades is a pure white lion withanger issues. Maddy didn’t know he was dangerous and one day when I went looking for her I found her out in the pasture with him. He was like a puppy dog with her, but the moment he spotted me he went ape shit but he never turned on her. As we passed the pastures out back, I feel her shift next to me and peer out her window looking for him.

“He was moved to the back of the property,” I say.

“Why?” Her tone is laced with outrage.

“No one was able to walk past his area without him attacking the fence. We had to get the vet out to dart him and move him to the back.”

“He hates being on his own, Cameron. You know this!”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t the one who left him now, was I, sinner?”

THREE

MADDISON

I snap my mouth shut and ignore Cam as we pull up in front of the house. It’s far enough from the attractions and the huge tent that a lot of the noise doesn’t reach the house. I look up at the large barndominium style house and a pang of longing hits me in the chest. This was the first place that had ever felt like home to me. I never had a home growing up. Joanne could never pay the rent on time, so we couch surfed all my life. I never went to a normal school. I was homeschooled and had to teach myself because my mother was useless or strung out of her mind, out on her three day benders with one of her numerous boyfriends.

Joanne’s legs are like a revolving door, open to anyone who wants to walk in. Derek was the first boyfriend she ever had that was kindto me. He never tried to touch me or let his gaze linger on my ass or tits. He respected me and I fucked that up. Now that I know the truth about that night, I have no idea how to feel. I ran before anyone could explain and I’ve never looked back since. I’m twenty-one and working part time jobs just to survive because I have no purpose in life. I thought I had found my calling, working with all the animals here, but then I left.

When Cam kills the engine, the lights inside the cab flicker on and blind me. He pushes his door open and I drop my gaze to my lap and nibble on my bottom lip nervously.

“Look at me.” The dominance in his tone has my body obeying him without thought. It's always been like that with him, even if my mind was screaming for the opposite. “You belong here, withus.” I inhale sharply as warmth spreads through me. “Get your ass out of the car and head up to your room. Royce and Dad should still be locking up. Escape to your room now while you have the chance.” Cam doesn’t have to tell me twice. I jump out of the car and rush to the house, pushing the door open. I don’t look around to see if anything has changed, I rush up the spiral staircase and head for my old room. My room is in the middle. Cam’s is the first on the right, Royce’s is the second on the left, opposite mine, and Derek’s room is at the end of the hall.

When I push the door open and flick the light on, I freeze in the doorway. My hand comes up and covers my mouth. The room isexactlyas I left it. I walk in slowly and take in my surroundings. My twin bed is unmade, just like I left it. Clothes are still hung in the closet and my drawers are open with clothes spilling out of them. I was in such a rush to get out of here I grabbed what I could and ran.

“Where the hell have you been?” I whirl around at the sound of Derek’s voice downstairs. Goosebumps dot my arms as I suddenly feel exposed and unsure if I should have let Cam convince me to come back here.

“You know where I have been,” Cam fires back.

“Calm down, Derek. You knew he was heading to the city to watch over Maddy.” Hearing Royce say my name again after so long has a dull ache forming between my legs.

Fuck, I need to get laid!

“How is she?” The concern in Derek’s voice has me slowly exiting my room and heading to the railing that overlooks the downstairs of the house. My breath hitches when I take in the sight of him, Royce and Cameron standing in the open plan living room. Derek still looks good, only he could pull off a black cotton tee with black jeans and make them look like a million bucks. His black hair is a mess, strands have fallen ontohis forehead and I itch to push them back. I know his blue eyes would be burning with a dangerous intensity as he waits for his son to answer him. His forearms are covered in tattoos, they are a tribute to his life. One arm is a carnival sleeve and the other is decorated in all things that represent his circus.

I grip the rail in a vice-like hold to keep myself in place. Royce moves to Cam’s side, drawing my attention to him. Out of the three, he is the one who actually looks like he belongs in this place. He’s wearing a pair of dark wash denim jeans, a flannel shirt tied around his waist and white shirt that is covered in bits of hay—clearly he just finished feeding the animals. Royce’s black hair is cropped short on the sides and longer on the top. I always found comfort in his soft brown eyes.

Derek and Royce are both young. They are the same age with only a couple of months separating them. They’re thirty-nine. Derek was eighteen when Cameron was born. Cam’s mom took off and left his father and Royce to raise him on their own, and honestly, they did a fucking amazing job. Cam is twenty-one, the same age as me, and I know he loves his father and has the utmost respect for him.

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” The sound of Cameron’s voice pulls me from my thoughts. I peer down at him to find his gaze locked on tome. Derek and Royce both follow his line of sight and the moment they see me, both of their eyes widen in surprise. Silence stretches and I fight not to fidget, waiting for one of them to say something, anything to remove this awkward tension in the air.

“Sinner,” Derek breathes out and I release a breath I didn’t know I was holding. They all started calling mesinnerwhen I befriended Hades. They said that the lion was born of the devil and the only way someone would be able to tame him is if the person was a sinner like Lucifer himself.

“Hi, Derek,” I say quietly. He shudders at the sound of my voice.

“Welcome home, darling.” I shoot Royce a small smile and nibble on the corner of my lip.

“Joanne got her arrested. Gave Maddison’s name and address to the cops. They picked her up earlier tonight and locked her fine ass up. I bailed her out. She’s on house arrest here until her court date in a couple of weeks.” All three look up at me, waiting for an explanation but I can’t formulate words. The tension inside me is suffocating and Cam’s words from earlier are playing on repeat.

They want you.

Was he telling the truth?

Did he just say that shit to make me feel betterabout sucking his dad off? All these thoughts are plaguing me and I can’t focus on anything thanks to the throbbing ache between my legs. I need to get away from them and their assessing gazes.

“I need a shower,” I blurt, then rush back down the hall and escape inside the bathroom. I almost whimper when I see my shampoo, conditioner and face wash still tucked neatly away in the corner of the open plan shower. This bathroom is like no other. The tub is in the corner with a large window beside it, giving a clear view of the pens out the back. I hate that it’s so dark out that I can’t see Hades. The shower is open and has a rainfall showerhead fixed into the roof—the bloody thing can even turn into a steamer.

I strip and toss my clothes into the hamper before turning the shower on. The second the water heats, I step under the spray and close my eyes, letting the water cascade down my body and praying it can wash away all my thoughts and wipe away the need for the three alpha males downstairs.

---